To Kill A Mockingbird

Based on Harper Lee's 1961 classic novel, "To Kill A Mockingbird" is the 1962 film adaptation following Atticus Finch, a lawyer in a racially divided 1930's Alabama town. He agrees to defend a young black man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a white woman. Many of the townspeople are against Atticus defending Tom but Atticus decides to go ahead with the trial.

The story is told through the eyes of Atticus's daughter, six-year old "Scout", a feisty young girl who lives with her father and her older brother, Jem.

While Robinson's trial gives the film its momentum, there are plenty of other occurrences before and after the court date: Scout's ever-strengthening bond with her older brother, Jem, her friendship with precocious young Dill Harris, her father's no- nonsense reactions to such life-and-death crises as a rampaging mad dog, and especially Scout's reactions to, and relationship with, Boo Radley, the reclusive "village idiot" who turns out to be her salvation when she is attacked.

I enjoyed the character of Scout. Since the story is told from her point of view, the situations are presented without adding an explicit opinion. The viewer is left to make sense of events and come to their own conclusion.

I enjoyed the character of Atticus Finch as well. He represents morality and kindness. He serves as a guiding light for his two children, always calm and patient. He allows them to come to the understanding that, although evil exists, one should not dwell on that but should instead realize that the existence of this evil is a sign that there is work to do, and progress to make.

"To Kill A Mockingbird" is a timeless classic. 

Lizzy   =)

The Outsiders

Based on the classic teenage novel by S.E. Hinton, the 1983 film "The Outsiders" takes place in Oklahoma around the mid-1960's and follows the story narrated by 14-year old Ponyboy Curtis, while living with his two older brothers, Darry and Sodapop Curtis. There are two rival gangs from opposite sides of town -- "Greasers" (kids who come from poor families) and "Socs" (kids who come from rich families) who are always fighting with each other.

The movie begins with Ponyboy, a member of the "Greasers", along with his two friends and other members, Johnny and Dallas, heading for the drive-in to watch a movie. While watching the movie, the three boys run into Cherry Valance and her friend, Marcia. After the movie is over, the boys walk with both girls until their boyfriends, Bob and Randy, members of the "Socs", arrive and take the girls away.

On his way home with Ponyboy, Johnny refuses to go inside his home due to his parents arguing so they both walk to the park and fall asleep. Waking up and realizing how late it is, Ponyboy heads home. Darry is up and begins to yell at Ponyboy for being late. Ponyboy runs out of the house and goes back to where Johnny is sleeping. They both start walking through the park until they notice a car full of "Socs" driving towards them. Bob and Randy, along with other "Socs", being to argue with Ponyboy and Johnny. They start beating up Ponyboy. Johnny grabs a knife and ends up killing Bob in order to save Ponyboy. All the other "Socs" run away.

Scared and not knowing what to do, Ponyboy and Johnny decide to run away. They ask Dallas for help. Dallas gives Johnny a gun and some money and tells them about an abandoned church they can hide out in. He tells them to stay there until he can get away and meet up with them. They stay at this abandoned church for about four or five days. While their stay, Ponyboy and Johnny buy food, supplies, and the book Gone with the Wind to read to pass the time. They also decide to cut their hair and Ponyboy ends up bleaching his hair blonde. Dallas comes up to the church to let them know that Cherry Valance will testify that Johnny killing Bob was in self-defense. They go out to eat and then return to find the church on fire and children are stuck inside. Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dallas go in to rescue them. Once they get all the children out, Johnny gets caught in the fire and gets burned really badly. Johnny and Dallas are hospitalized. The three of them are praised for the heroism but Johnny is charged with manslaughter.

Since the killing of Bob, there has been a rumble challenge made between the "Greasers" and the "Socs" to end this once and for all. A violent fistfight occurs, which the "Greasers" win. Dallas drives Ponyboy to the hospital to let Johnny know they won the rumble. Johnny whispers to Ponyboy to "stay gold" and then he passes away. Dallas starts crying and runs out. Unable to bear Johnny's death, Dallas robs a convenient store and gets chased by police. Unable to get away, Dallas gets shot by the police.

As the story ends, Ponyboy is sitting at his desk. He then picks up the Gone with the Wind novel and finds a letter inside written to him by Johnny. He reads what Johnny wrote and then opens his notebook up and starts writing about his experiences.

Lizzy    =)

12 Angry Men

The original 1957 classic "12 Angry Men" is the film based on the story of a jury made up of 12 men as they deliberate the guilt or acquittal of a defendant on the basis of reasonable doubt.

The story begins in a courtroom where an 18-year old boy from a New York city slum is on trial for allegedly stabbing his father to death. Final closing arguments are presented, and the judge then instructs the jury to decide whether the boy is guilty or not. The twelve-man jury retire to a private room where they have immediately decided that the boy is guilty and plan to return their verdict quickly without any discussion. A preliminary vote is taken and the result is 11:1 in favor of the the guilty verdict. Eleven jurors have raised their hand for the guilty verdict except for one, juror #8. Only one vote is holding them back and now they have to discuss the trial once again. Juror #8 who voted not guilty refuses to just jump to conclusions and brings up incredible possibilities that can always make a man think of "reasonable doubts." The rest of the film's focus is the jury's difficulty in reaching a unanimous verdict. As time goes on, some of the jurors change their minds and find that there is enough reasonable doubt not to convict and by the end, all the jurors reach a unanimous decision of not guilty.

The film was an excellent courtroom drama with a unique twist. Instead of following the trial itself, the viewers have the chance to observe the events behind close doors of a jury room. The entire film takes place within one room, enabling all attention to be focused on the details of the case. The plot of the film is excellent and it's fascinating to see what little things can influence which way a verdict goes. Once the deliberations really hit their stride and the arguments are flying back and forth, the film never fails to fascinate.  With quiet probing, one juror appeals to curiosity, truth, and intellect over emotional hysteria, popular opinion, and snap judgments.

The film's greatness lies in its bringing together twelve different men who have never met each other before and the interaction of their characters as each man brings his own background and life experiences into the case. The characters are not given names and are only known as juror numbers. The characters themselves are so cleverly developed that even after a small amount of dialogue you can see the cross section of society sitting around the table becoming apparent, a very ordinary group of men. There are no bad guys or good guys. All you see is a group of men, each one having a slight difference in attitude, who initially believe they are right with their views.

Lizzy  =)