Friday 5 February 2010

Films for Friday 2

This weeks film for Friday is 'Shaolin Soccer'. This is easily my favourite football based film of all time (second is 'Escape to Victory').

My friend Erik sent me this from Shanghai and I was very pleased with it. First have a look at the case. The dodgy makers have been lazy on the back of the DVD and stuck on the credits for the movie Patton with George C Scott, and below that the plot synopsis of the film 'Monkeybone'. That's cool already.

It's a very funny and top quality film, I've only ever seen it in Chinese, but I think that's better as English subtitles would take away from the madness of it all, and I've avoided the dubbed version that came out a few years later with added British football jokes, bah. The clash of good and evil between the two football teams in their final game is astounding, and it has a classic ending. Highly recommended.

4 comments:

John Robbins said...

Actually caught this in the cinema a few years back - didn't quite put me in mind of turned sods beneath Sunday morning studs, but definitely a fun flick. (Didn't the director also do Kung Fu Hustle?)

Ever see the Arthouse football flick 'Zidane'? Not exactly entertaining, but interesting. We'll just have to stick with Match Of The Day, I think.

rob jackson said...

Yes, it is the same director and star as 'Kung Fu Hustle'. Thats good too, but this felt more like a new thing when it came out.

I've not seen 'Zidane', thats the one thats a whole game in slow motion isn't it.

John Robbins said...

Well, my memory of Zidane is that it was in slow motion, but I don't think it was. (And I'm not talking the exciting kind of slow motion like when your team's one-up and the fourth official indicates six mins of added-on time yet to be played!)

rob jackson said...

If it turns up on the tv I'll check it out.