Law Movie Night: Liar Liar

The winner of the poll is Liar Liar by a single vote!
Thanks to everyone in the Iowa community who voted!

Liar, Liar will be screened on Wednesday, Nov. 9th, at 8pm in BLB room 285!
Free popcorn and pop!

The poll has been skewed by someone called "Joan aka HazelP" who posted a link to the poll on a Jeremy Northam fan discussion page. So very, very bizarre.
The purpose of the poll was to find out what people who will actually come to the event want to see. This person's IP address (66.159.173.251) places her in Connecticut, so I don't think she's actually intending to come to Law Movie Night. But for some reason she voted for The Winslow Boy and encouraged others to do so to skew the poll results.
As such, I am going to ignore all votes for The Winslow Boy. If it received any votes from anyone in the Iowa community, it was certainly fewer than several of the other candidates. Right now, Liar, Liar and The Verdict are tied! Keep voting!

Vote for the next Law Movie Night!

Theme: 1L courses

What movie do you want to see at Law Movie Night on 11/9?



Info about the movies:

Baron of Arizona (1950) - directed by Samuel Fuller and starring Vincent Price. A master forger attempts to lay claim to the territory of Arizona late in the 19th Century using the chain of title from Spanish land grants, based on the real life case of James Reavis,

Body Heat (1981) - a neo-noir film written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan, starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, J.A. Preston, and Mickey Rourke. In the midst of a searing Florida heat wave, a woman convinces her lover, a small-town lawyer, to murder her rich husband. The only film I know of that involves the Rule Against Perpetuities.

Liar Liar (1997) - Jim Carrey plays a lawyer who loses the ability to lie. He must argue that his client's prenuptial agreement is invalid without lying.

The Paper Chase (1973) - We screened this already, but it largely revolves around Prof. Kingsfield's contracts class. If you want to watch it again, I'm cool with that.

The Merchant of Venice (2004) - Shylock lends Antonio 3,000 ducats. When Antonio is unable to repay the loan, Shylock goes to court to enforce the terms of the contract, demanding a pound of flesh, leading to a dramatic court scene. The 2004 film stars Al Pacino as Shylock. Will he yell "hoo-ha" at any point in the film?

The Winslow Boy (1999) - a 14-year-old boy is expelled from the Royal Naval Academy after being accused of theft. His wealthy father hires a brilliant barrister to sue the Crown to prove the boy's innocence and have him reinstated. Directed by David Mamet. Starring Nigel Hawthorne, Rebecca Pidgeon, Jeremy Northam and Gemma Jones.

A Civil Action (1998) - Environmental toxins have contaminated the local water supply in a small town, leading to several deaths. John Travolta plays a lawyer who takes legal action against the giant corporations responsible.

Class Action (1991) - Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio star as a father and daughter on opposite sides in a case about injuries caused by a defective automobile.

The Verdict (1982) - Directed by Sidney Lumet, screenplay adapted by David Mamet. A down-on-his-luck alcoholic lawyer who take a medical malpractice case to trial in order to salvage his career, but discovers along the way that he is doing the right thing. The movie stars Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, and Jack Warden.

The Fortune Cookie (1966) - directed by Billy Wilder, starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon in their first on-screen collaboration. A crooked lawyer persuades his brother-in-law to feign a serious injury after being knocked down at a football game in order to pursue a $1 million lawsuit.

Voting is open until 11/8! (so we have time to get the DVD for the winning movie). Vote! Spread the word! You can vote for as choices as you like, and as many times as the poll will let you.

Have another movie you want to see? Enter your write-in vote by commenting below!

Law Movie Night: The Devil's Advocate

The Legal Cinema Studies Society presents a special Halloween screening of this supernatural legal thriller, starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, and Charlize Theron

Wednesday, October 26th at 8 PM
BLB room 285

Kevin Lomax, an arrogant young attorney who has never lost a case, is recruited by a powerful Manhattan law firm. He becomes the protégé of his mysterious new boss, John Milton.

"Embarrassingly entertaining" - Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

"If you don't love Devil's Advocate, rush to your cardiologist, because there is no pulse." - Larry King

"Hoo-Ha!" - Al Pacino

Free popcorn & candy!

Law Movie Night with LSRJ: Erin Brockovich

The Legal Cinema Studies Society and Law Students for Reproductive Justice present a free screening of this film, depicting the true story behind the legal case over ground water contamination in Hinkley, California.

Julia Roberts won the Oscar for her performance in this film!

Wednesday, Oct. 12, 8:00 pm
BLB Room 285

Free popcorn and pop and pizza!!

Law Movie Night: Gideon's Trumpet

The Legal Cinema Studies Society presents a screening of this film depicting the true story of the landmark Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright

Starring Henry Fonda as Clarence Earl Gideon, José Ferrer as Abe Fortas, and John Houseman as Earl Warren.

Wednesday, September 28th at 8 pm
BLB room 285

Free popcorn and pop provided!

Law Movie Night: Presumed Innocent

The Legal Cinema Studies Society presents a screening of this adaptation of the best selling novel by Scott Turow, starring Harrison Ford.

Wednesday, September 14, at 8 PM
BLB Room 285

Harrison Ford plays prosecutor R.K. "Rusty" Sabich. When his colleague and mistress, deputy prosecutor Carolyn Polhemus, is found murdered, Sabich first leads the investigation, then finds himself charged with the crime.

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone writes, Ford "is astonishingly fine in a performance of controlled intensity" in this film adaptation of Turow's "novel that was equal parts whodunit, courtroom drama, warped love story and insightful take on the limits of the legal system."

