“Trial by Fire” is the true story of the unlikely bond that developped between a death row inmate (Jack O'Connell) and a mother of two from Houston (Laura Dern) who, although she faced great odds, fought hard for his freedom. Cameron Todd Willingham, a poor, uneducated heavy metal devotee with a violent streak and a criminal record, was convicted of arson-related triple homicide in 1992. During ... more >
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“Trial by fire,” or when the Texas penal system is put under the microscope for negligence
Produced by Allyn Stewart, Kipp Nelson, Edward Zwick and Alex Soros
Jack O’Connell, Laura Dern and Emily Meade
Directed by Edward Zwick
“Money Monster”
Film was shown out of competition in Cannes
George Clooney and Julia Roberts
Directed by Jodie Foster
I liked "Money Monster," thought I'd that off the top. If that seems like an unusual or lame or unusually lame way to start a film review, that's fine. I wanted to state it firmly. Because there are things in the Jodie Foster-George Clooney political thriller that just made the rounds of the ongoing Cannes Festival that should go wrong. To start with, "Money Monster" quickly violates two of my ... more >
Under Angelina Jolie’s direction “Unbroken” plays out nice and slow but peters out
Released on December 25th
Jack O'Connell, Miyavi and Domhall Gleeson
Directed by Angelina Jolie
While watching "Unbroken," the World War II survival film directed by star-of-the-moment Angelina Jolie, one question stood out among the rest: How can such an extravagant, provocative personality turn in such a normal, even traditional film? Here is a woman who built her career on shock value. Where are the shocking moments in "Unbroken"? This isn't entirely a bad thing, as the classical, ... more >