Tag Archives: Sports

GOAT – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While not a revolutionary story, the gorgeous animation and heartwarming fun make it a lovely watch.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this film.

the Glasshouse, the home court of the Thorns in Vinetown.

GOAT Review Introduction

It is the time of year when you feel a bit reflective and need to catch up with everything you might have missed throughout the year. There is one film from earlier this year that a lot of people have recommended that I needed to give a watch. It doesn’t hurt that my current sports team is also at the bottom of the ladder fighting for it all, which means it is a perfect window for today’s film.  

So, to set the scene, in a world filled with sentient animals, there is one sport that unites the world: roarball [basketball]. However, it is a sport only played by bigs; the smalls have to watch. Will Harris (Caleb McLaughlin) is a goat who has always dreamed of playing, but he is a small. It doesn’t help that the local team, the Thorns under Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union), are at the bottom of the ladder. But when opposition player Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre) starts dissing the local team in Vinetown, their own home, Will steps up and scores on him. This creates a viral moment that team owner Flo (Jenifer Lewis) uses to get more people in seats, but no one was expecting them to do well. The team had other ideas.

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The Dink – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A delightful romp across the court

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Apple TV subscription used to watch this film.

Dusty losses it on a pickleball court.

The Dink Review Introduction

Have you ever had just one of those weeks when nothing catastrophic happened in your life, but each and every aspect of your life is difficult for some reason? It is one of those weeks when you need to sit down and watch something with joy, something with fun. With that in mind, I thought it was time to sit down and watch the latest Jake Johnson joint.

So, to set the scene, Dustin ‘Dusty’ Boyd (Jake Johnson) grew up as ‘The Hammer’ and smashed his way into the world of tennis. That was before an injury cut short his promising career. Now Dustin teaches little kids at his dad’s (Ed Harris) tennis centre, boring the children and antagonising those using the Pickleball courts. Tennis is the king, but pickleball is on the rise, and they want more and more courts. Thus, there is only one solution for this dilemma: a duel.    

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Ted Lasso: Home [S4E1] – TV Review

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TL;DR – A Kansas City detour to set up the season.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Apple TV+ service that viewed this episode.

Ted Lasso Assistant Manager.

Ted Lasso Review Introduction

Well, it is time for some more Ted Lasso. Now, I am on the record as being very fond of the series, even the weird episodes of Season One, Season Two, and Season Three. But I, like many, thought we were doneski, so colour me shocked when Season Four appeared from the ether. But given the time and the landscape, can it recapture that joy? That is what we are looking at today.

So to set the scene, Ted (Jason Sudeikis) has spent the last few years being the best day he can be to his son Henry (Grant Feely). But instead of coaching football or soccer, Ted is an assistant manager at a local supermarket. But then one day a surprise arrives in town. Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift), and Keeley Jones (Juno Temple) have arrived with a mission. They want Ted to come back and coach their new women’s football team. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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Biker (బైకర్) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – There is an interesting story here, if you are willing to sit through some of the more convoluted parts of the narrative.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service to view this film.

Live to Ride, on the side of a motorbike.

Biker Review Introduction

It has been a while, but it is time to jump back into the world of Indian Cinema, with an interesting period sports film out of Tollywood. One of the things that I love about world cinema is seeing how different countries adapt themes that I have experienced in my local cinematic world. The differences and similarities, and it is that space that we work in today.

So, to set the scene, it’s 2003, in Hyderabad, India. Vikas “Vicky” Narayan (Sharwanand) is living with his wife Ananya (Malvika Nair) and son Ishaan (Shourya Chelemella). It is not a perfect life, as his son struggles in school, but it is one he loves. However, when the duplicitous Chairman of IGN, Indraneel Chirag (Atul Kulkarni), comes after Vicky’s estranged father Sunil Narayan (Rajasekhar/ P. Sai Kumar), Vicky must decide if he wants to save his father by jumping back into a world he had left behind: Motocross GP.  

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Heated Rivalry: Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – This is a profoundly compelling if fundamentally risqué series that explores relationships in the harshest place through the lens of a visionary auteur.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the HBO Max service that viewed this series.

Hollander on the back of a jersey.

Heated Rivalry Review –

When people were mapping out what would be the go-to pop culture event for the end of the year, it would have been a safe bet to pick something like the final season of Stranger Things, or maybe the bombastic Avatar. Few predicted that the year’s breakout cultural moment would come not from a blockbuster franchise but from a modest Canadian drama. Well, if you spend any time on the internet, you know how successful it has been in cutting through the noise of the algorithm, so let’s have a look and see.

So, to set the scene, in 2008, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) has had one drive all his life: to be the best hockey player of all time. But on the cusp of being drafted, he meets the new Russian prodigy Ilya Grigoryevich Rozanov (Connor Storrie) at the International Prospect Cup final. Six months later, they have been drafted to rival teams, Boston Raiders & Montreal Metros, of the Major League Hockey (MLH). When the two of them meet again, they find they have undeniable chemistry, and one thing leads to the other. But there are no out gay players in the MLH, so the two keep this tryst/relationship/booty call/whatever you want to call it a secret, lest anyone find out and their careers are ruined. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Him – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A fascinating film full of a brooding presence that builds throughout, leading to an ending that feels less satisfying the more I ponder on it.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Warning – Contains sequences that include flashing lights.

Jets blasts over a goal post.

