Sins of the Father

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Tom Sizemore is best known for playing sleazy jerks (Natural Born Killers, Devil in a Blue Dress), but in Sins of the Father he gives a compelling performance as a man who turns from his hatred-filled upbringing and struggles to find another path in life. Sizemore plays Tom Cherry, the son of one of the men responsible for an Alabama church bombing that killed four young African-American girls in 1963. In 1998, the adult Tom builds a house to forge a peace with his dying father (Richard Jenkins), but his deepening friendship with a black man he's hired to help him (the ever-dependable Ving Rhames) stirs up memories of the brutality of his childhood and leads him to testify against the old man's criminal acts. This father-son conflict provides a unique window into the strife of the civil rights movement. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Perhaps, if this one had been shown on HBO..........2004-01-24

...or any other "prestigious" network, it might have attained the recognition it deserves.

Like the other reviewer, I can only praise the excellent script and the fine performances from Sizemore, Jenkins, Rhames, and Fiore. Closeups of Sizemore's agonized face bring this viewer almost to tears. Jenkin's intensity, seen in both the frequent flashbacks and present-time scenes, is awesome. Rhames provides the "conscience" that brings Sizemore to the realization that he must reveal his father's past. And Fiore is quite good as the FBI agent, determined to right the wrong of the death of the four little black girls, so long ago in Montgomery.

Also, in lesser yet pivotal roles, are Lachlan Murdock as young "Tom" and Brenda Bazinet as his cancer-stricken mother. The two actors bring conviction to their roles as persons caught up in an abusive home and the turbulent times of the Civil Rights Movement.

It is hard to imagine that this fine film didn't sweep the Emmy Awards of 2003 for its teleplay or the acting.

Underrated Masterpiece.......2003-11-14

This is one of the best movies I have seen in a while, an underrated engrossing little gem that is totally captivating.
While at first I was surprised why the film never got nominated for any awards,I was even more surprised to find out later that it was a TV movie! Well, films made for television can not get better than this, and it is unfortunate it did not get a theater release, for its style, script,acting and direction are way above average.
The plot mainly revolves around the racial tension divide in the early 60s, and most particularly the bombing of an African American church in Alabama in '63 by racists that killed innocent people.This incident resulted in a tug of war between the FBI and the main suspect that lasted nearly four decades, before he was finally put behind bars. Yet the film offers much more,it is also a look at a dysfunctional family and the difficult relationship between a father/the main suspect and his son who has carried the guilt of knowning the truth for too long ,but remained silent for years out of duty, uncertainty and love for his father, before his conscience, guilt and the memories of his childhood that haunted him, pushed him to cooperate with the authorities, and bring his father to justice. This is very powerful writng by John Pielmeier based on a short article in Texas Monthly by Pamela Collof. The quality of the writing is not unlike Paul Schrader's masterpiece Affliction.
Although the film, (directed by Robert Dornhelm whose best work was the underrated Echo Park back in '86), has many flashbacks, which normally can be annoying,yet in the case of Sins of the Father they are very well edited, and enhance the plot.
Lastly I want to say few words about the acting.
While Tom Sizemore gives his best acting to date, I was blown away by one particular actor: Richard Jenkins!! What a great performance!! His portrayal of the racist,hate filled,cold and strict father is mind blowing! Buying the film is worth it for Jenkins alone!
So Sins of The Father is an excellent drama, a film that will totally surprise and captivate you, a movie worthy to be in your collection.Do Not Miss!!

Average customer rating:

Confusion Masks Reality: Sorting Out the Mystery
"Sin Limites" brings Humanness to the City
a lot of quiet
Film does not dissapoint
A story about absolution ...

En la Ciudad Sin Limites
Starring: Alfredo Alcón , Leticia Brédice , Àlex Casanovas , Geraldine Chaplin , and Alain Cipot
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00020X9DS
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Customer Reviews:

Confusion Masks Reality: Sorting Out the Mystery.......2006-11-15

Maximillian Martin is an elderly Spanish gentleman who is hospitalized in Paris in an ultramodern high tech hospital ... where each patient resides in a two or three room suite while undergoing tests and procedures or recovery from an illness or surgery ... His son Victor and girlfriend Eileen from Argentina arrive at Charles DeGaul Airport where they are met by Alberto another son and his wife Carmen and Luis, Max's third son. The family is gathering to support Max during this difficult time when he has been diagnosed with brain cancer and is preparing for brain surgery.

