Opening in theaters on March 1st is the new college comedy 21 and Over from writers and directors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (The Hangover). The film stars Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect), Miles Teller (Footloose), Justin Chon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1), Sarah Wright (Touchback), and Francois Chau (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze). 

IAR's Managing Editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to sit down with Skylar Astin and Sarah Wright at the Saddle Ranch Chop House on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles to talk about their work on 21 and Over. The two actors discussed the new film, acting like they were drunk, why they couldn't actually drink on set, drunk extras, Wright's character's instant attraction to Astin's character, if the actress would ever travel Europe with someone she just met, and shooting the most difficult scene of Astin's life - standing naked while making out with male co-star Miles Teller. 

Veteran actress Christine Lahti has done it all. She has one two Golden Globes, two Emmys, and has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in Swing Shift, as well as a nomination for Short Film, Live Action for Lieberman in Love, a movie that she directed. Lahti has appeared in such classic feature films as …And Justice for All, Running on Empty, and Gross Anatomy, as well as popular television series like Ally McBeal, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and the short lived Jack & Bobby. But the actress is probably best known for her role as Dr. Kathryn Austin on the award winning medical series Chicago Hope. Now, Lahti can once again be seen on the big screen opposite her Swing Shift co-star Kurt Russell in the new football themed film Touchback, which opens in theaters on April 13^th.

Touchback tells the story of Scott Murphy (Brian Presley), a very promising high school football player whose dreams of professional glory are derailed by a knee injury. Fifteen years later he has the unique opportunity to go back in time and change his own history, similar to Peggy Sue Got Married or Mr. Destiny. The movie marks the feature film debut for director Don Handfield, and in addition to Russell, Presley, and Lahti also stars Melanie Lynskey (Up in the Air), Marc Blucas (Knight and Day), and Sarah Wright (The House Bunny).

I recently had the pleasure of speaking to the lovely Christine Lahti about her role in Touchback, and her overall career. The actress discussed the new film, its inspirational theme, what she looks for when choosing projects, working with a first time director, how becoming a director changed her acting process, her character’s relationship to her son, reuniting with Kurt Russell, low budget filmmaking, sports movies and which films she’s proudest to have on her resume.

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In the especially great 'Games' episode of the fantastic public radio series Radiolab, Stephen Dubner says that sports fandom is "a proxy for all our emotions, desires, and hopes."  Who hasn't experienced the elation seeing their team pull out a miraculous win at the last minute?  Sports movies take the inherent drama of spectator sports and increase their universality, including even non-sports fans on the stakes of a game, a season, an entire sport.

This Friday, the new drama Touchback uses football to tell an inspiring and family-friendly story of regret, redemption, and inspiration.  The film, which also stars Kurt Russell and Melanie Lynsky, follows Brian Presley as a hugely promising high school athlete whose dreams of professional glory are derailed by a knee injury.  Fifteen years later, he has the unique opportunity to change his own history.

Touchback's imminent release has everybody here at IAR thinking about the cinematic gridiron, and those characters who have provided inspiration to us in a variety of different ways.  So, with Touchback in mind, we've put together the latest Rogue 10, a listing, in no particular order, of especially inspiration football players.  Whether through grit, talent, determination, or sincerity, these ten characters are football players who bring audiences to their feet.