Comedy Films.. 

One out of three people will choose comedy over drama, action or horror ... after all laughter induces our bodies to release endorphins..  making us feel good.. 

1. Nobody's Fool 2018 - is a romantic comedy .. and features an outstanding all star cast that includes Tiffany Haddish, Whoopi Goldberg, Tika Sumpter, Mehcad Brooks and Omari Hardwick.. The film follows a recently paroled woman who returns home only to discover that her sister's man is catfishing her .. This movie is tremendously funny.. I was laughing from start to finish.. 

2. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 2017 - is a fantasy action comedy and a part of the Jumanji franchise.. which was based on a children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg.. Robin Williams starred in the original Jumanji film.. However this Jumanji film is set twenty-one years after the original and follows four teenagers who are transported into the video game version of Jumanji to play as their chosen characters..  they all have strengths and weaknesses and they have to work together in order to overcome the game's magical power and beat the game so they can return home.. 
The cast includes Dewayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan.. The film has a lot of twists and turns .. but is a barrel of laughs..  I loved it.. A definite must see for the whole family..

3. Girls Trip 2017 - is a hilarious comedy with an outstanding cast that includes Queen Latifah, Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, and Jada Pinkett Smith.. The movie follows a group of four best friends (the Flossy Posse) who look to reconnect when they travel to New Orleans to attend the Essence Music Festival.. The movie is hysterically funny from start to finish.. with many jaw dropping scenes.. This is definitely a movie to watch with your girlfriends... 

4. Crazy Rich Asians 2018 - is a comedy drama based on a novel by the same name by Kevin Kwan.. The movie follows a Chinese American professor who travels to meet her boyfriend's family and is totally surprised to learn that they are among the wealthiest families in Singapore..  and that her boyfriend is one of Singapore's most eligible bachelors.. This film is ridiculously funny and will make you smile .. I loved it.. 

5. The Upside 2019 - is a comedy drama that follows a recently paroled convict (Kevin Hart) who desperately needs a job and is hired by a paralyzed billionaire (Bryan Cranston) who has seemingly lost his will to live.. The film focuses on the friendship between the pair, and insight into both of their lives.. it features fast cars, medicinal marijuana, parasailing and urinary catheters.. This movie normalizes disabilities.. demonstrates how impactful true friendship can be.. and is truly a sentimental heartwarming movie.. I really enjoyed every minute of this film..

The Upside was originally released in 2017 at the Toronto International Film Festival.. and is a remake of a French film titled The Intouchables which was inspired by the life of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo.. and his French Algerian caregiver Abdel Sellou..

Heart-Warming Movies

Films that give you that warm fuzzy feeling, that touches your soul.. and are uplifting..

1. Bicentennial Man 1999 - is a sci fi comedy drama starring Robin Williams.. the film is based on a robot named Andrew as he is introduced to the Martin family home.. and while he is met with many different reactions by the family members he quickly becomes part of the family.. especially with "Little Miss" Amanda.. This film is so much more than just a story about a well rounded highly intelligent robot.. Andrew's story is one that explores that of basic humanity, prejudice, slavery, freedoms, conformity, happiness and morality.. including the right to love and die as one wishes.. I found the film to be heart warming, funny and insightful.. I highly recommend this film.. and bring the Kleenex because I cried more than once.. and you will too.. a must see movie for all ages..

2. Mrs. Doubtfire 1993 - is a hilariously funny comedy drama based a divorced actor (Robin Williams) who dresses up as a female to be able to take a position working for his ex-wife (Sally Field) as a housekeeper so that he will be able to interact with his three children.. Although the film is tremendously funny..it deals with very real subject matter including divorce and parental separation.. This movie will forever be one of my favorite Robin Williams films.. Mrs. Doubtfire is a charming movie for the whole family.. and one that will definitely make you smile..

3. City of Angels 1998 - is a romantic drama film.. and is based on an angel (Nicolas Cage) who falls in love with a mortal doctor (Meg Ryan).. He decides to make the transition from immortality as an angel to discover the human experience and so that he can be with her.. This film is extremely heartwarming and yet gut wrenching all at the same time..   Truly love this film..

