The Damned United

Seen at: Lyric Cinema Cafe, at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 17.

I'm not much of a soccer fan, and I know nothing of how the English professional leagues work. I was completely unfamiliar with the historical characters in this 1970s period piece.

The wonderful thing about movies is that even with these kinds of handicaps, if the story is well-told, you can wind up caring about the characters and what happens to them.

This was very much the case. Mostly when I go to movies, I wind up watching the clock. In most cases, by the end, I am waiting for the movie to be over so I can leave.

The Damned United was one of those cases where I never looked at my cellphone clock. At the end of the movie, I actually wanted it to go on with more of the story. This is pretty much the highest compliment I can pay to a film maker.

Verdict: suprisingly one of my favorites of the year. Another triumph for the versatile Michael Sheen.