olivia_sutton | Entries tagged with drama

Les Misérables
Universa Pictures (2012)
Starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anna Hathaway, et al.

I just saw the film of Les Miserables and I LOVED it! It’s incredible! I’ve seen it on stage twice, once in Milwaukee WI and once in Grand Rapids MI (both touring shows). I also have the original Broadway Cast Recording. So yes, I love the musical. And when you lovesomething that’s made into a major motion picture (or announced to be one) your, or at least, mybiggest concern was — Would they mess it up?

Theydidn’t mess it up! I had two major concerns: would the cast be able to sing? Especially the leads. And would the staging work? It’s not uncommon for films of musicals, especially these days, to take the ability to cut and use close-ups and over-do it. I’m happy to report neither of these concerns were realized. It other words, the film was brilliant and I must buy it on DVD.

HughJackman was BRILLIANT as Jean Valjean. Absolutely brilliant! And can he sing! Oh, my god, can he! His voice was just brilliant and
his role very emotional. By about halfway through the film, I was crying just about any time he began to sing. Jackman was brilliant, and really, really deserves an Oscar. (As a side note, Why is it that you get SO MANY Oscar worthy performances in a single year - and other years there’s nothing to watch at the movie theater, much less something worth an Oscar? This year we were blessed with Les Misérables, The Hobbit: An Expected Journey, Cloud Atlas, and the still brilliant though not typically Oscar winning The Dark Knight Rise and even The Avengers - both action with heart!).

RussellCrowe, whom I really like though I’m often not a fan of the type of action-without-thinking movies he started in was brilliant as Javert.
His delivery of his best songs, “Stars” and [spoiler alert] Javert’s Suicide, were played so brilliantly that I cried. Crowe’s delivery of his (sung) lines was different than the Broadway album I have (which is obviously a different cast, since I have the
original). It took me a few moments into the film to get used to Crowe’s delivery as Javert — but I LOVED it in the end, and yeah, I cried more than once for Javert!

Anne Hathaway was very, very strong as Fantine. When you watch the musical on stage, or listen to it, often Fantine feels like a very
weak character. Yes, you feel sorry for her, but you’re also waiting for her [spoiler alert] to die to be frank. But Anne Hathaway makes Fantine understandable. Rather than feeling sorry for her, I found I empathized with her. I mean, what would you do? The montage of Fantine’s fall was handled brilliantly, even though one of the vignettes from the musical was altered. (In the musical, a prostitute offers to buy Fantine’s locket and they haggle over the price. In the film, it’s a man who buys it - and Fantine barely haggles with him.) The scene of another woman taking Fantine’s hair is also brilliantly brutal in the film.

Young Cosette is beautiful and I really liked her. The young rebel boy, Gavroche is also brilliant! His big scene, is brilliant and yes I cried like a baby. (This one I don’t want to spoil, feel free to guess).

I also like Marius’ friend, Enjolras (Aaron Tveit). During the preparation for the rebellion and the scenes on the barricade my eye was constantly drawn to him. He looked familiar to me as well, but when I checked I hadn’t seen him in anything — and most of his credits were Broadway or London Stage. He helps having a theatre-trained actor in this film. Éponine (Samantha Barks) was also theatre-trained and was familiar with the musical, according to IMDB.com.

Marius and teen-aged Cosette were not as annoying as usual. Yes, as far as I’m concerned, and as far as I’ve always been concerned, the best
part of the musical play is the antagonistic relationship between Javert and Jean Valjean; and then the rebellion in Paris. The love story in the second act between Marius and Cosette has always bored me. The second time I saw it on stage, this wasn’t helped by having a perfectly awful Marius. In the film, Cosette gradually comes out of her protected shell, and though she’s obviously well-off thanks to Valjean, she’s not quite the spoiled rich brat she is in the musical. At the very end of the film, she’s got some wonderful stuff and I actually liked her. Marius, unfortunately, does come off as someone who doesn’t care about who he sacrifices to get what he wants. Or, at the very least, he doesn’t plan. I must say, though, his rendition of “Empty Chairs, and Empty Tables” was quite brilliant. [Spoiler] I missed not having the ghosts of his dead comrades in the background.