4. Miracles from Heaven 2016 - is a Christian drama based on the book Miracles from Heaven by Christy Beam.. A true life story which tells of her young daughter who after a near death experience was cured from an incurable disease..  This film has an outstanding cast that includes Jennifer Garner who plays the mom, Kylie Rogers the little girl..Queen Latifah and many others..  This film is truly uplifting food for the soul.. as well as a real tear-jerker..  A real must see movie for the whole family..

5. Our Souls at Night 2017 - is a charming romantic drama based on a book by the same name written by Kent Haruf..  The film follows Addie a widow (Jane Fonda) who lives near Louis a widower (Robert Redford).. One night Addie gets up the nerve to visit Louis and suggest that they spend the night together.. in an effort to counter their loneliness.. After he thinks about it.. and they soon start spending time together.. they share stories back and forth .. However when Addie's son drops her grandson off after his marriage has fallen apart.. Louis offers Addie his help to take care of the little boy.. This movie is really a charming love story..   Definitely loved it..  

Prime time Drama TV Shows..

1. A Million Little Things 2018 - is a ABC drama series that focuses on a tight group of friends that are completely shocked after a member of the group commits suicide unexpectedly.. After the series starts you soon realize the man was not only a family man but the glue that held the group together.. the others in the group consist of the deceased wife with a secret.. a single man who is a breast cancer survivor.. a musician father with marital problems, his wife who is doing her best to juggle her career as an attorney, parenting and her marriage.. a married man who has had some difficulty finding his way in life.. his culinary chef wife who dreams of opening her own restaurant.. and the new member of the group that is a therapist and becomes the cancer survivors love interest.. In the show each of them realize that they have to now learn to go on with their lives and lean on each other .. but all of them are struggling to figure out why their friend committed suicide..

The show features an outstanding cast.. and is gut wrenching and heartwarming all at the same time.. Love.. Love.. Love this show..

2. This is Us 2016 - is a NBC comedy drama series that follows on the lives and families of two parents and their three children.. The show features an exceptional cast that includes Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K.Brown, Mandy Moore, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan, as well as many others..  I love this show and I am definitely not the only one.. from the first episode it has become a big hit with viewers.. Each episode is like a roller coaster ride.. making you laugh, tugging at your heart, bringing you to tears, as well as holding your breath.. I love this show and know you will too.. Truly outstanding and amazing.. A definite must see show

3. Pose 2018 - is a FX network drama series set in NYC in the 1980s.. The series is based on the LGBTQ community including HIV, dance, the competition ball culture, and all aspects of house life that provides support to youth that have been discarded to the streets by their families.. This show in my opinion is insightful, thought-provoking and packed full of drama.. I love it.. and the ensemble cast is outstanding..  Sympathy, kindness and tolerance abound..

4. The Rookie 2018 - is an ABC crime drama series that follows John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) a forty-year old rookie Los Angeles police officer.. John use to own a construction company, newly divorced with a son in college... This is his chance to focus on a new career and carve a new life for himself..
John's new career is full of dangerous situations and challenges.. but he is determined and is surrounded by a great group of friends..    I really enjoy watching this show and you will too..

5. You 2018 - is a crime drama and psychological thriller series.. The first season was on Lifetime but the show has now jumped over to Netflix.. which will most likely delay the release of the second season.. I really love this show.. the show is a real roller coaster ride, keeping you on the edge of your seat.. It follows an average looking guy (Penn Badgley) who is a NYC bookstore owner that falls in love with a girl named Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail), becoming obsessed in a creepy stalker way.. Plenty of chilling drama ensues and season one ended in a cliffhanger.. so really cannot wait next season.. Bring it on Netflix..  