Victor keeps company with his dad at the hospital and listens closely when his dad rambles about needing to leave the hospital ... to find Rancel. He provides Victor a key to a secret apartment in Paris which his dad had owned for 40 years and also gives him a button which will verify to Rancel that Victor is who he says he is ... Victor is puzzled by his dad's rambling and mentions some of it to his mom. Later, he sees his mom, Marie berating his dad and begins to wonder if maybe she is hiding something from him, holding back information or misdleading him. There are some fascinating family dynamics within the story. For example, Luis who divorced his wife is making love to his mistress (who used to be the nanny to their children) and the exwife makes a loud scene at the hotel about their relationship causing other guests to come out into the corridor to find out what all the noise is about. Victor has been having an affair with Carmen, the wife of his brother Alberto but Eileen understands (so she says). Eileen is completely aware of this, declares her love for him but lays down an ultimatum, he must make up his mind whether or not he will marry her. Essentially he must choose between Carmen or Eileen ...

Victor helps his dad escape from the hospital for a few hours and they roam Paris, looking for the address his dad needed to find. Max is looking for "The Fountain" and is seriously distressed when it is not where he believed it was. After returning to the hospital, Victor discovers a book written by Rancel with a title that begins to make sense out of his dad's ramblings. The biography for Rancel as written on the jacket inside cover begins to put things together for Victor and he suspects his mom has been lying to him. Victor tries to find Rancel, the author ... Victor learns Rancel and his dad were Communists 40 years ago and both were supposed to meet at a railroad station. His dad did not show up but Rancel did and was arrested, imprisoned for 10 years. Max felt guilty for Rancel's imprisonment, yet he never visited him in prison. He wanted to make peace with this aspect of his life ... The story and plot are mysterious as the pieces of the puzzle come together and add some surprises which twist and turn the ending into a very fitting conclusion. This is a highly recommended film for mystery fans who love a good thrill ... Erika Borsos (pepper flower)

"Sin Limites" brings Humanness to the City.......2006-03-08

The movie is good but the item was received damaged (the DVD box was cracked and torn around the stem and edges - but the DVD disk was OK). The storyline is capable. The acting is very good and plays with depth: layers of tension, conflict, human frailty and determination. The actors chosen for the roles are excellent.

a lot of quiet.......2005-11-05

I have to be a dissenting reviewer from the norm, as I found the film so lifeless, I looked at the clock 45 minutes into it, then at the halfway point at one hour actually put it on pause and took a nap. Though the acting is fine, with all the undercurrents suspected, you'd expect a livelier group, more histrionics, something to pick up the pace. Instead, there are long silent and ultimately pointless moments, when the film isn't supposed to be photography (and I appreciate cinematography just fine) but a motion picture. On the other hand, it's a movie on how a selfish and/or immature love is both destructive and ultimately a life force, and how cowardice has both its positive and negative contradictions as well. As different secrets amongst the members of one family could be tearing that family apart, denial has been the saving grace and practice and therefore the family stays together no matter what, with none of the members as happy as they could have been if they'd been honest or honorable or less determined to keep resentments old and current completely dormant as tiny conspiracies are forming like clouds over everyone. And geographical escape, also practised, is as bad a condition as denial, since it leads to the same conditions. Finally, a main reason to find a film boring is if the characters don't engage you, and I found this to be the main fault.

Film does not dissapoint.......2005-09-05

Rarely does one see a film that grips the viewer from start to finish. American films lack the human values, the insights into character, the depth of feeling and understanding that motivate key characters. One wants to see more such films. American films, in contrast, rely on special effects, vulgar language, gratutitous sex, violence and sensationalism. Actors like Bruce Willis irritate me with their brazen arrogance, while Fernando Fernan Gomez brings the humanity of his role to life. This particular film will endure long after most current American pot boilers are forgotten.

A story about absolution ..........2005-08-08

This is a wonderfully different movie that addresses a complex emotional theme in a very creative manner. The story revolves around a large upscale Spanish family. Fernando Fernán Gómez plays the part of patriarch, who is diagnosed with Cancer. However, he is a reluctant patient and secretly flushes his medicines in the toilet. He is extremely paranoid about a candid conspiracy and talks incoherently about a fountain, a train, a city with no limits and a person called Rancel. This behavior forces his family member to believe that his mind is going senile. He finds some support in his youngest son, Victor (the very talented, Leonardo Sbaraglia).
Suspiciously, the symptoms of his father's cancer are not very distinctly obvious and yet his wife Geraldine Chaplin) and other two sons insist on him getting operated. They seem to be running with an ulterior motive of closing a big business deal.
Victor is very close to his father and decides to unearth the seemingly fictitious Rancel. Some clever investigation leads him to Rancel, who is a famous novelist and had been an underground republican during the troubled Spanish times. Rancel and Victor's father were planning a covert escape, but Victor's father backed out at the last moment (motivated by Victor's mother) leading to Rancel's arrest and incarceration. Victor's father couldn't forgive himself for quisling and lead a life of repent. He wants to relive the moment and save Rancel from getting incarcerated. Victor helps his father touch absolution before his death. The father-child relationship is very touching.

