Turkey

VIFF 2025 Review: The Things You Kill (Öldürdüğün Şeyler)

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment
Ekin Koc plays a son whose dark family secrets are unraveled after his mother’s death in The Things You Kill.

For the 2025 Oscar race, Canada’s official entry for the category of Best International Feature Film is a Turkish-language film: The Things You Kill. The film is both a psychological drama and a supernatural story.

Ali appears to live a somewhat stable life in Turkey with problems no worse than anyone else. He returned to teach English in Turkey after spending fourteen years in the United States as a literature professor. His wife Hazar wants to start a family but he learns of a low sperm count he tries to keep hidden. He lives in a well-to-do house and has a garden miles away he wants to make active again. He hires a new gardener named Reza to help. He notices his mother’s house is in need of great repair. Repairs the father neglects to carry out.

Then one day, the mother dies. After the funeral, the father Hamit puts all the blame on Ali for spending all those years in the United States. More bad news in Ali’s case comes as he’s told they can’t afford to have his program taught at the University. To add to it, he never told his wife about the low sperm count result. Soon his sister privately tells him a dark secret. The mother had head injuries at the time of her death and Hamit was seen with a bandaged arm. Ali suspects the worst. He tries to get an official account of her death, but it will take days.

Ali soon develops a mentality of rage. First he hires Reza to help dig a hole in an unknown place in the Turkish valley. Both men help in leading Hamit there and killing him. After the incident, Ali soon enslaves Reza and keeps him at the garden where he treats him like a dog, even leashing him with a chain. Ali also tries to keep all the secrets of what he conducted away from his sisters and Hazar as a nationwide search is conducted. Hazar is suspecting the marriage is falling apart. Hamit’s mother, Ali’s grandmother, is hugely concerned. Ali also receives a rude surprise as one of the people heavily concerned with Hamit missing is his mistress. To which, Ali responds with nasty insults to her.

One day, Ali returns to the burial site of his father only to find it all dug up. He goes back to the garden hoping to check up on Reza, only to get a surprise retaliation from him. Now Reza is filling in the places of Ali’s life Ali used to have, including that of teacher. It’s in a flashback to an interview with the Turkish college that we learn of the biggest reason why Ali chose to teach in the United States because of the abuse he and his family suffered at the hands of his father. The film ends just as Reza has it good for him, and he receives a shocking surprise at his door one night.

This film makes for a compelling drama. The incidents that take place over time will get one questioning of what really happened. Did his mother die at the hands of Hamit? The film also makes you question Ali. He is angered over the death of his mother and believes it’s his father’s fault, but he now turns into a person who is hungry for blood. He kills his father with Reza and then enslaves Reza like a dog. You’re left to wonder what’s with Ali? Is something supernatural taking over him?

The film does succeed in being a drama, but the film succeeds better as a puzzle pieced together over time. Throughout the film, there’s what we know and what we don’t know. This is something that will take time as the story will unravel facts hidden from us. It’s as it nears the end that we learn of what was hidden from us the whole time. Even though many questions are unanswered, you could see why Ali suspects this from Hamit. At the same time, this film does become a supernatural story as Reza acts like a dog as Ali treats him like a dog. It’s after Reza gets revenge on Ali that he acts human again. Even the ending of what Reza faces is supernatural. I just wonder if genres are trying to be mixed in the film.

This is a great film from Iranian-Canadian director/writer Alireza Khatami. His latest feature film, he creates a drama that will connect with you and keep you intrigued with what’s happening. The story may puzzle you, but he connects things all together at the very end. It’s a great work form him. Ekin Koc does a great job in his role of Ali. Going from the troubled son in the family to the one committing sinister acts is a big change of character and he does it well. Although Ali is the lead role, there are also great supporting performances. Hazar Erguclu is great as the wife Hazar. She is the one who’s able to maintain some control over Ali as he’s going out of control. Erkan Kostendil is also great as Reza. To go from human to animal-like back to a human character and make it look believable is no easy feat. Erkan does a great job of it.

The film’s accolades not only include the Oscar entry, but was also nominated for seven awards at the Istanbul Film Festival, nominated for Best Film at the SXSW London Film Festival and won a Sundance award for directing for Khatami in the World Cinema – Director category.

The Things You Kill is more than just Oscar bait. It’s a story that gets you thinking. It gets you trying to make sense of the story after you leave the theatre long after.

UEFA Euro 2024: Predictions For Knockout Rounds

Jon The Blogcentric2 Comments

The image above shows the flags of the sixteen nations still in the running. The whole point of those 36 games of group play is to reduce the field of 24 to the 16 most worthy of advancing. After that, each round is a knockout match to pare down the field to the two to square off for the Euro Cup. The group play was quite interesting. A hat trick wasn’t scored but a lot of brilliant goals. There were four 0-0 games. I hate 0-0 games! There were a lot of controversial referee calls. Also a lot of shockers from teams one wouldn’t consider a favorite but made it through. For all the teams, none of the teams had a case of losing all three games. One group was a case of only a single win and the rest draws to decide. Another group was a case all four teams had a win, a loss and a draw. It must have been tough to decide the finishing order, which they eventually did.

On Saturday the 29th starts the knockout rounds. After all that group play to narrow the 24 to 16, the upcoming Round Of 16 is just a single game for each team to narrow the field of 16 to 8. The layout for the Round of 16 doesn’t make the same clear sense as the Round of 16 in a 32-team World Cup, but this is how UEFA arranges it. I just hope the tournament ends up with the right two in the final. In the meantime, here are my predictions for each match. Matches are in chronological order and my prediction for the winner will be bolded:

ROUND OF 16

Switzerland (Group A 2nd.) vs. Italy (Group B 2nd.): Switzerland finished 2nd in Group A without a loss. It all started with a 3-1 win to Hungary, then 1-1 draws to both Scotland and Germany. Italy opened well against Albania 2-1, lost to Spain 1-0 thanks to an own-goal and drew 1-1 against Croatia in the stoppage time at the end. For this match, I predict Switzerland to win on penalty kicks. The last time Switzerland lost to Italy was 1993.