Setting the Scene

If there was ever a time to get me interested in a sports horror film, it is this week, as we are currently sitting in between the AFL and the NRL grand finales, and my teams are in both. It gives you a little buzz around the sporting world and prepares you to dive into some of the more questionable sides of the industry.

So, to set the scene, Cam’s (Tyriq Withers) whole life has revolved around football, conspicuously not the NFL, but I digress. All his life has been focused on making it to the top, and just when he is about to make his debut, someone cracks him in the back of the head. The doctor is sure that if he gets another crack on the head, it could stop him playing for good. But when Cam’s manager, Tom (Tim Heidecker), calls with an offer to train with his idol, Isaiah (Marlon Wayans), the current quarterback of the San Antonio Saviors, it is an opportunity he can’t turn down, even when all the red flags start popping up.   

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F1 (F1: The Movie) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – The Daddist Dad Film that ever Dadded

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Looking at an F1 Race from the cockpit of an F1 car.

F1 Review –

In the pantheon of cinema, some films are Dad films. Now, that does not mean only men will enjoy them, only that the movie in question is very Dad-coded. If you have ever sat down to watch a film and thought: ‘My dad would like this’ well reader and a fine, elegant, and clearly one of good taste reader at that, have just watched a ‘Dad film’. Today, we look at a film that might be the most ‘Dad Film’ I have ever seen ‘Dad Film’, and it was excellent to boot.  

So, to set the scene, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was an up-and-coming F1 racer in his youth before a brutal crash took ten years of his life. Since then, he has been chasing different racing challenges, almost like he is knocking off a list of the world’s best races. Indeed, we meet Sonny in the middle of The 24 Hours of Daytona, and he crushes it. But as he makes his way across America to the next race, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), a former friend from his F1 days and current F1 APXGP team owner, pops in for a visit. For you see, Ruben has a problem: his team has never won a race, their second driver has just quit, and they are sitting on 0 points for the season. If they fail to win a race, shareholders like Peter Banning (Tobias Menzies) could force a sale. All Ruben needs Sonny to do is become the second driver for the rest of the season and help give his experience to their very talented yet very young other driver, Joshua “Noah” Pearce (Damson Idris). Sonny left that world behind thirty years ago, but the allure of one last crack at it can’t help but call him back.

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Runt – Movie Review

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TL;DR – It is a delightfully fun film that gets a bit preachy at times and a little unhinged in places.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid and end-credit stinger.

Runt – I paid to watch this film

A dog running through an agility course.

Runt Review –

There are a lot of things that can make a film Australian: its setting, its production, and the governmental jump ropes it needs to skip through to get funding. There are some films that, even if you removed the drone shots, pans over wheat fields, and set it in a small rural town, you would still know it was Australian, just because of the vibes. Today, we look at a film that is just that, Australian to its very core.

So, to set the scene, the Shearer family lives in the small Western Australian town of Upson Downs. One day, the daughter Annie (Lily LaTorre) found a stray mutt called Runt (Squid). She brought him home, and he soon became an integral part of the family. However, the town has been in drought for 375 days, and local rich snob Earl Robert-Barren (Jack Thompson) took all the local river water for his dam. Life is tight for the Shearers, with Bryan (Jai Courtney) and Susie (Celeste Barber) struggling to pay the overdraft on their overdraft, and her brother Max’s (Jack LaTorre) stunt video channel has not really taken off. However, one day, when Annie sees the canine agility course at the local fair with a cash prize, she sees a way to help her family. The only problem is that Runt does not like to perform when anyone but Annie is watching.

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The King of the Indies (Il Re delle Indie) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A fascinating look into an equally fascinating sport that brings a city together while pitting it against itself.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was sent a screener of this film.

The town of Arezzo.

The King of the Indies Review –

Today, I felt like I needed a change, which is when an email appeared in my inbox. Maybe it is that the Olympics are on at the time of writing, maybe it’s because I have not watched a good documentary in a while, and perhaps the idea of learning about an obscure yet fascinating sport was what I needed to do today. Whatever the reason, I am glad that I sat down and explored the world of jousting in Italy.

So, to set the scene, we fly to Italy, take a drive to Tuscany, and end up in the ancient city of Arezzo. It is here where a medieval tradition still lasts well into the modern age. Each year, four-quarters of the town are pitted together in competition. The goal is to get a centre hit on the ‘King of the Indies’. It is an event that both unites and divides the city. It is filled with spectacle, pressure, and danger. All of it to win the Golden Lance. But what happens when your quarter has not won for 12 years is what we explore today.   

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Challengers – Movie Review

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TL;DR – Wild, sensual, and captivating. While not all of it works, when it is on fire, it is electric.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) watches the tennis match behind sunglasses.

Challengers Review –

Some films can captivate you just by hearing the name of a director and an idea. Luca Guadagnino’s previous works, like Call Me by Your Name and Bones and All, were not perfect, but they were immensely captivating, sucking you into their worlds. Well, I was interested in seeing where he would go from there when exploring the world of tennis.

So to set the scene, we open in the middle of the 2019 New Rochelle Champions Tournament as Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) and Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) are facing it out in the finals. A dual for the ages. However, both sets of eyes are not focusing on each other but on someone in the audience, Tashi Duncan (Zendaya). There is a palpable tension the court that can only exist between people with a deep history, which is when we cut back thirteen years.     

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