Move over Tom Cruise, there are new box office stars this summer plying their trade in Germany where the World Cup finals are taking place. Even though summer is packed with top-notch movies, all the suspense, drama, horror, action and even comedy is taking place in Germany with stars like Zinedine Zidane, Jens Lehmann, Luis Figo and others making the headlines. Lehmann assumed the role of Superman when he brilliantly denied two penalty-kicks in the clash with Germany's bitter rival Argentina to send the South Americans packing. Meanwhile Figo has led a group of mutant X Men from Portugal to the semi-finals for the first time since 1966 as they disposed of giants like Mexico, Holland and England along the way. The English on the other hand had to live through the horror of the hexed penalty shootouts that cursed them in Italy 1990, Euro 1996, France 1998 and Euro 2004. But that was not it for the English who had to cope with the suspense of facing coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, brilliantly portrayed by the talented Gene Hackman, for the third straight tournament. Unfortunately for the 1966 World Cup winners the sequel continued after Scolari annihilated them just as he did with Brazil in the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup (Scary Movie 1) and with Portugal in the Euro 2004 quarter-finals (Scary Movie 2).
The same happened with the Brazilians who used up all their talent and tricks in their respective Nike and Adidas ads and came to Germany with nothing to offer, and believe me…no one was laughing! The mystery that has all the World Cup viewers confused is that of the Brazilian team, one which surpasses that of The Da Vinci Code. The world champions gave a dismal display throughout the tournament until they were outclassed and ousted by Zidane and his France teammates in what seemed like a Mission Impossible. But just as the Adidas ads say "impossible is nothing". What happened with Brazil was exactly what happens with Jack Black's movies where you get the preview looks hilarious, luring viewers to the theaters where they are stunned with the fact that there are no jokes or funny scenes left. The same happened with the Brazilians who used up all their talent and tricks in their respective Nike and Adidas ads and came to Germany with nothing to offer, and believe me…no one was laughing! As for the Italians, well they remain determined to play the role of Pirates of the Mediterranean with their thug-like, yet handsome, mafia looks and lethal finishing abilities that would put Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom to shame. Political drama genre was also available in the World Cup finals thanks to the efforts of Ghanaian defender John Pantsil waved an Israeli flag on the pitch to celebrate his team's goals against the Czech Republic. All in all, the World Cup has something for everyone, and even though the first round ended without any major upsets, the knockout stages proved that the World Cup leaves the best for last as the climax approaches.
