To Kill a Mockingbird

Pros: Excellent adaption of a novel dealing with bigotry and false accusations.

Cons: None that I can see, may be a bit too intense for younger children.

The Bottom Line: Looking at the shadowy edges of life in the Depression in the deep South, it's an excellent study of human nature and racial stereotypes.

Review: There's something about this film that I can't quite put my finger on. In terms of film-making, it's one of the best in terms of lighting, characters, adaptation of a novel, and of course, storytelling. Told through the eyes and memories of Scout Finch, t ...

Pros: Gregory Peck and the entire cast, the directing, the story, the score, the photography-everything

Cons: none at all

The Bottom Line: Here's another movie which is a classic combination of great performances, and a great story. The lawyer is a good guy! Doesn't that make it a fantasy?

Review: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...’til you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”

That has got to among the best lines ever spoken by a lawyer in any movie, and...

Pros: Gregory Peck. Superior script.

Cons: Rich supporting characters cut or streamlined for time.

The Bottom Line: This fine film adaptation of Harper Lee's classic novel captures with heartbreaking clarity the stuff of childhood and the evils of the adult world.

Review: I spent today in my home dance studio, carefully working my way through a series of pliers an ...

Pros: acting, Peck, just about everything

Cons: some elements in book not in movie

The Bottom Line: ----

Review: If ever there was a film that everybody should see at least once in their lifetimes, To Kill a Mockingbird is that movie. Based on a Pulitzer prize winning book by Harper Lee of the same name (which people should also read) it features such ...

Pros: THe entire production

Cons: None

The Bottom Line: Brilliant and evocative moviemaking at its best! A simple storyline conveyed through absolute mastery by cast and crew alike. Highly recommended!

Review: Every so often, as surely as night follows day, a film comes along that manages to transport us from our everyday lives and into a time and place that is recalled through memories of better and in a reversal of fortunes, turbulent times. To Kill A...

Pros: Acting, Story, Setting, Big Themes, Score

Cons: May frighten very small children, Rape

Review: I can think of several other courtroom dramas I enjoy, but next to The Rainmaker this is my favorite. Based on the outstanding novel by Harper Lee, this 1962 release is ranked 34 on the American Film Institute's list of 100 Greatest...

Pros: A powerful story on multiple levels!

Cons: How do you convince young people to watch an 'old' movie?

Review: Arguably one of the best movies ever made.

Harper Lee weaves a theme of unfounded prejudice into several concurrent events as seen through the eyes of a young girl, Jean Louise "Scout" Finch (Mary Badham). How does a girl, too young...

Pros: The entire production (acting, direction, music score, everything) is magnificent.

Cons: None.

The Bottom Line: One of the finest motion pictures of the past fifty years, and one of the best book-to-film adaptations ever made.

Review: Alan Pakula, Robert Mulligan and Horton Foote have made an absolutely terrific movie of one of the greatest books in contemporary fiction. The three years covered in the book are compressed into one year in the movie, and almost everything of importance ...

Pros: A Classic Tale for learning about the courage to stand up for what is right.

Cons: A little slow for today's viewers who are attuned to a faster pace.

The Bottom Line: This is a classic movie made with fine actors and fine direction. It is probably one of the top ten movies ever made.

Review: Atticus Finch is the man we all wanted our fathers to be. And if we were lucky, we not only had him, but a Boo Radley in our lives as well. Why? Because, in their own way, both are men of conscience; men for all seasons.

I sometimes say...

Pros: Powerful performances

Cons: None

The Bottom Line: WORTH WATCHING AGAIN

Review: When I was younger, one of the movies I was allowed to stay up late and watch was To Kill A Mockingbird. Even if it was on late, my sister and I were allowed to stay up cuddled on the couch and see the whole thing. I guess my parents must have thought...