CALL NORTHSIDE 777

CALL NORTHSIDE 777 - 1948

RATED - NR but probably G/PG for mature themes. Family friendly but probably not of interest for young children.

RATINGS - 39 Amazon (4.5/5), 17,476 Netflix (3.7/5), 2,393 IMDB (7.5/10).

STARRING - James Stewart, Lee J. Cobb, Helen Walker, Richard Conte.

AWARDS - 1949 EDGAR (Mystery Writers Association) for Best Motion Picture.

THEMES - Justice, relationships.

STORY - Based on a true story, this docudrama-like film is the story of how police corruption in 1930's Chicago resulted in the wrongful conviction of Frank Wiecek for killing a policeman. A newspaper reporter for the Chicago Times (Stewart) responds to a two line personal ad offering a $5000 reward (a large sum then) for information helping to overturn the verdict 11 years later. He finds a hard working, floor scrubbing woman who is the mother of Wiecek. Since his conviction she has worked and saved every penny to free her son. Stewart is initially unconvinced but writes a sympathy article to promote her cause. Little by little, things come to light that indicate there may be some truth to her beliefs. Once convinced, he is relentless in his pursuit of freeing this man he now believes to be innocent. He reaches dead end after dead end but, finally, with time running out, he finds what he's looking for. Will it be enough and will it be in time? In addition to a very interesting story (and great acting by Stewart, etc) much of the film is shot on location in and around Chicago. Definitely an overlooked gem of Jimmy Stewart's great career. If you like law & order and courtroom dramas you will enjoy this. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 01/01/2010.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, WIKIPEDIA.

THE PISTOL

THE PISTOL - 1991

RATED - G - Very family friendly. Should be very interesting for Junior High and Senior High athletes, both boys and girls. Great film for coaches to show their teams.

RATINGS - 10 Amazon (4.5/5), 11,067 Netflix (3.7/5), 357 IMDB (7.1/10).

THEMES - Relationships, perseverance, racial issues.

STORY - Pete Maravich is the greatest scorer in the history of NCAA basketball. Think about it. This is a record that has stood for 40 years AND he did it before the three point rule (he was a guard with many of his shots outside today's three point boundary) AND freshman were not eligible when he played so he did it in three years. He averaged 44 points (charts show it would have been an incredible 57 with the three point rule) per game for three seasons. He also went on to become one of the all time great NBA players and was the youngest ever selected for the Hall of Fame. He was also a pioneer of the free wheeling style of basketball that dominates today. Behind the back passes and between the legs dribbling were unheard of in the white dominated basketball culture. Much more common in the segregated black teams and leagues, it was considered show-boating and hot-dogging in the white culture at that time. But Pete had a Dad, Press Maravich (a great player & coach in his own right), who was also a visionary and saw this as the future of basketball. This film is the story of how a father passed on his dream and vision to his talented and determined son at an early age. The film primarily covers Pete's eighth grade basketball, a coming of age experience, for this young man, both socially and athletically. Too good for his age and not politically correct to beat out the coach's son, he sits on the bench for a good part of the season until an injury puts him in the starting lineup. Basketball would never be the same again. While not a big budget film, nevertheless, it is a very satisfying story of this incredible athlete in this particular stage of his career. Adam Guier, who plays the eighth grade Pete, is no slouch as a basketball talent and makes the basketball scenes very real. Get the family or your team together for a fun and inspiring experience. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 01/01/2010.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, WIKIPEDIA