BuyFind This DVD #2: Conrack

"Conrack" is a terrific gem of a movie, but definitely not widely known. This fact-based drama stars Jon Voight (or Angelina Jolie's daddy as some know him) as Pat Conroy who goes to teach a two room schoolhouse on an island off the coast of South Carolina. He soon realizes that the children have very little formal education and none can tell him what state they live in, or even what 2+2 is. The plot is somewhat of a typical "nice white person goes into a school of underprivileged minorities and teaches them to overcome adversity and triumph in spite of hardships," but I find "Conrack" is just different and is more touching than most movies of that formula today.

So, I would usually add a link to the website where you can buy this movie on DVD, but apparently production was discontinued and I have no idea where to get it otherwise I'd be ordering it right now also. I couldn't even find a video clip to add to the post which gives you an idea of just how little known this film is. If you do find it and you're a fan of drama you should do yourself a favor and buy it immediately.

In the words of Pat Conroy...well actually without the DVD I can't remember any quotes off the top of my head so I'll just lift it from the poster, "I want you all to take a real long look at me. That shouldn't be any hardship because I'm handsome."

Brooklyn's Finest

I’m going to kick things off with a post on Brooklyn’s Finest, a movie that’s not too far off everyone‘s radar and that is still in theaters. Just noting though that I will also make posts about films that have been out of theaters for a while, foreign films, etc; but lets just start it all off with a nice cliché cop drama.

Notice the use of the word ‘cliché.’ Technically cliché never ever means a good thing, but I had to make an exception in its use in this case. Brooklyn’s Finest is what clichés cop dramas should attempt to be. Its all there: the alcoholic cop, a week from retirement, the dirty cop struggling to make ends meet for his family, and the undercover cop who starts having a harder and harder time sorting out his priorities (Notice how many times I used the word ‘cop’). Despite all of these all too familiar elements the stories in Brooklyn’s Finest never feels boring, and the characters are not just boring archetypes, they are legitimately interesting characters who progress through the story just great.

On a bit of a downside the story was fairly predictable, and some people just have a hard time buying Richard Gere as a depressed, hooker loving, suicidal cop.

Overall, this movie is definitely worth the ticket price. It has great heart pumping moments, terrific characters, and of course the superb “hooker clean-up” scene.

In the words of Sal, “I don’t want God’s forgiveness–I want his fucking help!”