#87: 12 Angry Men (1957)

Many films have been adapted from stage to screen. Off the top of my head, I can think of The Color Purple or Frost/Nixon. If you didn’t have that prior knowledge, you wouldn’t know those were plays. 12 Angry Men is the complete opposite of that. Like other stage adaptations, such as Death of a Salesman, 12 Angry Men feels like you are watching the story from Broadway seats, yet it totally stands up as a film to itself. Director Sydney Lumet takes the elements of the play that make it so good and enhances it two folds with his use of camera moves, editing and the acting. Although I had seen this once before, I was struck again by what a good film this is.

With a claustrophobic feel, the whole movies takes place in a jury room minus the opening and closing scenes. As the scenes play out in real time, Juror #8 (Henry Fonda) stirs the pot, so to speak, when he challenges the other eleven jurors to examine a murder case with a little bit more depth. An emotional journey takes place as each unique juror is forced to examine how they perceived the evidence, which pretty much turns the room into one big psychologist’s chair. The film quickly becomes a social experiment as each juror is forced to look within themselves to not just make a decision about a case, but many have to completely reevaluate how they look at life. The cinematic ride isn’t what the jurors will ultimately decide, but how they will make those decisions.

The superb acting really shines through in this film. All twelve performances are astounding and that's why I really like this film. Henry Fonda is clearly the lead, but I feel like this is more of an ensemble piece. Each character is able to have an unique character trait that allows you to clearly distinguish between everybody, which is hard to do with twelve different actors. This is both a credit to the acting and the screenplay.

Although it's a very dramatic film, it's not a too heavy-handed experience. The pace and editing are so well balanced that you know that pre-production was the key to obtain this success. All present-day filmmakers need to use this film as a study of how to achieve your point in a precise, yet entraining manner.

In my opinion, this is a movie that can appeal to all ages, sexes and races, and when a filmmaker can do that, I can't help but give it 5 out of 5 verdicts.

* On a side note, this whole film is based on the definition of 'beyond a reasonable doubt.' If you leave this movie agreeing with what the jurors decided, the O.J. Simpson jurors were correct in their verdict. I think Simpson's lawyers watched this film before the trial started. This was just something that hit me. What do you think?

Survivor H/V: Week 14 - Finale

Week 14 - Finale:
''Russell's keeping me around because I'll never get a single vote. But I don't know about that."

That was a pretty good finale! It was a lot better than I thought it would be. Usually you can predict how things will go but by the end, I honestly didn't know who was going to win between Parvati and Sandra.

Ok, let's get to it...

* It was finally good to see Colby compete in that immunity challenge. Although he didn't win, I think he may have saved his reputation a little bit. His little speech about throwing in the towel was pretty convincing, but his "strategy" to go to Russell was not. This move was a little too late and why does everybody go to Russell??? Even though they teased that Russell would change his mind, I didn't buy it and Colby was sent packing.

* I already shared my thoughts on Colby in the last email, so I won't go further. It was funny to think that if he had won that immunity challenge, he would've been really close to winning a million dollars.

* I thought that the last immunity challenge was very interesting. It was unlike any that they had before, and when it started, I didn't like the set up. Well, that certainly changed as I started yelling at the T.V. screen when Russell, Jerri and Parvati were all so close to grabbing that necklace! The producers lucked out on that one because it could've gone a completely different way.

* Russell's choice to vote out Jerri was very interesting and quite unexpected. I would have thought that for sure Parvati was a goner. This showed to me how much Parvati had him wrapped around her finger (I don't know why she didn't bring this up in her final argument). I wonder how much he regrets that decision? Maybe she was more liked than I thought. Plus, she was not a guaranteed vote like he imagined (more on that later).

* I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think Jerri played a really good game. Not win-worthy, but by the end, I don't think she has anything to be ashamed of. I don't think she made any huge strategic decisions, but she flipped to the correct alliance, and she held her own in challenges. It really looked like she was having fun out there, and for being labeled a Villain, she was way more heroic than a lot of Heroes this season. She got really far in the game and she stayed quiet, yet effective. Thanks Jerri for not letting me hate you this season.

* Sandra throwing Russell's hat in the fire was priceless! Hilarity aside, I think that really affected Russell and he even admitted that it rattled him a bit. How funny is that? Sandra was the only true person in Russell's past two seasons that talked down to him and could rattle his bones a bit.

* The last tribal council was pretty good and I thought from a editing stand point was done very well. I thought everybody asked some pretty good questions and for the most part didn't come off too pretentious (minus Coach, but that goes without saying, right?). I thought Parvati and Sandra did amazing with their answers. Both stayed true to how they played the game, but without being condescending. Unlike somebody else, ha ha.