Germany (Group A 1st.) vs. Denmark (Group C 2nd.): Being the host nation, Germany knew they had to deliver, and deliver well! They did just that opening the Euro with a 5-1 win over Scotland and a 2-0 win over Hungary. Their qualification guaranteed, they could afford to draw 1-1 against Switzerland. Denmark had the good fortune of drawing all three games in their group: 1-1 draws to Slovenia and England and ending with a scoreless draw to Serbia. For this game, I predict Germany to win because they’ve been better at delivering this tournament and making wins happen.

England (Group C 1st.) vs. Slovakia (Group D/E/F 3rd.) Group C was the group where five of the six games were draws. England delivered the only win: 1-0 against Serbia. With their scoreless draw to Slovenia and 1-1 draw to Denmark, that was enough to make them top Group C. Slovakia was in a group that was just as tight. All four Group E teams had a win, a draw and a loss. Slovakia’s win was to Belgium 1-0, their loss to Ukraine 2-1, and their draw to Romania 1-1. For this game I predict England. England has never lost to Slovakia in the six times they played. A single draw at Euro 2016 but never lost.

Spain (Group B 1st.) vs. Georgia (Group D/E/F 3rd.): Spain had it’s win of Group B guaranteed after the second game! They opened 3-1 against Croatia and did 2-1 against Italy. Their 1-0 win over Albania just was a bonus for straight wins. Georgia went from the surprise of qualifying to the surprise of this tournament. They lost their opener to Turkey 3-1, came back to draw against Czechia 1-1 and then win to Portugal 2-0. For this match, I predict Spain. The two have met head-to-head seven times and Spain only lost to Georgia once. Spain won the rest of the times..

France (Group D 2nd.) vs. Belgium (Group E 2nd.): A classic match! France finished second in Group D starting with a 1-0 win over Austria, the only Group F team to beat Austria, a scoreless draw to the Netherlands and a 1-1 draw to Poland. Belgium started their Group E play with a surprise 1-0 loss to Slovakia, then came back with a 2-0 win to Romania and ended with a scoreless draw to Ukraine. For this, I think this will go to a draw with France winning on penalty kicks.

Portugal (Group F 1st.) vs. Slovenia (Group A/B/C 3rd.): Portugal not only clinched qualification after their first two games, but they also clinched first place in Group F in the process! A 2-1 win over Czechia and a 3-0 win over Turkey is all it took. They could afford to lose to Georgia 2-0 and still top Group F! Slovenia was straight draws with 1-1 to Denmark, 1-1 to Serbia and ended with scoreless against Denmark. Despite the same goal differentials as Denmark, their extra yellow card caused them to finish third in the group. Portugal look on target but I think the game will go to Slovenia. Why? In the one time they ever met, a friendly just three months ago, Slovenia won 2-0.

Romania (Group E 1st.) vs. The Netherlands (Group A/C/D 3rd.): Romania began Group E with a 3-0 win over Ukraine, then endured a 2-0 loss to Belgium and ended it with a 1-1 draw to Slovakia. The Netherlands also had their own win, loss and draw in Group D. They began with a 2-1 win over Poland, a scoreless draw to France and a surprise 3-2 loss to Austria. The two have met 13 times and Netherlands have won nine times. I predict Netherlands to win again.

Austria (Group D 1st.) vs. Turkey (Group F 2nd.): Nobody expected Austria to go too far at Euro 2024. Even their 1-0 to France thanks to an own-goal didn’t help. Then came their 3-1 win over Poland and their 3-2 win over the Netherlands en route to topping Group D. Maybe Austria is a stronger team than we thought! Turkey began Euro 2024 with a 3-1 win over Georgia, endured a 3-0 loss to Portugal and came back to a 2-1 win over Czechia. The last time Austria and Turkey met was three months ago and Austria won 6-1. I expect Austria to win again.

QUARTERFINALS

Why do I predict quarterfinals before I even know who the quarterfinalists are? Do you know how tiring writing is? Anyways as in past years, I plan to take a short break and not publish my next Euro blog until just before the semifinals. With that in mind, I’ll go as if my predictions for the Round of 16 matches actually came true. So here are my thoughts:

Spain vs. Germany – They frequently meet and the results alternate: 26 previous meetings; 8 Spain wins; 9 Germany wins; 9 draws. I think this will be a tight match leading into a penalty kick round which Germany will win.

Slovenia vs. France – They’ve met three times in the past and France has won each time. Even though their last previous meeting was over 20 years ago, I don’t think much has changed. I expect France to win again.

Netherlands vs. Austria – It’s possible two teams that clashed in the Group stage could meet again this soon. If they do meet again, I anticipate a draw game with Netherlands to win on penalties.

England vs. Switzerland – They’ve met 27 times before but England has won nineteen times. I’m not expecting much to change this time so I think it will be a win for England again.

And there you have it. Those are predictions for the Round of 16 matches and my ‘estimates’ for the quarterfinals. All we have to do is wait for the games to play to see who really wins. In the meantime, you’ll get my next blog where I predict the semifinals.

UEFA Euro 2024: Group Stage With One Game To Go

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

How about that? All 24 teams have completed their second game, or Matchday 2. There’s only one last group game to play and that will finalize the Group Stage standings and determine the qualifiers for the knockout rounds.

This year, there is an interesting allotment of the types of teams playing, but there are certain types of teams here in Germany that have stood out the most. We have teams who appeared to have lost their greatness before now playing hard to get it back. We have teams demonstrating their known consistency. We have underdogs surprising fans with wins over big guns. We also have teams that had a “Golden Generation” for many years that looks like their luster is running out and the younger players haven’t been well-trained to keep their team’s prowess active.

