This episode was great! Reaping the well-sewn seeds from the episode before. Lots of action, lots of stuff happens, and all the plotlines get a lot of attention – leading some of the small nuances of the show (like Saracen-Landry talks, Grandma Saracen vignettes or sexual tension between the caretaker and Saracen) are left out. But what does make it into the show is really good.

Coach comes back to find his team in disarray as Matt and Smash continue feuding. The team is tense and out of shape with the one bright spot being Landry – who Coach repeatedly calls Lance, finally settling for ‘Numebr 85.’ Can Coach Taylor reignite that championship chemistry? Creating more distractions for Coach is Tammy’s hilarious refusals of Coach’s overtures to have sex – leading the Offensive Coordinator – yep, that big guy – to offer Coach some tips.

Matt’s football woes stay on the field as Julie makes moves to get Matt back. While Matt wants this, and knows he misses her, and has wanted her back for an episode or so, he feels stupid that he folds so quickly. Will the couple at Dillon High School get back together?

Landry wants to play football – and plays a lot to keep his mind off of the fact that he could be caught, at any time, for murder. He gets quite good and is looking to make his first start at this week’s game. How will he do? Will the pressures of the real world distract him?

Tyra wants Landry more than ever, savoring a newfound happiness despite the tensions of the murder investigation, but Landry’s dad has other ideas – not wanting his son to be with a girl he thinks is a troublemaker. Will Tyra give in to Landry’s dad’s pressure? Will their relationship survive this first test?

Lyla cannot choose which Dillon Panther she wants, but she does go to Mexico to help Street. Even if Lyla can convince Street to come back to Dillon, what will he do? Will he return to his job as the Quarterbacks Coach? Will Lyla and Riggins start up again? They did at least mention that neighbor across the street…

Next week’s episode looks intense: will Landry and his dad patch things up? Is Riggins done playing football? Is that jailbird Lyla rescued really going to play football? How can he considering he’s not in school??? Who is Saracen making out with in the preview? Will Saracen/Julie or Landry/Tyra pick up again? The show keeps building tension and going places like no other show on network television. If you are not watching Friday Night Lights – you better start.

Could “Avatar” Win Best Picture?

By Brett Hogan

 

Last week, the trailer for James Cameron’s sci-fi experiment “Avatar” debuted. While initially unimpressed with the teaser, I began to wonder: Could this film win best picture? 

 

Buzz has been generating for this movie for years. Years. The technology to make this movie didn’t exist when Cameron conceived it, so he invented it. When is the last time you heard of a director spearheading the invention of anything? The casting started in 2005. Most movies these days, even epics, are done in half that time. I could go on. 

 

The most important thing to take away from all of this is that people are saying this will be the future of movies. Now, I don’t agree with the idea that CGI will become more prevalent than it already is. But I do believe that this will set the bar miles higher for sci-fi. I mean, that is what Titanic did. And that won some awards if memory serves.

 

I’ll bet you’re asking yourself, how can you even suggest that a film like this will win Best Picture when the initial trailer was nothing better than visual stimulation? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First, the Academy has expanded Best Picture to ten films. This doesn’t guarantee anything other than improved chances for most films on the cusp.

 

Second, after last year’s Oscars debacle, which saw the best film of the year, “The Dark Knight,” not only get shafted in awards but nominations as well, the Academy is pulling out all the stops to appease those with the loudest voices in the film industry, the fanboys. Now, the Academy probably didn’t lose anything because of that other than some viewers of the award show. Perhaps if people are again outraged with the winners or nominees, the heads of the Academy would lose their jobs. So this is all about the Academy protecting itself, which is not so outrageous.  

 

 

Third, there is an economic motive here. I’ve heard this film will cost $190 million, not counting the R&D costs associated with Cameron’s inventions or the cost of getting 3-D cameras into every theater in the country. The Academy will do everything in its power to get people into the seats and make this the next “Titanic” or “The Dark Knight.” But the Academy doesn’t have much power, besides nominating and awarding, so they will slap the “Nominated for Best Picture” moniker onto every commercial and print ad to get the people who didn’t believe the critics to relent and see this movie.

 

Of course, all of this is pure conjecture, and no revolutionary film (Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, etc.) has ever won the Best Picture category because it changed the game. Except maybe Titanic. But still, could this movie actually win? My answer is no but a nomination is certain and who knows what could happen from there. We’ll know more come February 2010.