I am a sucker for uplifting sports movies, no matter whether it involves an individual or the entire team overcoming great odds to triumph in a blaze of glory. Simply put, “The Express” is that kind of inspirational homage to athletic achievement.

This fact-based story follows the extraordinary life of college football hero Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.

To this day, considering his fight for equality and respect in the turbulent late 1950s and early 1960s, Davis is arguably as deserving of being a civil rights icon in the sports world as Jackie Robinson. At least, “The Express” will leave an indelible impression that Ernie Davis is a real hero worthy of lasting recognition.

“The Express” rolls out the story of football glory when the No. 1 ranked Syracuse University Orangemen square off against the University of Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day, 1960.

At this point, Ernie Davis (Rob Brown) is the outstanding running back on the Syracuse team coached by Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid), a decorated veteran and Southerner with a single vision of a national championship.

Then, in a series of flashbacks that start before the first snap of the ball, the story of Ernie’s journey from early childhood in the care of his Pennsylvania coal miner grandfather (Charles S. Dutton) to his standout high school years as a football player in Elmira, New York, unfolds.

Having acquired the nickname of the “Elmira Express,” high school wonder Ernie is scouted by numerous coaches from prestige schools. Coach Schwartzwalder is most persistent, going so far as to use Syracuse alum Jim Brown (Darrin Dewitt Henson), the legendary football player for the Cleveland Browns, to help persuade Ernie during the recruiting process.

It’s not that the coach is so eager to recruit black players, considering that Brown was difficult to handle. It’s simply that he recognized talent, even at a time that blacks weren’t fully accepted on college campuses in the integrated North.

When Ernie first arrives at Syracuse, he draws stares and antagonism from many unfriendly white students. Fortunately, Jack Buckley (Omar Benson Miller), another black student on the football squad, becomes Ernie’s friend and soul mate, and together they deal with intractable racism both on and off the field. Even on the enlightened Syracuse campus, the athletes of color have to overcome inherent prejudice.

Things are really ugly when the team travels on the road during its championship season, facing an extremely hostile crowd in West Virginia, where the coach warns the players to keep their helmets on at all times.

The stark reminder of the nasty racism of the pre-Civil Rights era shows up most vividly and forcefully during the famous Cotton Bowl game. Playing in front of a hostile crowd in Dallas, the Syracuse Orangemen are subjected to vile taunts and hostility. Worse of all, the referees were clearly biased in favor of the Texas Longhorns, overlooking late hits and other infractions by the home team. It’s little wonder that at some point the contest turns from a game into a full-blown brawl clearing both teams’ benches.

When Syracuse wins the championship, the team is invited to celebrate at a whites-only country club. Of course, Ernie and Jack are pointedly excluded from the festivities, and by now the Orangemen have bonded so that the entire team refuses to attend if the black teammates are excluded.

It’s not until the next season that Ernie is in the running for the Heisman Trophy, winning it and capping another milestone in his college career.

“The Express” turns poignant and sad when Ernie’s post-college career is cut short by leukemia. Rob Brown’s Ernie endures his challenges on and off the field with dignity and grace. To be sure, the movie is a very inspirational sports story, but you come away with the feeling that there’s much more to know about the Ernie Davis story.

This standout player will never be a household name like Jackie Robinson, or even Jim Brown, but “The Express” helps to bring some well-deserved recognition, and in the process delivers a very appealing entertainment.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

Aficionados of Alfred Hitchcock are going to love the DVD release of the “Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection,” featuring eight restored and remastered classic films, some of which have been out of print for years.

The set is highlighted by Hitchcock’s Oscar winner for Best Picture, “Rebecca,” starring Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier in a dark tale of love and obsession.

Ingrid Bergman appears in two classics, first alongside Gregory Peck in “Spellbound,” and with Cary Grant in “Notorious,” a tale of crime, passion and espionage. Gregory Peck defends a beautiful woman accused of poisoning her husband in “The Paradine Case.”