Now there’s only one game remaining in the Group Stage. That’s commonly referred to as ‘Matchday 3.’ Three teams right now have already guaranteed qualification by winning their first two games. With more than two groups having at least one draw game, two wins are a guarantee for qualification at this stage. Two of those teams have also already guaranteed a first-place finish in their group because of their win over the team in second place. Here at Euro, head-to-head results supersede goal differentials which the World Cup uses to to be the top tie-breaker in group rankings. In addition, only one team is guaranteed elimination already. Right now, the fates of twenty teams are still unknown and they will all need Matchday 3 to decide everything.

With one game to go, here’s my look at the teams in each of the Euro 2024 groups and what they need to qualify. Teams that have already qualified will be bolded. Group titles will contain links to my original group blogs:

Group A:

Some could say Germany did it in the very opening game. That remains to be seen. What is a fact is Germany won both their opening games and the hosts have guaranteed themselves qualification to the knockout round! A 5-1 against Scotland in the opener and their 2-0 win over Hungary did it. Second in the standings is Switzerland with their 3-1 win over Hungary and a 1-1 draw against Scotland. Germany and Switzerland meet for their last game. Switzerland can guarantee qualification with a draw. Even if they lose, the are still assured a top-three finish and are in conformable standings to qualify, though it’s not guaranteed. Their play against Germany will decide it all.

Of the teams in Group A that have not won a match, Scotland is third with a 5-1 loss to Germany and a 1-1 draw to Switzerland. At the bottom is Hungary with a 3-1 loss to Switzerland and a 2-0 loss to Germany. Both teams will face each other Sunday. No doubt that in order to have qualifying chances for the knockout round, either team must win. Despite the advantage of a draw to Switzerland, a draw against Hungary will not be enough for Scotland to qualify with two draws and a big loss. Even if Hungary wins over Scotland, it’s game results and goal differentials that will decide if their among the four wildcard teams that advance.

Group B:

Spain did it! They opened with a 3-0 win over Croatia and a 1-0 win against Italy thanks to an own goal from Riccardo Calafiore. Their two wins guarantee them qualification no matter what happens in Game 3. Their win over Italy guarantees them first place in Group B! Although Italy’s qualification is not guaranteed, the Azzurri are second with their 2-1 win over Albania. A draw against Croatia is all they need to qualify.

For the two teams at the bottom, Albania and Croatia, they still have qualification chances with both having a loss and a draw but for both teams, they need nothing less than a win to qualify. That will be a nail biter especially because both teams will face a highly touted opponent on Matchday 3; Albania will face Spain and Croatia will face Italy. After that 2-2 draw, Albania has an advantage because they have less of a goal differential. Nevertheless it’s down to the wire for both teams in a must-win situation. I don’t call Group B the Group Of Death for nothing!

Group C:

Sometimes in group play, you can get some groups that are quite decisive in who are the biggest and best in the group. Other times, the play in the group will be hard to decipher who are the powers of the group. Group C is that group as it’s hard to tell who are the better teams. Four games have been played and three of them were 1-1 draws. The only game where a winner was declared was England’s 1-0 win over Serbia. That lone win puts England at the top of the group and with very comfortable chances to qualify. I’ve been calling Group B the “Group Of Death” because of the caliber of the teams but it looks like with the closeness of play at Euro 2024, Group C should be called the “Group Of Death.”

Actually right now, none of the teams have enough points to qualify, but none of the teams are out. All four are still eligible. Despite England having it best, both Slovenia and Denmark have it good with two tie games each. A win from either will solidify qualifying. At the very least, a draw could help either of them for a wildcard berth as three draws is three game points and even goal differentials. Serbia still has qualifying chances but being the one team in Group C to take a loss, they will need nothing less than a win to qualify. Two draws and a loss won’t cut it in the wildcard third-place runoff.

Group D:

Group D has a unique situation. None of the teams have guaranteed qualification and one team is out of contention. The three teams that still have chances will need Matchday 3 to decide anything and everything. Leading the group are the Netherlands and France with a win and a draw each. The Netherlands opened well with a 2-1 win over Poland while France won over Austria 1-0 thanks to an own-goal by Maximilian Wober. The two teams played each other on Friday but it ended a scoreless draw. If you ask me, there are a lot of big name teams that are not playing like they want it. A simple draw can guarantee qualification for either team.

Austria opened up with the hard luck of a 1-0 loss to France thanks to Wober’s own goal. When they faced Poland, it was a surprise 3-1 win for Austria. That win is crucial for Austria’s qualifying chances, but their match against the Netherlands will decide things. As for Poland, they’re out. They lost 2-1 to the Netherlands and 3-1 to Austria. Even if they win their game against France and Austria loses, Austria will still have the advantage for their win over Poland. The head-to-head factor.

Group E:

Sigh. That subject about the ‘Group Of Death’ again! Group E is another group worthy of being labeled the Group Of Death because of the play so far. Talk about tight play! All four teams of Group E are even. All four had a win and a loss. Teams most people thought would not be among contenders delivered surprise wins at the start and keep their qualifying chances healthy. I’m not sure if there are any specific head-to-head rules that explain the current rankings, but the goal differentials look to be what’s deciding the current rankings. Despite losing to Belgium 2-0, Romania leads thanks to their 3-0 win over Ukraine while Belgium takes second due to their 1-0 loss to Slovakia. Slovakia is third because of even goal differentials after their 2-1 loss to Ukraine and Ukraine is at the bottom as the one nation with negative goal differentials thanks to their 3-0 loss to Romania.

Any of the four can qualify. Thanks to all four having a win and a loss, none have guaranteed qualification and none are out and it will take Matchday 3 to decide everything. Slovakia will play Romania and Ukraine will play Belgium. If both games are draws, only then would the current standings factor in qualification. It will have to be a case of either both games having a winner and a loser or the case of one game having a winner and the other drawing in order to decide the qualifiers to the next round.

Group F:

There must be something about being a team from the Iberian Peninsula this year because Portugal not only qualified but like Spain, they too guaranteed top of their group! It took a 2-1 win over Czechia and a 3-0 win over Turkey to solidify it! Even if they lose to Georgia on Wednesday and Turkey wins, Portugal will still finish first because of their win over Turkey.

