Search
Search results
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Friday Night Lights (2004) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
For many small towns in America, the rituals surrounding football season have become so ingrained into the fabric of local society that all aspects of life revolve around the game each Friday.
One prime example of this is in the town of Odessa Texas, where every fall young men embrace the rituals of football as their ticket to bigger and better things in life, and where local merchants close their shops less than miss a single moment of the biggest show in town, the Perriman Panthers.
In the new film &”Friday Night Lights”, audiences get a firsthand look at the trials and tribulations that the team endured during its 1988 season that had previously been covered in the book of the same name by H.G. Bissinger which centered much like the film on the racial and economic overtones of the community.
The film stars Billy Bob Thornton as Coach Gary Gaines a man who despite a string of winning seasons and State Championships to his credit is under pressure to deliver not only a championship team, but an undefeated season as well. The players feel the pressure to, as every person they encounter on the eve of their season is quick to remind them to win it all and go undefeated.
While the first game starts as an enjoyable romp for Perriman and fans it soon becomes tragic when all everything running back Boobie Miles (Derick Luke), injures his knee and as a result the team is routed in it’s next start causing the world to fall in around the coach as disgruntled local fans go so far as to clutter his home with for sale signs following a single loss.
Undaunted the team picks itself up and finds a way to get back to its winning ways and make a run for the state tournament. Along the way the players will be saddled with the standard issues including but not limited to injuries, self-doubt, an abusive father, a sick parent, and local pressure from rabid fans that will not accept anything short of an undefeated season.
While the game scenes of the fill are well done, as Director Peter Berg mixes footage of the 2003 Perriman team with recreated scenes to create a dynamic and engrossing recreation of the game that is perhaps one of the best ever captured on film. Sadly, the game sequences are the only good part of the film as when the story deviates from the actual games, it becomes bogged down in boring sentiment and sports film stereotypes that are so over used, the film has little tension or surprises as I was easily able to see what was coming.
As if this was not bad enough, Thornton is mostly wasted as aside from a few good one-liners, he is reduced to the stern coach with the heart of gold. We know his character loves his family and his team but we do not know what drives and motivates the man. Worse yet, the team is made up of generally bland and unremarkable individuals who do not gain much sympathy from the audience as they are so bland I found myself caring little as to their outcomes.
The more I watched the film, the more I kept being reminded of “Varsity Blues” which compared to “Lights”, is a much better film in almost every aspect. My advice, save this one for a rental.
One prime example of this is in the town of Odessa Texas, where every fall young men embrace the rituals of football as their ticket to bigger and better things in life, and where local merchants close their shops less than miss a single moment of the biggest show in town, the Perriman Panthers.
In the new film &”Friday Night Lights”, audiences get a firsthand look at the trials and tribulations that the team endured during its 1988 season that had previously been covered in the book of the same name by H.G. Bissinger which centered much like the film on the racial and economic overtones of the community.
The film stars Billy Bob Thornton as Coach Gary Gaines a man who despite a string of winning seasons and State Championships to his credit is under pressure to deliver not only a championship team, but an undefeated season as well. The players feel the pressure to, as every person they encounter on the eve of their season is quick to remind them to win it all and go undefeated.
While the first game starts as an enjoyable romp for Perriman and fans it soon becomes tragic when all everything running back Boobie Miles (Derick Luke), injures his knee and as a result the team is routed in it’s next start causing the world to fall in around the coach as disgruntled local fans go so far as to clutter his home with for sale signs following a single loss.
Undaunted the team picks itself up and finds a way to get back to its winning ways and make a run for the state tournament. Along the way the players will be saddled with the standard issues including but not limited to injuries, self-doubt, an abusive father, a sick parent, and local pressure from rabid fans that will not accept anything short of an undefeated season.
While the game scenes of the fill are well done, as Director Peter Berg mixes footage of the 2003 Perriman team with recreated scenes to create a dynamic and engrossing recreation of the game that is perhaps one of the best ever captured on film. Sadly, the game sequences are the only good part of the film as when the story deviates from the actual games, it becomes bogged down in boring sentiment and sports film stereotypes that are so over used, the film has little tension or surprises as I was easily able to see what was coming.
As if this was not bad enough, Thornton is mostly wasted as aside from a few good one-liners, he is reduced to the stern coach with the heart of gold. We know his character loves his family and his team but we do not know what drives and motivates the man. Worse yet, the team is made up of generally bland and unremarkable individuals who do not gain much sympathy from the audience as they are so bland I found myself caring little as to their outcomes.
The more I watched the film, the more I kept being reminded of “Varsity Blues” which compared to “Lights”, is a much better film in almost every aspect. My advice, save this one for a rental.
The Times of London: World News, Sports & Election
News and Magazines & Newspapers
App
Enjoy The Times of London quality journalism anywhere with one app, 7 days a week. Download the app...