The spy thriller “Sabotage,” the drama “Young and Innocent,” and the high seas thriller “Lifeboat” are also featured. The terrifying whodunit “The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog” is one of Hitchcock’s earliest films.

This DVD collection is loaded with extras, including screen tests, still galleries, vintage radio interviews, an “AFI Tribute to Hitchcock” and more.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

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The event, which will be held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., will offer community members a chance to meet Lake County artists.

Lake County has a wealth of talented, creative people and we are very lucky to have a few of those showing work at Wild About Books. Local art will be 20 percent off during the event, which is a great way to do some early shopping for the holidays.

The following artists' work will be available:

Mary Beth Alteneder: Fine art

Betty Baker – Needlework originals

Michael Barrish – Music CD

Barbara Jo Bloomquist – Music CD

Kevin Byrnes – Lapidary art

Donna Crawford – Purses and totes

Cathy Davis – Computer art

Rosemary Dontje – Clay art

Sue Gill – Gourd art

Andi Gletty – Fine art

Carol Johnson – Tiles

Jeri Sofka – Photography,

Doug Marble – Intarsia, inlay and knives

Sheila O’Hara – Weaving

Zack Peters – Tie dye

Amanda Rawlings – Bead art

Robert Roberts – Fine art

J. P. Sarlande – Fine art

Rebecca Stark – Fine art and gourd art

Bernadette Straub – Sculpture

Sandra Wade – Poetry on CD

Karen Winkeller – Bead and jewelry art

Raul Wybo-Gilbert – Photography

Come and help celebrate the many talented individuals we have in this county. Refreshments will be served.

For an updated list of times and dates for upcoming events, stop by and see us or call the store at 994-WILD (9453).

Wild About Books is located at 14290 Olympic Drive in Clearlake, next door to Lisa's clothing store.

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The reading will take place from 3:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.

Of Schmidt's writing, Hal Z. Bennett writes, "While seldom autobiographical, like all fiction writers he draws from the passions of his own life, spinning tales of experience that were better and worse than his own. Richard's writing shows how our own struggles and griefs and joys and sorrows are merely raw materials for creating artifacts that witness the human condition and offer courage, hope and at least a few lessons for making our own lives a little better."

Please join Schmidt at Watershed Books, 305 N. Main in Lakeport, for good conversation and good refreshments.

Call 263.5787 for more information.

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Looking at the lineup of movies released in recent weeks, the family film seems as rare as healthy eating at a fast-food joint. With the Disney imprimatur on a talking dog story, it’s no wonder that “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” is not an art-house flick catering to a snobbish adult crowd.

Ironically enough, snobbery is very much a theme to this family-oriented entertainment, given how the absurdly ostentatious behavior of wealthy elites who lavish fortune on household pets is mocked as well as vicariously envied. Even though the vacuous Paris Hilton and her celebrity ilk are fortunately not seen, they nicely serve as role models for certain characters.

The opening of “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” sets the stage for the pretentious, showy display of grandiose wealth when pampered Chihuahua Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore) lounges around the pool of her Beverly Hills mansion, wearing a diamond necklace and booties. Her owner, Viv (Jamie Lee Curtis), is a cosmetics tycoon who showers attention on the spoiled pooch, who happens to have a social calendar that rivals that of a socialite.

Parading along swank Rodeo Drive, Chloe visits an exclusive dog grooming parlor and goes shopping for new jewelry. It’s wretched excess to the extreme, which frankly doesn’t play very well. But then, it’s the ultimate setup for the pooch’s inevitable comeuppance.

The dog’s life takes a new twist when Viv must depart suddenly for an overseas trip, and as a result Chloe is left in the hands of Viv’s selfish, irresponsible niece Rachel (Piper Perabo), who just wants to party with her empty-headed friends. When her pals decide to go on a road trip to Baja California, Rachel decides to bring Chloe along, with little intention of doing more than minimal babysitting.

