Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Download Money Ball


Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is upset by his team's loss to the New York Yankees in the 2001 postseason. With the impending departure of star players Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi, and Jason Isringhausen to free agency, Beane attempts to devise a strategy for assembling a competitive team for 2002 but struggles to overcome Oakland's limited payroll. During a visit to the Cleveland Indians, Beane meets Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a young Yale economics graduate with radical ideas about how to assess players' value. Beane tests Brand's theory by asking whether he would have drafted him (out of high school), Beane having been a Major League player before becoming general manager. Though scouts considered Beane a phenomenal player, his career in the Major Leagues was disappointing. After some prodding, Brand admits that he would not have drafted him until the ninth round and that Beane should probably have accepted a scholarship to Stanford instead. Sensing opportunity, Beane hires Brand as the Athletics' assistant general manager.

The team's scouts are first dismissive of and then hostile towards Brand's non-traditional sabermetric approach to scouting players, most notably Grady Fuson (Ken Medlock) – who is fired by Beane after insulting their approach, and takes to the radio airwaves and doubts the team's future. Rather than relying on the scouts' experience and intuition, Brand selects players based almost exclusively on their on-base percentage (OBP). By finding players with a high OBP but with characteristics that lead scouts to dismiss them, Brand assembles a team of undervalued players with far more potential than the A's hamstrung finances would otherwise allow. Despite vehement objections from the scouts, Beane supports Brand's theory and hires the players he selected, such as unorthodox submarine pitcher Chad Bradford (Casey Bond). Following the free agent signings, Beane finds that he also faces opposition from Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the Athletics' manager. With tensions already high between them because of a contract dispute, Howe disregards Beane and Brand's strategy and plays the team in a traditional style despite their unsuitability. Beane eventually trades away the lone traditional first baseman, Carlos Peña, to force Howe to use the new recruits.

Early in the season, the Athletics fare poorly, leading critics within and outside the team to dismiss the new method as a dismal failure. Beane convinces the owner to stay the course, and eventually the team's record begins to improve. The Athletics go on to win 19 consecutive games, tying for the longest winning streak in American League history. Beane's young daughter implores him to go to the A's final game against the Kansas City Royals, where Oakland is already leading 11–0 after the third inning and appears set to advance their winning streak to a record-breaking 20. Like many baseball players, Beane is superstitious and avoids attending or sometimes even following games as they are in progress, but upon hearing how well the game is going on the radio, he decides to go. Beane arrives in the fourth inning, only to watch the team go to pieces and eventually allow the Royals to even the score at 11. Finally, the A's do win, on a walk-off home run by one of Brand's picks, Scott Hatteberg. Then, despite all their success in the second half of the season, the A's lose in the first round of the postseason, this time to the Minnesota Twins. Beane is disappointed, but satisfied at having demonstrated the value of his and Brand's methods. Beane is later approached by the owner of the Boston Red Sox, who realizes that the sabermetric model is the future of baseball, and offers to hire Beane as the general manager of the Red Sox. Beane passes up the opportunity to become the general manager of the Boston Red Sox, despite an offer of a $12.5 million salary, which would have made him the highest-paid general manager in sports history. He returns to Oakland to continue running the Athletics. In 2004, two years after adopting the sabermetric model, the Boston Red Sox win their first World Series since 1918.

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Saturday, February 15, 2014

Download Green Street Hooligans

"West Ham is mediocre. But their firm is first-rate." So a young American is told soon after arriving in London. West Ham is a London football team. "Firms" are the names for organized gangs of supporters who plan and provoke fights with the firms of opposing teams. The firms are quasi-military, the level of violence is brutal, and then the gang members return to their everyday lives as office workers, retail clerks, drivers, government servants, husbands and fathers.

I first saw this world in Alan Clarke's "The Firm" (1988), one of Gary Oldman's early performances, which showed in disturbing detail how his character was drawn into what the press calls "football hooliganism." The fights can be crippling or deadly. They're all the more brutal because the gangs don't for the most part carry firearms, preferring to beat on each other with fists, bricks, iron bars and whatever else they can pick up. Members of a firm have such fierce loyalty that they disregard risk. Unlike American street gangs, which are motivated by drug profits, British football firms are motivated by an addiction to violence.

"Green Street Hooligans" chooses an unexpected entry point into this world. Its hero is Matt Buckner (Elijah Wood), a bright Harvard student kicked out of school two months before graduating after his roommate forces him to take the fall for some cocaine found in their room. The Harvard business is not convincing but motivates Matt to visit his sister Shannon (Claire Forlani) in London. Her husband, Steve (Marc Warren), more or less forces his brother Pete (Charlie Hunnam) to take Matt to a football match.

