Opening Films

by Inlander Staff


Friday Night Lights -- High school football is a way of life in Texas, and in this portrait of a town and team in the late 1980s, it feels like it is life itself. Billy Bob Thornton, in calm mode, plays the coach who tries to keep the young men on track, despite the pressures of the now adult former players who are living in the glory of their past. There's terrific action, but the crisp and thoughtful script also provides excellent character development. This is no throwaway sports movie; it's as engrossing as it is entertaining. (ES) Rated PG-13





Raise Your Voice -- Small-town girl Hilary Duff dreams of making it big when she's accepted into a competitive, Fame-esque performing arts school in Los Angeles. The Web site for this film is peppered with awards from parent groups, and there are lots of stills of Duff looking like a human Care Bear in a T-shirt with a big heart on it. We're thinking this one is going to be more sweetly wholesome than a bowl of Quaker Instant Oatmeal. Rated: PG





Taxi -- OK folks, here's your story problem: SNL's Jimmy Fallon plays a cop who loses his car privileges. Queen Latifah plays the fastest cabbie in all of Manhattan. If a trio of supermodel bank robbers is traveling west at 60 miles an hour and Queen Latifah is heading east at 70 miles an hour, how many times will Jimmy Fallon a) make a funny "panicked white guy" face or b) think about having sex with said supermodels? Extra credit essay question: Explain how Ann-Margret deigned to join this car wreck in order to play Fallon's mother. Rated: PG-13





Publication date: 10/07/04