Despite the loss, Turkey is second in the group and has good chances to qualify. Turkey can still qualify if they draw, even if Georgia wins. For both Czechia and Georgia, both teams will need nothing less than a win to qualify. Their 1-1 draw against each other keeps them in contention but a win needs to happen for either to qualify. Especially for the third-place wildcard berths because the two third-place teams with the lowest game results will join the fourth-place teams from each group packing for home sooner than they hoped!

And there you have it! That’s my summary for the Euro 2024 groups with Matchday 3 being all that’s left for all 24 teams. It will be interesting to learn of the other thirteen that advance and the seven others that get an earlier-than-hoped return home!

UEFA Euro 2024: Group F Focus

Jon The Blogcentric2 Comments

It’s interesting there have been 22 World Cups contested but only eight nations have won the Cup. The Euro has been contested sixteen previous times and ten nations have won the Championship at least once. It’s a wonder who the winner will be this year. A lot of nations look poised to win but there can only be one winner.

For this my last blog before the start of Euro 2024, I will be focusing on the Group F teams as well as additional things about the upcoming tournament. So without further ado, here’s my focus on the teams of Group F:

-Turkey (40): It sometimes seems fair to assume the Ay-Yıldızlılar, or the ‘Crescent-Stars,’ are an on-again off-again team. They’ve only played in two World Cup and finished third in 2002, but never qualified again. Euro has seen better success as they’ve qualified for six tournaments, with this being their third straight Euro, and finished third back in 2008. Turkey do know how to come alive.

Turkey has been coached by Italian Vincenzo Montella, a 2002 World Cup player, after coaching a team in Turkey’s Adana League. Top players include defender Zeki Celik, midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu and forward Cerik Tosun. The squad for Euro has eight members under 25 so it’s a very young team. They’ve had wins against Latvia and Germany. They’ve had a win and a draw against both Armenia and Wales. They’ve also had a win and a loss to Croatia and losses to Hungary, Poland and Austria. Euro 2024 is a chance for Turkey’s current team to prove itself and possibly go further than expected.

-Georgia (75): Here at Euro 2024, the Jvarosnebi will be the one debut team. How did they do it? Despite finishing fourth in Group A which saw Spain and Scotland qualify automatically, Georgia had enough Nations League points to be among the twelve teams in the playoffs for the last three berths. Georgia was drawn into Path C where they would have to face Luxembourg in the semifinal and Greece in the final. In the semi, Georgia defeated Luxembourg 2-0. In the final against Greece held in Georgia’s capital Tblisi, it went scoreless in added extra time. On penalty kicks, Georgia won 4-2 and became the first-ever nation from the Caucasus to qualify for a Euro!

The team is coached by Frenchman Willy Sagnol who played in the 2006 World Cup final. The team has various players who have played in various leagues around Europe and North America. Top players include Guram Kashia, midfielder Nika Kvekveskiri and goalkeeper Giorgi Loria. In the past year and a half, they’ve had wins to Cyprus, Thailand, Montenegro and Luxembourg. They’ve also had a draw and a loss to both Norway and Scotland and losses to Spain. Anything can happen in football and it’s possible Georgia can provide another big upset here in Germany.

-Portugal (6): Here in Germany, the Seleção das Quinas qualified for their eighth straight Euro and ninth in total. This has been an incredible time for Portuguese football as they achieved a win in 2016, a runner-up in 2004 as hosts and to third-places. Not all is smooth sailing. Portugal definitely wants to do better than their Round Of 16 finish from the last Euro where they really underplayed.

Since World Cup 2022 ended, the team is managed by Spain’s Roberto Martinez. This Euro looks to be the last you might see Cristiano Ronaldo play. There’s loads of talk of whether he’ll make this the sixth Euro he scores a goal in, extending the record he set in the last tournament. Portugal is more than Cristiano Ronaldo. There’s also goalkeeper Rui Patricio, defender Pepe and midfielder Bernardo Silva. Since the World Cup, they’ve had a 2023 of straight wins against Slovakia, Iceland, Luxembourg and Bosnia-Hercegovina. This year, they had wins against Sweden, Finland and Ireland but also losses to Croatia and Slovenia. Euro 2024 is another chance for Portugal to rise to the occasion and shine.

-Czechia (36): Back when they were part of Czechoslovakia, they only qualified for three Euros but won in 1976. Ever since the Czechs and Slovaks went their separate ways in 1992, Czechia has qualified for every Euro! They even finished runner-up in 1996 and third in 2004. The Narodak, which is not their official nickname, are known for strong play but they’re also known for inconsistency. The biggest notice is that since the Czechs split, they’ve only qualified for a single World Cup.

The team is coached by Ivan Hasek who was just hired this year and who played for the last-ever Czechoslovakia team in the World Cup back in 1990. Top players include midfielder Tomas Soucek, defender Vladimir Coufal and forward Patrik Schick. In the past year and a half, they’ve had wins against North Macedonia, Armenia and Norway. They’ve had a win and a draw against Moldova and Poland and a draw and a loss against Albania. Germany is the stage offering for Czechia to prove itself and again show how good they are.

My Predictions: This is easy to predict but there are no guarantees. I think Portugal and Czechia will qualify with Turkey qualifying via the wildcard.

EURO 2024 EXTRAS FOCUS

The Logo

The logo for Germany 2024 is a unique design. It’s an image of the trophy in a background full of a multitude of colors. The colors are not just arranged for fun but mixed together to show the unity of nations. If you look close enough, you’ll see many flags or flag colors in the arrangement. Bottom left is Germany, the three up above can be either Italy or Hungary, France or the Netherlands in the three after that, Belgium in the three after that. You get the idea. There are even colors in the pattern resembling flags of nations that didn’t make it like Estonia, Armenia and Ireland.