Wood, who can seem harmless enough to be cast as Frodo in "Lord of the Rings," might appear to be the last person who'd be interested in the violent world of a firm. But the movie is about the way men who run in packs need to belong and to prove themselves. In a series of gradual stages, which are convincing because we see his early resistance wearing down, Matt tries to become accepted by the Green Street Elite. This involves fighting at their side, which he does with more recklessness than skill. When he is finally covered with blood, he belongs.

There's a lot of plot surrounding this progression. The Green Street Elite lives with memories of its glory days, when it was led by a legendary fighter known as the Major. Its rivalry with Millwall is so vicious that matches between the two teams have not been scheduled since the Major led a particularly nasty fight several years ago. Shannon is horrified that Matt has gotten involved with the Elite, and her husband tries to warn Matt.

But he has become addicted. He was a journalist at Harvard, an editor of the Crimson, and now he keeps a journal: "I'd never lived closer to danger -- never felt more confident." Life in the firm makes his previous life seem insubstantial and unreal; what is real is bonding with other men and beating the crap out of opposing firms.

This seems to me insane. What pleasure can be found in voluntarily seeking injury every weekend? Of course, the fuel of the firm is alcohol, its meeting place is a pub, and its war song is a boozy, defiant version of the last song you would think of: "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles." There's an intriguing montage showing Elite members at home and at their daytime jobs; the 1988 Clarke film made clear that firm members are not outcasts, but jobholders and family men who have violence as a hobby.

At first I thought the character of Matt was unnecessary. Why not simply dramatize the world of firms? Do we need a Hollywood star as an entry point for non-British audiences? If you must have one, Elijah Wood seems so very unlikely as a street fighter that I began a list of more plausible actors for the role. Then I realized the movie's point is that someone like this nerdy Harvard boy might be transformed in a fairly short time into a bloodthirsty gang fighter. The message is that violence is hard-wired into men, if only the connection is made. As someone who has never thrown a punch in my life, I find that alien to my own feelings, but I remember years ago, late on nights of drinking, when anger would come from somewhere and fill me. Certainly alcoholism is essential for firm membership: It is inconceivable that anyone would go into action sober.

The movie was directed by Lexi Alexander, a German woman who is herself a former kick-boxing champion. It uses cinematography by Alexander Buono to capture the everyday reality of London streets and the kinetic energy unleashed in the fights. It also unfolds a tragic back story, as old secrets are revealed, leading up to the ultimate possibility of death. No, don't assume you know who will die. It isn't who you might think. Of the dead man, we are told: "His life taught me there's a time to stand your ground. His death taught me there's a time to walk away." I guess the time to walk away is before you get killed standing your ground, unless you have a very good reason for standing it. The most frightening thing about the Green Street Elite is the members think they have such a reason, and it is loyalty to the mob.

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Friday, February 14, 2014

Download Goal II

The film depicts fictional events in the 2005-06 football season, involving Real Madrid, Newcastle United and other major European clubs like Arsenal and Barcelona.[1]

Goal! II carries on from Goal! in which Santiago Muñez, who is now a successful footballer, gets transferred from Newcastle United to Real Madrid. He has a good start for Real as he substitutes former teammate Gavin Harris, who is in a bad form, in several matches. However, life later starts to get complicated when his half-brother Enrique learns that he is related to Santiago and shows him a picture of his mother, who left his father years ago and now lives in Spain. When Enrique tells him this, Santiago drives off, after which his life goes downhill, as his fame and success begins to catch up with him, and he becomes more arrogant and selfish. When he gets his first chance to start for Real Madrid, he messes up after a bad tackle on Valencia's Vicente Rodríguez, leading to him getting sent off. Soon after, he gets into an argument with his girlfriend Roz Harmison, who leaves, frustrated, to return to England, and he rashly fires Glen Foy as his agent when he gets him an advertising deal with a sushi restaurant, even though he hates sushi. Things get worse when he gets injured. Santiago also has an affair with Jordana Garcia. Enrique drives off in Santiago's Lamborghini after he has an argument with Santiago; he crashes and badly injures himself. Santiago also beats up a photographer and gets arrested, and when he calls Glen for help, he is firmly informed that he is on his own. After getting released, he goes to meet his mother.

