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A Time to Kill, a review by Jon

A Time to Kill
3 out of 5



John Grisham's best seller A Time to Kill hits the screen with incendiary force, directed by Joel Schumacher (The Client). Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey and Kevin Spacey play the principals in a murder trial that brings a small Mississippi town's racial tensions to the fiashpoint. Amid activist marches, Klan terror, media clamor and brutal riots, an unseasoned but idealistic attorney mounts a stirring courtroom battle for justice. The superb ensemble also includes Brenda Fricker, Oliver Platt, Charles S. Dutton, Ashley Judd, Patrick McGoohan, Chris Cooper and both Donald and Kiefer Sutherland. These and other talents make for "one of the year's most powerful films" (Jeffrey Lyons, Sneak Previews/ABC World News Now).

This gets your right-wing juices flowing! I love courtroom thrillers and thought this one of the best Grisham adaptations. Well, it could be, but the more I see it, the clearer it is that the story is shamefully manipulative and unambitious. Everything is painted so very broad and some scenes are almost farcical and childish. There is nothing original in the plot and in fact, some of it, like McConaughey and Judd's marriage heading for the rocks, is very lazily handled. I don't think there is even a structure to speak of. You expect certain things to happen, in a certain order, and they do. Just a shame there's no subtlety.

I expect if they were to film it again today, it would be more powerful, with a well-played irony. Maybe something like Crash or Changeling. One thing you can be sure of, no way would it be so entertaining! These sort of films always pull great casts and this is one of, if not the best. Some like Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock have never been better (Bullock has probably never been cuter), others already so good, they wrap their tonsils around the killer lines with ease (Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Brenda Fricker, Patrick McGoohan). There wasn't a weak point in the cast, except maybe whatever-happened-to-Ashley Judd, but whatever-happened-to-Oliver Platt makes it balance just by turning up. This is back in the days when Samuel L. Jackson was a better actor too, keeping his shouty quotable lines to minimum. "Yes, they deserve to die and I hope they burn in hell!" is a classic to rival Jack Nicholson barking "You can't handle the truth!" at little Tommy Cruise.

That line sums up exactly how director Joel Schumacher wants you the viewer to feel and you probably will despite yourself because it is such a great cast and the plot is so exaggerated. We don't just get racists, we get a specially formed brand new charter of the Klan, no less! You'll boil at the injustice! Punch the air when McConaughey sneakily punches the would be bomber! And cheer when it turns out the dog survived! Well of course he was going to survive, but that's what I mean. You can't help yourself. And what's wrong with a bit of eye-for-an-eye vigilantism?

It's absolute bollocks, but bollocks of the highest quality and a monument to the outrageous style Schumacher had before he disappeared up his own arse and found Batman and Robin. He finally produced the excellent Tigerland, but this is more memorable for all the very wrong and grimy reasons.

(From Jon's Random Reviews on January 6th, 2010)

Music & Lyrics, a review by DJ Doena

Hugh Grant   ...    Alex Fletcher
Drew Barrymore    ...    Sophie Fisher
Haley Bennett   ...    Cora Corman
Brad Garrett    ...    Chris Riley
Campbell Scott    ...    Sloan Cates

Synopsis: Alex Fletcher is an 80s-Has-Been of the pop band "PoP" who sings now in theme parks and class reunions. But then two things happen at the same time. The star Cora wants him to write a new song for her about a broken heart. And Sophie comes to his appartment to water his plants. And incidentally she can actually write lyrics! They team up together to deliver the new hit song for Cora and fall in love on the way.

My Opinion: Romance movie stories are often rather simple and predictable with the usual break-up shortly before the happy end. So is the story of this movie. But as I said I don't care. It's not really what is told, but how it is told. And Hugh Grant doesn't need to play much, he is actually the forty-something-doesn't-want-to-grow-up-kinda-guy. But how he performed the typical 80s pop band member on stage was hilarious. It was so funny. And Drew as this shy yet totally sweet character is great.

(From DJ Doena's movie watchings 2009 on January 4th, 2009)

Pete's Pilots, a review by addicted2dvd

Beyond Reality
Beyond Reality chronicles the unique lives of two adventuresome university professors who delve into the mysterious world of the paranormal.

Shari Belafonte stars as Laura Wingate, a parapsychologist who has traveled the world studying different cultures, religions and strange occurances. As the open-minded, witty and outspoken head of a private university's Parapsychology Department, Laura devotes her time to teaching but is constantly distracted investigating paranormal events.

Carl Marotte plays J.J. Stillman, a clinical psychologist who has been trained in the traditional sciences. He is inquisitive, responsible and often overly analytical.

Together, Laura and J.J. apply their combined expertise, curiosity and compassion to investigate the fascinating, extraordinary, but completely plausible world of the paranormal.

Mirror, Mirror
A student that has a crush on J.J crosses into a parallel dimension where she can make her destiny come true.

My Thoughts:
This is a series that I caught a few episodes of before I bought the DVDs. It is a good series well before similar series such as The X-Files. Unfortunately on the first season (of 2) is out on DVD. I still hope to see the second come out. Also unfortunately the episodes are not in order on the disc... as the pilot episode is listed as the second episode. Though the way they are made you wouldn't know the difference. This first episode has Nicole de Boer (I loved her in The Dead Zone and Cube) as the student that had a crush on J.J. She was 21 when she made this though she looked much younger then that. And much different then she does now...as she was a little on the chubby side during this series. And she is actually credited with a nick name in this series... Nikki de Boer. She returns to the series later in this season... and through the second season in another role as Celia who helps Laura and J.J. on their quest.

I enjoyed this series quite a bit. If you want to check it out... it is released from Mills Creek and is discontinued but you can get it at the Amazon Marketplace starting at $9.00

My Rating:

(From Pete's Pilots on November 2nd, 2009)