Each character in the movie has his/her own little story that has been mingled with the main storyline to perfection. Victor, himself is fighting a little battle between temptation (his brother's wife) and self-righteousness. His choosing the correct self-righteous path has been depicted in a very subtle manner.
The story, cinematography, acting and background score, have all been woven to near perfection by the director. Impressive stuff!!

The City of No Limits (En la Ciudad Sin Limites)

Average customer rating:

Confusion Masks Reality: Sorting Out the Mystery
"Sin Limites" brings Humanness to the City
a lot of quiet
Film does not dissapoint
A story about absolution ...

The City of No Limits (En la Ciudad Sin Limites)
Starring: Alfredo Alcón , Leticia Brédice , Àlex Casanovas , Geraldine Chaplin , and Alain Cipot
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00020HAN8
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Customer Reviews:

Confusion Masks Reality: Sorting Out the Mystery.......2006-11-15

"Sin Limites" brings Humanness to the City.......2006-03-08

a lot of quiet.......2005-11-05

Film does not dissapoint.......2005-09-05

A story about absolution ..........2005-08-08

Average customer rating:

La Traviata
unrealistic plot
Lights and Mirrors
greed personified

Inspector Morse - Sins of the Fathers
Starring: Inspector Morse
Manufacturer: Bfs Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00007AJDQ
Release Date: 2003-02-04

Customer Reviews:

La Traviata.......2006-12-07

The first half of this episode is quite average, no intellectual Morse, no surprises or twists. However our patience rewards us as the two major soprano arias from the first act of La Traviata run regularly through the last half and our interest is peeked by the appearance of model trains two or three times. A major surprise relative to the owners of the Brewery really picks up the plot and just as we are settling in and adjusting to it, a couple of plot twists are thrown in to finish off splendidly what we believed at the start, would only be an average Morse. Pick this up, have patience and reap your reward.

unrealistic plot.......2006-09-09

This episode has some illogical aspects. Once you view it ask yourself about the legal aspects of abandoned property. If a family does not claim ownership of some property for 150 years and does not pay death duties on it as it passes between generations of the family, do they have a legal claim on the property?

Lights and Mirrors.......2006-08-14

What struck me most about this episode was the excellent photography--and how it seemed to be underscoring the saying about magic that "It's all done with lights and mirrors."

There are an astonisting number of shots with reflections--off mirrors, off windows, off the tops of cars, off framed family photographs. And, the framed family photographs in the foreground of many shots provide silent commentary to the action.

This is one of the more visual of the Morse series I've seen to date, though the cinematography is always excelletn.

Reflect on the reflections, and you'll have a major clue.

--Janet Grace Riehl, author "Sightlines: A Poet's Diary"

greed personified.......2004-09-28

As Morse has commented on several occasions, the motivation for criminal activity usually involves sex, money, or both. In this particular mystery, the driving forces are much more pecuniary in nature rather than carnal. This entry in the series focuses on a family owned brewery which has fallen on hard times due to family mismanagement; consequently, a large corporation has bid to take over the brewery--- but at a price which (on the surface) seems unrealistically low. The mystery opens with the murder of the brewery manager, who was a member of the family and who was inclined to accept the takeover bid. Morse has to consider whether his murder was related to the takeover bid (since the family is divided over the issue) or to some other matter. No clear suspect emerges, although Morse has to consider the possibility that the dead man's brother (who frequently argued with the victim and was having an affair with his wife) might have committed the deed. Shortly afterwards, however, the brother, himself, is found murdered at the brewery. Eventually, one more murder victim is added to the mix for a total of three different homicides. Elements such as blackmail, financial fraud, preservation of family reputation and status, and revenge related to inheritance claims figure prominently among the factors which motivated the actions of the principal characters. It is fascinating to observe the dynamics of the family which owns the failing brewery, as they seem to be less affected by human loss (the murder of two sons) than they are by the prospect of financial ruin. Only at the end of the story do we learn the identity of the character who committed the final murder; moreover, I must admit I was surprised by this plot twist. Had I been more astute and attentive, I might have reached a correct conclusion earlier. In any event, Morse succeeds in solving crimes by attention to details (documents from the 19th century and the choice of words during a phone conversation) which might have easily been overlooked by a less imaginative detective. The performances are generally very good, with Isabel Dean delivering an excellent portrayal of the resolute family matriarch.

Average customer rating:

Sins of the Children

The Sins of the Children
Starring: Sam Wood , Robert Montgomery , and Clara Blandick
Manufacturer: Roan Archival Group
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000EMGEZY
Release Date: 2006-05-02

Description

A proud father, who unwaveringly adores his family, holds them together through their hardships sacrificing everything for their welfare. Although his selfish children let him down, he altruistically considers himself "The Richest Man in the World". A "feel good film" perfect to enjoy with loved ones.

Customer Reviews:

Sins of the Children.......2007-01-20

A definite departure from the standard Robert Montgomery roles...a must see for his fans....truly...a view from his 'other' side....

DVD:

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