09.21.08
Murder of Crows, Part 2
For some reason, HBO has been giving this movie regular play since I saw it in the middle of the night last week. I caught the first 10 minutes of the movie which, I admit, I missed when I first saw the movie. To be honest, after seeing those missing 10 minutes, I have to say that I might have overrated the movie. The reason for the lead character’s disbarment was so ludicrous, so ridiculous, that this guy had to be sick the day they taught law at his law school. If you can stand to watch a train wreck, give it a go. If you like Cuba Gooding, Jr. or Tom Berringer or Eric Stoltz, give it a go. If it’s none of the above, change the channel, go to www.hulu.com or watch something on www.youtube.com and pass the time you would have wasted.
Revised rating ½ Gavel
09.13.08
A Murder of Crows
Year: 1999 (V) Release Date: July 6, 1999
Director and Writer: Rowdy Herrington
Starring: Cuba Gooding, Jr., Tom Berringer, Eric Stoltz
This movie was made in a time when you had direct to video movies. Today, it was on HBO and I want my money back, I want the time I spent watching it back, and I want the brain cells I lost. Cuba Gooding, Jr. plays a disbarred lawyer who retreats to Key West and writes a book about the experience except he finds out he’s a horrible writer. Trying to make money as a fishing guide, he meets an old man who gives him his manuscript to read. After dying from a heart attack, Lawton Russell (Gooding) submits it as his own work and gets published and becomes a rich man only to find that the murders in the manuscript were real and described them with precise details only the murderer could have known. Lawton then tries to prove his innocence with a detective (Berringer) in pursuit.
Not the worst concept, but the plot holes were enormous. After escaping from a house full of police and escaping again from five police cars, both on foot, Lawton never gets a wrinkle in his suit. Going from New Orleans to Key West on a freight train and back again on the roof of a beer truck (I’m serious), he never needs a shower or a shave. He also walks around without even trying to change his appearance despite his likeness being on the back of a best selling book and in the news. He cleverly covers his face with a newspaper or his hand and escapes notice in the two cities where he has homes. Also, the worst southern accents I ever heard.
Despite this, I did enjoy the filming locations. Having spent time in both places, I enjoyed the visuals of two great cities. I really liked the interiors of the Garden District homes in New Orleans pre-Katrina and the scene at Sloppy Joes in Key West, one of the greatest bars in the U.S. But if you have a choice, go to the cities instead of watching this movie.
The movie weakly explores lawyers representing clients who are guilty in criminal cases and just assumes lawyers who do so have sold their souls to the devil. Never addresses any other proposition. Maybe it’s the geek in me, but I would have enjoyed the debate. Overall, do not recommend this but enjoyed the scenery.
One Gavel
09.10.08
Lost Titanic Screen Test
There are two little known facts about the HMS Titanic. First, the American Bar Association conducted a mock trial to determine the liability of the White Star Line against those passengers and crew who perished in the sinking. Second, a survivor of the sinking, one Lady Duff Gordon, was involved in a contract dispute resulting in an appellate case studied by law students across the country. Actually, the third little known fact is that a great actor auditioned for the role of Jack Dawson. You can find the newly re-discovered audition here.
09.01.08
Hamlet 2
Year: 2008 Release Date: August 27, 2008
Written by: Pam Brady & Andrew Fleming
Starring: Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, Phoebe Strole, Joseph Soria, Elisabeth Shue
Overall, a pretty funny movie. It starts with a montage of the not so stellar acting career of Dana Marschz (Coogan) and serializes his acting class from stage remakes of popular movies to his opus “Hamlet 2.” Inspired by the school board’s decision to end the drama program, Marschz writes the sequel to Hamlet as a musical. The highlight of the movie is actually the main musical number to the play “Rock Me Sexy Jesus.”
Two great sub-plots were the appearance Elisabeth Shue from The Karate Kid and Leaving Las Vegas playing the part of Elisabeth Shue. Another is the appearance of the always funny Amy Poehler playing an ACLU lawyer determined to make sure Hamlet 2 is shown to an audience despite the school’s determination to shut it down.
I give it a high recommendation to see it in the theater. I’m giving it 4 stars as a movie and 3 gavels because even though I liked the legal part of the movie, it was only 10 minutes of the entire plot.
4 Stars
3 Gavels