Free popcorn and pop provided!

Law Movie Night: The Paper Chase

By popular demand, the Legal Cinema Studies Society presents a screening of the film classic The Paper Chase, starring Timothy Bottoms, Lindsay Wagner, and John Houseman.

James Hart is a struggling first-year Harvard law student, desperately trying to impress his strict and intimidating contracts professor, Charles Kingsfield.

Wednesday, August 31, at 8:00 PM, in room 285

Free popcorn and pop will be provided!

Coming soon...

Our first Law Movie Night of the year will announced soon. We'll keep you posted...

Landlocked Film Festival

Like movies? Well, there's this film festival going on here in Iowa City. It features more than just legal films, but sometimes those are good too.

http://www.landlockedfilmfestival.org/

B-Movie Posters for Classic Films

B-Movie Posters for Classic Films
These are great! Check out the law movie ones!

Law Movie Night: Legally Blonde

Join the Legal Cinema Studies Society for a pre-finals study break on Thursday, April 14th at 7 PM in BLB Room 245.

Free popcorn and soda will be provided!

Omigod, you guys, I am so excited for this Law Movie Night. To get ready, I offer this song from the musical adapted from the movie:

The Lincoln Lawyer

Law Movie Night Out was a lot of fun! Thanks to everyone who came!

I recommend The Lincoln Lawyer to those who have not seen it yet. It is a very entertaining legal thriller, with lots of suspense all the way through.
The film touches on areas of criminal law, criminal procedure, and legal ethics.
I think the issues of legal ethics the film raises are most interesting. While the film's story is not very realistic, it is still interesting to watch how Matthew McConaughey's character deals with the ethical issues raised as the story progresses. He must deal with conflicts regarding the loyalty to his client and the duties imposed on criminal defense attorneys. The character bends some rules, and breaks some others.
The film makes for interesting discussion on legal ethics, and is quite entertaining. Overall: Highly recommended

Law Movie Night Out: The Lincoln Lawyer

On Wednesday, March 30, the Legal Cinema Studies Society invites you to join us at a local movie theater to watch the latest legal thriller to hit the big screens: The Lincoln Lawyer.

Specific times and location are TBD.

Rolling Stone's Peter Travers writes: The Lincoln Lawyer "is a slam-bang twister of a legal thriller."

Roger Ebert says The Lincoln Lawyer is "engagingly acted and entertaining."

Join us for a big-screen Law Movie Night event!

Conviction

A working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders.

Join us for a screening of the recent film Conviction on Mar. 3th at 7 PM in BLB Room 245.
Free popcorn will be provided!

Directed by Tony Goldwyn
Starring Hillary Swank, Sam Rockwell, and Melissa Leo

Get ready for our next event: Conviction

Coming March 3...

To Kill a Mockingbird

Join us for a screening of the classic of American cinema To Kill a Mockingbird on Feb. 17th at 7 PM in BLB Room 245.
Free popcorn will be provided!

In Alabama in the early 1930s, Atticus Finch defends an innocent black man accused of raping a white woman. Through the hopeless trial, his young children learn about the prejudice in their town.

Gregory Peck won the Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus Finch, an iconic lawyer hero.

The American Film Institute ranked the film as the #1 courtroom drama.
AFI also ranked Atticus Finch as the #1 greatest movie hero of the 20th Century.

Come see this great adaptation of the classic novel by Harper Lee, a story of racial inequality and injustice.
Harper Lee's story was heavily influenced by the real-life case of the Scottsboro Boys.

AFI's Top 10 Courtroom Dramas

This is a great list put together by the American Film Institute: AFI's Top 10 Courtroom Dramas

But Don't Take My Word For It...

Love legal cinema but have no time to watch movies? Well, there's plenty of books on the subject!

A recently published book on the subject is Film and the Law by Steve Greenfield, Guy Osborn and Peter Robson. The book is fairly comprehensive, and also provides a British perspective on the subject.

Easily one of the best resources on the subject is Reel Justice by Paul Bergman and Michael Asimow. It is a great and easily accessible book that covers many, many legal films.

And lastly, I would recommend Movie Therapy for Law Students by Sonia J. Buck. I love the concept. I am a strong believer in movie therapy for law students. And that's why I encourage you to attend Law Movie Night!

There are many other great books on legal cinema! Visit your local law library for more!

Michael Clayton

This fictional film addresses very real issues of legal practitioners' conflict concerning ethical behavior and professional responsibility.

Directed by Tony Gilroy
Starring George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson

Join us for a screening Thursday, Feb. 3, following the Iowa Supreme Court Retention Panel Discussion in BLB Room 245.

Popcorn and beverages will be provided.

Chicago 10

The convention was drama. The trial was comedy.

Directed by Brett Morgen

Featuring Hank Azaria, Dylan Baker, Nick Nolte, Mark Ruffalo, Roy Scheider, Liev Schreiber, James Urbaniak, and Jeffrey Wright

"Anyone who calls us the Chicago Seven is a racist. Because you're discrediting Bobby Seale. You can call us the Chicago Eight, but really we're the Chicago Ten, because our two lawyers went down with us." - Jerry Rubin

The documentary is a combination of archival footage and an animated reenactment of the trial based on transcripts and rediscovered audio recordings.

Join us for a screening Thursday, Jan. 20, at 8 PM, in BLB room 245

Learn about the infamous trial and the role of lawyers and the legal system following the protests surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention.