Cinema Society

CONVICTION

Average
Rating

2.8

Tuesday, October 05, 2010, AMC La Jolla 12 Theatres

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5

7:00PM: Cinema Chat with Andy, Auditorium 4

7:10PM: Introduction, Auditorium 4

7:20PM: Introduction, Auditorium 5

7:30PM: CONVICTION, Auditoriums 4 & 5

Discussion will follow screening in Auditorium 4

AMC La Jolla 12 Theatres

CONVICTION

CONVICTION is the inspirational true story of a sister's unwavering devotion to her brother. When Betty Anne Waters' (two-time Academy® Award winner Hilary Swank) older brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell) is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the murder conviction. Convinced that her brother is innocent, Betty Anne puts herself through high school, college and, finally, law school in an 18 year quest to free Kenny. With the help of best friend Abra Rice (Academy Award nominee Minnie Driver), Betty Anne pores through suspicious evidence mounted by small town cop Nancy Taylor (Academy Award nominee Melissa Leo), meticulously retracing the steps that led to Kenny's arrest. Belief in her brother - and her quest for the truth - pushes Betty Anne and her team to uncover the facts and utilize DNA evidence with the hope of exonerating Kenny.

A Fox Searchlight Release, CONVICTION opens commercially in San Diego on October 22nd.

Rated R for language and some violent images/ Running Time: 106 Minutes

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7-Oct-10: jh - Rating: 2

CONVICTION should have been triumphant, not depressing. It should have been ERIN BROCKOVICH, MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS, ROCKY, even. Instead, it's MILLION DOLLAR BABY OR AMELIA. Somebody messed up.

7-Oct-10: Mroe - Rating: 4

Good film, well told. I thought all the acting was above par and deserves attention (I very much believed the sibling relationship). I think it's a thoughtful film but I am worried that it isn't "big" enough to compete and may get lost and forgotten in the very near future....I did LOVE Minnie Driver. All in all I would have no problem recommending this film.

6-Oct-10: JF - Rating: 3

The acting was terrific but it was hard to muster any empathy for these two, despite their tragic childhood. There might be some nominations out of this one but it won't do much at the box office.

On another note, I had an awfully hard time focusing on the film because the two women sitting behind me had a running conversation throughout, despite my pleas to quiet down. What should we do about this ongoing problem Andy???

6-Oct-10: Georgi - Rating: 3

Here's the thing. It certainly didn't "suck"...but it also didn't grab me. It was hard to connect with "Kenny"; he was very unappealing and not a great guy. His sister seemed a bit obsessed to the detriment of those around her. There were some wonderful moments with Juliette Lewis (amazing, the always appealing Mini Driver, Peter Gallagher as Barry Sheck and Melissa Leo as that incredibly awful cop; the cinematography was very poetic as well. It was just there was no emotional connection to either of the Waters'...perhaps Hilary Swank was drawn to the movie because of the Innocence Project itself, but she certainly didn't carry out the human message of why her brother deserved so much effort, despite the fact that he was innocent. I wouldn't have been surprised if it had turned out he was guilty. He wasn't the kind of guy that brought on much affection.

6-Oct-10: Martha - Rating: 2

I enjoyed it. It was sad but very true about the time without DNA testing. Can't imagine spending all those years in jail when you are not guilty. It is hard to fight the system with such dishonesty and corruption. A sad ending of his real life too!

6-Oct-10: mah - Rating: 3

One of those true stories that is just waiting to be told.

Was saddened to learn that Kenny Waters died mere months after getting out of jail. If only he cared about his life as much as his sister did. I think the screenplay writer or director did a good job expressing that lack of self-worth. A very real, very sad character.

Not sure I'd tell my friends to see the movie: too depressing.

5-Oct-10: RichG - Rating: 3

This will not be Ms. Swank's third trip down Oscar's aisle. There was no chemistry between her and another other character in this film. Mr. Rockwell was nothing if not unloveable. Hard to pull for such an angry character. Had to LOVE Juliette Lewis and Melissa Leo. Both actors inhabited their roles. The sets were well suited for the piece. Mr. Goldwyn did quite well in his role of director. No fault with his pacing or story telling. I just wanted to feel more coming from the lead characters.