Helena Bonham Carter (Madame Thénardier) and Sacha Baron Cohen (Master Thénardier) play their parts with relish, and a true mastery of pocket-picking. ”Dog Eat Dog” is cut, though. Their scenes, often the only humor in the entire musical, are in this version almost scary… and very bizarre. I’ve always pictured “Master of the House” as a “triumphant” scene of the bad guys celebrating their ill-gotten gains. In the film, it’s a lot more sick. (And not in a good way.)

Yes, this is a “sung” musical, meaning that nearly every line or word is actually sung, rather than acted scenes between musical numbers. For a film, this takes a bit of getting used to, but once one gets used to the idea that everyone is singing everything, it’s actually pretty cool. And it certainly adds to the emotional nature of the film and story.

I saw it in “Theater 1” the largest theater at my local movie theater and also in THX. I do wholeheartedly recommend seeing it in THX if at all possible. It is absolutely necessary to be able to hear what everyone is singing, including the company, thus having the crystal clear sound of a THX system really helps. And I will say that even with my troubles hearing high registers of voices I had few problems with Les Misérables. Part of that may have been my familiarity with the source material, but I also think the mixing and mastering of the film really helped - and the playback in THX also helped.

I cried. Well, sobbed. And more than once while watching the film. The woman on my right was crying so hard that the seats shook. And even the guy on my left cried by the end of the film. And I think that’s the best compliment the audience can give the film-makers. The theater was mostly full, though not sold out and people clapped at the end when I saw it.

I highly, highly recommend the film o Les Misérable the musical to all. It’s appropriate for children over 15. Even if you “don’t like musicals” give this one a try, you won’t be disappointed. It was brilliant!

Title: L.A. Confidential
Director: Curtis Hanson
Date: 1997
Studio: Warner Brothers, Regency Entertainment
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Film Noir
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, David Straithairn, Simon Baker (Credited as Simon Baker Denny)

"Come to Los Angeles... there are jobs a plenty and land is cheap..." -- Sid Hudgens (Danny DeVito)

"I admire you as a policeman, particularly your adherance to violence as an adjunct to the job." -- Police Captain Dudley Smith to Lt. Bud White

"How's it going to look in your report?" -- Det. Lt. Exley
"It'll look like justice. That's what the man got, justice." -- Lt. Bud White

LA Confidential is a brilliant modern film noir. The film weaves deep layered characters into a complex plot of police corruption, graft, drugs, and murder. All the actors give brilliant performances. Russell Crowe, in an very early role, is Lt. Bud White, police captain Smith's "enforcer" with a soft spot for abused women. Watching his journey from tough guy and bruiser to someone who actually starts to figure out what's going on and who stops just following orders and starts to think -- even when solving the case leads right back to the police department -- is a joy in this film. Guy Pearce is the college-educated "new cop" who isn't afraid to testify against other dirty cops, as long as it allows him to get ahead. But he too has to make decisions -- does he "do what he's told, and reap his reward" or does he follow a more difficult path and expose the corruption he and Bud have uncovered? And brilliant as always Kevin Spacey as "Hollywood Jack" Vincennes, who's a technical advisor on the TV cop drama "Badge of Honor" (think "Dragnet") and partners with tabloid reporter Sid Hudgens (Danny Devito) accepting payments to pass along info about upcoming busts so the reporter can photograph them. Sid, a pioneer in bottom-feeding tabloid journalism, and publisher of the tabloid "Hush-Hush" regularly gives Vincennes gifts and bribes, as well as passing along information.

The film weaves a complicated plot, starting with the beating, in the LA lock-up of several Mexican-Americans, resulting in the expulsion of several bad cops and meeting our characters and seeing how they react. Vincennes is transferred between departments and temporarily taken off "Badge of Honor" as Technical Advisor. White refuses to roll on his partner, or become a snitch. Exley not only offers up info as a snitch, but gives advice on how to get to other cops, though this gets him a promotion - it doesn't endear him to the other cops. After "Bloody Christmas" but before the trial even starts, there's a mass shooting at the Nite Owl coffee shop, one of the victims is White's disgraced partner. The hunt for the killers leads to three young black men, who are brought in, questioned, escape, and then are caught again and killed.

However, all three of our main characters soon realize that the three men, though guilty of kidnapping and raping a young Mexican girl, aren't guilty of the Nite Owl killings. And, again, the investigation, though it also involves a millionaire who's running a high-class call girl outfit of girls "cut to look like movie stars" and heroin, ultimately leads right back to the police department. I don't want to spoil the ending for those of you reading this who haven't seen this brilliant Noir film.

