Friday Night Lights/8 Mile [2 Discs] DVD

Friday Night Lights
H.G. Bissinger's best-selling true-life account of a few months in the life of a high-school football team comes to the screen in this adaptation written and directed by Peter Berg. Odessa, TX, is an oil town in the western part of the state that's home to the Permian High School Panthers, the football team with the best winning record in the state. Odessa is a town with more than its share of problems; the decline of the oil business in Texas has set the city's economy into a tailspin, and racial tensions still erupt into violence on occasion. But football is the one thing that brings all the people of Odessa together, and on Friday nights every fall, as many as 20,000 people fill Permian's football stadium to watch Coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) and his boys try to lead the team to victory. As Gaines works to build a winning team in a town where victory is prized above all else, however, his players struggle through the emotional trials common to any teenager and ponder the fact that there is little future in their hometown...and that a championship season can be as much a burden as a triumph. Friday Night Lights also stars Lucas Black, Derek Luke, Jay Hernandez, and country singer-turned-actor Tim McGraw. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

8 Mile
Controversial ap star Eminem makes his acting debut in this hard-edged urban drama, inspired in part by incidents from the musician's own life. Jimmy Smith (Eminem), known to his friends as Rabbit, is a young man trying to make his way out of the burned-out shell of inner-city Detroit. Rabbit's entire life has been a hard climb, and it certainly hasn't gotten any easier lately; Rabbit has just been dumped by his girlfriend, forcing him to move back in with his emotionally unstable mother, Stephanie (Kim Basinger), and he's getting along especially poorly with Stephanie's new boyfriend. Rabbit has a factory job that's tough, demeaning, and doesn't pay especially well, and he's convinced his skills as a rapper are his only real hope at a better life. Rabbit makes music with a crew of DJ's and MC's who call themselves Three One Third, among them his close friend Future (Mekhi Phifer), but his status as a white kid making music in a predominantly African-American community and culture is extremely intimidating, and after Rabbit freezes up in the midst of an MC battle, he's convinced he's missed his chance and that he's doomed to lead a marginal life as a factory rat for the rest of his days. With the help of his friends, and his new girlfriend Alex (Brittany Murphy), Rabbit struggles to work up the courage and the confidence to take one more shot at making his dream a reality. 8 Mile was shot on location in Detroit; the name refers to 8 Mile Road, a thoroughfare along the city's perimeter which effectively separates the middle-class suburban neighborhoods from the lower-class inner-city. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cast Billy Bob Thornton as Coach Gary Gaines Derek Luke as Boobie Miles Jay Hernandez as Brian Chavez Lucas Black as Mike Winchell Garrett Hedlund as Don Billingsley Tim McGraw as Charles Billingsley Connie Britton as Sharon Gaines Lee Thompson Young as Chris Corner Lee Jackson as Ivory Christian Grover Coulson as L.V. Miles Eminem as Jimmy Smith, Jr., AKA Rabbit Kim Basinger as Stephanie Smith Brittany Murphy as Alex Mekhi Phifer as Future Evan Jones as Cheddar Bob Omar Benson Miller as Sol George Eugene Byrd as Wink De'Angelo Wilson as DJ Iz Anthony Mackie as Papa Doc Taryn Manning as Janeane Michael Shannon as Greg Buehl Chloe Greenfield as Lily Craig Chandler as Paul Paul Bates as Manny

Crew Kevin Kavanaugh - Art Director Mali Finn - Casting Stuart Parr - Co-producer Mark Bridges - Costume Designer Eric Heffron - First Assistant Director Curtis Hanson - Director Jay Rabinowitz - Editor Craig Kitson - Editor Paul Rosenberg - Executive Producer James Whitaker - Executive Producer Carol Genelon - Executive Producer Carol Fenelon - Executive Producer Gregory Goodman - Executive Producer Eminem - Composer (Music Score) Luis Resto - Songwriter Jeff Bass - Songwriter Philip Messina - Production Designer Rodrigo Prieto - Cinematographer Brian Grazer - Producer Curtis Hanson - Producer Jimmy Iovine - Producer Kristen Toscano Messina - Set Designer Thomas Betts - Set Designer Harry E. Otto - Set Designer Danny Michael - Sound/Sound Designer Scott Silver - Screenwriter Michael J. Moore - Second Assistant Director Julia Evershade - Supervising Sound Editor Dane A. Davis - Supervising Sound Editor Kevin Kavanaugh - Art Director Mali Finn - Casting Stuart Parr - Co-producer Mark Bridges - Costume Designer Eric Heffron - First Assistant Director Curtis Hanson - Director Jay Rabinowitz - Editor Craig Kitson - Editor Paul Rosenberg - Executive Producer James Whitaker - Executive Producer Carol Genelon - Executive Producer Carol Fenelon - Executive Producer Gregory Goodman - Executive Producer Eminem - Composer (Music Score) Luis Resto - Songwriter Jeff Bass - Songwriter Philip Messina - Production Designer Rodrigo Prieto - Cinematographer Brian Grazer - Producer Curtis Hanson - Producer Jimmy Iovine - Producer Kristen Toscano Messina - Set Designer Thomas Betts - Set Designer Harry E. Otto - Set Designer Danny Michael - Sound/Sound Designer Scott Silver - Screenwriter Michael J. Moore - Second Assistant Director Julia Evershade - Supervising Sound Editor Dane A. Davis - Supervising Sound Editor

Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights was billed as a "different kind of sports movie," but the film's greatest departure from brethren like Remember the Titans and Varsity Blues is stylistic, not substantive. Peter Berg's herky-jerky camera might bring in more indie-minded viewers than your typical football movie, but it adds little extra legitimacy to the standard components: the obsessive heartland town, the caustic parental pressure, the vein-popping coach, the long-odds push toward the big game. Since it's based on a true story, one can't blame any screenwriter (in this case, Berg) for concocting a bunch of "movie moments" -- only for choosing it as a story that needed telling. Even if it's not that much "different," Friday Night Lights does do a lot of things right. One of these is its handling of the requisite injured athlete facing an unknown future. Since revealing the character would constitute a spoiler, suffice it to say that the actor gives a performance of great burning frustration, drawing sympathy from the audience in a way that the character's previous swagger did not. But the film's most impressive performance goes to country singer and novice actor Tim McGraw, whose turn as a disappointed father is so intense, it leaves blood on the celluloid. These performances contribute to an overall detailed authenticity that's a credit to Berg, who has matured a lot since his previous two features, a popcorn action movie (The Rundown) and a mean-spirited lack comedy (Very Bad Things). Maybe Berg is really what sets Friday Night Lights apart. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
 

8 Mile
The hip-hop generation gets its Saturday Night Fever with 8 Mile, director Curtis Hanson's searing, grimy look at the world of freestyle ap in mid-'90s Detroit and its most notorious progeny, Eminem -- or, more specifically, a rapper nicknamed Rabbit who happens to bear an uncanny similarity to the controversial superstar. The film seems tailor-made to deflect criticism of the media-hungry artist: The man otherwise known as Marshall Mathers is portrayed as a hard worker, doting big brother, and even friend to ostracized gay co-workers. And yet 8 Mile is no puff piece. Eminem's character is also hotheaded, insular, and, with his gray skull cap and headphones perpetually glued to his head, more than a little nerdy. Hanson and writer Scott Silver have managed to create such a vivid milieu, time period, and bank of supporting characters, a first-time actor can't help but succeed, and Eminem acquits himself well -- there isn't a moment when he's grandstanding or playing to the camera. Predictably, the women who orbit Rabbit's life -- including a defiantly cast but strangely appropriate Kim Basinger and an irresistibly tarty Brittany Murphy -- don't fare as well in the scheme of the plot, but they're at least understandably, three-dimensionally pathetic and/or two-timing. Tying it all together are the thrilling, incendiary freestyle scenes, which dovetail perfectly with the drama and underline the pitch-black insult humor that provides the burgeoning rapper -- and seemingly, just about everyone else in Detroit -- with his only real release. After its world premiere at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival, 8 Mile broke box-office records in the US when it garnered the second-largest opening ever for a drama. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
 

Friday Night Lights - Film Awards: American Film Institute, Best Film (winner)

Disc Title: 8 Mile - People Awards: Eminem: Academy, Best Song (winner) Eminem: Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Song (winner) Eminem: Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Song (nominated) Eminem: Golden Globe, Best Original Song (nominated) Jeff Bass: Academy, Best Song (winner) Luis Resto: Academy, Best Song (winner)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French, Spanish Subtitle Options: French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD2: Dolby Digital Stereo DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DDS2.0: Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels of sound from a 2-channel stereo mix. DTS: Digital Theater Systems (akin to 5.1) Additional Features: cc Friday Night Lights: Action packed deleted scenes Tim McGraw: Off the Stage - the country music star's transition to the silver screen Player cam - experience firsthand all the action that ensues when 40 actors/athletes live and work together for six wild weeks The Story of the 1988 Permian Panthers - witness the real Friday Night Lights' players and fans through the eyes of the cast and crew 8 Mile: Exclusive all new Eminem rap battles - free-styling rap competition featuring Eminem Exclusive never before seen "Superman" music video Eminem's personal insight into the making of the film The music of 8 Mile DVD Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1: Cinemascope MPAA Rating: DVD Discs Included: 2 DVD Sides: 2 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 129 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- Friday Night Lights 1. Football Time in Texas [2:59] 2. Pre-Season [4:22] 3. The Legend's Son [4:15] 4. The Next State Champion [2:50] 5. Party Time [3:56] 6. "Little Fumble" [3:26] 7. Smiling Mike [2:44] 8. Football Country [1:51] 9. Marshall Game [4:28] 10. Boobie's Knee [3:37] 11. Losers [4:12] 12. Get the Job Done [4:34] 13. MoJo Working [3:53] 14. Mri [3:50] 15. Midland Lee [2:58] 16. The Last of Boobie Miles [3:34] 17. End of the Game [2:41] 18. Cursed [2:33] 19. The Coin Toss [4:49] 20. The Only Fact of Life [3:20] 21. Boobie Says Goodbye [2:17] 22. Playoff Time [3:31] 23. Beat 'Em, or... [3:15] 24. Going to State [2:25] 25. The Dallas Carter Game [:14] 26. First Half [1:48] 27. Half-Time [1:49] 28. Second Half [5:17] 29. The MoJo Comeback [4:28] 30. The Last Yard [2:48] 31. Epilogue [6:19] 32. End Titles [5:57] Side #2 -- 8 Mile 1. Preparing for Battle (Main Titles) [:46] 2. The Shelter [2:11] 3. 8 Mile Road [:14] 4. The Franchise [1:57] 5. Sweet Home Alabama [:09] 6. Saturday Night in the D [:26] 7. The Chin Tiki [:56] 8. Alex [:51] 9. Burn it Down [2:34] 10. I Got Your Back [4:43] 11. The Lunchtruck [2:11] 12. This Ain't My Home [1:15] 13. Eviction Situation [1:33] 14. Domestic Disturbance [3:37] 15. WJLB (313 Baby, Love) [:01] 16. Papa Doc Payback [2:01] 17. The Cripple Convention [1:38] 18. Rabbit Finds His Voice [:10] 19. Final Face-Off [:13] 20. Where We Goin' [:33] 21. Lose Yourself (End Titles) [1:15]