Change Your Image
tpfeifer-48153
Reviews
Friday Night Lights (2004)
Great Film
Based on the award winning book by H.G. Bissinger, Friday Night Lights provides the audience with an inside look at the magnitude of high school football in Texas. The film follows several players, as well as the head coach, as the Permian Panthers attempt to win the State Championship during the 1988 season. The roles of Mike Winchell and Don Billingsley are portrayed well by Lucas Black and Garrett Hedlund. Through their performances, Black and Hedlund were able to show the pressure and stress that football players felt. At one point in the film, one football player says, "relax we're seventeen" and Billingsley responds, "do you feel seventeen?". This quote emphasizes how in Texas, high school football players are held to higher standards than most teenagers. The best performance came from Billy Bob Thornton though, as he played Head Coach Gary Gaines. Thornton does a great job in showing the anxiety of a football coach in Texas. It was cool to see Billy Bob Thornton and Lucas Black together again, eight years after they starred in Sling Blade. The film is directed well throughout, but the final scene stood out the most to me. The scene consists of three football players standing in the parking lot of the stadium a couple days after their last high school game ever. As the players bid farewell to their careers, you can see how a huge part of their lives is over. High school football really isn't like it is in Texas anywhere else. Through excellent directing and acting, the film is successful in highlighting the enormous impact that high school football has on small towns in Texas.
House of Cards (2013)
Thrilling Show
Beau Willimon successfully adapted House of Cards from the UK version of the show. Willimon exposes the corrupt system of American politics that takes place in Washington D.C. House of Cards follows the rise to power of House Majority Whip Frank Underwood and his wife Claire Underwood. After he is elected, President Garrett Walker takes back his promise to Underwood of making him Secretary of State. The president's betrayal leads Underwood down a ruthless path, one where he will take out anyone and everyone in his way. The show centers around the Underwoods and how they will do anything to make it to the top. The show illustrates how all other characters are dispensable time and time again. Characters such as Zoe Barnes and Adam Galloway are both examples of characters that suffered as a result of having personal relationships with the Underwoods.
Friday Night Lights (2006)
Friday Night Lights is an excellent show
Friday Night Lights is a great show. The show is realistic and exciting, and it will have you itching to watch the next episode. The show gives you a look at the magnitude of high school football in a small Texas town. As the name suggests, the show is centered around football, and each episode builds up to the weekly Friday night game. While watching the action, you'll find yourself cheering as if you were one of the thousands of spectators sitting it the stadium.
Although the show is based on football, Friday Night Lights is deeper than just a sport. The show highlights relationships and community and how football affects them. Relationships of all kinds are examined in the show, and each goes through it's highs and lows, just like in real life. The show depicts economic, racial, and social issues in the small town in West Texas. The characters are developed to the point where you can relate to each one in a different way.
Everyone would enjoy watching this show for different reasons. Whether it be the football, the drama, or the characters, everyone can relate to it. I suggest Friday Night Lights to anyone who is looking for a solid show.