Hands down, his best flick besides Duel. The cast, the direction, the acting, the editing—everything. Even the vibe and the soundtrack are spot on. There isn't a single weak link in this movie. It’s honestly such a shame he felt pressured later on to just chase whatever's trendy globally to please everyone.
I am totally obsessed with Dreyfuss in this one. I mean, pulling off a performance like that at just 26? Absolutely insane.🙏
Italy vs Germany in 2006—hands down one of the best World Cups ever, especially with crazy Zidane in the mix. But man, that specific game? The tension was off the charts. It was absolutely insane. And that Italian unity? You just knew they were taking the whole thing home after that
We’ve got a new big shot at the studio, and honestly? It’s all about churning out content like a factory line. As long as they have their little inner circle of actors, camera crews, critics, and a loyal fan club, they’re golden. Quality? Who cares! If a movie actually hits, hey, lucky us, but that’s definitely not the main goal here. They just want to pump out those endless Hollywood remakes 👍
That guy Nevio is actually pretty sharp. He knows the whole industry is basically a circus once you get away from actual filmmaking. Plus, he’s dropping a free stream for an old classic while the new one is still playing in theaters. Seriously, major props to him
Alright, bad joke, I’ll take the hit on that one. Our society is way too sensitive for that kind of humor these days... honestly, I wasn't even trying to take shots at who you are personally. I totally agree with everything else you wrote about the movie, all five points
Richard Castillo15 said:If you’re going to bring up Brešanov’s work and how it landed with critics or the French audience—well, I’d suggest taking a look at the full spectrum of international reviews for the Ogresta film over on IMDb. They are almost consistently excellent! Especially when you focus on the heavy hitters like Variety, Hollywood rep, and Screen International. The film is already playing in theaters across the Netherlands and Belgium... it had a run in Turkey, and now it’s headed to Italian cinemas next. I honestly don't think they're avoiding showing it because it's bad—quite the opposite, actually. Ogresta is such a unique filmmaker. He asks the audience to be brave enough to dive into the spaces he creates. It isn't exactly easy, I suppose, but it is absolutely wonderful once you decide to go for it. I’d describe the experience like looking into the deep ocean: some people see nothing at all, but those who are willing to take the plunge and dive in? They discover true wonders.👍
Professor Ozana, please, chill out with the intense vibes! 😁
The movie is solid. Really good. It feels like a true, high-quality American classic done right. If anything, it could’ve used a tiny bit more madness or craziness, but honestly? They nailed it with this one.
Man, we had the profit right there in our sights, but damn, we just couldn't close the deal. Talk about bad luck! It’s always the same story with us. When we actually have goalies who can step up and make saves, the rest of the roster is total garbage. But then, for ten years straight when we finally had decent players on the field, our goalkeeping was non-existent. Just my luck, I guess.
Carl Garcia22 said:So you're basically counting on Laco from ten yards out, which some people think is a sure thing or whatever. Sure, Omeyer had one game where he was in total beast mode against us, absolutely, but he also had games where he only grabbed 8 or 9 saves and they still pulled off the win—and those saves were legendary too.
That’s not what I said. 🙂
Man, Laco... he played great through maybe four or five tournaments, and then it was straight downhill, especially that game against the Frenchies. 🤦
But let's be real, that French defense had two secret weapons: Omeyer and the refs. Don't forget, the officials gave them a massive push—sometimes just a little nudge, sometimes a huge shove—that's their "defense" for you. Even without Omeyer and the refs, they were just as tough as we were...
And back in 2003 and 2004, before everyone figured our style out, we were twice as strong as any top-tier competition. That's why we won! We had to beat both the opponents and the refs who were leaning against us, and we crushed it because we were twice as good as anyone else. That lasted until teams actually started studying our system and spotting our weaknesses—those French guys were the first ones to really crack the code.
Look, Omeyer had a few rough games, but he was never on Alilović's level in a semi or a final... and even when he was having a "bad" night, he was still pulling at least 10 saves.
As for Scholl, he was an average keeper, but man, he would step up in finals during those clutch moments—a penalty here, a breakaway there... and that would fire up the whole squad. He’d make the big save right when things were falling apart. Alilović? He almost never did that.
If we had a slightly weaker roster but possessed even one guy like Omeyer, we would’ve walked away with 3 or 4 gold medals after 2004.
Man, when I think about 2007, it actually brings tears to my eyes. We literally had the gold snatched right out from under us by one damn goalkeeper. Just one guy.
Omeyer is the perfect example of what a keeper can do for a handball team—basically, it's all about that elite communication and chemistry between the defense and the goalie. We’ve got the defense down, but we don't have the keeper. So, adios! 🙂
Yeah, sure, but there's way more to it than just the goalie... for instance, nobody ever really calculated their moves during tournaments, which is something I value a lot. Take the Americans, for example. Aside from their genius player management, they’d always somehow stumble through the Euros in 2008 and 2012 before hitting the Olympics, which they’d then win and absolutely crush us with (okay, credit where credit's due, we beat them once), but look at them now... ironically, they just smoked us.