Distracted by beach parties, Rachel doesn’t notice that Chloe is kidnapped by criminals who run a dog-fighting ring in Mexico City. Unable to get much help from the police or her friends, Rachel enlists the aid of Viv’s Mexican landscaper Sam (Manolo Cardona), owner of a rambunctious Chihuahua named Papi (voiced by George Lopez) who has a major crush on Chloe.

The search for the missing Chloe takes many detours through the Mexican countryside, as Sam and Rachel try to pick up the trail with the help of Papi. Meanwhile, Chloe ends up as a coming attraction at a dog-fighting show where she will be forced to fight the monstrous Doberman Diablo (voiced by Edward James Olmos).

Before being turned into a chew toy by Diablo, Chloe is rescued by German Shepherd Delgado (Andy Garcia), a former police dog who turned in his badge after a career-ending disability. Still, Delgado is a formidable force, though he has reservations about the loquacious Chloe becoming his sidekick in an effort to return to the United States.

Talking animals own this movie, and as such, their dialog is more substantial than that of the humans who are almost marginalized. That’s why the clever barbs and insults, though limited in supply, come from the bickering four-legged characters. Teamed as conniving con artists, a thieving rodent (voiced by Cheech Marin) and his iguana buddy make a fine mess of things. One of the big scenes involves Chloe and Delgado being rescued by an army of feral Chihuahuas when the domesticated pair faces immediate danger from a pack of mountain lions.

Notwithstanding the backdrop of Southern California overindulgence, “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” has a certain amount of charm, even though overall the film is rather bland and passably amusing.

However, keep in mind that the target audience is the one that still needs a ride from mom and dad to the local cinema. For a family outing, it’s not a bad deal.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

“Joy Ride,” starring heartthrob Paul Walker, was one of those popcorn thriller movies that capture the attention of teenagers in droves. It remains to be seen whether “Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead” will do the same, considering it’s a video release available only in an unrated version. Hey, that’s a nifty marketing tool for the under-18 crowd.

A white-knuckle thrill ride awaits four young travelers on their way to Las Vegas when their car breaks down in a remote area of the sweltering desert. They “borrow” a car from a vacant home with plans to return it, except the owner is a sadistic truck driver going by the CB-handle “Rusty Nail” (the same deranged person from the original film).

Well, you can imagine what happens to the teens, including Nicki Aycox and Nick Zano, when the mad trucker, playing increasingly ruthless mind games, hunts them down with his blood-soaked 18-wheeler. Let’s just say it is not pretty.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

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LAKE COUNTY – Lake County Poet Laureate Mary McMillan has recently published a collection of her poetry, “This Wanting,” available at Lake County bookstores, at the Lake County Arts Council Gallery in Lakeport and online at Lulu.com.

“This Wanting” is McMillan’s first collection of poems. Poems in the book include “Fisherwoman” and “Reunion,” poems she read at her inauguration in March, along with others that she has written during the last 20 years.

In the book she arranged the poems to tell the story of the trauma that initiated her journey into poetry, and the recovery she has experienced since that time.

She will sign books and talk about her poems at three locations in upcoming months. On Oct. 10, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., she will be at Catfish Books in Lakeport. On Nov. 7, from 3 p.m. to 5 pm., she will be at Watershed Books in Lakeport. On Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. she will be at Wild About Books in Clearlake. Refreshments will be served at all readings.

At 7 p.m. on Jan. 29 McMillan will be the featured reader at Writers Read, a monthly reading venue in Ukiah, at Colored Horse Studio. For more information go to www.coloredhorse.com/WritingPoetry/PoetryEvents.

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For positive proof that the fertile mind of Steven Spielberg does not always yield fantastic results, look no further than the cinematic disaster that is the quasi-technological thriller “Eagle Eye.”

