remember the titans

the year: 2000

the genre: sports


the cast: Denzel Washington (Coach Herman Boone); Will Patton (Coach Bill Yost); Wood Harris (Julius Campbell); Ryan Hurst (Gerry Bertier); Hayden Panettiere (Sheryl Yost)


the plot: In the early 1970s, two schools in Alexandria Virginia integrate forming T.C. Williams High School. The head coach of the Titans is replaced by Herman Boone. Tensions arise when players of different races are forced together on the same football team. Many of these tensions are eased during the two-week training camp in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, but when players return to Alexandria the players find the city in turmoil due to the forced desegregation of the high school.


don't miss: Sunshine's "tryout" for the team.


listen for: "We will be perfect in every aspect of the game. You drop a pass, you run a mile. You miss a blocking assignment, you run a mile. You fumble the football, and I will break my foot off in your John Brown hind parts. And then you will run a mile. Perfection. Let's go to work."


did you know: it was actually an old toilet that was thrown through the Boone's window, not a brick - but film makers thought this would add humor to a serious situation so they changed it.


extra bonus points: if you know who, in Greek mythology, actually DID defeat the Titans.


also listen for: "Now THAT'S a Momma joke."


did you also know: the state championship game was played at 12 o'clock noon on Saturday, not at night as portrayed in the movie.

the pelican brief

the year: 1993

the genre: suspense


the cast: Denzel Washington (Gray Grantham); Julia Roberts (Darby Shaw); Sam Shepard (Thomas Callahan); Robert Culp (President); Stanley Tucci (Khamel); John Lithgow (Smith Keen); Hume Cronyn (Justice Rosenberg)


the plot: Two Supreme Court Justices have been assassinated. One law student has stumbled upon the truth. An investigative journalist wants her story. Everybody else wants her dead.



watch for: the very talented Stanley Tucci as Khamel. I *much* prefer him as Muerte/Morty in Undercover Blues (which, incidentally, came out the same year) but this definitely shows his versatility.



check out: the subtle reference to Jimmy Carter addressing the nation in a cardigan during the height of the fuel shortages in the 1970s.



did you know: John Grisham wrote the part of Darby Shaw with Julia Roberts in mind. Roberts read the book once it was finished and agreed to the role without even seeing a script.



listen for: "Any of those signs got my name on 'em?" "Quite a few." "What do they say?" "The usual: Death to Rosenberg, Retire Rosenberg, Cut off the oxygen." [laughs]"That's my favorite."


extra bonus points: if you know how many times Victor Mattiece, the main villain, appears in the film.



disclaimer: there are brief episodes of violence, but listen to the music and you'll be able to figure out when to close your eyes.