I'd like to begin collecting DVDs in which soccer is the central theme. Excluding collections of great goals, instructional videos, and--unless it's really REALLY good--club specific documentaries, what have we got besides The Cup, Fever Pitch, and Victory? Oh, how about The Official George Best Story? Is it much good?
I thought there was already a thread on this, but that might've been before the crash... Anyway; Some of mine: 1) "My Way", the USSoccer one about K/J2k2, although this is prety much a doctumentary, I heard it was good. 2) "Shaolin Soccer", a fun, subtitled movie, combining kung fu and soccer. 3) "Bend It Like Beckham", the UK comedy smash of the season. (The name says it all) That's all that come to mind, if I remember more I'll add them. Sean
More soccer movies The Mean Machine - Vinny Jones and that gorgeous guy from Transporter. The Match - shown every once in a while on BBC America.
I'm gonna guess Jason Statham, though I wouldn't call him gorgeous. He was also in Snatch with, Vinnie Jones. Sean
He asked for "good" soccer movies. Victory was pretty good. "The Cup" was crap; I couldn't even finish watching "Mean Machine." Are there really any good soccer movies out there? What are "The Match, "Shaolin Soccer" and "Bend It Like Beckham" about? What's the story line?
movies fiction --Victory", with Stallone in goal, outstanding film, a work for the ages doctumentry--"Hero"--the only World Cup film better than '82's "Gole". Commentary by Micheal Caine, music by Rik Wakeman. Highlights some of the best players in history, including Platini, Lineker, and of course the great Diego. Great footage of ball skills, goals from all angles with the native language commentary at the time--great emotion. I like the "Our Way" video, but it looks like a "B" movie compared to this.
A Shot at Glory -- starring Robert Duvall. I haven't seen it, can't say if it is any good. I think it's about a Scottish cup final. In my video store now. From the '80s, a movie called "Cup Final" (I think). Another one I've never seen. I think it's about some Palestinians who are holding hostages, everyone shares a common interest in seeing the World Cup Final, or something like that. Good luck finding it.
It's not a good movie, but there was a movie back in the late 80's called Hotshot with Pele. Kinda cheap. Pele plays a retired soccer player who has shut the game out, til a young player tracks him down and tried to get him to teach him the game. Cheap, but I watched it every time it was on HBO.
"The Boys From Brazil" is said to be one of the best documentaries on soccer ever. It's easy to get online at places like Amazon. It has a lot of rare footage you don't see elsewhere. Got lots of good fan reviews also. The subject is, of course, the Brazilian teams over the years of 1930-1986. It even has film from 1930.
There is a great movie simply called "Best" about him...If this is what you were referring to I highly recommend it, even as an ardent ManUre hater, it is a great film.
Actually, the complete and proper title of the DVD I'm referring to is, "George Best, Genius, Maverick, Legend" You can view it at http://www.georgebestofficial.com/ Has anyone seen this one?
How about books? We've asked about movies...what about books? Are there any books with soccer/football ala Dick Francis and his horse racing books?
Two English movies: When Saturday Comes - starring Sean Bean. About a guy who had a chance to be a star. knocked it back, ended up being a park player, then gets a call up to the big time (I think with Sheffield United) Eleven Men Against Eleven - starring James Bolam. Comdy set in a failing Premier League club. Touches on all the scandals going around in football - gambling, doping, bribing referees, tax dodging etc. Very funny. Also, its about Rugby rather than soccer, but an old '50's or '60's movie "This Sporting Life" was a classic. And if you're into soapies, the English series "Footballers Wives" is a classic
Robert Duvall's recent "Shot at Glory": Stars Duvall as grizzled Lombardi-esque Scottish football manager who's been screwed out of a prestigious coaching position by a former assistant coach (played by Brian Cox), and who is forced to return to his small 2nd-division Scottish club; He loves his players and has beautiful daughter who he won't talk to because she ran off and got married to a football star playing for Rangers; Now, Michael Keaton as the 'American' owner, appears and wants to improve (or move) the team, and has just bought the former Ranger and premier league star named Jackie McQuillan (Played well by real Ranger's leading all-time scorer Ally McCoist). Jackie is who 'took away' Duvall's (the coach's) daughter, so there's conflict right off, but McQuillan turns the season around for the team, with good climactic scene at the cup final when they have to play McQuillan's old team, Rangers, of course. The soundtrack by Mark Knopfler is excellent. The soccer scenes? Mostly slo-mo closeups, really not the focus of the story, which is not necessarily a criticism in this case. The story is really about the 'football life', from the point of view of the coach, the families, and the players themselves. We enjoyed it quite a bit. The only downside, for the little ones, was that in keeping with the desire to present the story with some realism, the producers don't tone down any of the language, so it's "fookin' this" and "fookin that" the whole way through (the only justification I could see for the R rating in the US) But I loved the movie.
Isn't "The Boys From Brazil" about 100 little Hitler clones they spread around the world and then Joseph Mengele comes out of hiding and tries to locate a new Fuhrer? As for Victory, it's just a horrible movie, plotwise, but it's chock full of old Footballers like Co Prins the great Dutch star, 1966 England Captain Bobby Moore and the legendary Argentines Osvaldo Ardiles. Watching Stallone play keeper is just hysterical. There's a story he told once about how Sly got to feeling he was pretty hot, so Pele told him exactly where the shot was going to be, and then hit it exactly there, and not only did Stallone fail to stop it but he broke two fingers trying and finished the film in great pain. The movie also engendered one of the all-time great soccer quote, from none other than Gordon Banks. They asked the English legend to look at film of some modern keepers and rate them. Just for fun, they slipped in some footage of Stallone rehearsing for the movie: Banks said: “I’ve not seen this lad Sylvester Stallone before... and no wonder: he’s too short, has the agility of a plank of wood and you could time his reflexes with a sun-dial. I think he needs to come back in the afternoons.”
My favorite to date is The Cup, about Tibetan monks in exile in Nepal who struggle to get a satellite dish in order to watch the 98 Cup. Based ona true story, and it was produced, directed and acted by the real monks.
Nobody mentions 'Ladybugs'? It is being re-released next summer with a new sub-title - 'The Landon Donovan Story'