* I'm going to go back to the final three and break down their gameplay, but I LOVED this final three. Not only was it unexpected, but I loved that there were actually three players that deservingly could've won the million dollars. You don't always get that with a final three, and that's a testament to how great this season was.

* What a fun reunion show. This could've been two hours and I would have been thoroughly entertained. Probst talking down Russell, Sandra's lip, J.T. almost throwing his letter into the fire, Rob and Russell getting into it... It was good live television that actually felt live.

* For the record, I don't think J.T.'s move was the stupidest ever. It might be if Russell would've won, but it just won because it was the most relevant. In my opinion, it was Eric giving up his idol at tribal council. And although it's not as entertaining, Colby taking Tina did cost him a million dollars.

* I can't believe people like Rupert as much as they do. I know I talk about this way too much. I apologize.

* The ultimate survivor morph did not go over well. That poor graphic designer's hard work was mocked by the silence of the audience.

Okay, now to the final three survivors:

* Russell - I could go on and on about his gameplay. Yes, everybody knows his cockiness is as much as a downfall as an attribute to his gameplay , so I won't go into that too much. I was the first one to say that he should've won his first season. He was against very weak players and he clearly played the hardest. But, after seeing this finale, I may have changed my opinion. You can not, and I repeat, canNOT be the ultimate survivor when you fail to think about the jury members on the other end. That's just how the game is played. Dan Marino is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play football, but what's one thing that he lacks? A superbowl ring. You can match up his stats against Aikmen, Brady, and Manning, and they may be better, but those guys will always be above him because they have the title. The same correlation can be made to Russell. He doesn't have the ability to see through other people's eyes, and that's why he hasn't and won't ever win this game. I'm not discounting how hard he plays, and has a valid argument that it's the only way he can play this game. But to think that others will give you a million dollars because you are true to that is just ridiculous. His whole gameplay is based on lying and deceitfulness, yet he doesn't bring that when it comes to the end. He thinks that if he gets to the final three he's golden, when in fact, he ditches the one strategy that has gotten him to that point.

* Parvati - I really feel bad for her. She played an AMAZING game and if I was voting, she would've got my vote for the million. I think that the Heroes did not quite grasp how much she controlled Russell. They should have not faulted her for aligning herself with such a hated person. She used him right from the beginning. She perfectly played the game in all three categories. Outwit - Russell took her to the final three, 'nuff said. Outlast - The first vote for the Villains was between her and Randy! Then, after the merge, all the Heroes were gunning for her. Outplay - She was the standout in most of the challenges, especially for individual immunity. She won when her butt was on the line. If Colby would've won that next-to-last one, she definitely would've been on that jury.

* Sandra - All that said about Parvati, I absolutely have no qualms about the fact that Sandra won. I was thrilled and very surprised when she was announced as the winner. I in no way think she was a coattail rider. Jeff Probst has always said that she always plays with the strategy that when it comes to deciding who is being sent home, she plays the "as long as it's not me" card. She knows when to play hard and how to vote, and that's why she won. She's vocal enough for people to know that she's around and she's never been tagged as being lazy around camp. Although she said her strategy from day one was to get rid of Russell, I think in code that means, "From day one I was set out to survive past Russell." The only time she really conceded to Russell's ways was when he was deciding who to take to the final three, and by playing the, "No one will vote for me" card, he took her. She played him just as much as Parvati at that point. And another thing that was a huge play was the fact that she strategized with the Heroes, but not enough for the Villains to fault her for it. All five heroes on the jury voted for Sandra. There were four Villains on the jury and Courtney was the only one of them to vote for Sandra. Unlike Russell, Sandra knew where the numbers lied on the jury. And that was probably Parvati's slightest fault was that she didn't socialize with the Heroes more. Sandra absolutely deserved the million dollars and I hope Russell despises that fact until the day he dies. Something tells me that he will.

What a great season! It's going to be extremely hard to beat this one. It'll be a while before another season comes close to it. 10 years and 20 seasons of Survivor. I'm so curious to see how this new decade plays out. Will it really last another 10 years? It'll be fun to see what new villains, heroes, and favorites will emerge and if another all-star edition is even plausible.

Before I sign off, a big congrats goes out to Ashliegh Whiteman for winning! I'll let you know what the prize will be. Like this season, nobody really had Sandra on their radar and you are one of the few that picked her.

I thought I did pretty well with the recaps this year. I only missed one week. It's a lot of fun to do, but a lot of work. Thanks for reading and I look forward to doing it again in the fall with Hallie doing all the typing for me :)

Until then!

Survivor H/V: Week 13

Week 13:
This Recap Is Brought To You By Sprint

Today's recap is fresh off the presses. Aren't you proud?

* I thought it was hilarious that Russ was still telling Parvati that Danielle was plotting against her. I was a little surprised by how forgiving the girls were of his move. Of course they said, "I don't trust him anymore," but they definitely weren't running to Rupert and Colby.

* I was proud of myself, this was the first time I did not tear up during the loved ones segment. Well, I take that back. I did form tears... tears of laughter as Colby constantly was berating his brother. That was hilarious and his brother was not fazed in the least by Colby's constant screams.

* The shots of Rupert and his wife making out were a little bit too close. It looked like she was making out with a bear. You should have seen Whitney's face... she was practically gagging. You could practically smell him through the screen.

* On the surface, Jerri's move not to take Russell along to the reward seemed like a bad move, but she was in a tricky spot. It was a little surprising that she chose Sandra so quickly. I wouldn't have done that, but I wonder if she was worried that Sandra might make an alliance with Rupert and Colby. The smartest thing was probably to keep Russell away from those two, but I guess it's all a mute point. Russell didn't hold on to his anger like I thought he would. She's too much of a good pick for Russell to take to the end.

* I was just waiting for one of those coconuts to crack open on one of their heads.

* I might even hear Rupert cracking sticks when I fall asleep tonight. He was that loud.

* You've got to hand it to Parvati... She's not only a strong strategic player, but she dominates in the "focus" challenges. I'm not sure how Rupert was moving his arms around so much and still stuck around as long as he did. I really wonder if he had won if Russell would have gone through with getting rid of Parvati.

* Now, I don't blame Rupert for going straight to Russell when Sandra whispered her secondary plan. But did he really have to do it in front of Sandra and Parvati? Rupert has no discreteness to his strategy, or lack thereof.

* How strange and funny was that exchange between Russell and Sandra? I think her and Parvati went loopy after all those burgers. It was hilarious that Russell was SO serious and the two girls were SO not. It did provide some intrigue going into tribal council, but my only thought to why Sandra was acting that way was because she knew she was playing the idol. I think she was just playing with the cameras when she said she wasn't going to play the idol. She is too smart to make a boneheaded move like that. She was brilliant not to tell anybody about it. She knew that if Russell and Jerri did turn, Rupert would still be gone and then she would expose Russell's faults even more so. Then she would come out looking like the hero... I mean the not-so-bad villain.

* Russell actually was a little more restrained on this vote. He knew that it wasn't going to do him any good to go with Rupert and Colby. He had to stick to the girls this time around.

* Let's talk about Colby for a sec. Did you see him at tribal council? He had his face buried into his hands like he was a pouty kindergartner. Here is a guy who has lucked into being in the final five, and he could care less. By far he's one of the most disappointing players this season. Who would've thought that the Villains wouldn't be pining to get him voted off because, "He's not a threat in challenges." Colby has become the coattail player that I so often get frustrated at. I would have never expected that.

* Now about Rupert's departure: I can't stand the man. Why did he glare at Russell like he had betrayed an alliance that had been going on since day one? I hated how self-rightieous he was about being a Hero and how evil the Villains were. But as soon as anything benefited him, he would switch to a Villains side immediately. I don't care that he did that, just don't act surprised when blindsides happen in the game of SURVIVOR. I might forgive him if this was his first time, but this is his third time to play the game. His last statement to the camera sums up how aware he is of his celebrity status, "I don't need Survivor to know that I'm a winner." I beg to differ Rupert, I beg to differ.

There's one more final episode to probably the best season out of the 20. Hopefully it'll live up to the suspense of all of these other episodes.

My bold prediction:
Colby is gone next.
Then, if Parvati wins immunity, she takes Russell and Jerri to the finals. Parvati wins.
If Sandra wins immunity, she takes Jerri and Parvati. Parvati wins.
If Russell wins immunity, he takes Jerri and Sandra. Sandra wins.

Of course if they keep Colby, this prediction is all a bust, ha ha.

What do you think? Happy viewing!

Survivor H/V: Week 12

Week 12:
Double the Trouble, Double the Surprise!

What a bizarre episode! I would have never guessed that Candice and Danielle would be the next ones to go. I thought for sure Colby and Rupert were goners, but with the way this season has been going, I shouldn’t have been surprised.

Some thoughts...

* As predicted by me, Candice was automatically on the outs with both sides. Totally disgust from the Heroes and total disrespect from the Villains. Her swing vote had more dire consequences than I would have predicted.

* Another correct prediction from me was saying that Rupert and Colby needed to stir up some trouble. Although it wasn’t very effective, Rupert did a nice job of trying to throw Russell underneath the bus. It didn’t faze Russell though. It was like trying to convince a bluebird that in fact, it’s blue.

* I loved the first immunity challenge. Having them stand on those little ledges was a good bonus. Now, I know I have no idea what it’s like to experience hunger like these guys are, but I’m always amazed at how quick people ditch these challenges for food. I thought it was stupid for Russell and Sandra to bail so early because you know that Jeff is just going to bring out bigger and better food. I was really shocked to see Colby leave the challenge so soon. His competition level is at Lebron’s playoff performance (does anybody get that reference?). Also, I bet Candice wishes she would have stayed longer as well.
I’m so glad Sandra found the idol and finally did the smart thing that no Survivor does... She didn’t tell anybody about it!!! Sandra can easily win this game at this point.

* From now on, all Survivors will carry rocks in their pockets. Thank you Rupert.

* I was pretty shocked that Rupert wasn’t gone after the first immunity vote. I guess that the girl Villains (does Jerri deserve credit for this move?) just didn’t feel good about what Candice might do in the game. Maybe they saw that Russell was trying to suck her in. They probably should’ve been more on the same page on this vote, but maybe in the Villains eyes they were still ousting a Hero.

* I think Candice could’ve totally been in a position to win this game. She has the potential of being a great Survivor, but she lets paranoia get in the way of strategy. She had a good ally in Cirie and she let that go, and then she had a good alliance with the Heroes and let that go. Now, I don’t blame her at all for swinging to the other side, she just did it at the wrong time. She is physical enough and smart enough to win this game, but obviously not in an All-star edition.

* So, Russell comes back to camp with the mindset to gain back control, and boy does he ever. And somehow Colby and Rupert are still alive. How ironic was it that all the girls were cheering on Russell to win immunity and that it turned out to be their worst nightmare.

* Okay... So now about the biggest thing about this episode: Russell turns on his alliance. This once again to me is a brilliant but dumb move. Can you ever remember a Survivor moment where the obvious strongest alliance turns on each other so soon? The girls were obviously gaining control over Russell and everybody saw it coming. It’s as if lightning struck him when Candice was voted out and he said to himself, "No more!"

* Why this was a smart move: He could make this move because he had immunity. So if there was any better time to do this, this was it. He obviously has “real” control in the game now and he took out a person who could easily had won the million dollars.

* Why this was a dumb move: At this point he will get no votes from the jury. It may be a repeat of last year’s finale. Russell may still get to the end, and in my opinion is totally justified in winning, but if Sandra or Parvati are there at the end, he has no shot. His moves are so mean-spirited and are in such a bully-like manner that it will cloud the jury’s opinion of his strategy.

* I’m so glad Parvati stood up to Russell. Parvati has never been my favorite, but she gained a lot of respect from me for not letting Russell throw his male ego on top of her.

* One of my favorite moments of the season was this exchange; Russell to Rupert: "We're voting off Danielle." Rupert, with no hesitation, "Okay!" What a god-send for Rupert and Colby.

* I felt really bad for Danielle. She has played a really solid game this season and literally out of nowhere, she was stabbed in the back. She made a solid alliance, was in the background at the beginning of the game, and then she knew when to get aggressive. That would usually result in a million dollars, but she did allign herself with the most evil troll to ever walk this earth. She talked WAY too much at tribal council. I don’t fault her for crying, but she was falling more and more into Russell’s verbal trap. If I were Parvati, I would’ve hit her. I’m not sure what made Jerri change her vote, but she did, and now it’s once again a completely different game.

If I saw the commercial correctly through the fast-forward of the DVR, I think we only have two more episodes left! Thursday and then the finale on Sunday.

So, I think the overwhelming questions are... How shocked were you to see Candice and Danielle go? Does Russell have any chance of winning? Who is your favorite to win right now?

Survivor H/V: Week 11

Week 11:
No Fighting In Robert Louis Stevenson’s House!

* Russell and Parvati’s alliance won’t be the same. I would have never played that idol unless it was to get Russell out of the game. That is the only way he should’ve known about that.

* I’ve always liked the shuffleboard challenge. It’s a good reward one because anybody can win. Colby’s last shot was pretty clutch.

* I’ve never experienced so much awkwardness as Amanda and Danielle fighting over that immunity clue. I felt like I was watching Jerry Springer for a second. Colby’s reaction was priceless. Now, here’s the thing... in life, that clue was Danielle’s, put did Colby and Amanda give up too easily? Should they have forced Danielle to read it out loud? When you are trapped in a little room like that, how do you get that clue for yourself? What would have you done?

* Danielle should’ve known that Russell had that idol after not finding it. It seems like she had no choice to tell the rest of the group about the clue, but why were only her and Russell looking for it?

* Right when I think that Russell shouldn’t be as celebrated as he is, he pulls a brilliant move by swaying Candice. He is amazing at finding other player’s weak spots. He did it with Tyson, and now he did it with Candice. I can’t reiterate how brilliant this was. His trust in Parvati and Danielle had swayed, so he just goes and renews trust in a whole new girl.

* I like Candice. She’s my pick in this game, but she infuriates me sometimes. I understand that she was at the bottom of the Heroes alliance and that is why she swayed towards Russell. She saw more potential in him. There is a point though where you loose a lot of respect in this game, and she just screwed over all her Heroes alliance. At this point, even if she gets to the end, which I still think can happen, she will get no votes. The vote against Amanda didn’t show her strategic side, it just showed Russell’s.

* Poor Sandra. She must’ve known that Candice wasn’t going to switch, so why burn bridges with Russell and the other Villains. I think she is still somebody to watch out for. If she makes it to the end, which she can by being in the middle of the Heroes and Villains, she’s played a strong enough game not to be seen as “riding coattails.”

* It’s funny to think that Probst had never snuffed Amanda’s torch before. It’s pretty amazing that she still got this far in this game. I liked Amanda from China, but as the seasons went along she didn’t become my favorite. I don’t know if I got tired of her puppy dog looks all the time, but she has been one of the stronger female players in Survivor history and I’ve always liked that she played pretty strategically and always knew who to align herself too.

* Even though Russell played his idol in vain, he should have. At this point, I am SICK of all these hidden immunity idols. I can’t keep them straight anymore. I know that they make for some dramatic tribal councils, but it somehow cheapens the game of Survivor in my opinion. I don’t mind if there are a couple here and there, but it’s gotten pretty ridiculous this season.

* So, at this point, you’d think that Rupert and Colby are the next to go. I don’t know if they can do much to get back into the game, but I would start to make some strong moves. There are some cracks in that Villains tribe, so I would do everything I could to cause distress and tension there. If they did that and won immunity, they MIGHT have a chance to make it to the end, but I doubt it.

I rambled on way too much. Maybe I am making up for missing last week.

What do you think of Parvati’s move of playing two idols? What did you think of Russell pulling in Candice? Who is your favorite to win: is it possible that it’s not going to be Russell, Parvati or Danielle? Are you sick of immunity idols? How awkward did you feel when Danielle and Amanda fought over the clue?

Be on the lookout for an immunity idol hidden somewhere at your house. They are a dime a dozen this time of year.

EW's summary: CLICK HERE
Jeff Probt's thoughts: CLICK HERE
Courtney's exit interview: CLICK HERE

Survivor H/V: Week 10

Week 10:
For Once, Rupert Was Right!

I know, I know... I was doing soooo good and I missed a week. A big week at that. The merge week!

I’m not going to do a full recap like I usually do for Week 10, but here are just a couple of thoughts:

* I’ve never seen such a less enthusiastic merge. “Game On” mode started much sooner than usual. Probably due to the fact that they delayed it and that there are already two members of the jury.

* The second thought is mainly just about Parvati’s gameplay. I felt like she made a lot of mistakes, but a lot of good moves as well. In my opinion, there is no way I would’ve played both idols. I understand that she was protecting her Villains tribe, and that may pay off big time in the future (a vote from Sandra and Jerri perhaps?). But to throw the idol back into the game again was not a good move. I personally would’ve played just one and still kept the other one hidden. Also, she was dumb for exiting the immunity challenge so quickly. She really exposed to the tribe that she felt like she was untouchable. Regardless, Parvati is really taking over the game.

* Last, I would have never thought that I would say this, but the Heroes should’ve listened to Rupert! I don’t know what made them not trust his conversation with Sandra and believe Russell. I guess that J.T.’s idol handout now does solidify his move as one of the stupidest moves ever.

* J.T. will be missed. I always liked him and he will always be one of the stronger players to play this game. His fault was just playing too hard. He forgot about what helped him win the first time, being subtle. I don’t think he should have totally backed off, but he could’ve honed down his anxiousness a bit. Paranoia got him this time around, and that wasn’t a problem for him in his previous season.

Now on to Week 11:

EW's summary: CLICK HERE
Jeff Probt's thoughts: CLICK HERE
Courtney's exit interview: CLICK HERE