The Official Ball

Once again, Adidas is the maker of the official football of Euro. It was unveiled in November 2023 and its name is Fussballliebe, meaning ‘love of football.’ It’s pattern-designed with back wing shapes and shapes of red, orange, blue and green. The many colors are there to show the qualified nations’ vibrancy to the tournament. Technology also plays a part in this official ball. This is the first UEFA to feature ‘Connected Ball Technology,’ where it contains internal electronic sensors, detecting movements and assisting referees in making decisions.

The Official Song

“Fire” – Meduza, OneRepublic and Leony: The song is a collaboration of an Italian electronica group, an American pop-rock band and a German pop singer. The song is an upbeat melody. The lyrics make hardly any reference to football. Instead, the lyrics focus on unity and triumph.

And there you have it. That’s my look at UEFA Euro Group F. That also makes it my last look at the UEFA groups. Tournament starts on Friday June 14th. Who will win? Will it be a team that’s won before? Or will it be a new team? It will all be decided in a month’s time.

WORKS CITED:

WIKIPEDIA: UEFA Euro 2024 – Symbols. Wikipedia.com. 2024. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2024#Symbols>

UEFA EURO 2020: Group Stage With One Game To Go

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

To be among the 16 to qualify, it takes two wins to guarantee. The only way it could ever be possible for a team with two wins not qualifying is if all six groups had three teams with two wins and a loss. And that’s extremely unlikely. Whatever the situation, all four teams of each of the six groups have played two games and there are a lot of telling stats. Three have qualified already while twenty others still have the last game as one last chance, and only one is officially out. Here’s how the groups look so far. Those who have already qualified are bolded:

GROUP A:

Italy came to Euro 2020 with the hope of redeeming their reputation in the football world. They delivered 3-0 wins against Turkey and Switzerland to guarantee themselves qualification for the Round of 16. Wales’ 2-0 win over Turkey and 1-1 draw against Switzerland put them in very good chances of qualifying.

For the next game, Italy could lose to Wales and they’d still qualify, but I’m sure they’d want to win or at least draw so that they can keep their #1 status. Wales’ chances of qualifying are healthy, but they would have to win to take the lead in Group A, draw to guarantee 2nd place, or rely on their game stats and goal differentials if they were to lose to Italy. Switzerland will have to win over Turkey if they want to qualify. A draw won’t cut it as game stats and goal differentials decide the four third-placers that qualify. And Turkey will need nothing less than a win for them to have a chance. They’ve lost to Italy and Wales. Only a win against Switzerland will do if they are to have any chance of qualifying.

GROUP B

Many touted Belgium as the team most likely to win Group B based on their third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup. With two wins, they’ve already guaranteed a qualification no matter how bad their game against Finland goes. They haven’t completely guaranteed the #1 spot. If Finland beats Belgium they will be the #1 team as a result of head-to-head play.

With Russia and Finland having a win under their belts, drawing can guarantee a 2nd place for Russia and a 3rd-place for Finland which would have to rely on their wildcard stats to qualify. However I’m sure Neither of the teams simply want to draw in their last matches on Monday. Denmark is in the uncomfortable position that they will need to win against Russia if they are to have any chance to qualify. It would not surprise me if the Danish team has been shaken since the collapse of Christian Eriksen. That’s a shocker he was dead for five minutes. It’s very good fortune that the first aid on the field did all the right stuff to resuscitate him and have him taken to a hospital. Actually since Eriksen’s cardiac arrest, it’s a reminder to us all that living is more important than winning.

GROUP C

Most groups would normally have a simple qualifier if they have two wins by now. Group C has an official first-place with the Netherlands! It was their two wins and big goal differential that did it! And I doubt if they will want to lose to North Macedonia in their last game!

The game of Ukraine vs. Austria will be the game for second-place in the group. If there’s a draw, Ukraine will have the advantage because of bigger scoring. Austria could qualify due to the combination of game results and goal differentials. If both qualify for the Round of 16, or either one, it will be their first time ever at the Euro that they do. As for North Macedonia, they have the misfortune of being the first team eliminated. Even if they win against the Netherlands and by a big margin, it won’t matter because of their head-to-head losses to Ukraine and Austria.

GROUP D

Interesting that Groups A to C already have a qualifier guaranteed while Groups D to F don’t have anything decided and it will take Matchday 3 to not just decide it all but decide anything. If if any team in those groups is guaranteed a Top 3 finish, that still doesn’t completely guarantee them qualification. Focusing on Group D, Both first-matches for the group’s teams resulted in wins, but both second-matches on Friday resulted in draws. That means with two teams having a win and a draw and two teams with a loss and a draw, none of the four have secured qualification and all four still have a chance in their third-matches on Tuesday.

In the match of the Czech Republic vs. England, the winner will naturally claim the #1 spot of Group D. If there’s a draw, the Czech Republic has the advantage with better goal differentials. However I’m sure both teams want to win. Croatia and Scotland both have a win and a draw. Croatia leads because of goal differentials and a draw would solidify Croatia to finish in third place, but that most likely won’t be enough to qualify. The six third-place teams will be ranked by game stats and goal differentials. Only the top four will qualify for the Round of 16, and two draws and a loss will most likely make Croatia one of the two third-place packing sooner than they hoped. So either Croatia or Scotland will have to win and nothing less if they want to secure qualification.

GROUP E

Like Group D, Group E has the difficulty of two draws causing the statistics to remain completely undecided for who will qualify. One thing that is certain is that all four still have chances to qualify and it’s up to Matchday 3 to decide it. Sweden has the best luck so far with a 1-0 win over Slovakia despite their scoreless draw against Spain. Despite the loss, Slovakia is second in ranks thanks to their 2-1 win over Poland. Spain, normally a powerhouse, has just two draws while Poland looks like their still waiting to deliver. They’re lucky they saved themselves against Spain 1-1.