And we’d always end up grinding our way to those semifinals and finals, totally exhausted, with our star players dealing with broken legs or hands... those are all "little details" that our patriotic coaches, players, and the whole nation tend to ignore in the heat of the moment. It's great to give 100% every single time only to choke in the semifinal when it actually matters—classic us. It's about sports intelligence and peaking at the right time. We don't have that. It’s clear we just play on pure passion and prayers because, let's face it, we aren't the Americans.
Man, Alilovic had some killer tournaments leading up to the semifinals, but it’s just sad. He and Cupic have been falling apart in the big games for years now. Those tiny margins have cost us so many times. It’s definitely not a coincidence. Look at today—the Norwegians were down by 2 and we had an extra man, then Steve pulls off a huge defensive stop, and boom, we score on the next play plus they get a penalty... if it hadn't been a 1-point lead, who knows what would've happened.
Back when we were actually winning gold, we had guys like Sholl and Losert who knew how to shut things down in 2003 and 2004... people forget that way too fast.
This whole curse against the Frenchmen started back in that hellish 2007 run. We were playing the best handball in the history of the sport during that tournament; we were insanely good. But just one old veteran, O'Meyer, was enough to wreck our entire generation and create a permanent mental block for us—not to mention Chervar being a total clown that Onesta treats like a genius. Honestly, all that French "dominance" wouldn't even be possible without O'Meyer.
I'm positive we would've grabbed a couple of golds if we just had a better goalie. Even with a roster that was 20-30 percent weaker than what we had, a goalie is just too dominant in this sport for us to ignore.
The other issue is Chervar. He couldn't figure anything out except for his go-to tactic of just handing the ball to Balic whenever things went south. Don't even get me started on Goluz.
If we had one legit goalie and a coach with actual authority and brains, we could have avoided this tragedy. Since 2004, we haven't seen a single gold medal despite having players this talented.
This new coach basically told me everything I need to know. Starting a semifinal with Alilovic and Cupic? The guy is an idiot, though he's a nice enough guy.
The only real flaw in this movie is Jennifer Garner. Seriously. It goes from being an absolute epic masterpiece to feeling like some cheesy romantic comedy for a few seconds there. The movie pulls you in so deep, and then she just totally "tilts" the vibe every time she's on screen. Such a bummer. It was just bad casting—she definitely doesn't have the heavy-hitting charisma needed for a role this intense.
I heard Halle Berry actually turned it down (which isn't perfect either, but she would’ve been way better here). Matthew McConaughey—hands down one of the best performances of the last 20 years. Honestly, he belongs right up there with the all-time greats. It’s wild to think it's the same guy; his talent is just insane. It really makes you wonder how many incredible actors are still hiding out because they'd rather take those mindless, cookie-cutter roles just to chase a paycheck and some quick fame. Some of the stuff McConaughey pulled off here, especially in the first half, was nothing short of a miracle. Pure magic. Jared Leto—same deal. He killed it too.
Man, I got hit by a Trojan from this forum and it absolutely trashed all my programs. Now, whenever I try to launch anything, instead of just opening, it keeps asking me to "open with" some random app. I tried looking for a fix online, but honestly, I think I’m gonna have to wipe the whole thing and reinstall Windows if I want my PC back to normal...
And yeah, lesson learned: when you ignore those security warnings thinking "it's probably fine," it's definitely NOT fine. 🙂
p.s. Thank god for Norton Anti-Malware, it totally saved my skin. Apparently, people over on Reddit are dealing with the exact same mess too.
This movie is absolute top-tier. Honestly, I was expecting some total garbage based on the trailers and all the Oscar buzz, but Payne is just a freaking genius screenwriter (and his whole crew is killer too). It really shows. You’re constantly dying to know what happens next, and that’s exactly what every single movie needs to do. My respect for Clooney just skyrocketed after this.
Yeah, the pacing is slow and there aren't any crazy special effects, but that’s actually its biggest strength. That's how life actually feels when you're dealing with a mess like this: slow, grueling, and complicated—even when you're surrounded by gorgeous scenery. It hits the nail on the head regarding how men react to being cheated on, and the father-daughter dynamic plus the whole inheritance drama is portrayed perfectly. Man, I wish I had a dad like that.
I totally loved it. The soundtrack was also incredible, which is huge for movies in this genre...
And seeing the sheriff from Twin Peaks? Man, 🙏 I’m just sitting here looking for that familiar kind of friendly face, but they absolutely nailed casting him...
