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Remember the Titans (Widescreen Edition)

Remember the Titans (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $29.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Yet another movie that Denzel should've received the oscar
Review: Hands down...the best movie of the year. It paints an accurate picture of the complexities of life. It has moments of pure triumph and glory...as well as moments of absolute sadness. This film was saturated with scenes that made the viewer sit back and reflect on the importance of integrity...how very fragile life really is...and how very passionate friendship can be. The most touching moment in the movie was when 'Bertier's', (Ryan Hurst) the white co-captain, ex-girlfriend 'Emma' (Kate Bosworth) goes to the sideline and introduces herself and shakes the hand of 'Big Ju' (Wood Harris), the black co-captain.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Football!!!
Review: I normally don't like football. Yet, I love this movie! The language in it is wonderful! Not a single curse word! There is some slang but the director did a wonderful job of taking out all of the immoral words. I think that football fans and those that aren't alike, would love this movie as I do.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A lesson in teamwork that the world should learn
Review: Like most cinematic versions of true-life stories, "Remember the Titans," is an idealized version of reality. The main theme focuses on the two-sided coin of racial tension and racial harmony. Such moralistic tales can be heavy going but in this case, using school football as a backdrop, director Boaz Yakin creates a moving and entertaining parable.

Set in Virginia around 1971, the story primarily involves the football team at T.C. Williams High. The school is in the middle of a racial integration process and seems to find the concept, of blacks and whites in physical contact, objectionable. Thrown into this already volatile mix is Coach Boone, a black man from out of state and from a lower grade of football. Boone is placed above Coach Yoast, the current, and white, head of the football department. This strange form of affirmative action is seemingly aimed at political, rather than social, goals.

Not surprisingly Coach Yoast, solidly played by Will Patton, takes umbrage at this obvious slight to his tenure, experience and standing in the community. His young daughter, Sheryl, takes the news with even more disgust. Played by Hayden Panettiere, Sheryl steals every scene she's in, creating a funny and memorable character; a small curly haired girl who loves football more than life itself.

Seeing the danger of his team abandoning university scholarships just to show solidarity, Yoast steps back onto the team in a subordinate role to Boone. Densel Washington gives us another strong performance as the forceful, and borderline abusive, Coach Boone. His credo seems to emphasise offence, both on the field and off. This is made clear after he challenges the worst elements of the town to face him, following an incident involving bricks flung through his home's windows.

Boone's first act as head coach is to undo the racial divide among his players. Instead, the team is split along offensive and defensive lines. This forced integration soon causes conflict, allowing the audience to explore the large cast of characters in more depth. It is remarkable that so many minor characters stand out in memory and if some of them seem a little shallow, there are limits to what can be achieved in under two hours.

True reconciliation, perhaps even racial harmony, does not begin building until the team is lead on a crippling morning run that finishes at the Gettysburg battle ground. Boone, who set up the event, gives a shaming speech comparing the "cause" that their forefathers fought and died for, to the smaller battles still being fought within their team. In addition, each player was given an ongoing assignment to get to know each and every other member of the team, forcing some level of understanding in most of these young men.

There is a fair amount of football in the film but for me, it was the character expositions and interpersonal conflict that held my interest. I'm sure those who enjoy the game will get a lot more out of the film but the game does not overshadow the strong narrative, creative cinematography and moving soundtrack. In the end, the film's value rests on the shoulders of the two leading men rather than on football. These two honourable men may start out as adversaries but, like the team's offensive and defensive captains, they eventually become life-long friends.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great movie!
Review: "Remember the Titans" is definetely one of the most uplifting movies I have ever seen. Starring Denzel Washington and Will Patton along with a terrific young ensemble cast, this is a story of friendship and hope, of respect and courage. I really wasn't sure whether I would like this movie since it is all about football, a sport I don't particularly like or understand, but I was pleasantly surprised! The film is based on the true story of the Titans, a Southern high school football team in 1971. There, in the midst of racial conflicts and prejudices, two coaches - one black, one white - must take a mixed group of football players and turn them into a team. Which, as they come to understand, takes more than just training on the field - they must first learn to respect each other, before they expect to win any game. This movie will have you laughing and crying, and, ultimately, rooting for the Titans!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not a Titan, but Close
Review: If you have ever seen a sports movie, then you know before the opening credits how this movie must end. The best thing about this movie -- a good, solid film -- is the role reversal of Washington. He plays the hard-nosed coach, who, despite his color, pushes his racially mixed team in a town where the races don't mix. Very well done. 4.25 stars

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Far, far better than it could have been
Review: As I'm sure pretty much everyone knows by now, this film deals with black and white football coaches and players coexisting at a newly integrated school in 1971 Virginia. Naturally, the coaches and players manage to get along and grow to respect each other(It would be a pretty depressing movie if anything else happened). Also, many of the white townsfolk manage to overcome their ingrained racial prejudices in support of the team and their new black head coach, played skillfully by Denzel Washington. Of course it helps that Denzel's character, Herman Boone, leads the team to an undefeated state championship season.