Real Madrid reach the final of the UEFA Champions League and they are lined up against Arsenal. Santiago learns that Harris has to get a place in the starting line-up in the final in order to ensure an extension of his contract and a place in his national squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup. He asks the coach to let Harris start instead of him in the final. Harris gets his chance, but almost squanders it by fouling Arsenal player T.J. Harper in the first half – which leads to a penalty and Real Madrid concede the first goal. The final turns into a nightmare for Real Madrid after this. The star players can hardly build any chances and Arsenal have a firm grip on the game in the first half, creating chances and threatening Madrid with attack after attack. Only a superb performance from goalkeeper Iker Casillas prevents Real Madrid from crashing out before half time.

Contrary to speculation and despite the bad form of Harris, Santiago is brought onto the field – but not as a substitute for Harris. In the second half the two former Newcastle teammates get the chance to link up at the front to bring Madrid back to life. However the game gets worse as Arsenal go 2-0 up. Arsenal are denied an even bigger lead when Casillas superbly saves another penalty. Following this save, Real Madrid get to counter-attack with Santiago finally creating a moment of magic with Harris, who scores to make it 2-1. In the final few minutes of the game, with Madrid needing a goal to stay in the game, Santiago gets his chance and makes it 2-2. Finally, with only seconds left, David Beckham scores from a free kick to win the Champions League for Real Madrid. The film ends with all the Football Stars cuddle and ends with Real Madrid play Sneaky and Underhanded "To be continued...."

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Download Goal

Santiago Munez is a skilled footballer. The son of a gardener who lives in SPAIN barrio section of Los Angeles, Santiago works as a bus boy in a Chinese restaurant and helps with his father's gardening business. His ultimate dream is to play football professionally. Due to his poverty and the fact that he plays solely for a club made up of Hispanics from a local car wash, he feels his chances are slim. Santiago is noticed by Glen Foy (Stephen Dillane), a former Newcastle United player who works as a car mechanic but still has ties to his old team. Glen arranges to get Santiago a tryout with Newcastle United, who recently signed talented new player Gavin Harris (Alessandro Nivola). Needing to get to England, Santiago begins to save his money in an old shoe, but his father finds the stash and takes it to buy a GMC truck to allow them to work for themselves. His dream is not lost though, as his grandmother sells off her jewellery to buy him a ticket to England.

Glen warmly welcomes Santiago to his home and takes him to the tryout. Unfamiliar with the English style, he performs poorly. Glen convinces the team's manager that Santiago needs a month's trial to show his full potential. Santiago does not tell club nurse, Roz Harmison (Anna Friel), that he has asthma. After a month a jealous teammate crushes Santiago's inhaler before a reserve game. An asthma flare-up prevents him from being able to run hard, and his coach lets him go. While on his way to the airport Santiago meets Gavin Harris, who was late to arrive to the team. Harris finds out what has happened and makes Santiago explain it to the manager. The manager allows Santi to stay, provided he gets treatment for the asthma. Santiago earns a contract for the reserves team and moves in with Gavin. Finally he gets onto the first team as a substitute in a match against Fulham. There he wins a penalty for Newcastle, which is taken by Gavin winning them the match. Unknown to anyone else in his family, his father watches the match on TV in the USA, and after finally watching his son play, he leaves a proud father. Despite the victory, the manager informs Santiago that his weakness is that he does not pass the ball off. That night, he and Gavin go out partying. A picture of the two winds up in the tabloid The Sun, causing anger from the manager. At the same time, Santiago's friend, Jamie, suffers a career-ending injury that only causes him additional grief.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, Santiago's father dies of a heart attack. Devastated, Santiago plans to return home. While in the airport waiting for his flight back to Los Angeles, he decides not to return and reports back to training. Believing he may not make it to the playing eleven, he goes to St James' Park and practises till late in the evening, and is informed by the manager that he has been selected to play against Liverpool F.C.. On match day, Harris puts Newcastle into the lead. Before half-time, Liverpool makes a comeback with two goals, from Igor Bišćan and Milan Baroš. In the final minutes of injury time, Santiago assists Harris in scoring the equaliser by finally passing the ball to him, to make it 2–2. However, a draw will not be enough to earn Newcastle a place in next season's UEFA Champions League. Mere minutes before the end of the game, Harris is tripped and Newcastle gain a wide free kick, which Harris gives to Santiago. Santiago, with the hopes and prayers of the whole city of Newcastle resting on his shoulders, scores, and Newcastle win 3–2. Glen reveals to Santiago that his grandmother is trying to call. She mentions that his father did watch his first match against Fulham, after learning this from a fellow supporter who happens to be Brian Johnson, lead singer from AC/DC, Newcastle born and bred. Santiago shouted to Glen that his father saw him play and was proud of him before he died. Glen replies: He's probably watching you right now. The film happily ends with Santiago shedding tears of joy while embracing his dream.

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