Sweden has the luxury that they can qualify simply by drawing, but I doubt if they want a simple draw. Especially since Poland will be hungry for the win. The winner of Slovakia vs Spain will definitely qualify, but Slovakia will have better qualifying chances if they lose because of their win over Poland. You can be sure Spain want to win this. Attempting to qualify on a wildcard with three draws is pushing it. Possible, but pushing it. Also Poland requires nothing less than a win if they want to qualify. Two draws and a loss has very low chances of cutting it. Plus they’d have the added bonus that is they win over Sweden, they’d overtake Sweden in standings because of the head-to-head result!

GROUP F

Group F looked to be the Group Of Death. However a lot of lopsided play has turned a lot of things around unexpectedly. France is one team that has underperformed. One would usually expect a lot of big play from the team that are the reigning World Cup holders. However their 1-0 win over Germany came thanks to an own-goal from Germany’s Hummels and they drew 1-1 to Hungary. Drawing against Portugal will guarantee them qualification, but they will have to win if they want to prove themselves a worthy winner. Isn’t that something? A rematch of the Euro 2016 final happening in group play?

Germany has had it most interesting. They got a loss to France because of an own-goal, but a 4-2 win over Portugal thanks to two own-goals from the Portuguese! A draw against Hungary will guarantee them qualification, but Hungary won’t make it easy as they will want to win. Despite the loss, Portugal are still in good contention after their 3-0 win over Hungary. They can still qualify if they lose to France, but they would have to rely on goal differentials to see if their stats are good enough for the wildcard berth. Finally Hungary proved themselves strong players by drawing 1-1 against France, but they need nothing less than a win against Germany if they want to qualify. That’s how it is for them with just a loss and a draw.

And there you go. This is how things look right now with the teams of Euro 2020 with only one game to go. Matchday Three will finalize everything to decide the thirteen others who will advance and the seven others who will be packing for home sooner than they hoped. Looking forward to it!

UEFA EURO 2020: Intro and Group A and Group B Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment
Euro 2020 which starts on Friday the 11th will be a multi-nation event contested in eleven stadiums in eleven countries.

The 2020 UEFA European Football Championships, or Euro 2020, were one of many big sporting events of 2020 that had to be cancelled out because of the pandemic. The Euro was relocated to 2021 in hopes that conditions would improve and that the tournament would be contested. The UEFA Euro will take place in 2021, with the first game to start on Friday, June 11th, but will still keep its original name Euro 2020.

For the 2020 tournament, Michel Platini intended back in 2012 not to have a single host-nation for the tournament’s 60th anniversary. Instead he decided to have multiple host stadiums in multiple nations as a ‘romantic’ one-off event to celebrate the tournament’s anniversary. The event was originally planned for 13 stadiums in 13 nations. It eventually was reduced to 11 stadiums in 11 nations.

The 2020 Euro is the first major multi-nation sporting event to take place since the pandemic started. UEFA wants crowds for the tournament, but is well aware of the precautions they will need to take during this pandemic. This is what led to Aviva Stadium in Dublin to withdraw from the tournament as they couldn’t guarantee spectators could attend. Spain also relocated their site from Bilbao to Seville as there was a bigger guarantee there spectators could attend matches. Also worth noting is that this is the first Euro in which VAR (Video-Assisted Referee) technology will be included.

All stadiums except Puskas Arena will have limited crowd sizes to prevent the spread of the pandemic. However Puskas Arena organizers say it will maintain stadium entrance requirements. One note about the stadiums is that the host country of the stadium would not guarantee their national team’s qualification. Nine of the eleven nations hosting games were successful in qualifying their team for the tournament. Here’s a list of the stadiums for the tournament. Asterisk (*) denoted national team did not qualify:

Final, Semi-Finals, Round of 16 Matches and Group Matches
Wembley Stadium – London, England
Quarterfinal and Group Matches
Baku Olympic Stadium – Baku, Azerbaijan*
Stadio Olimpico – Rome, Italy
Allianz Arena – Munich, Germany
Krestovsky Stadium – St. Petersburg, Russia
Round of 16 Match and Group Matches
Parken Stadium – Copenhagen, Denmark
Puskas Arena – Budapest, Hungary
Johan Cruyff Arena – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Arena Nationala – Bucharest, Romania*
Hampden Park – Glasgow, Scotland
La Cartuja Stadium – Seville, Spain
Group Matches
Friends Arena – Stockholm, Sweden
Millennium Stadium – Cardiff, Wales

And now to get with my common tradition every World Cup or Euro, my group-by-group review of the teams competing at the Euro. For my blogging, I decided to review two groups in each post. Note that this might be harder than in most years: both blogging two groups and making predictions altogether. It’s quite possible the pandemic may have changed a lot of team statures. It’s quite possible teams that didn’t have such a high expectation the first time around could be better this time or teams with a high standing before the pandemic can end up being worse. Anyways here’s my review and prediction with the most recent FIFA ranking in brackets:

GROUP A

Overall Group A is a mixed bag. They have a traditional powerhouse in Italy and three teams that could pull a surprise. It can go any which way.

Turkey (29) – Turkey is a nation with a proud football legacy. They have a third-place finish at both a World Cup and a Euro as their best-ever results. Their current roster is full of good players. Four play for England’s Premier League, four for French teams, four for Italian and one each in Spanish and German leagues. However Turkey’s success has been known to have a yo-yo effect. They do very well in the years leading up to the Euro but struggle during the year before the World Cup. That may explain why they’ve only qualified for three World Cups.

These past two years, Turkey has played very well only losing to Hungary. They’ve drawn against top-ranked teams like Germany and Croatia and even won against the Netherlands in World Cup qualifying. Chances look good that the Crescent-Stars could defy all expectations this Euro and come out better than most expected.

Italy (7) – The Azzurri have normally been one of the most admired and most feared football teams in the world. Their reputation took a beating during the 2018 World Cup qualifying when they failed to qualify for the tournament. Russia 2018 was only the third World Cup ever where Italy was not present! The coach was subsequently fired and the President of the Italian Football Federation resigned in response.

