This week we have a movie that was released on video and DVD just a
couple weeks ago. Although it wasn't the most popular movie and
didn't win an Academy Award, it is still a powerful film!

REMEMBER THE TITANS - WALT DISNEY PICTURES (2000)
by Josh M. Shepherd
Ever so often, moviegoers are treated to another story in the vein of
Rudy, Hoosiers, or The Mighty Ducks, where the underdog team plays to
victory against impossible odds. When it released October 2000, many
passed over Remember the Titans as just another entry in the
vast "inspirational sports" genre, especially since every published
review described it as "feel-good... cartoonish... pandering..." But,
no. A far cry from another Air Bud, this Jerry Bruckheimer production
tells the true story of one city's grueling fight with change. And
though the football games are brutally physical, high school sports
is only a metaphor for the more difficult battles fought in 1971
America. Racism and social boundaries are tackled, but not in a good-
feelings-cover-all way, as screenplay writer Gregory Allen Howard
says, "They learn about the differences between each other, and learn
to respect each other." A basic truth that gets complicated when one
applies it.

Alexandria, Virginia is introduced as a town in turmoil. Amid violent
street demonstrations, city "leaders" and the black community must
compromise to comply with the Supreme Court's desegregation ruling.
Underprivileged African-Americans stand behind Herman Boone (Denzel
Washington) to coach the Titans football team comprised of players
from both white and black high schools, now integrated into T.C.
Williams High. This forces local legend Coach Bill Yoast (Will
Patton) to reluctantly become defensive coordinator, though not
without argument from both sides. These scenes are managed quickly
and tastefully, as one encounters bigotry among even clean-cut guys
like All-American team captain Gerry Bertier (Ryan Hurst), and feels
the resentment of Herman Boone's wife and daughter. From the outset,
it is a complex, believable story.

Mistrusted by all, Coach Boone takes charge during the team's summer
training, aiming to expose black/white thinking for the farce that it
is. Against the backdrop of historic Gettysburg, he requires the
teenagers to meet "someone of a different race" daily. Yet their
suspicion and fear pervade, limiting any progress on or off the
field. Finally, the Titans go to six-a-day practices, where the
sweaty, exhausted players struggle through drill after drill. Taken
together to the limits of their physical endurance, the two factions
slowly become one, though a new wrinkle in the plot arrives with
Ronnie "Sunshine" Bass (Kip Pardue), a blond-haired Californian going
out for quarterback. Among the dozen of hopefuls, he and seven others
are developed as main characters, including the running back Petey
Jones (Donald Faison), obese, good-natured "Lastik" (Ethan Suplee),
Julius Campbell (Wood Harris), a strong-willed team player, and soul-
singing "Blu" (Earl C. Poitier, cousin to screen legend Sidney
Poitier).

Icy stares greet the buses that roll into Alexandria with Herman
Boone's troops, changed men who, at the moment, are highfiveing and
harmonizing with each other. Some players slip back into their old
ways of prejudice, pressured in part by supposedly "moderate" white
parents who stage riots the first day of school. On the field, Bill
Yoast presents a submissive front to players, but challenges Boone's
drill-sergeant style in their Monday-after conferences. Coach Boone
himself is aghast when he faces an athletic ultimatum: lose one game,
and Yoast takes over.

These crises only fire up the in-your-face, win-or-die head coach;
because he fights first against injustice, his determination catches
on. A team in every sense of the word, the Titans become an iron will
tempered by self-doubt, a single-minded force with more diversity
than any other contender in the state. Developing new strengths with
each opponent, the T.C. Williams team become the talk of the state
when their record reaches 11-0.

In a cinematic sense, Remember the Titans is a case study on drama
done right. Stalwart Denzel Washington's heavy-handed motivation is
palatable, even enjoyable, when complemented by the humor and
amateurism of the young ensemble cast. Friendships and rivalries play
out in very true-to-life fashion, with lighter moments interspersed
throughout. What they achieve is not so much comic "relief" as comic
application; because one cares about the characters (and due to well-
written, funny-after-ten-times situations), laughter is natural.
Oldies hits, packaged in the popular Remember the Titans soundtrack,
help ground the film in its 1971 setting; these create a nice
contrast with the uplifting yet urgent music of composer Trevor
Rabin. Detailed production drives the football game play (obviously
mere highlights from each game), lighted markedly and shot tight to
maximize the grit of every Titans block, tackle, and touchdown.

Though the error of his past ways slowly dawns on him, Bill Yoast
gets caught in a web of former friends--league officials jealous of
Herman Boone's undefeated record, and with no scruples whatsoever
about assigning a biased referee or two to the Titans next game. All
this when the team faces a division leader coached by a deep South
redneck who slurs Boone as a "monkey" in TV interviews; the Boone
residence receives a brick through their window; and the very
heartbeat of Titans spirit, captain Gerry Bertier, contends with a
life-threatening plight. Like any real-world plot, great victories
take great sacrifices.

"We played a role in calming the situation down," said the real
Herman Boone. "To the extent that people, instead of fighting each
other, began talking to each other." Is it the factual basis that
makes it so inspiring? Or the actors (including Denzel) and crew
willing to take pay cuts to be part of it? Possibly the uncountable
stories of local high schools with record-breaking seasons after
watching the movie? "It's about harnessing that aggression into a
team effort to achieve perfection!" Were America to Remember the
Titans, the culture's self-centeredness and lack of impulse, respect,
and soul would be radically altered.

Find out more about Remember the Titans at cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/filmtv/rememberthetitans


AVAILABLE TODAY (on cMusicWeb.com or at your local store)

MARK LOWRY ON BROADWAY - MARK LOWRY
Comedian/singer Mark Lowry headlines a show right on Broadway, and
you can see it on video! This video can also be seen in a one-hour
TV version on TNN or anytime at MarkLowry.com. This video is the
PICK OF THE WEEK.

SOICPRAISE - SONICFLOOD
This not so new recording was recorded over a year ago, with the
original members of SONICFLOOd, and it's a live version of the songs
on their self-titled album plus a couple more, stretching 70 minutes.

STRANG EXCHANGE - PLANKEYE
This album brings more of the same from their last release, which
sported a new band lineup and a sound that's more rock than punk.


AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER (on cMusicWeb.com)

ALTERNATIVE: http://cMusicWeb.com/alternative
Solo EP - dc Talk [4/24]
Big Blue Sky - Bebo Norman [5/15]

POP: http://cMusicWeb.com/pop
Word Gold: Five Decades of Hits - Various Artists [4/17]
Best of Dove Awards 2001 - Various Artists [4/24]
Free to Fly - Point of Grace [5/01]
Destiny - The Katinas [5/08]

WORSHIP: http://cMusicWeb.com/worship
Over Under Everything - Circadian Rhythm [4/24]

Click on the album titles on the genre page to order them and recieve
them on the release date.


THIS WEEK'S CHRISTIAN HIT RADIO CHARTS
> PlusOne is inching up to join Jaci at the top, and there's
> not much movement on the chart, except "Love..." Go "Ocean!".
1. Every Time I Fall - Jaci Velasquez
2. My Life - PlusOne
3. Joy - Newsboys
4. Shaken - Rachael Lampa
5. These Thousand Hills - Third Day
6. One Like You - Audio Adrenaline
7. Reborn - Rebecca St. James
8. Can't Erase It - Jars of Clay
9. Love is the Movement - Switchfoot
10. Ocean - Ten Shekel Shirt

SOURCE: CCM Update (http://www.ccmupdate.com/)


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