World Cup Update + Movie Stuff

September 20, 2007 by wilmington.

The quarterfinals are set for the Women’s World Cup 2007:

> Germany v. N.Korea (4:55am (EST) Saturday ESPN2): This game should be unbelievable. The Germans will be very well-rested - the N. Koreans are machines who never stop running. See previous post re: the skills of the N.Koreans. In terms of total soccer quality and for a stylistic match-up, this could be (if both teams play on form) one of the best women’s soccer games ever played.

> U.S.A. v. England (7:55am (EST) Saturday ESPN2): A real challenge for the U.S. England has one of the best goal-scorers playing right now in Kelly Smith, and the U.S. has not played their game (possess in mid-field, pull outside backs up to serve, and vary long balls and through balls on the flanks and in the center) other than in spurts. Lily is off form due to constant man-marking, and players are getting frustrated without feeling the usual rhythm. See previous post for comments about England and then add the fact that they are definitely playing at peak performance and confidence after a great game against Germany. We will have really earned a semi-final place if we make it.

The other quarterfinals are on Sunday, same times on ESPN2 with Norway playing China first and then Brazil playing Australia second.

Official Ambassador predictions:
N.Korea will upset Germany and U.S.A. will defeat England for a semi-final re-match.
Brazil will beat Australia and Norway(?) will either score first and hold on to win 1-0 or win in P.K.’s.
Teams who could win the whole thing (depending on team chemistry/confidence - enormously important in women’s soccer): Germany, U.S.A., Brazil.

If you miss any of the live games, check www.soccertv.com for re-plays on Galavision and/or Univision/Telemundo etc.

> A movie to watch and listen to carefully without interruptions:
“Blue” (and the other two parts of the “Three Colors” trilogy - “White” and “Red” as well) is beautiful, sad, hopeful, angry, and almost transcendent. A film in which the music is intricately tied to plot as well as tone. Juliette Binoche is perfect. The music in question throughout the film, sung in the original Greek, is from 1 Corinthians 13 - the passage that ends “but the greatest of these is love.”
This is a small film in that it just follows one woman through a few urban and small town settings. It ends up feeling and sounding enormous, though, even before you factor in all of the overlaps (characters or places or even colors) that just pop in from time to time…and then end up being key moments in the other two films!

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