Here in Euro 2020, the Azzurri come as a team with a lot to prove. All was not lost to Italy in 2017. The same year they failed to qualify for the World Cup, Italy’s under-20 men’s team finished third at the Under-20 World Cup. Their last loss came to Portugal in September 2018. Italy had an excellent 2019 in Euro qualifying winning all of their games. Their biggest win was 9-1 over Armenia. They’ve also proven themselves with wins over teams like the Netherland, Poland and the Czech Republic in recent years. Italy knows it has a lot to prove and Euro 2020 is the perfect domain for the new Italian team to prove itself.

Wales (17) – Many people the success of team Wales due to Gareth Bale. However the success is a team effort. In fact Bale isn’t the most capped member of the current Welsh team. Defender Chris Gunter is. Also goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey has more caps than Bale. Eighteen players play for the Premier League and one plays for Juventus. Back at the last Euro, The Dragons surprised everybody when they became semifinalists. And that was their first-ever Euro! However their prowess at the Euro didn’t carry over for World Cup qualification.

It’s interesting Cardiff is one of the Euro 2020 venues but team Wales won’t play any of their Group games there! Recently Wales has shown a mixed bag of results in terms of their play. They’ve achieved wins over Mexico and the Czech Republic. However they’ve also had losses to England, Belgium and France. This group looks to be a good group for Wales to play in and their chances to advance are good. Euro 2020 will give them the chance to prove themselves again.

Switzerland (13) – Switzerland has always been a team that is full of talent but doesn’t seem to reach high. These last twenty years, they qualified for the last four World Cups, but the furthest they ever got was the Round of 16. 2016 was the first Euro Switzerland made it past the Group Stage, but it ended at the Round of 16 match against Poland there.

Switzerland’s play since World Cup 2018 has been mostly up and down. They’ve had wins against Iceland and Belgium, but they’ve had losses against England, Portugal, Spain and 2022 World Cup host nation Qatar. They have had a great 2021 winning all five of their pre-Euro matches. Euro 2020 can be an exciting time for team Switzerland to prove what they have.

My Prediction: Judging how things look, I predict Italy to top the group with Wales coming in second. I anticipate Turkey to be third and to be a wildcard qualifier.

GROUP B

It’s easy to assume certain teams of Group B will do better than others, but don’t be too fooled. Surprises could come and the big favorites may not come out on top.

Denmark (10) – Denmark is known for mixed success. One quadrennial, they’re there. Another quadrennial, they’re in a slump. They failed to qualify for Euro 2016 but they were successful in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup where they made the Round of 16. The current team consists of six members in the Premier League, seven players in Italy’s league and four in Germany’s Bundesliga.

Since 2020, Denmark’s only lost games came to Belgium. They’ve won against England and Sweden and even drew against Germany. Their biggest win was 8-0 over Moldova. Chances look good for The Red And White to be able to prove themselves. They may not have the same form as they did when they won in 1992 but Denmark could have their best result since.

Finland (54) – Many regard Finland as one of the least successful football teams in all of Europe. Finland is the biggest European nation never to qualify for a World Cup. This will be the very first Euro Finland has ever qualified for. The players play for various leagues throughout Europe and in the MLS.

The current Finnish team will surprise you. Since the start of 2020, they’ve had wins against Greece, Sweden and France. 2021 however has been a difficult year for them. They haven’t had a single win and have lost to Switzerland, Finland and Estonia. Finland comes to Euro 2020 as possibly the biggest underdog. However anything can happen during the total 270 minutes of Group Stage play.

Belgium (1) – Possibly the biggest change of football in the last ten years has to be the mega-success of team Belgium. The 2010’s saw a turnabout where The Red Devils went from delivering substandard play to suddenly performing as one of the best team units in the world. With players like Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Vincent Kompany, Belgium wen from underachievers to a third-place finish at the 2018.

As for Euro, Belgium’s best result is runners-up in 1980. Belgium definitely want to do better than the quarterfinal finish they had at the last Euro. Belgium have continued their winning ways since the World Cup. They’ve had wins over teams like Switzerland, Russia and England. England is also the only team they lost to, during a Nation’s League match in October 2020. Euro 2020 is a good chance for Belgium to show Europe what they’re made of. Possibly even clinch their first-ever win.

Russia (38) – Russia’s abilities and prowess as a team was always very questionable leading up to the 2018 World Cup which they were host nation. During the World Cup, Russia sent a message to the world just how good their team really is by finishing in the quarterfinals. All but four of the team’s current players play in the Russian Premier League. The other four play in leagues in France, Spain, Italy and Turkey.

Since 2020, Russia has had a mixed bag of results. They’ve won against Serbia and Hungary. However they’ve also endured losses to Sweden, Serbia and Slovakia as well as draws to Turkey and Poland. In football anything can happen. And Russia could just end up going further in Euro 2020 than most people expected.

My Prediction: I’m tempted to say Belgium will top this group with Denmark being second. I expect Russia to be third, but I don’t know if their stats will hold up for their qualification.

And there you have it. That’s my first review of the groups for Euro 2020. More reviews of the groups coming your way. Remember that the tournament is just three days from starting!

VIFF 2017 Review: Housewife

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

Housewife-4
Clementine Poidarz (left) submits herself to a ‘master of the mind’ (played by David Sakurai) in Housewife.

It’s my tradition to end the VIFF by seeing the very last film they show. It’s always on the final day and at the Rio Theatre at 11pm. This year, it’s Housewife: a horror-thriller from Turkey in English. It wasn’t just the last showing at the VIFF, but its only showing at the Festival and a Canadian Premiere too.

The film begins on a snowy day 20 years ago. Seven year-old Holly lives a quiet life with her family until one day, her sister menstruates. Her mother reacts chaotically as if it’s a curse and kills both her sister and her father. Flash forward twenty years later. Holly is married, but the memories still haunt her from that horrific night. Her husband wants to start a family, but she pops birth control pills without him knowing.