TV TV TV

Everyone watches TV .. Some people probably more than others.. Here are some of my favorites

1. 60 Days In 2016 - is a A&E series that is now in its 5th season.. The show centers around volunteers going undercover as incarcerated inmates in order to improve and provide information that may help the Dept of Corrections.. (including drug availability, gangs, weapons, as well as any correction officer and facility operation flaws.. I have to say I really enjoy this show.. I think while some of the volunteers do quite well and serve a valuable purpose .. giving insightful feedback that may actually benefit not one correctional facility but possibly others.. On the other hand.. some volunteers sadly show us the total flip side of who should be picked for this kind of docuseries .. which I believe can often look as though it is done purposeful in order to achieve higher ratings.. After all having volunteers that from Day 1 show ignorance and disregard for the process as well as quite possibly putting themselves if not other in danger is complete carelessness.. I don't blame the correctional personnel that look as if they are truly attempting to get feedback on their facility.. but I do think once a participant enters the process and is viewed showing inappropriate and possibly compromising behavior I think they should be promptly removed from the facility and in turn the show .. as this may deter others (i.e. Robert Holcomb, Jeffrey Downs).. In season 5 which is now airing thankfully Steve (definitely a troubled person) was removed abruptly after he threatened to expose the program.. which I wholeheartedly agreed with.. 

Season 1 and 2 took place in Clark County Jail located in Jeffersonville Indiana

Season 3 and 4 took place in the ATL's  Fulton County Jail

Season 5 is airing now and documents Pinal County Jail located in Florence Arizona..

2. Botched 2014 - is a reality TV series on E! and follows plastic surgeons Terry Dubrow and Paul Nassif as they correct plastic surgeries gone wrong or surgeries done by untrained professions.. I truly love this show.. for many reasons.. Both doctors do everything in their power to help truly horrific problems restoring many of their patients lives.. which I find truly admirable .. They also don't take on surgeries of people that they feel are plastic surgery addicts which I also admire.. Why this show is at times funny it is a great reality show.. and in my opinion one of the best on TV because both of these physicians seem to in the business for the right reasons.. to use their skill to help people get their lives back ..

I have been in healthcare for over 37 years and I can honestly say I would be extremely honored if I ever had the opportunity to work for them... Furthermore I will have to admit ever since I my fourth C-section was performed more than 28 years ago, I've dealt with my own body dysmorphic issues..
that has really affected my life negatively.. So I feel like I have a good idea of how some of their patients must feel to get their lives back..

3. Gordon Ramsey's 24 Hours to Hell and Back 2018 Fox - is the most recent Gordon Ramsey reality show...and follows Gordon Ramsey as he goes on the road to turn around failing restaurants.  The show features a high-tech mobile kitchen semi-truck along with several of Ramsey's staff that retrain the kitchen staff and completely renovate the restaurants.. I love all of the Gordon Ramsey's shows.. which not only includes 24 Hours to Hell and Back, Masterchef, Masterchef Junior and Hell's Kitchen.. I also really enjoyed Kitchen Nightmares that ran from 2007-2014..

Gordon Ramsey has many TV shows both US, and British.. while I am unable to list them all I do know he has more than the ones previously listed..

4. The Profit 2013 - is a reality show on CNBC starring Marcus Lemonis who is a Lebanese born American businessman, philanthropist and television personality .. In the show Mr. Lemonis visits struggling businesses .. reviews their financials and facilities where he may decide to make an offer of his business savvy and an actual capital investment in order to save the company in exchange for a vested interest in the business..  I really enjoy how once Mr. Lemonis hands over the check .. he immediately jumps into changing everything wrong about the businesses .. and at times that can lead to chaos because some of the owners have a hard time with change.. However for the businesses that really do embrace the changes.. the impact Mr. Lemonis can make on their companies is astonishing.. This show is fascinating and unfortunately sometimes the deals fold and Mr. Lemonis has no choice but to walk away from .. mostly due to owners that refuse to accept the change..

5. 20/20 1978 ABC - is a hard hitting prime time news program.. with co-anchors Amy Robach and David Muir.. The show features everything from investigative reports to in-depth interviews.. It is hard to put into words how insightful this show is.. I just know I love it and have watched it faithfully over the years except for when I was overseas with the US Armed Forces..

Other news prime time shows I enjoy and try to stay up to date on watching include:

CBS .. 60 Minutes premiered in 1968 and has withstood the test of time.. and features several different news segments..

NBC.. Dateline premiered in 1992 and has much the same format as 20/20.. highlighting many human interest stories, true crime and in depth investigative specials (i.e. To Catch a Predator)

People watch war movies for many different reasons.. after all war movies insight many different emotions.. As for myself.. I believe war movies play important part in reminding us of our history .. and some films are a cut above the rest..

1. The Book Thief 2013 - is a WWII drama based on a 2005 novel by the same name by Markus Zusak .. The film is about an orphan girl (Sophie Nelisse) living with her foster German family.. Hans and Rosa (Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson) and after Hans teaches her to read, she grows enamored with reading.. This movie is truly gut wrenching and heartwarming all at the same time.. there are plenty of dramatic scenes and at times it is truly hard to watch.. but this is definitely a must see film..

2. Allied 2016 - is a WWII thriller movie based on a Canadian intelligence officer (Brad Pitt) who meets a French Resistance fighter (Marion Cotillard) who fall in love while posing as a married couple while on a mission in Casablanca to assassinate a German ambassador.. The two end up married, parents and living in London..  He soon learns that Special Operations suspect his wife of being a German spy .. surveillance, spying, and intrigue abounds...  I highly recommend it..

3. Life is Beautiful 1997 - is an Italian comedy drama is based on a Jewish Italian bookshop owner named Guido.. who employs his imagination to try and shield his young son named Giosue..from the horrors of WWII breaks out and internment in a Nazi concentration camp..

This film is truly gut wrenching.. and was based on Rubino Salmoni who survived the Holocaust.. Salmoni's book is title In the end, I Beat Hitler and tragically describes his experiences in Auschwitz including the loss of his two brothers..

4. Operation Finale 2018 - is a historical drama and is based on the efforts of Israeli intelligence officers to capture former Nazi SS officer Adolf Eichmann in Argentina on May 11 1960.. The movie was based on the memoir of Peter Malkin an Israeli officer Eichmann in My Hands. The film is very engrossing and after seeing it I did some additional research.. I highly recommend this movie..

After the capture of Eichmann in Argentina, he was transported to Israel to stand trial for war crimes.. he had a widely publicized trial and was convicted and executed by hanging in 1962..

5. Schindler's List 1993 - is a historical drama based on the novel Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally.. The film follows Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) a German Bohemian businessman who save the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish Jewish refugees from the Holocaust by employing them in his factories during WWII..  This movie is graphic, brutally gut wrenching, horrific and yet hypnotizing stunning masterpiece.. I have to be honest I have seen this film several times over the years.. It truly paints a vivid picture of WWII history .. Please watch this movie..

Oskar Schindler 

Oskar Schindler The Untold Story 

6. The Pianist 2002 - is a biographical historical drama that is based on the autobiographical book The Pianist.. a Holocaust memoir by the Polish-Jewish composer, pianist and Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman.. The film follows Szpilman (Adrien Brody) as Poland is bombed during Nazi Germany's invasion.. German and Soviet armies invade Poland including Warsaw.. Jews are soon prevented from owning businesses or working .. Szpilman and his family are forced to leave their home and move into the Warsaw Ghetto.. The film follows the heinous conditions that people were forced to endure including starving and overcrowding.. I thought the film offered an insightful and yet brutal account of the German and Soviet invasion into Poland..  I highly recommend this film..