Given such a plot, this movie could have easily degenerated into a sappy mess of cliches. But it doesn't. The dialogue is refreshingly down-to-earth, as the characters actually talk somewhat like real people. The performances are also very convincing, especially from Denzel and Will Patton in the leads. Even the supporting characters, though, are more developed than in most movies. There are some moments that don't ring true (I could've done without that karoake performance of "Ain't no Mountain High Enough"), and we're occasionally beaten over the heads with the film's message, but I think most would agree that racial amity is a lesson that we could use more of. The football scenes are a plus as well, being energetic and at least somewhat realistic. All in all, an excellent movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Titan(ic) movie.
Review: What a great movie and I don't even care for football that much. A must see for anyone who loves Denzel.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The total package.
Review: I have problems with Disney. They buy up martial arts classics such as "Fist of Legend", "Drunken Master 2" and "Tai-Chi Master", chop them up, repackage them, and parade them out like clockwork. Also, The Disney view of historical events isn't exactly accurate, to say the least. But finally, a Disney movie with some life to it... and it's one that doesn't have Miramax or Touchstone at the top of the credits.
I loved this movie. That's right, I love a non-animated Disney movie, and I'm not ashamed to say it. For one, it had Denzel, and when Denzel is in a movie, my [price] movie ticket is bought and paid for. But it also dealt with a very human story, and a true one at that. A true story where the principal characters were all still alive, with the exception of one. No "Pocahontas"-type artistic license here, and that was pleasing. The movie deals with the TC Williams High Titans, a high school football team in Alexandria, VA in the early 70's. The Titans were comprised of students from the newly integrated school district. The way they came together over those months up to and including the football season, inspired the entire city to change.
I found that the actors were the greatest assets. They brought out their characters in a way that made you root for each one. You could see the conflicts in each and every movement they made. Every word they said. You could see the almost-obsessive drive in Denzel's Boone, as well as the compassion he had for his players. The conflict of Will Patton's Yoast, torn between doing the right thing and preserving his own legacy as a coach.
I especially liked the evolution of the relationships between the players. They didn't just fall in with each other right away, it was a progression. It wasn't black being right, as proven by the character Julius' militant outlook. Nor was it about white being right, with Gary's hostility towards all not things not bleached out. It was about togetherness, and rising above differences. A very moving and uplifting movie. Sure, there was a heavy dose of schmaltz, but with it being a Disney movie, I wasn't caught off guard (EX: Denzel's last line. "You're a hall of famer in my book." Going by the way he delivered that line, you'd think he was tricked into saying it.). I'd recommend this movie to anyone going through a rough patch in life, or anyone feeling an excessive level of hate. Maybe this movie will show them that great things can still happen in this world. Hell, I won't even take a star off for producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and I excessively hate him. See this movie.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: I went to Hammond High
Review: I read all these great reviews about this movie... and I gotta tell you guys, I graduated from Hammond in 1968... and the white kids in this movie were not culturally anything like Hammond kids. I've discussed it with classmates and we all agree this movie was pure FAKE hogwash. First of all, I knew everybody at least a little at Hammond and I never heard ANY southern accents. We were children of Washington DC government workers, military kids, etc. Second, the movie was filmed in Georgia!!!! Northern Virginia simply does not relate to southern culture and southern racism at ALL! If this event HAD taken place in Georgia back then (which it didn't), it would have been very very violent and the coach Boone would have been .... There were problems at the time but it was more about the resentment of the CLOSING of our school... but that would have happened anywhere even if it involved all white or all black kids... we weren't southern racists as this movie portrayed... I will say it is accurate that Hammond and GW kids ended up "getting along"... but that was BECAUSE we weren't racist rather in spite of that... why did they choose to make the film in Georgia rather than say Pennsylvania which was closer to us culturally? Sensationalism... yes, we were residents of Virginia, but Northern Virginia is culturally dissimilar as night and day to southern Virginia. I got really ticked off by the southern racist restaurant owner... he was definitely straight out of Georgia where the film was made ... we didn't have any restaurants like the dump they showed... YUK! we just wouldn't have walked into a place like that even if there were any sleezy places like that. I hate this movie for the lies... I feel it was manipulative, very typical of Hollywood sensationalism... for me it's a lie... and the producer and director are liars who used what happened falsely. The movie would have been very boring I suppose if they had told the truth... but they intentionally made up what they wanted to when they wanted to... the big question is why? If you lived in Alexandria back then and knew Coach Yoast, then he is the true hero of this movie... why? because Coach Yoast loved his kids so much he stuck around to help them give up their school AND he loved all kids black or white... he was a great educator... but we were not southern redneck hicks so don't give the South any credit here... we were from Northern and Midwestern states... southern Virginians resented us because we were intruding "Yankees". Some of us who went to Virginia universities later on had some real adjustments getting used to the southern Virginia kids... why? that's where the real cultural divide was at the time... ask anyone from Virginia and they'll tell you about the differences. Boy am I ticked off my school was portrayed the way it was... a bunch of hype!!!! I sure wish they had told the real story in at least half way a truthful manner... enjoy it for what it is FICTION... but never never think that it really happened.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: I went to Hammond High
Review: Why don't I like this movie? I went to Hammond graduating in 1968. The movie portrayed us completely inaccurately. The southern accents and atmosphere was so wrong.... Hammond true is in Virginia, but northern Virginia is not part of the southern culture... we have no southern accents... and the town didn't look at all familiar... why? it was filmed in Georgia! I knew everybody at Hammond and none of us were from the south... Our parents were from all over the country because Alexandria is only 15 minutes from DC... all I can say is though the lesson of this movie is exemplary, this movie was not truthful... this is such a typical trick of Hollywood... I'm just plain ticked off about it... and you would be too if they did it to your town. It would be comparable to a movie about San Franciscans filmed in Los Angeles. But I am proud of Coach Yoast and the success of Coach Boone. Most of the anger of the time was about the closing of Hammond... race was really less of an issue... people just didn't like their high school being closed like that... Hammond was a great school as was George Washington High which was also closed... and GW High had plenty of white kids... If this had really taken place in a southern racist town in the south, it would have been a lot more violent... Hammond and southern racists are on opposite ends of the spectrum of Americana.


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