Day 50: 12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men
Directed by: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Henry Fonda & Lee J. Cobb
Rated: NR
Length: 96 min.
Released: April 13, 1957
Trailer

IMDB.com Synopsis:
“12 Angry Men” focuses on a jury’s deliberations in a capital murder case. A 12-man jury is sent to begin deliberations in the first-degree murder trial of an 18-year-old Latino accused in the stabbing death of his father, where a guilty verdict means an automatic death sentence. The case appears to be open-and-shut: The defendant has a weak alibi; a knife he claimed to have lost is found at the murder scene; and several witnesses either heard screaming, saw the killing or the boy fleeing the scene. Eleven of the jurors immediately vote guilty; only Juror No. 8 (Mr. Davis) casts a not guilty vote. At first Mr. Davis’ bases his vote more so for the sake of discussion after all, the jurors must believe beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty. As the deliberations unfold, the story quickly becomes a study of the jurors’ complex personalities (which range from wise, bright and empathetic to arrogant, prejudiced and merciless), preconceptions, backgrounds and interactions. That provides the backdrop to Mr. Davis’ attempts in convincing the other jurors that a “not guilty” verdict might be appropriate.

My Thoughts:
A classic if there ever was one. It amazes me that this entire movie is done in one room. If you haven’t seen this one yet you need to. Anyone who knows a little about literature knows the difference between “flat” and “round” characters. This movie is a great example of that.

Fore some reason I love courtroom and court case movies. They tried to “modernize” it and make it more politically correct calling it “12 Angry People” or “12 Angry Women.” They just don’t seem to work as well. I think it’s a rare moment in history where an all male cast as a jury seems to work. Every one I’ve seen has to be done as a period piece otherwise it just doesn’t work.

I love how it works through the case so well. That and each Juror has a unique personality. It’s interesting to see them all interact in this close space. It just works so well…and the story and message has proven to be timeless. Any film that can stand the test of time like this is clearly a great film. If you haven’t seen this one…or haven’t seen it in a while, try to do that soon. It’s a great film. This one gets 5 stars out of 5.

Day 45: Erin Brockovich

Erin Brockovich
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Julia Roberts
Rated: R
Length: 130 min.
Released: March 17, 2000
Trailer

IMDB.com Synopsis:
Erin Brockovich is an unemployed single mother, desperate to find a job, but is having no luck. This losing streak even extends to a failed lawsuit against a doctor in a car accident she was in. With no alternative, she successfully browbeats her lawyer to give her a job in compensation for the loss. While no one takes her seriously, with her trashy clothes and earthy manners, that soon changes when she begins to investigate a suspicious real estate case involving the Pacific Gas & Electric Company. What she discovers is that the company is trying quietly to buy land that was contaminated by hexavalent chromium, a deadly toxic waste that the company is improperly and illegally dumping and, in turn, poisoning the residents in the area. As she digs deeper, Erin finds herself leading point in a series of events that would involve her lawfirm in one of the biggest class action lawsuits in American history against a multi-billion dollar corporation.

My Thoughts:

Full disclosure…I’m not a Julia Roberts fan at all.

With that said, at first I wasn’t sure what to think about watching this one. It’s in our library at home on account of my wife and I’s movie collections being merged together once we got married. I’d put off watching it for some time now…and I don’t know what I was thinking putting it off for so long. I actually kind of enjoyed this movie.

Roberts does a decent job portraying a down on her luck woman trying to pay the bills. She’s rough around the edges and needs a job. Working in a law office wasn’t her first choice, but it worked out well for her, the firm and an entire town.

I like law/courtroom dramas. The fact that this one is based on a true story is also really cool. The main problem I had was with the “trial” itself…where was it!?!? You never really get to see this evil corporation get the legal crap kicked out of them in front of a judge! The whole movie builds up to a case that we never get to see!!! That was a real let down…really. Other than that I did enjoy it more than I thought I would. 3.5 stars out of 5.

Day 24: The Exorcism of Emily Rose

The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Directed by: Scott Derrickson
Starring: Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Campbell Scott & Jennifer Carpenter.
Rated: PG-13
Length: 119 min
Released:  September 9, 2005
Trailer

IMDB.com synopsis:
A young girl dies under the care of her parish priest. While attending college, Emily believed she became possessed. After medical care ceases to work, she turned to her faith. In the care of her priest she dies and he goes on trial for her death. He is represented by a career-minded and driven lawyer who does not believe in God. Thus is the story of Emily Rose, told by those in the trial and the priest who watched her through her possession.

My Thoughts:
Right away I have to say most people who like “horror” movies will probably be disappointed if you go into this with the mindset of it being a “scary” movie. It’s not much of a horror movie at all. It’s PG-13…it’s a court room drama…it has a couple scary moments sure, but by in large it’s not a “horror” movie at all. So don’t go into it with that mindset. Sadly, I’m sure there are those who don’t like horror movies at all (I can understand that) who chose to avoid this one all together because they assume it’s a horror movie. I mean…what movie would have the word exorcism in the title and not be a horror film?…This one would.

Believe it or not, this movie is based rather heavily on a very real story of a girl named Anneliese Michel. Some of the ideas touched on through this story and the movie are things like making a sacrifice, things that can be gained through suffering, spiritual warfare and being willing to carry a burden for a cause greater than yourself. Now, if you agree with the spiritual side of the story or not, the themes touched on and issues brought to life really make you think…and I love that. There is a Christian heavy metal band called The Ascendicate who apparently saw the movie and was moved by it enough that they made a  song concerning the movie called Burden. It’s good stuff.

If you aren’t a horror movie fan at all I wouldn’t write off this movie. If you are…I wouldn’t associate that much with The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Just having the word exorcism in the title can give people the wrong impression. It has it’s scary moments sure…but it’s more a court room drama…a very serious drama about a very real experience that happened to a real girl, and some deep theological questions that came about as a result of her life and death.

I struggled with the rating to give this one. I originally thought I’d give it 3.5 because it’s a good movie, but I don’t think it’s a huge epic monumental achievement in film making (as far as the strict film making perspective goes). But I decided in the end to give it 4 stars out of 5 because it is a rare film in that it forces the audience to really think about the possibilities of spiritual stuff. This movie goes a lot deeper than I thought it would. It challenges the audience to think a little bit more about the idea of God…the devil…and spiritual warfare. Now a days it takes a lot of guts to put that into a film. A movie that doesn’t vilify the religious aspects and/or heroes is rare in Hollywood. I liked that they had the guts to do that.