The Death Penalty

Great films distinguish themselves in a number of different ways. Some of them are perfectly cast. Others have tremendous cinematography. Still others may have great scripting, direction or editing. I Want to Live stands out for one reason, Susan Hayward's performance.

Hayward shines in this true story about a woman convicted of murder and sentenced to die in California's gas chamber. There are numerous supporting characters in this dramatization but it's Susan Hayward's heart-wrenching portrayal that will haunt you even after the credits roll.

A little pushy, a little preachy, and loaded with socio-political bias.

A good old fashioned western where vigilante justice goes awry by hanging the wrong man (see also: The Ox-Bow Incident), and Bruce Dern is an unlikable a-hole (see also: The Cowboys, The War Wagon, four episodes of Gunsmoke, five episodes of The Big Valley, etc., etc., etc...).

Bad enough that Aileen Wuornos took eight lives, but to see the collection of buzzards, leeches and assorted slime that assembled to profit from her pending execution is sickening. The worst of the lot is her sleazebag attorney, auctioning off interviews at $20,000 a pop. There is a stink here that won't wash.

Kieslowski's artful and unusual expression of despair.

Well made, dramatic case study of the crime, trial and subsequent execution of Derek Bentley. Director Peter Medak and a very talented cast have put together a powerful argument against capital punishment and a scathing indictment of Britain's jurisprudence.

Good News/Bad News

Good News: Miranda Richardson is incredible. Beyond her command of the character, which in itself is remarkable, is her sheer screen presence. To quote Steve Wiecking, she looks like a "delicious chilled confection".

Bad News: The film has a BBC-made-for-television feel to it, especially the sound reproduction and score.

Good News: The docudrama presentation lends itself well to detail and, as far as I can tell, historical accuracy. Ruth's debilitating codependency with her abusive and alcoholic beau is laid before us with excruciating clarity.

Bad News: Except for a postscript reference, there are no details about Ruth's trial, incarceration, execution, or the impact it all had [if any] on public attitudes and perceptions. Dance With A Stranger delivers a detailed reenactment of a terminally dysfunctional relationship, but barely hints at the tragic consequences.

A solid documentary about one of the worst miscarriages of justice in American history.

Having seen In Cold Blood (1967) and Capote (2005) I thought I knew what to expect from yet another film treatment of Truman's novel. Infamous, however, was a pleasant surprise. This one brought to light a little more of Capote's terrific sense of humor and a slightly different perspective on his emotional entanglement with convicted murderer Perry Smith.

If Infamous is overlooked and underrated it has only Philip Seymour Hoffman to blame. Very bad timing for a pretty good film.

The more I see of David Lynch the more I'm convinced that he has little or no regard for the space/time continuum. Whether or not all the pieces of Lost Highway 'fit together' is a subject better suited for a film studies class than a Flixster review. All I know is that I enjoy Lynch's work far more when I stop trying to puzzle everything together and let myself get lost in the story.

Lost Highway is spooky-good. A cinematic amusement park that's part roller coaster, part fun-house and part side-show. I absolutely loved it.

*NOTE: Did anyone else get the impression that Robert Blake's character would feel right at home playing chess in an Ingmar Bergman film?

The more I see of Hitler's tactics the more I appreciate the talents of Albert Pierrepoint. The Nazis had a penchant for exterminating Germany's best and brightest, Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans were unfortunately no exceptions. There should be a special place in heaven for those who are willing to sacrifice everything for something as intangible as an idea.

Insightful character study of one of Britain's last executioners. In his lifetime, Albert Pierrepoint hung over 600 people, including several Nazi war criminals and Ruth Ellis (see Dance With A Stranger). Though he seemed outwardly detached, this film suggests that Albert's unusual profession eventually took a tremendous toll on his psyche and deeply impacted his personal life.

Michael Redgrave (see Dead of Night) is convincing as a dysfunctional father struggling to save his wrongly convicted son from the hangman's noose. 11th hour dramatics and an overall sense of urgency give the film a pace that will challenge your endurance.

Philip Seymour Hoffman turns in one of my all-time favorite performances. For one hour and fifty five minutes, he IS Truman Capote.

An affirmation of the complexity of women. Here, a guard captain's wife campaigns for the life of a condemned man, knowing that her actions threaten her husband's career and possibly endanger his life. Perplexing behavior indeed but director Patrice Leconte uses it to full effect, adding humanistic elements to what otherwise could have been a listless period piece. An intelligent, insightful film.

Bjork, an Icelander, plays a young Czech woman who has immigrated to the United States in hope of a better life for herself and her son.

A most unconventional film. One that draws from old styles yet remains avant garde. Sad and utterly mesmerizing.

Fritz Lang's first American film after fleeing Nazi Germany and the oppression of Adolph Hitler. A predecessor to the classic film noir of the 1940s and 50s, Fury has a wealth of elements which would later define the noir style. Outstanding performances from Spencer Tracy and Sylvia Sidney help cement this 'wrong man' courtroom drama as a true timeless classic.

I'm not sure why I put off seeing this for so long. Maybe it was because all anyone ever talked about were the steamy love scenes between Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton (?). Maybe Stephanie Zacharek's negative review put me off (?). Whatever the reason, I'm happy to admit that my preconceptions were wrong. There is a lot here to like. Monster's Ball may not blow you away but it's sure to hold your attention with it's intelligent scripting and empathetic characters. Not OMG-fantastic but certainly not bad.

Insightful character study of Albert Pierrepoint, one of Britain's last executioners. In his lifetime, Pierrepoint hanged over 600 people, including several Nazi war criminals and Ruth Ellis (see Dance With A Stranger). Though he seemed outwardly detached, this film suggests that Albert's unusual profession eventually took a tremendous toll on his psyche and deeply impacted his personal life.

"Don't act like the hypocrite who thinks he can conceal his wiles while loudly quoting the Koran" -Hafez

Heart wrenching true story about an Iranian woman who was falsely accused of adultery and stoned to death. There should be a special kind of hell awaiting anyone who commits such egregious crimes in the name of God.

Any docu-drama about the life of serial killer John Christie should be dark and disturbing, 10 Rillington Place does not disappoint.

Based on the 1924 case of Nathan Leopold Jr and Richard Loeb, two wealthy upper-crust college students who methodically planned the kidnapping and murder of a 14 yr old boy (Robert Franks).

A solid, well acted docu-drama that, near the end, suffers from an over abundance of preachy thespianism. It's one thing to cast the legendary Orson Welles as a Clarence Darrow-ish defense attorney in an obviously anti death penalty message film, but it's awfully highhanded to let him rant incessantly about the barbarics of capital punishment. In effect, he's not a cast member with a script who is reciting monologue to a judge, he's an actor with an agenda speaking to us (the audience).

A memorable but highly liberal classic.

Vampires, Zombies, Aliens and Ron Perlman. Director Glenn McQuaid seems intent on force-feeding his audience a steady stream of camp with mixed results.

As apolitical as it is poignant. Dame sobh lays bare the stark reality of state sponsored retribution and then leaves you to draw your own conclusions. Viscerally powerful stuff.

Edward G. Robinson is cast against type as the timid and meek Chris Cross in this truly classic film noir that starts with a chuckle and ends with a wrecking ball straight to the gut.

Interesting study of Fred Leuchter's underwhelming career, poor judgement and antisemitic reasoning.

For better or for worse, Herzog is unable to make a distinction between film making and film directing. His 'interviews' are unapologetically injected with his own personal beliefs and ideas. This being said, Into The Abyss is still a fascinating watch.