One day, a childhood friend meets up with Holly again. They reconnect after all these years. The friend even invites Holly to an event her and her husband will be attending called ‘Umbrella Of Love And Mind.’ Holly comes to the event with her husband. The two couples are having a nice time together. Then the event starts. The event gives an impression it’s like a bizarre cult. The audience is introduced to a charismatic mastermind by the name of Bruce O’Hara. Bruce picks Holly right out of the audience as the first person he ‘demonstrates’ on. He’s able to get her mind to travel to another level and even into her fears. Holly and the crowd are impressed, but her husband is unhappy and mistrusting.

Holly carries on with life after the event, but the memories are now mixed with bizarre visions of murder. Holly goes back to Bruce for help. He continues to put her under his mind control. Meanwhile the husband is getting upset. He feels this is all a hoax. Finally Holly goes back one last time. The dreams are now of Bruce committing murder on Holly, ripping off her face and even wearing it! The movie ends on a bizarre, if not ridiculous, note that makes the film look like it’s incomplete or missing a lot of stuff to make sense.

The thing about the film is that it attempts to create the intrigue of a thriller it should create, but later comes across as confusing and even clumsy at the end. The opening looks promising as the opening scene shows some elements of Carrie in it. Actually even before you go to see the film, you’d get a sense that this would be a horror film, or something close to it. The master-of-the-mind who comes off like a cult leader is where you first start thinking if this will help the story or make it look ridiculous. Especially when he comes dancing onto the stage with ‘I’m Your Boogie Man’ playing in the background. It’s as the story moves into the second half that it starts treading into areas that are either confusing or ridiculous. The film even ends on a bizarrely ridiculous note that gets you wondering what the point of this story is.

It even gets you wondering what is director Can Evrenol trying to do as far as it being a thriller movie? Is he tapping into common thriller elements? Is he trying to create new thriller elements for the cinema? What is he trying to do? I left thinking he didn’t accomplish too much in the 80 minutes of the film, except add a lot of bizarre gore that makes you wonder what its point is. Maybe if he and co-writer Cem Ozuduru gave the film more time and better script, we’d get a better understanding of it, possibly even a decent understanding of it.

The acting was not the best. This is Can’s first English-language feature and he hires either Turkish or European actors for the roles. You can notice the accents. Lead protagonist Clementine Poidarz did well with her role, despite noticeable imperfections. David Sakurai looks awkward and even wooden in his role as Bruce O’Hara and even looks like he isn’t fully in character at times.

Housewife is Can Evrenol’s first attempt at an English-language feature and his first feature-length horror film. It’s not much of an accomplishment since its imperfections are very noticeable.

And there you have it! This is the fourteenth and last review of all the films I saw at this year’s Vancouver Film Festival. Quite the experience. My wrap-up is coming soon.

UEFA Euro 2016: Group D Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

Euro Logos

Wow! Euro 2016 is not even a week away. Fast notes about the ten stadiums staging the Euro. Six were venues of the 1998 World Cup. The other four are new stadiums that opened anywhere from back this January to four years ago. Glad to see this Euro isn’t that big of an expense. Although five of the ‘older’ stadiums did need upgrades for this event. Anyways here’s my look at the Group D teams:

TurkeyTurkey (13): Turkey is a team known for its infrequent successes. It has competed in three Euros and two World Cups. It finished third in the 2002 World Cup–its first World Cup since 1954– and hasn’t qualified since. Turkey didn’t qualify for the 2004 Euro but finished in the semis in 2008 and didn’t qualify for 2012. Turkey’s back now. All but six players play for Turkey’s Super Lig, three play for German teams and captain Arda Turan plays for Barcelona. The team has done very well in play the past year and a half including wins against the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Sweden. Their only loss came to England two weeks ago and the score was 2-1. Turkey is one team that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Croatia ficedCroatia (23): Croatia has a reputation of being world class ‘minnows’ that will surprise you when you least expect it. However Vatreni has struggled to regain their strong reputation they had back in the late 1990’s. In fact the team’s play has been mostly quiet news. However they still should not be underestimated. They may have lacked a standout moment for the team in recent major tournaments but they’ve continued to exhibit consistent play. They may lack a standout superstar but they function excellently as a team unit. Since World Cup 2014, they’ve regained the consistency they’re known for. They’ve had wins against Russia, Israel, Norway and Bulgaria and have even drawn against Italy. The team has only had two losses in that time: against Argentina and Norway. In this group, their toughest opposition will be Spain as they’ve only won against them once in the last 25 years. In that same time, they’ve never lost to Turkey and the Czechs. Euro 2016 is another time for the team to prove themselves once again.

Spain FixedSpain (6): We’ve talked about England trying to recover from its 2014 World Cup embarrassment. England’s not alone. Spain entered the Cup as the reigning holders only to lose their first two Group games which meant their elimination as Group play concluded. Like England, La Roja didn’t drop their coach: Vicente Del Bosque. Their road to redemption did have a struggle for the remainder of 2014 as they lost three of their six 2014 games after the Cup. Spain did have challenges bringing in new players who aren’t as well seasoned as their veterans still on the team. However Spain were very good in qualifying for the Euro and their only loss in 2015 came to the Netherlands. This past week they scored big wins against Bosnia (3-1) and South Korea (6-1). No doubt they will be coming to France with something to prove.

Czech Republic fixedCzech Republic(29): The Czechs are an enigma in football. Since the divorce of Czechoslovakia in 1992, the team has qualified for every Euro even being finalists in 1996 and semifinalists in 2004. However they’ve only qualified for one World Cup: back in 2006 and they were out in Group Stage. Their play since the 2014 World Cup has also been enigmatic. They’ve lost to the United States, Slovakia, Iceland, Turkey, Poland and Scotland. However they’ve also won against Iceland, the Netherlands, Serbia and Russia. France will be another chance for the team to prove themselves.

Prediction: This is a tough one because both teams have a lot of strengths but they also have a lot of very noticeable weak spots. You could call this a ‘group of death.’ I predict Spain to top it with Croatia second and Turkey third.

And there are my thoughts for Group D. Next up my review of Group E.

UPDATE:

Here are my reviews of other groups: