#willpatton

Remember the Titans is formulaic. Isn't that the case with every football film based on a true story? You can predict where everyone will end up. Does it matter when the results are this crowd-pleasing?

In 1971, coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) is assigned to put together a football team for the integrated T. C. Williams High School. The locals are not pleased to see Boone’s predecessor, Bill Yoast (Will Patton) booted down to the post of assistant coach and if that wasn't enough drama, the players seem determined to stay divided among racial lines until he breaks through to them.

I get the appeal of seeing a live game of football but for me, a film about the sport is far more engaging. The camera ensures you never miss the bone-crunching tackle or that amazing play that turns the tide when there's only a second to spare. You don't learn about the players from interviews or newspaper clippings. You get to be there the whole way. “I know that already! That applies to every great sports movie!” you say. And you’re right. What’s this movie got going that other sports movies don’t?

Remember the Titans is filled with underdogs; more than other films of its genre. A new coach automatically falls under extra stringent scrutiny. So does a new team. Boone isn't just a new coach, however. He's a black coach in a predominantly white field. As is his interracial team. Even among themselves, there's tension.

There are many effective human moments as the topic of racism is addressed. We see these young men deal with their prejudices and break barriers are they learn to function as a unit. It isn’t about one side being right and the other being wrong, it’s about a bunch of talented young men who have to learn to work together to unleash their full potential. Seeing the friendships that develop, those that dissolve due to irreconcilable differences, and seeing someone suddenly realize what they believed for years is wrong? That’s movie magic. Whether the ball is being thrown or not, you're completely engaged. Everyone will find someone to relate to and cheer for.

My one criticism is one that’s almost inherent to even the best sports films. Ultimately, you can predict what's going to happen to the players and coaches because what we're seeing is essentially a highlight of a football season within a three-act plot. There's something to be said about needing to adhere to formulas to satisfy the audience. Nevertheless, you can't say it wouldn't have been refreshing to see this reinvent the wheel or break some new ground. I'll also point to the character of Sheryl (Hayden Panettiere) as an element that could've been improved. The performance is good but the character is overwritten.

Remember the Titans is probably loaded with inaccuracies and exaggerations. That goes without saying and ultimately, doesn't matter. The performances are good. Its message is easy to subscribe to, legitimate, and earnest. The game scenes are well shot and the drama is compelling. Is it a little manipulative at times? Maybe, but this just makes it all the more thrilling and inspirational. As far as football movies go, it's among the best. (On DVD, July 5, 2015)

We’ve all seen someone try so hard to be funny it becomes awkward and a little embarrassing. The Fourth Kind tries so hard to be convincing it makes a fool out of itself. While there are elements that are effective, it’s a mixed bag at best.

Based on true events (we swear they’re real) the film begins with an interview of psychologist Dr. Abigail “Abbey” Tyler (yes really, it’s her being interviewed). Nine years ago in Nome, Alaska, she discovered (with true evidence that’s really genuine) unexplainable phenomena. Under hypnosis, several of her patients reveal they've been visited by indescribable beings at night. Could these strange thoughts be related to the murder of Abby’s husband? What does uncovering this truth (because it’s based on the truth you see) mean for her and her family?

Shown through a mixture of actual archival footage, including recorded interviews, video recordings of sessions, surveillance cameras, and dramatization using actors, let’s begin with what works. This is a horror movie, and many scenes are genuinely creepy. The interviews under hypnosis, for example. The patients describe the creatures they saw as owls, but... not owls. That’s eerie. Owls are creepy birds. They have humanoid faces compared to other fowl, they’re out all night, they can turn their heads like no other animal and with that bright white face and those dark eyes that becomes lost in the dark plumage in the middle, they feel otherworldly. At its best, The Fourth Kind lingers on simple imagery and thoughts then lets your mind fill in the gaps. It's what "found footage" does best.

The Fourth Kind tries too hard. It wants you to believe this stuff so desperately that it compels you to be skeptical. Even assuming you remove yourself from the fact that this is obviously a movie, you question the presentation. Why re-create scenes when the people who saw these events are still alive? The footage of actors being intercut with “actual recordings” of what happened in Nome doesn't feel genuine no matter how many captions we see assuring us that this scene was shot in this location, that this person is that person, that names have been changed to protect people's identity, etc.

Take away the so-so presentation. Look at it simply as a horror movie. What have we got? Nothing particularly noteworthy or original. It’s yet another story in which aliens have developed incredibly sophisticated technology to the point where they can travel billions of light-years, can sneak into people’s rooms undetected and can scramble recording technology... all so they can come into your bedroom at night, poke you with painful-looking instruments and mess around with people’s minds. It’s one thing for an alien to go on a space safari but who goes to Africa just so they can laugh while a lion looks crazy while trying to explain to their pride what is happening to them while the savannah sleeps?

Other characters are problematic throughout, but the one I had the most trouble with is the picture's villain - not the space jerks - the sheriff of Nome. This guy... come on! Even before aliens are thrown in as a probable cause for the strange events, he sells himself as the kind of dunderhead that looks at acupuncture and thinks it’s witchcraft. His only purpose in the film is to infuriate the audience and make everything more difficult for our protagonist. He’s nothing but a plot device.

I can't deny certain scenes in The Fourth Kind are horrifying. The rest is badly written and gimmicky. I don’t dislike it, but I hesitate to recommend it. I’ll come in with a rating of 2.5/5. It ain’t great but if you see it for rental for like a dollar, it might be worth looking into if aliens freak you out. (On DVD, April 24, 2015)