7. The Zookeeper's Wife 2017 - is a historical war drama based on a book by the same name by Diane Ackerman.. The film tells the true story of how Jan and Antonina Zabinski rescued hundreds of Jews during WWII by hiding them from the Germans in their Warsaw Poland Zoo.. The movie features an outstanding cast ..  Dr. Jan Zabinski was the director of one of the largest zoos in the 1930s.. the Warsaw Zoo.. when the German troops storm Poland.. chaos ensues and many of the animals are killed.. Ultimately Jan and Antonina make the decision to use the zoo to save as many Jews as they can from the Germans.. convincing the Germans that the now abandoned zoo can be used as a pig farm in order to feed the German troops..  This film is truly amazing... I loved every minute of it..  I even researched more about the Warsaw Zoo and the Zabinskis after watching the film.. This is a definite must see film for the entire family..  This film tells an inspiring story of two people that literally risked everything to save so many lives..

Jan and Antonina Zabinski 

 8. The Reader 2008 - is a German American romantic drama.. based on a German novel by the same name by Bernhard Schlink.. The film focuses on the story of Michael Berg, a German lawyer who as a teenager in 1958 had an affair with an older woman named Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet).. Hanna disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a guard at a Nazi concentration camp..  This film is interesting, insightful and gut wrenching all at the same time..  This film is definitely worth watching..
 
Was The Reader based on a real Nazi concentration camp female guard  

Was The Reader based on a real Nazi female guard

More Heart Stopping Thriller Movies

1. 47 Meters Down 2017 - is a thriller survival drama film based on two sisters (Claire Holt and Mandy Moore) who while on vacation in Mexico agree to go out a cage dive to see sharks up close.. However when the cable breaks the cage plummets to the ocean floor with the two girls trapped inside and low on air..  Although the movie received mixed reviews.. I thought it was realistic in many ways .. 1. Doesn't feature any unrealistic large aggressive stalking shark.. 2. Highlights that just because there may be plenty of shark dive cage excursions available not all may have well maintained equipment.. 3. How important air capacity is when undertaking any dive event.. especially one in an ocean while surrounded by sharks..  This film makes perfect sense to me.. and one I will not soon forget.. I know they are working on releasing a sequel 47 Meters Down Uncaged in June 2019

2. The Meg 2018 - is a sci fi thriller movie based loosely on a book titled Meg A Novel of Deep Terror.. The movie has an outstanding cast and follows a group of scientists who encounter a 75 foot Megalodon (prehistoric shark) while on a rescue mission in the Pacific Ocean... This movie is definitely action packed and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the film.. Loved It..

3. The Shallows 2016 - is a thriller survival film based on a lone surfer (Blake Lively) who gets stranded 200 yards from the shore after she is attacked by a great white shark.. While this movie met with mixed reviews I found it completely riveting.. Even though everyone knows you should never surf alone .. I am certain some people do.. like in this film.. Anyway.. after she is attacked she has to consistently fight and keep her wits about her to survive..  This movie is definitely worth watching..

4. The Mountain Between Us 2017 - is a survival drama film based on a surgeon (Idris Elba) and a journalist (Kate Winslet) who survive a plane crash with a dog in the High Uintas (Utah mountain range) and immediately have to struggle with injuries and under extreme weather conditions in order to survive.. Immediately upon watching this film you realize if your regular flight is cancelled due to weather conditions why on earth would two smart people decide to hire a private pilot to still take them to their destination.. (definitely not a smart move).. Than they fight over waiting waiting to be rescued or leaving the wreckage to hopefully get help..  The movie has a great romantic undertone as these people have to totally depend on each other in order to make it out of the mountains.. I thought this film was well acted.. full of drama, inspiring and at times heart breaking.. Loved it.. a definite must see movie..

5. The Revenant 2015 - is a semi biographical western survival film based in part on a novel by the same name written by Michael Punke in which he describes Hugh Glass's (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) experiences in 1823..  In the film Hugh Glass is hired to guide trappers through the territory...and while this film is full of twists and turns filled with plenty of dramatic scenes including the scene where Glass is mauled by a bear and left for dead... it is truly inspiring and gut wrenching.. I really enjoyed the movie from start to finish..

A World Unseen is The Revenant's documentary made that highlights the cinematic achievements..

Hugh Glass was a real frontiersman, trapper and explorer who died in 1833.. He was best known for his story of survival and retribution after being left for dead when mauled by a grizzly bear..