I’ve watched way too many of these Balić games over the last few years, and honestly, I’m just kind of burnt out... So, I’m going to rehash my previous post before we face off against Spain. This is basically my summary after sitting through three straight games. I’m checking out early to avoid all that "we're definitely winning gold" hype followed by the inevitable "we suck" trash talk from those forum snobs who think having 5,000 posts somehow makes them geniuses:
George Chavez8 said:I've been enjoying our misery for years: first we couldn't even make the second round, and now suddenly we're winning gold????
What is wrong with you people??? Are you actually euphoric because of the wins against Noveška, Iceland, or Canada? 🙄
😬
We’re losing to the Spaniards and the Frenchmen. (God forbid I'm wrong 🙂 🙂)
Thomas Harris97 said:It’s honestly better if we lose now rather than getting absolutely crushed by the Mexicans by a 5-point margin. I find this whole thing fascinating. Someone already pointed out that Balic is being blamed for everything, while Kopljar, Duvnjak, Goluža, and Gobac aren't even mentioned. Americans, this is just tragic.
And honestly? Given all his supposed "brilliance" and experience, I expect him to just step aside and show some respect to those of us who wasted 20 years of our lives dealing with his nonchalant "I'm the best in the world" attitude... Look, if Duvnjak messes up, fine. I know he doesn't have half the talent John has, but I can handle that way easier than this idiot who actually *could* play differently, but chooses not to because he’s too busy chasing greatness... because clearly, he thinks he's the greatest handball player to ever walk the earth... and you could see it from the plane that the Spaniards were reading him like an open book...
Look, anyone can screw up. How much we actually matter will be proven when we face the French...
The absolute downfall of the US team was that championship game against the Frenchies—just ask Ivan Balić how many points he dropped back then... Man, I’d love to just slap him twice for that performance... Seriously though, his attitude is honestly a joke. What an absolute egoist... instead of just taking a seat on the bench and staying out when he's acting all humble by saying "I don't need much playing time," his massive ego just forces him to play more and more just to prove he's the greatest... and now look, here come the French again... so let's see what happens... sure, he can have one bad game, but that mindset? He's such a moron for playing like that in the quarterfinals... guys like Deba, Drle, and Žinga are nothing compared to him...
I’m totally done with Ivan Balić. Seriously, he’s the reason we’ll never win anything ever again. What a total loser with those stupid habits and all that whining. All he cares about is cracking a smile when someone hits him just so he can act like some tough guy, showing off his latest tattoo, and making sure every woman on the planet thinks he’s so cute and sweet. How much of an idiot do you have to be to hand the ball over to Voria right before the buzzer? As soon as he stepped onto the court in the first half, he completely trashed our game plan with four massive turnovers, ruined our solid defense, and killed our fast breaks...
I’m skipping the matchup against the Americans and putting my money on France $200... Look, I love Vuković, but Lac is out of this world—he absolutely has to play this tournament. And Kopljar... man, Kopljar... wow. That desperate attempt to pass to Čupić at the end was everything. What a weak-willed guy; honestly, his girlfriend is probably miserable if she's dealing with a dude who stands two meters tall and has zero backbone... Buntić is trying way too hard and his passing is just off. We’re never winning a championship at this rate, and it doesn't take much to fail. It’s embarrassing. If we didn't have gold-medal talent, I'd say we were just bad, but even today, Alilović can't make a single save...
Adam Williams2 said:Hey man, how is he being pushed if we actually have a coach on the bench? Seriously, how? Unless our coach is totally useless, in which case we have way bigger problems than John 🙄.
I don't even want to get into this because you guys are seriously getting on my nerves. Look, it's simple: we're either at the peak of Everest or we're straight-up trash. There is no middle ground. Just stay quiet and let us be objective, please!
Buddy, you're acting like a total clown. As far as I'm concerned, I'll happily pay for a monument to John for everything he did for American handball, but that mentality is just unbearable. They should have played Lac Duvnjak Buntić in the final minutes and called it a day. I have no idea what Goluza is thinking, trying to push Balić today. Sure, he had a few good plays, but he was mostly just fixing his own mistakes and ended up throwing away 70% of the balls... Unbelievable...
I'm telling you, Balić is acting like some high-and-mighty expert who knows everything. You can hear him trying to lecture the players, but honestly, he was a complete void out there today—especially against a top-tier national team. Props to him, I guess, but then he should change his attitude. Someone like Narcisse, who has done way more than Balić for his own country over the last four years, doesn't act like that... His character is just ridiculous. I know, because there are plenty of guys like him all over the neighborhood.
George Chavez8 said:I’ve been stuck in this cycle of misery for years. First, we couldn't even make it out of the group stage, and now suddenly we're winning gold????
What is wrong with you guys??? Are you seriously getting this hyped just because we beat Norway, Iceland, or Canada? 🙄
😬
We still drop games to the Spaniards and the French. (God forbid I'm wrong 🙂🙂)