This film starts with a sarcastic voice-over, by Danny Devito, describing the bright, sunny, perfect California that's being sold as an image -- only to expose a dark, dirty, and very corrupt underbelly. Irony underlies a lot of the picture (such as showing the ground-breaking ceremony for the Santa Monica freeway "LA to the beach in 20 minutes"). But the characters also present an opening image that changes throughout the film -- Bud White starts as a tough, an enforcer, a brutal cop, albeit with a soft spot for battered women and kids, but he develops, putting together a lot of the clues leading to an explanation of what really is going on. Exley seems like the college-educated "new cop" who won't be able to hack it in the field - yet, he also manages to prove his smarts and his investigative chops, as well as his ability to handle violence when needed. Vincennes, "Hollywood Jack" has somehow lost his way. Asked, "Why'd you become a cop?" He answers, "I can't remember". Jack is like the tough, hard-boiled, cynical protagonists of a lot of Classic Noir. Yet, like those protagonists, his journey in the film is to discover that he can't turn a blind eye to the corruption around him any more, especially when he inadvertently causes a young male actor/hooker to get murdered. There's more to Jack than the smoothness one first sees.

The film is set in the 1950s, but the historical detail, though there, is not at the forefront of the film. The score is fantastic from Jerry Goldsmith's original instrument themes, to the use of period music by Johnny Mercer and Dean Martin. The film also gets physically darker, as the characters discover the true darkness around them.

I highly, highly recommend this film. It has brilliant acting, brilliant writing, a dense, complex plot, and the feel of a true Noir film, but made in a modern style. The film is very intelligent -- both the writing and dialogue and the plot. And, though violent and bloody at times, it's still quite, quite worth seeing.

Recommendation: See it!
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Next Film: League of Extra-Ordinary Gentlemen

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Watched Tuesday (I think), posted yesterday to my Movie Project blog.

Title: Gaslight
Director: Thorold Dickinson
Date: 1940
Studio: British National Films, MGM
Genre: Drama, Suspense
Cast: Anton Walbrook, Diana Wyngood
Format: Standard, Black and White
Format: R1, NTSC

"You can't possibly tell if you're hurt until you've had time to think about it." --Ex-cop to Bella

I actually watched this film last night, but couldn't post my blog 'til tonight. Also, this film is on the reverse side of the 1944 version DVD I own. The original film is based on an 1938 play. This version of the film begins with a bang, showing an old woman getting strangled at Number 12, and the murderer tearing up the house looking for something. We then see several people who live in the square talking about the horrible crime that happened there, and we're made aware the house has stood empty for several years. Next, Paul and Bella Mellon arrive (the characters known as Gregory and Paula Anton in the 1944 version). We also see an ex-cop talking to a groom as they care for their horses about the strange happenings at Number 12.

There is considerably more exposition and more discussion by minor characters of the murder, and the new residents of Number 12, almost so much that the movie at first seems to be about the house rather than the people living there. The 1944 version, is much more grounded in the characters living in the house, and told mostly from Paula's point of view. This older version switches points of view several times, showing us exactly what Paul is doing, showing the ex-cop's investigation (without ever giving his name either), showing us various residents of the same square and their impressions, etc.

Paul's flirting with Nancy, the parlourmaid, is much more pronounced. In one scene he kisses her, in another he actually takes her on a date to a music hall (and we're subjected to watching it, as awful as it is, though the Can-Can dancers are interesting). Nancy, however, isn't nearly as sinister as she is in the 1944 versions. She's almost a harmless flirt. Paul's playing around with the maid is contemptible but Bella seems to intentionally turn a blind eye to it.

The scene in the parlour with Paul torturing Bella about the missing picture, making her call in the servants, and questioning the servants is almost word-for-word the same in both films, as is the scene of Bella at the concert where he tortures her about taking his watch. However, in this film we actually see Paul put the watch in Bella's purse.

Besides having a lot more exposition up front; there's also less suspense than the 1944 version because we see a lot of what Paul is doing straight out. In the 1944 version, especially if you've never seen the film before, you don't know what's going on - is Paula actually going mad? In this version, we know Paul is torturing Bella, and although the actress does, in some scenes, do a good job of portraying someone who thinks she's going out of her mind -- her belief that she's for some reason taking things, becomes weak and wimpy when we see Bella begging Paul to keep her anyway.