Weather Cal
Weather and Navigation
App
The MUST have Weather App for the Mac App Store! This app is an easy tool for looking up forecasts...
Sky Sports for iPad
Sports and Entertainment
1.0
Rate It
App
Just like Zlatan, Sky Sports for iPad is free and has won a shedload of awards (well, at least one)....
Penalty Soccer
Sports and Games
App
★★★★★ Follow us on Twitter for the latest news! http://twitter.com/bakumens...
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Last Mile (Amos Decker #2) in Books
May 10, 2018
Book 2 in the Amos Decker series by David Baldacci. On this mission, Decker is working with a special FBI task force. The task force has been given a set of cases that they must choose from to work on, but Decker has other plans. Melvin Mars is about to be executed for the murder of his parents. At the 11th hour, someone comes forward and claims he was the one who did the murders. Decker is determined to find out why this person has come forward and what he can tell him about the murder of Mars parents. But everything is not as it seems and Decker and his team will uncover secrets that have been hidden for more than 30 years and will bring down some very powerful people. Will they be able to solve the case before it's too late and more lives are lost?
Amos Decker has hyperthymesia where he has a perfect memory. He inherited this condition after he got pounded on the football field and had to be brought back to life twice. He has used his skills as a police officer and as a detective. After the tragic death of his family, life just wasn't the same. Working on the special task force is a new job for Decker and he hopes to do a good job.
This assignment starts in a small town in West Texas and takes Decker and his team all through the south of the United States. Trying to track down those that really killed Mars's parents and who was the one that saved Melvin right before it was too late.
Amos Decker has hyperthymesia where he has a perfect memory. He inherited this condition after he got pounded on the football field and had to be brought back to life twice. He has used his skills as a police officer and as a detective. After the tragic death of his family, life just wasn't the same. Working on the special task force is a new job for Decker and he hopes to do a good job.
This assignment starts in a small town in West Texas and takes Decker and his team all through the south of the United States. Trying to track down those that really killed Mars's parents and who was the one that saved Melvin right before it was too late.
Josh Napper (40 KP) rated McFarland USA (2015) in Movies
Jun 14, 2019
HEADLINE:
McFarland USA
plot
Jim White moves his family after losing his last job as a football coach. He sees that some of the students are worth starting a cross-country team and turns seven students with no hope into one of the best cross-country teams.
What lessons did you learn from this story (theme/moral)? What do you think others will learn from it?
One man can open eyes, and not just one or two eyes but a whole family, team, school, community. Its not about where you are that truly matters, it’s about the people you are with here that truly matters. Even if you do not get the results you wanted to have when the final second ticks off the clock, you are, and you will always be a winner. No matter how much success you have on your own you are alone, so do it as a team, that way you are and never will be alone.
PARAGRAPH #4 What group of people would like this movie? Who would you recommend it to? Who would you not recommend it to?
i would recommend it to anyone who likes to run either cross country, track and field or running in general. i would also do the same to someone that likes a good storytale movie about life struggles and overcoming the odds.
What is your final word on the film: Is it good or bad?
Everyone from the creators of the movie to the extras of even the smallest scenes of the movie
RATING SYSTEM:
crap
poor
decent
even
Good
Great
perfect
I give the movie McFarland USA a movie rating of 6.
McFarland USA
plot
Jim White moves his family after losing his last job as a football coach. He sees that some of the students are worth starting a cross-country team and turns seven students with no hope into one of the best cross-country teams.
What lessons did you learn from this story (theme/moral)? What do you think others will learn from it?
One man can open eyes, and not just one or two eyes but a whole family, team, school, community. Its not about where you are that truly matters, it’s about the people you are with here that truly matters. Even if you do not get the results you wanted to have when the final second ticks off the clock, you are, and you will always be a winner. No matter how much success you have on your own you are alone, so do it as a team, that way you are and never will be alone.
PARAGRAPH #4 What group of people would like this movie? Who would you recommend it to? Who would you not recommend it to?
i would recommend it to anyone who likes to run either cross country, track and field or running in general. i would also do the same to someone that likes a good storytale movie about life struggles and overcoming the odds.
What is your final word on the film: Is it good or bad?
Everyone from the creators of the movie to the extras of even the smallest scenes of the movie
RATING SYSTEM:
crap
poor
decent
even
Good
Great
perfect
I give the movie McFarland USA a movie rating of 6.
Blend Systems Group Messenger
Social Networking, Photo & Video and Stickers
App
Blend is a simple, global, real-time group messaging app for the stuff you care about. Friends,...
The Man in the Middle: The Autobiography of the World Cup Final Referee
Book
The long-awaited autobiography of Howard Webb, the man who refereed the World Cup final. Webb's...
Redemption: A Street Fighter's Path to Peace
Book
Michael Clarke was an angry,vicious kid, a street fighter. He grew up in the late sixties and...