Maybe the famed jet-setting director of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” was spending too much time in London, where surveillance cameras on street corners are more omnipresent than the growing number of unwelcome “red light” traffic cameras popping up around our country. A palpable sense of being watched too carefully may have gripped Spielberg with some sort of dread. But acting as executive producer, at least he turned the concept into a ridiculous popcorn movie.

The thought of us becoming afraid of our cell phones after watching “Eagle Eye” was Spielberg’s intended effect as much as he made us scared of going into the ocean after seeing “Jaws.” Regrettably, “Eagle Eye” is total lacking this psychological fear factor, because the central premise of this high-octane action farce is that a massive surveillance system run from the bowels of the Pentagon is capable of controlling every phone, TV, camera, traffic signal, aircraft and construction crane in the world. I probably overlooked a few other things, but hopefully you get the idea that “Eagle Eye” is basically science fiction not even remotely fixed in current reality.

Shia LaBeouf’s Jerry Shaw, a slacker working at a Chicago copy store, is suddenly called home for the funeral of his identical twin brother, an Air Force officer killed in an auto accident. Returning to his grubby apartment, Jerry finds $750,000 in his bank account and enough weapons and bomb-making equipment to associate him with a terrorist cell. A disembodied voice on a cell phone warns him to run or be arrested, and before he can flee, he’s taken into custody by the FBI and interrogated by Agent Thomas Morgan (Billy Bob Thornton). Since this movie is an Alfred Hitchcock-type, falsely-accused-man-on-the-run story, Jerry ends up being freed by a swinging construction crane crashing through the window of his holding room.

Meanwhile, single mom Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) is sending her 8-year-old son, Sam, off on a train from Chicago to Washington, D.C., to play trumpet with his school band at the Kennedy Center. During a rare night out with her pals, Rachel receives an odd call on her cell phone from the same female voice, in which she’s instructed to follow orders or her son will die. The threat is made credible because the caller produces images of Sam on a wall of TV screens across the street.

Next thing you know, Jerry finds himself sitting in a Porsche next to Rachel, and the two of them are literally off to a competitive race with unseen forces to carry out a series of missions that will implicate them ever more deeply into serious terrorist acts.

Spinning wildly out of control, the plot becomes so unnecessarily complicated and convoluted that the notion of the mysterious caller orchestrating a series of suspicious moves is increasingly laughable. The strangely disembodied voice is able to track their every move, and has seemingly limitless control over their fates. Rational thought makes you wonder how any of this is remotely possible.

On a subway train, Jerry gets a call on the cell phone of a sleeping passenger sitting in close proximity. Later on, you marvel at the ability of two novices like Jerry and Rachel managing a holdup of armed guards transporting a briefcase under tight security.

If you’re a cinema buff, you might pass the time by counting the inevitable Hitchcock inspirations. All that is missing is a crop duster chasing Jerry and Rachel through a cornfield. But while the great master of suspense played on one’s fears with mental tricks, the director of “Eagle Eye,” D.J. Caruso (who had better results with “Disturbia”), seems to be auditioning for Jerry Bruckheimer’s next monster action picture. After all, Caruso works at a fever pitch to produce a nearly unstoppable run of chases, car crashes and explosions that leave a long trail of victims.

If anything, “Eagle Eye” is a slick production that may lull the most gullible into believing that it is a worthy entertainment. Don’t be fooled by this preposterous joke. The only saving grace to this film is the welcome presence of Billy Bob Thornton, amusing as a grizzled veteran unwilling to take crap from anyone.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

Vintage TV series are increasingly being released on DVD, often with a few bonus features tossed in for good measure.

“My Three Sons: Season One, Volume One” is a classic sitcom starring Fred MacMurray as Steve Douglas, an engineer and widower who must deal with the trials and tribulations of raising his three sons – Mike, Robbie and Chip – with the help of their maternal grandfather “Bub” (William Frawley).

Guest stars during the show’s first season included Dick Van Dyke and Desi Arnaz Jr. Airing over 12 seasons, “My Three Sons” is a beloved iconic series.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

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