“Red Tails,” which opened in theaters this weekend, is about the first black fighter

“Red Tails,” which opened in theaters this weekend, is about the first black fighter pilots in the United States: the Tuskegee Airmen, who finally saw battle in the skies over Europe during World War II. It’s a story that’s worth telling, although the film itself is hokey and old-fashioned. Here are five other movies about airplanes that really do soar:

v “Airplane!” (1980): A dead-on spoof of all those 1970s “Airport” disaster movies, the one to which all subsequent parodies have aspired. The tone is so perfect, the cast is so great, and the script is so jammed with classic lines.

v “Wings” (1927): This was the first film to win the Academy Award for best picture and the only silent film ever to achieve that honor.

v “United 93” (2006): Paul Greengrass’ reenactment of the hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001, which crashed into a Pennsylvania field after passengers foiled the terrorist plot. Many films purport themselves to be edge-of-your-seat thrillers. This one really is.

v “Top Gun” (1986): This is the 1980s in film form: all the bombast and patriotism, all the big hair and shoulder pads, with Tom Cruise at the height of his powers playing a fighter pilot named — in all seriousness — Maverick.

v “North by Northwest” (1959): The crop-duster scene isn’t just one of the most famous scenes in an Alfred Hitchcock film, it’s one of the most famous scenes in film history, period.

Canfield choirs offer dinner-shows

CANFIELD

The Canfield High School Choirs will present their annual dinner-theater Jan. 28 in the high school auditorium, 100 Cardinal Drive.

A combined 160 voices will present music from “Brigadoon” in song and dance.

Kelly Scurich, high school choir director, has adapted the storyline to accommodate the students in the One Octave Higher Female Ensemble, the Chamber Mixed Ensemble and the Concert Choir.

Patrons may choose between two performance times: 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dinner will be served between the shows at 6 p.m.

The dinner-show package is $20. Tickets for just the show are $10 ($5 for students).

For dinner reservations, tickets or information, call 330-702-7058.