Conviction

Movie: Conviction

Cast: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell

Genre: drama, thriller

I saw it on: October 23, 2010

Synopsis: This is a true story.  Kenny Waters (Sam Rockwell) is a tough-guy who gets into trouble a lot.  He is wrongly convicted of a brutal murder and sent to prison. His sister, Betty Anne Water (Hilary Swank) is unwavering in her belief in her brothers innocence.  She devotes her life to getting him out of prison.  She eventually gets a law degree to aid in her pursuit.  Eventually she starts finding mistakes and outright fabrications in the evidence.  Ultimately, she gets Project Innocence involved – a group that specializes in using DNA evidence to overturn convictions.

Even when she has proof of her brothers innocence, she has to battle the establishment to get anyone to care.

My two cents: A great movie.  I would not be surprised to see Hilary Swank getting another Oscan nomination.  It was appalling to see how reluctant some prosecutors are to look at DNA evidence simply because they don’t want the embarrassment of one of their convictions overturned.  This case had so many things wrong with it, it was very satisfying to see it finally get resolved.  During the credits you see what really happened to the actual people involved.

A must-see movie.

Stone

Movie: Stone

Cast: Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Milla Jovovich

Genre: Drama, thriller

I saw it on: October 23, 2010

Synopsis: Jack (De Niro) is a parole officer at the prison that houses Stone (Norton).  Stone’s wife,Lucetta (Jovovich) starts using her feminine wiles on Jack in an effort to convince him write a favorable report on Stone so that he will get paroled.  Jack is only weeks from retirement, but succumbs to Lucetta.  Stone is parolled – and then Jack’s real problems start.

My two cents: A great movie.  All three stars do great jobs.  You know pretty quickly that Jack is going to be putty in Lucetta’s hands.  I was just not prepared for just how badly things would start going for Jack.

Worth seeing.

Tamara Drewe

Movie: Tamara Drewe

Cast: Gemma Arterton, Roger Allam, Dominic Cooper, Luke Evans

Genre: Comedy

I saw it on: October 24, 2010

Synopsis: Tamara Drewe returns to her childhood home to go through her recently-deceased mother’s home.  While there, she re-kindles (or almost re-kindles) a romance with her old flame, Andy.  Down the road from her house, is a writer’s colony where Andy works.  To put it mildly, the people in the writer’s colony are a bit quirky.  The movie follows Tamara as she goes from one guy to the next, trying to find what she needs. 

My two cents: This movie was a hoot.  It is one of those off-beat comedies that seem to be unique to England.  It had little goodies thrown in like two girls who specialize in egging passing cars, a shotgun wielding old lady defending her cattle from a dog, those same cattle stampeding.

If you like British humor, don’t let this movie sneak by you.

Waiting for Superman

Movie: Waiting for Superman

Genre: Documentary

I saw it on: October 24, 2010

Synopsis: A really thought-provoking documentary that examines that state of education in America.  There is a lot of finger pointing and a lot of ideas on how to fix the mess.

My two cents: The movie does a great job of getting things stirred up and showing failures in the system.  I think a lot of the solutions they show were a little misleading in that they did not clearly show that funding for most of these alternatives are coming from non-public sources.  I feel that any long-term solution needs to be able to exist within the public funding world.

Having two teachers in the family, I am sympathetic to the teachers.  However, I think the three biggest obstacles to fixing the system are (1) more money is needed, (2) teacher’s unions need to be reigned in, and (3) the whole idea of tenure needs to be revamped.  But that’s just my two cents.

I think that everyone should see this movie – but should also read some of the rebuttals that are floating around.

Buried

Movie: Buried

Cast: Ryan Reynolds

Genre: Drama, thriller

I saw it on: October 2, 2010

Synopsis: Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) is a Department of Defense contractor working as a truck driver in Iraq.  When his truck hits an IED and is attacked, Paul loses consciousness.  The movie opens with him regaining his senses in a coffin-like wooden box, apparently buried, with only a cigarette lighter and a cell phone.  Paul gets a call from his captors, demanding a ransom.  When he tries to call someone back in the U.S. to help him, things to not go well.  The rest of the movie follows his efforts.

What is interesting is that Ryan Reynolds is the only actor who appears in the movie.  A couple of times they show a glimpse of someone in a video in his cell, but other than that, Ryan Reynolds carries the movie on his own.

My two cents: I thought this was a terrific movie.  The idea of being buried alive in a coffin like this is pretty high on my list of situations I seek to avoid. I do not recall ever seeing a movie that had only a single actor in it.  They saved a lot of money on sets – the entire movie takes place in the box.

As if being buried alive was not enough . . . I almost went into convulsions when he is visited by a friendly neighborhood cobra.  Another scenario that is high on my list of situations to avoid.

The movie is suspenseful and definitely keeps your attention all the way to the end.

You Again

Movie: You Again

Cast: Kristin Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Kristin Chenowith, Betty White, Victor Garber

Genre: Romantic Comedy

I saw it on: October 2, 2010

Synopsis: Marni’s (Kristin Bell) brother is marrying Joanna, her high school nemesis.  It also turns out that Marni’s aunt had a bitter high school feud with Joanna’s aunt.  Joanna has not changed and still treats Marni like crap – but only does it when no one can see.  Naturally, everyone thinks Marni is being petty and unfair when she complains of Joanna’s behavior.  When the aunt and the mother join the fun, things get really ugly.

Kristin Chenowith has a great role as a wedding planner.

My two cents: I had mixed feeling about this movie.  I get a little tired of movies where one character is so over-the-top evil but no one except a single victim seems able to notice it.  But, Kristin Bell is such a favorite of mine that she (along with Kristin Chenowith) rescued it for me.  If you get a chance to see it on TV, I would give it a shot.

If you see this movie, make sure you watch to the very end when Betty White and Cloris Leachman meet up.  That scene alone makes the movie worthwhile.