By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
After the pandemic, the general public’s habits have changed and movie theaters are suffering. While fans are returning in big numbers to the sports arena, and 7DAYS EuroCup crowds are also a testament to that, people prefer streaming services more and more, watching movies from the comfort of their homes.
So if that’s also the case for you, before you leave your house and go to support your favorite EuroCup team, we have a proposal to make.
For the EuroCup Eighthfinals, we have eight movies that made it even to the Oscars and can help you understand the context of what you are going to see on the court, or at least give you a different angle to further enjoy the game.
Try it and even if you don’t agree with the angle, at least you are going to see a pretty good movie before the game, since all the movies included were finalists in the best movie category this year.
Prometey Slobozhanske vs. Veolia Towers Hamburg
“All Quiet on the Western Front”
This is the recent German version of the movie, based on the novel of the same name written by the German author Erich Maria Remarque. Do you want any further explanation? If you do, this is an epic anti-war film.
And with Prometey representing Ukraine and facing a German team, this fits like a glove. Just for the record, this is the third film adaptation of the book, after the 1930 and 1979 versions, but the first made by a German director.
7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. Paris Basketball
“The Fabelmans”
The latest movie by Steven Spielberg is practically an autobiography about his Jewish family and him growing up in post-World War II era Arizona. And here lies the connection with Panevezys, believe it or not. The city of Panevezys is the fifth largest in Lithuania, but it is still widely known in the Jewish world for the eponymous Ponevezh Yeshiva.
A Yeshiva is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature and in this particular case, the Ponevezh Yeshiva was founded in 1908 and re-located in Bnei Brak, Israel, post-World War II in 1944. The yeshiva today has over 3,000 students, including those of affiliated institutions, and is considered one of the leading Litvish yeshivas in Israel.
By the way, it’s not the best film of Master Steven, but it’s worth watching.
ratiopharm Ulm vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica
“Elvis”
What a biopic of the “King” has to do with Ulm? Bear with us.
The movie is about the life of American music icon Elvis Presley, from his childhood to becoming a rock and movie star in the 1950s while maintaining a complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
Now replace young Elvis with 18-year-old Juan Nunez and you get the point. This is a prodigy destined to become a star since his days in Real Madrid and he joined Ulm in order to fulfill his potential. So far the season is a mixed bag for him and the team, so he might just get his first big hit in this game.
Joventut Badalona vs. London Lions
“Top Gun: Maverick”
Ok, this is easy. London Lions’ Sam Dekker, with an 18.9-point average, is the currently Top Gun of the 7Days EuroCup, or top scorer if you prefer. And what does “Maverick” have to do in the movie? Practically succeed on an impossible mission.
Yes, Dekker and the Lions have to do pretty much the same in Spain to stay alive, so we might be expecting a bit too much, but if they make it, it would be an amazing blockbuster.
Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv vs. Umana Reyer Venice
“Avatar: The Way of the Water”
What else would you expect when you have two teams from cities totally connected to water like Tel Aviv and Venice clash? The movie plot is pretty similar to the first “Avatar”, which was pretty similar to “Dances with the Wolves“, so no idea who will end up being the Cowboys and who will be the Indians in the game between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Venice.
However, the movie is shot in real 3D, the spectacle is magnificent, and Hapoel has been spectacular during the last couple of months of the regular season with 10 wins in 11 games, so you will be really entertained.
Promitheas Patras vs. Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
This is a quirky movie about two friends drifting apart for no apparent reason, which can be interpreted in many ways. It’s a bit strange and very interesting, somewhat like the seasons that both Promitheas and Bourg have had so far with many ups and downs, in some cases quite inexplicable.
And the most interesting part of the movie is the peculiar love-hate relationship between Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell which is mirrored by the fact that Promitheas’s point guard Nikos Gkikas has registered a EuroCup career high of 10 assists and Trevis Simpson has registered a EuroCup career high of 5 made three-pointers against JL Bourg on February.
Gran Canaria vs. Frutti Extra Bursaspor
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
How you can describe this movie? It’s a family drama with strong science fiction elements that has a happy ending, including an amazing dialogue between two rocks, so you have to see it in order to understand what’s going on.
And most importantly it’s the movie that won the Oscar. So you see where we are going. Gran Canaria is the favorite to win it all. On the other hand, if there’s one team that can turn things around and keep surprising everyone, like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” did, it’s Bursaspor, which made it to the final last year, despite never having home-court advantage.
Nobody expects lighting to strike twice, but also nobody who saw this movie expected that it would win an Oscar for best picture.
Turk Telekom Ankara vs. Germani Brescia
“The Triangle of Sadness”
This is a great satire shot in the Aegean Sea, but here the “triangle of sadness” is quite literal for any opponent of Turk Telekom.
To be exact, this is a triangle that consists of Jerian Grant, Axel Bouteille and Tyrique Jones. Grant with an 18.5 PIR average, ranks third in the competition, Bouteille follows with a 17.7 PIR per game in the seventh spot and Jones is ninth with a 17.6 PIR.
Of course, no other team has three players in the Top 10, so Brescia must be more than alert…