A Roarsome Effort!
To quickly move away from my usual film coverage…
I’ve only been to a few of the Brisbane Roar games this year (I used to have a season pass) but there was no way I was going to miss the A-League grand final in front of a sold out crowd of just over 50,000 at Suncorp Stadium.
The quality of the game was very good and even though it was 0-0 at full time, I wasn’t complaining. The crowd were right into it too but you could sense their frustration when the Roar got near the goals and felt reluctant to “pull the trigger”.
Once the Mariners had gone 2-0 up half-way through the extra time period, the game was over as far as I was concerned. We were actually debating amongst us how the crowd would react when the final siren blew. Would they boo the Roar off the ground despite having gone undefeated 27 straight games? Us Brisbane-ites are fickle supporters after all.
Someone at work left early and they said the buses outside were jam packed – that’s how many had actually given up and were on the way home. I asked a friend why he’d left and he said he just couldn’t stand the suffering. He didn’t want to be there when the Central Coast players started celebrating.
Fiction has to be believable. Reality doesn’t. Never has a truer word been spoken. The Roar go 27 games without defeat and stand 2-0 down in the grand final with less than 4 minutes to go. As if they could win from there? What odds were they paying on Betfair?
I’ve watched the highlights about 10 times on the Fox Sports website and it still sends a chill down my spine. The shock of the commentators and the image of Matt McKay looking up at the sky says it all. The commentators said that fans were streaming back in from outside (those who hadn’t yet jumped on a bus I guess).
The shootout was also amazing. It’s the first one I’ve seen live. You always had a sense that the Roar would pull it off. Momentum was on their side. The crowd went bananas after the two saves and most hung around for the presentation. A guy sitting in front of us summed it up best – “I’m not going to get drunk tonight. I’m going to get blind.” Here’s out excited reaction just after the game - http://twitpic.com/492t09.
I’m still a sceptic when it comes to the A-League. I think it’s very hard for a local league in any sport to take a foothold in this country when the best players compete overseas. It’s like golf. We struggle to get big names down here and the crowds / sponsors reflect that. There are many clubs struggling in the A-League but hey, it’s lasted 6 years so far and that isn’t too bad I guess.
All I know is that what I witnessed on Sunday night will do the sport no harm. It was absolutely incredible.
Alliance Française French Film Festival
The 22nd Alliance Française French Film Festival kicks off in Brisbane on Wednesday night and runs for almost three weeks. It’s a huge line up with 46 new films in total. When I saw the list of stars, I was surprised by how many I actually knew. France does have a great film culture. You can see films starring Sophie Marceau, Isabelle Huppert, Marion Cotillard, François Cluzet, Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Cécile De France, Jean Reno, Virginie Ledoyen, Audrey Tautou and Kristin Scott Thomas. That’s a solid list!
Here’s a quick look at a few films which have caught my eye…
Potiche
A captivating new comedy from celebrated director François Ozon, set in the 1970s about a glamorous but neglected housewife who unexpectedly finds herself running the family’s umbrella factory.
Little White Lies
Each year a couple host a gathering at their beautiful beach house where they commence their summer holidays with a group of close friends. Fun, fine wine and seafood mix with sun and sand as they all leave their city stresses behind. But this year, circumstances change, leading to simmering tensions, which threaten to shatter their idyll.
Love Crime
Against the sterile backdrop of a powerful multi-national company, two women – a young ingénue assistant and a senior executive - cross swords. At first they are friendly, but when the older woman starts to take credit for her younger colleague’s ideas, the ground is prepared for all-out war and a dangerous game begins to unfold.
The Clink Of Ice
An alcoholic and misanthropic writer comes face-to-face with a physical manifestation of his own personal suitwearing cancer in this taboo-breaking, intellectual romp from the politically incorrect director, Bertrand Blier.
Of Gods And Men
Set in the mid-1990s and based on a true story, this film follows a community of French Cistercian monks who live in harmony with the local Muslim population deep in the Algerian mountains until they become a target of Islamist fundamentalist rebels. Panic spreads among the inhabitants. The army offers to protect the monks, but they refuse assistance. Should they leave or remain, and if they stay, what will their decision cost them?
You can find out more on the Festival website at http://www.frenchfilmfestival.org/default.aspx. Tickets are $17.50 for most sessions but there are a few showcase events that cost a little extra (some coming with wine and entertainment). I’ll hopefully see you there!