free beer and nachos
 

Apropos of not very much, when are you going to add the motorcycle cop from the Village People to your rotating collection of avatars?

Yours,

People WHo Do Not Care

It's all good.

Yeah. It's an enjoyable movie, though Coltrane's right -- you need to set your expectations accordingly. It's not a serious soccer movie (whatever that means). Think star vehicle movie, with unintended camp, and you'll be pretty close.

Just wondering...
 

Please give us the blow-by-blow on last night's efforts, will you?

Yours,

Randy GA

Yes. You should. The soccer is well filmed. The plot is ludicrous. Any movie with Stallone, Caine AND Pele should be watched by everyone.

If that isn't enough, Stallone is the goalie.


Victory


1981 - USA - Escape Film/POW Drama/Sports Drama
Reviewed by Vincent Canby

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PLOT DESCRIPTION
Starring Michael Caine, Pele, Max von Sydow, Sylvester Stallone, Werner Roth. Directed by John Huston. (PG, 117 minutes).


John Huston directed this exciting World War II action film, which culminates in a rousing soccer game. In a German prisoner of war camp, Major Karl von Steiner (Max Von Sydow), the camp commander, once a member of the German national soccer team, decides to put together a soccer match between a team of Allied prisoners, led by Captain John Colby (Michael Caine), a former English international soccer player. The game is to be played in Colombes Stadium in Paris and exploited for maximum propaganda effect by the Nazi publicity machine. Robert Hatch (Sylvester Stallone) is enlisted to assist the Allied prisoners to train for the event. But, in fact, the Allies are planning a risky escape during the soccer match. Famed Brazilian soccer great Pele makes an appearance in the film, along with Bobby Moore, the captain of Britain's 1966 World Cup champions, and Argentine soccer star Osvaldo Ardiles. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Victory is awesome. For its time, it had all the most famous international soccer stars. The soccer scenes are great; the movie is crap (except Max Von Sydow, who rocks).

It glorifies bicycle kicks too much. End result is kids doing bicycles where they make no sense. My son's team watched it, and the next game the sweeper does one- not a good stategic move.

Well, make sure your kids' teams don't watch sportscenter, either.

Brazil and Argentina fought in the European theater in WW2? WTF? Do Hawkeye, Radar and Margaret make an appearance in the film? The plot summary brought to mind the football game from M*A*S*H.

I play coed outdoor with a guy from Sengal. He's about 6'4" and 140 pounds. In last season's playoffs he performs a bicycle kick on the sideline to keep the ball from going out of bounds. It's a perfect cross to the back post and tapped in for a goal. I don't think anyone saw the goal we were all stunned by how much air he got.

On another note, does your son play hockey? If so, don't let him watch Slapshot.

our sweeper learned that you end up on your back after a bicycle. sweepers shouldn't be on their back when the ball is in their end. my son just plays b-ball now. i only let him watch the And 1 stuff.

oh, and soccer q. I saw some kids doing a handstand throw in, where they flip over as they throw the ball in. what is the goal of that- I mean I could see freaking the other team into just freezing but there must be some other advantage.

Max Von Sydow is very good as the "Good Nazi". But not quite as good as the dude who played the "Smart Nazi" in Patton.

Mr. Sengal is our sweeper.

The goal of the handstand throw in is the extra distance it generates. Heather Mitts (I think) used to do it under certain circumstances in the WUSA.

Victory is Stallone's second* best movie (maybe third, depending on your views of First Blood). And the only one of his top three not to spawn an endless chain of sequels, which may rocket it up to number 1. Don't believe me? Name a better one.

*First being Rocky, of course.

Some people can throw the ball much farther with the flip-throw. Although the guy on our HS team who could do it could throw just as far using the conventional throw-in method. He could LAUNCH the ball (it's all flexibility).

It did freeze a (HS) team if they hadn't seen it before. It was rare in HS.

Vic-TOIRE! Vic-TOIRE! Vic-TOIRE!