Like the 1944 version, Paul has a roll top desk which hides some of his secrets - including a brooch he's taken from Bella and told her she's lost. However, there's no letter from an admirer to Paula's aunt -- because in this story, Bella isn't related to the murdered woman, but rather her husband is. However, Bella does find an envelope address to "Anton Boyer" which is Paul's real name. The search for rubies (L20,000 Pounds worth) is much more pronounced, but rather than being hidden in plain sight, sewn onto a theatrical costume among fakes; the rubies are actually hidden inside the brooch. (One of the more unbelievable bits - Bella takes the rubies out of a vase, where she'd hidden them after finding them loose inside the brooch. She asks the ex-cop helping her -- Are they valuable?)

Less is made of Paul's nocturnal visits out - and even Bella's hearing footsteps and the gaslight going down then back-up don't occur until over halfway through the film -- making it considerably less spooky. A minor character, Bella's cousin, is more important - he tries to see Bella, but is refused by her husband. He doesn't exist in the 1944 version, and one of his visits is given to Joseph Cotten's detective, as is some of his dialogue. Another change is one of the cops who start investigating is in number 14 (the next door empty house) when Paul enters it.

There is a nice shot of Bella's reflection in a music box, as she hears footsteps and finally starts to scream for Elizabeth, the cook, who pooh-poohs her. However, like Nancy, the cook seems harmless. She's also not deaf as she is in the 1944 version.

There is a scene with Paul telling Bella she's mad and she will die in a lunatic asylum and he hates her, in which he is quite, quite sinister. And, of course, we've seen all along exactly what he's doing to drive his wife mad. And since we've also seen the old woman's murder and the ransacking of the house rather than hearing about it later, one can make the connection between that crime and Paul's behavior towards Bella, even though we don't see his face.

Overall, a competent film. Competent direction, not overly flat, with some nice touches. Competent acting, too. Diana Wyngood isn't bad as Bella -- but she does seem wimpy at times, simply from the rearrangement of scenes, and the lack of focus on her. There is the scene between Bella and Paul at the end, where Paul's been caught, but it lack the raw power of Bergman's performance, despite almost identical dialogue, simply because we're not so caught up in Bella's story.

Recommendation: Wouldn't hurt to see it, but the 1944 version is much better.
Rating: 3
Next film: The Gay Divorcee

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Title: Footloose
Director: Herbert Ross
Date: 1984
Studio: Paramount
Genre: Musical, Drama, Romance
Cast: Kevin Bacon, John Lithgow, Lori Singer, Dianne Wiest, Christopher Penn, Sarah Jessica Parker
Format: Color, Widescreen
DVD Format: R1, NTSC

"Well, boy, a lot of folks are going to give you problems, right off, because, you see, you're an outsider. You're dangerous. They're going to worry about you." Foreman at the planet where Ren works

"There was a time for this law, but not anymore. this is our time to dance. This is our way of celebrating life. That's the way it was in the beginning. That's the way it's always been. That's the way it should be now." Ren McCormick

Ren and his mother Ethel, arrive in the small town of Beaumont, Utah, after being abandoned by his father/her husband. Almost immediately, Ren has trouble fitting in, really through no fault of his own. The townspeople, especially fellow student, Chuck, and his own uncle seem determined to ostracize him from having any social life in the town. Ren makes a few friends -- Willard, and his girl, Rusty. He also, eventually becomes friends with Ariel, the preacher's daughter. Ren longs to dance to work out his troubles, but the small town of Beaumont has outlawed dancing. About halfway through the film, Ren discovers why -- several teenagers were killed after going to the next town to party in a drunken car accident on the one lane bridge back into town. One of the teenagers was Ariel's brother.

Ren is now more sympathetic, but he still wants to have a senior dance, a prom. He gets most of the high school class together and pleads his case at the town council meeting. Ren even quotes the Bible to make his point about dancing being a celebration of life. But the council is stacked against him. Almost immediately after the council meeting, several of the more conservative adults in town head over to the town library and begin burning "inappropriate" books. This time the preacher intervenes, aghast at what's happened. At his next Sunday sermon, he gives his permission for the dance to be held at a warehouse just outside of town.

