Sports films continue showings at App Theatre during March

“Remember the Titans” originally opened in theaters throughout the country on Sept. 29, 2000. The film didn’t make its first visit to the screens of the Appalachian Theatre until late December 2000, where it played over the holidays and into the new year. Based on the true story of a newly appointed African American coach and his high school team during their first season as a racially-integrated unit, the film features Denzel Washington as head coach Herman Boone, and follows the challenges he encounters coaching in the midst of the height of racial integration in Alexandria, Virginia, schools during the early 1970’s.

One of the first-ever productions to be shot in a virtual studio, “Space Jam” features iconic basketball player, Michael Jordan, playing a fictional version of himself. Holding the record for highest grossing basketball film of all time, the plot follows Jordan as he is brought out of retirement by none other than the infamous animated Looney Tunes characters.

They convince Jordan to assist them in a basketball match against invading aliens intent on enslaving the Toons as amusement park attractions. The late Roger Ebert called it, “a happy marriage of good ideas—three films for the price of one, giving us a comic treatment of the career adventures of Michael Jordan, crossed with a Looney Tunes cartoon and some showbiz warfare. ... the result is delightful, a family movie in the best sense (which means the adults will enjoy it, too).”

All films at the Appalachian Theatre are shown without movie previews or trailers, so attendees are encouraged to arrive a few minutes before the scheduled start time to secure tickets and purchase concessions from the theater’s upgraded candy bar and their fan-favorite popcorn. The general admission ticket price is $6 per person, and attendees under the age of 13 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

While the App Theatre’s online ticketing system is accessible 24/7, customers can avoid the online service fees by visiting the lobby box office between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. from Tuesday through Friday, or two hours prior to showtime for each film. For a complete performance schedule of all upcoming events, or to sign up for the theatre’s e-blast distribution list, visit the organization’s reimagined website at www.apptheatre.org.

Events, days, dates, times, performers and prices are subject to change without notice.