Horrific Dark Crime Films

1. Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer 2018 - is a horrific crime film based on the real life events about Dr. Kermit Gosnell, a abortion provider who was convicted of first degree murder in the deaths of three babies born alive only to be killed by Dr. Gosnell, along with involuntary manslaughter in the death of     a patient that underwent an abortion.  As well as 21 counts of felony illegal late term abortions, and 211 counts of violating the 24 hour informed consent law.

Dr. Gosnell waived his rights to appeal to avoid the death penalty and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole..

The movie focuses on actual police investigation and the trial records of Kermit Gosnell, along with the book Gosnell: The Untold Story of America's Most Prolific Serial Killer..

After seeing the movie I can honestly say that I may not have been as horrified as other viewers because I've worked over 37 years in healthcare including OBGYN and other surgical procedures (however none were abortions). I also was not shocked that Dr. Gosnell seemed oblivious to his guilt.. I can attest to the fact that some medical providers think they have perfected a way to dance above the law..

Link showing actual trial photos

Link showing 281 Page Grand Jury report

Further information on Dr. Kermit Gosnell  


2. Room 2015 - is an independent crime drama and loosely based on a 2010 novel by the same name written by Emma Donoghue .. The film stars Brie Larson as a young woman who has been held captive for seven years, who has a 5 year old son that was born in captivity.. The film received rave reviews.. 

According to the author of the book.. the story was conceived after hearing about the 5 year old son held captive with his mother Elisabeth Fritzl .. Elisabeth Fritzl was held captive for 24 years by her father.  In the Fritzl case, she was raped and abused for years and ended up giving birth to seven children, three of them remained captive with their mother, one died just days after birth, and three others were unfortunately brought up by her father and his wife..

While the film was loosely based on a real life event.. There are sadly other stories of children and women being held captive for years..

Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped in June of 1991 and she was 11 years old.. Dugard remain captive until August 2009.. Dugard was held captive until she was 29 years old by Phillip Garrido and his wife Nancy Garrido.. and during her captivity she bore 2 daughters by Garrido.. Jaycee Dugard documented her life in captivity in a book, A Stolen Life: A Memoir, later Dugard wrote a second book Freedom: My Book of Firsts

I found three films on the Jaycee Dugard story title Captive for 18 Years: The Jaycee Lee Story 
and Kidnapped for 18 years: The Jaycee Dugard Story.. and Wicked Attraction The Jaycee Dugard Story

In Cleveland Ohio, Ariel Castro held three young girls (Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus) captive from as early as 2002 until May of 2013..  When Amanda Berry escaped with her six year old daughter who was born in captivity and alerted police who rescued the other young women.. Castro was plead guilty and was sentenced but committed suicide one month into his sentence by hanging himself in his cell..   

Cleveland Abduction is a 2015 TV crime drama based on the Ariel Castro kidnappings and the memoir by Michelle Knight "Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, A Life Reclaimed.. "

Other survivors of captivity include

Elizabeth Smart..
Kala Brown..
Ben Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck
Steven Stayner and Timothy White
and Elizabeth Thomas..



3. Precious 2009 - is a shockingly tragic drama adapted from the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire.. The film is takes place in 1987 Harlem and is based on a heavy set Afro American young woman (Gabourey Sidibe) who is struggling with poverty, and abuse while attempting to attend an alternative school.. Her mother has a long history of being abusive to Precious.. and her now absent father sexually abused Precious resulting in two pregnancies ..The first pregnancy resulted in a Down syndrome little girl that is being cared for by Precious' grandmother.. However Precious' mom forces the family to pretend that the little girl lives with her and Precious in order to get additional welfare from the government .. After Precious' pregnancy is outed her school arranges for her to attend an alternative school .. and unfortunately that is just the beginning of the horrific circumstances this young girl has to endure.. The movie is full of twists and turns.. and in one scene you learn her own mother knew and took part of the sexual abuse Precious has had to experience.. The film is extremely gut wrenching and left me speechless .. This film is not meant for young children.. but it is definitely a must see movie..