Footloose is a film filled with teenaged rebellion in the metaphor of dance. It's Ren's story, perfectly played by Kevin Bacon, but by the end of the film we understand everyone's point of view, even the preacher's (perfectly played by John Lithgow). Well, except maybe Chuck, Ariel's former boyfriend the lout who beats her up when she officially breaks up with him to go out with Ren. The preacher's really just an over-protective father, partially destroyed by the loss of his son. Ariel's has a bit of a death wish -- both because of what happened to her brother, and possibly as a rebellion against her father. Willard and Rusty are normal teenagers who are being denied a normal teenaged experience by the Draconian rules of the town. Ariel's mother, Vi, is silent and dutiful (she even dresses like a Quaker), but eventually is so fed-up with her husband pushing the family apart that she challenges him.

Classic dances include Ren going to the deserted factory where he works, and dancing by himself to "Never", in powerful moves full of gymnastics. Ren had also tried out for the gymnastic team, but was cut for pure malice. Ren teaching Willard to dance to "Let's Hear It for the Boy" is classic. And the first and finale/reprise of "Footloose" are both excellent. Plus the movie gives us, Ren and Chuck challenging each other to a game of chicken in tractors, to the music of Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero". Overall, it's a modern, yet 80s, musical. Heavy on plot, music integrated fairly well into the plot, but, the dances are not full-frame and contain a lot of cuts, edits, cutaways, and close-ups, with no flow.

Musical Numbers / Songs

Footloose -- Kenny Loggins
The Girl Gets Around -- Sammy Hagar
Dancing in the Streets -- Shalamar
Holding Out For a Hero -- Bonnie Tyler
Never -- Moving Pictures
Somebody's Eyes -- Karla Bonoff
Let's Hear It For the Boy -- Deniece Williams
I'm Free (Heaven Help the Man) -- Kenny Loggins
Almost Paradise (Love Theme from Footloose) -- Mike Reno & Ann Wilson

Recommendation: See it. I especially recommend this film for teenagers.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Next Film: Frankenstein (1931)

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Current Location: My home office
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Title: Alien Nation
Director: Graham Baker
Date: 1988
Studio: 20^th Century Fox
Genre: SF / Police Drama
Actors: James Caan, Mandy Patinkin
Format: Color, Widescreen
DVD Format: NTSC, R1

The 1980s saw a lot of unusual cop buddy movies - Alien Nation takes that idea and gives it an Science Fiction twist - with a human cop working with an alien cop to solve his own partner's murder. (They actually start on another case together, but, it is, of course, linked to the partner's death). However, halfway through the film the plot turns away from an very interesting social commentary to a search for an alien super-narcotic that looks like Era detergent. This isn't a case of effects no longer working because of age of the film -- it looked like Era when the film was made. And there's even a line where a human tastes the drug and says - "It tastes like detergent."

Overall, Alien Nation, is one of several movies I could name where the TV show was much better. Made a year after the movie - the television series re-cast the leads, expanded the characters of George's family, and even introduced a potential Newcomer girlfriend for Matt. It also focused on social issues (such as an alien/Newcomer voting rights bill) as well as comtemporary police stories.

However, the movie isn't all that bad -- it's a great idea, that works better in a series format than a movie. And I actually really liked Mandy Patinkin's "Sam Francisco" (quickly re-named "George" by Matt). -- And, the movie hits hard in telling a story about racism before the drug storyline takes over. Plus, there's a killer scene at the end that's wonderful. I enjoyed the film when I saw it, enjoyed the TV series even more, and got a copy of the movie on DVD for free when I bought the TV Series from Amazon (or was it Deep Discount -- whatever). Anyway, the movie still works as a cop drama - it doesn't look that dated.

Recommendations: See it, but buy the TV series.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Next Film: All That Jazz

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Title: 12 Angry Men
Director: Sidney Lumet
Year: 1957
Studio(s): United Artists / MGM
Stars: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, Jack Warden, Jack Klugman, E.G. Marshall, Martin Balsam (et al)
Genre: Drama, Classic
Format: Black & White
DVD Formats: R1, NTSC, Forced Widescreen

This is a movie I picked up literally a few years ago from a bargain bin (that is, I paid probably $5.00 or $10.00 for it), I'd seen the film before and remembered it to be good - and it had Jack Klugman in it so I figured, why not. Unfortunately, the film has been sitting on my "to be watched" shelf since.

