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For those who haven't noticed (a group that apparently includes millions of Americans), the sport that we call soccer and the rest of the world calls football is big. Very big. And no one is bigger than Real Madrid, the subject of Real - The Movie. This is the soccer equivalent of the New York Yankees, a rich, perennially successful club that features many of the biggest stars in the world; as of 2005, when the film was released, players included England's David Beckham and Michael Owen, Brazil's Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, Portugal's Luis Figo, and France's Zinedine Zidane (who notoriously head-butted an Italian opponent in the 2006 World Cup final). All of them can be seen in the quasi-documentary sections of the film, as Real prepares for a climactic match against rival Barcelona. Scenes of the players practicing, the coaches strategizing, and the match itself are well done, with crisp cinematography, occasional use of animation and other effects, and an overall kinetic feeling well suited to the sport. But director Borja Manso also wants Real - The Movie to explain to the uninitiated just what it is that makes Real such a big deal all around the world. To that end, he incorporates several personal (and fictional) stories: A Tokyo schoolboy distressed over his girlfriend's shrieking obsession with Beckham. A young Madrid history teacher who doesn't understand Real mania, and his neighbor, an elderly woman who's been unable to return to the stadium since her husband passed away. A Senegalese kid dying to go to soccer school. A teenage girl in New York who suffers a severe leg injury during a match and finds inspiration in Ronaldo's rehabilitation after a similar incident. Pretty standard stuff, by and large, and way too on-the-nose to be very compelling. Combine all of that with some newsreel footage from Real's early days and lots of throbbing, thrilling music, and it all amounts to a big, glossy valentine packaged as wholesome family fare. Nothing wrong with that--unless you're a Boston Red Sox fan. --Sam Graham
The Olsen twins are turning 16, and they're celebrating with this collection of party games and, you guessed it, driving lessons. The good news is that if you can help them get past the obstacles and pass the test, they'll take you out with their new driver's licenses to a variety of fun minigame activities, like rock climbing, riding Jet Skis, surfing, ATV quad racing, and shopping for clothes. Earn points in the party games and spend them to upgrade the car and unlock cool tunes and cooler outfits.
It's not very often that a game aims to be fun and realistic while instilling a sense of personal involvement and responsibility. Mary-Kate and Ashley: Winners Circle does that within the theme of horseback riding. Players compete in such equestrian events as dressage, jumping, and cross-country, and learn the basics of caring for a horse. The game offers a practice mode, which lets riders master the controls and explore a course before entering events, and an adventure mode with large forest and island levels where players can play minigames or just simply explore.