While this movie is not a true story .. according to the author of the novel Push.. she based the story on a time in her life were she worked as a remedial teacher in Harlem and had encountered many young women like Precious who were outcasts and didn't fit into what is thought of as normal society because of their struggle with poverty, color and literacy..

4. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 2017 - is a dark comedy crime drama based on a woman (Frances McDormand) who rents three billboards to call attention to her daughter's unsolved rape and murder case.. The film has an outstanding cast that includes Woody Harrelson, and Peter Dinklage as well as others..  The movie takes the viewer on a roller coaster ride of emotions.. grief, anger, frustration and comedy.. The billboards are the woman's desperate measure in hopes that it will help push along the investigation.. However the billboards "Raped While Dying" "Still No Arrests" and "How Come Chief Willoughby?" upset the town including the Police Chief and his racist, alcoholic Police Officer Jason Dixon.. I can not say enough about this film .. it is outstanding, exceptional.. and inspiring after all the mother is just trying to bring her daughter's murderer to justice.. I loved this film from start to finish.. and I can't say I wouldn't do the exact same thing if something so horrible ever happened to a child of mine..

The real life inspiration for Three Billboards was the cold case murder of Kathy Page.. Since 1991 the father of Kathy Page has been putting up billboards around Vidor TX demanding that cops make an arrest in the murder ..  Kathy was a married mom of two and was found dead in a car only about a 100 yards from her home.. The investigation determined she was strangled and her nose was broken.. they also concluded that her body was placed in the car after she was slain.. and unfortunately her murder has yet to be resolved..

5. A Time to Kill 1996 - is a crime drama based on a 1989 John Grisham's novel by the same name.
The film is set in Mississippi and involves the horrific rape, and attempted murder of a young Afro-American girl.. after the arrest of two white rapists.. The girl's father (Samuel Jackson) contacts a white lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) who once defended his brother who admits there is a possibility that the two men will walk free.. and subsequently the girl's father murdered both men in the courthouse.. and will stand trial for their murder.. This film not only focuses on the rape and attempted murder of the young girl but highlights hotbed of racial tensions in the south during the time depicted in the movie..

This movie is outstanding and grabs your attention from start to finish.. The cast is outstanding and it draws attention to real racial strife that sadly can still be found in some instances even today.. The film also does an outstanding job at describing in detail the sadistic torture the little girl had to endure that ultimately drove the father to kill both men..  I highly recommend this film as a definite must see..

The book "A Time to Kill" written by John Grisham was inspired by the rapes of two teenage sisters in a rural farmhouse near Southhaven MS in July of 1984 not far from his law office back then .. in which Willie James Harris and his accomplice were looking for houses to break into and upon finding one with no cars they broke in and found the two young sisters ages 12 and 16 were alone.. Both sisters tried to hide but over the next hour Harris beat and raped them leaving them for dead.. John Grisham heard of the crime and heard the confession tape of Harris where he shared all the gruesome details with no emotion.. Grisham stated "It was pretty cold blooded - and also infuriating" "It made you think revenge.. He was a really a nasty character."

To hear more of the details from the crime as described by John Grisham  click here

actual trial documents can be read here 

6. American Pastoral 2016 - is a historical based crime drama based on a 1997 novel by the same name by Phillip Roth.. The film has an outstanding cast that includes Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connelly, Dakota Fanning, Uzo Aduba and many others.. the film follows a Jewish American businessman Swede (Ewan McGregor) whose life is shattered by the social and political upheaval of the 60s, especially when his daughter Merry (Dakota Fanning) is radicalized during the Vietnam War and commits acts of terrorism.. This movie is packed full of drama and depicts much of the turmoil that the country felt during the Vietnam War.. and the 1967 Newark riots.. I found this film to be insightful as well as heartbreaking.. Films such as American Pastoral hopefully are thought provoking and may inspire all of us to learn from our mistakes so that history does not repeat itself..

Protests against Vietnam War