It's a good film -- not as slow as I feared and beautifully directed. But let me step back a moment and explain what the film is about.

12 Angry Men is about a jury for a murder trial. Part of what is interesting about the film is what it doesn't show you. You don't see the police case. You don't see the trial. The film starts with the judge, sounding almost bored, giving his instructions to the jury in a capital case, and dismissing the alternate jurors. But the vast majority of the film takes place in the jury room. At first, the jurors seem to think they have an open and shut case, a vote is called and 11 of the 12 vote guilty. The rest of the film concerns first one man, then others, raising questions about the trial -- a trial which at the start of the film is assumed to be open-and-shut, but through the discussion of the jurors we learn was for the most part built on circumstantial evidence and two (probably) unreliable witnesses. Gradually, each juror realises that he has a different nagging doubt about the case. But for the most part, three jurors remain convinced of the man's guilt. And, gradually the film turns from the majority thinking the man is guilty and trying to convince the few or the one that thinks he's innocent (or at least that there is room for doubt) to the majority thinking he's innocent (or being tired of swimming against the current in the case of one or two jurors) and trying to convince the remaining ones who think he's guilty.

The film spends nearly it's entire length in the jury room - apart from the opening scene with the judge. It's a hot day, so hot, eventually a storm breaks and the windows need to be shut. The heat adds to the tensions between the jurors. (It's also one of two major anachronisms about the film -- first the jurors are all white men, though one is an immigrant who's obviously gained his citizenship. Second, the jury room has no air conditioning. Obviously, if the film was to take place now those two facts would change.) But, for a film from 1957, you can overlook those details. And the sense of heat - the men wiping their faces with handkerchiefs and the sweat stains on their shirts - adds to the sense of tension and the sense of passing time, without the need to resort to shots of a clock. In fact, a clock is never used in the film -- though the time is mentioned a few times times (usually in the future tense, as in, "Should we order dinner?" / "Let's wait until 7 o'clock").

Also, for a film which is about people talking to each other (or at each other, often with raised voices) -- it really doesn't get boring. One becomes interested in the jurors, whom we really only know by number or the actor playing them, -- not as people but as representing ideas. And they aren't all perfect - Klugman plays a man who rose from the streets; another juror's main reason for voting guilty is prejudice -- and even he seems to admit it. The jurors, by the end, know they aren't perfect, and neither are the eyewitnesses in the case or the lawyers. And for the audience - you haven't seen the lawyers, the cops, the witnesses, or anything else - all you have to go on is what the jurors say and how they discuss what happened, with their own POVs and and prejudices. There's even a tiny hint at the end that the guy who started everyone talking perhaps thought the accused was guilty - but thought he deserved a fair shake, that five minutes of no discussion wasn't fair -- and in the end, that is the point, the point of "Reasonable Doubt", of not making assumptions, and actually looking at the evidence from all the possible angles.

Second, the direction, by Sidney Lumet, is masterful. The use of light on the actors' faces is brilliant, and a prime example of just what can be done with black and white film, especially when used by those who know how. But there are also some truly masterful scenes -- such as when one of the jurors is ranting about the man being guilty - but his rant degenerates into pure, nasty, evil prejudice against the man being "one of those people - you know what they're like" and more such drivel. One by one, each of the other men gets up, walks from the table, and turns his back on the man. Eventually, the rant stops and everyone gets back to business. But the shot is awe-inspiring, and beautiful -- just the way turning their backs shuts the guy up.
But again, there are many beautiful shots - from the play of light or shadow across an actor's face, to Klugman leaning into the knuckles of his hand and smiling during part of the discussion.

Overall, 12 Angry Men, is an excellent film, with an excellent cast, and it deserves to be seen. I was a little upset that my DVD was in Forced Widescreen, rather than Standard/Normal, 4:3 ratio of what, no doubt was the original presentation of the film - and would have made the cramped jury room seem even more cramped and claustrophobic.

Recommendation: See it -- at least once. 3-4 out of 5 stars
Next Film: 2010: The Year We Make Contact

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Olivia Sutton's Fanfic Journal

Entries tagged with drama

Movie Review: Les Miserables (SPOILERS)

Movie Project Review: L.A. Confidential

Movie Project Review: Gaslight (1940)

Footloose

Alien Nation

The Movie Project Film # 1: 12 Angry Men