Conviction is an eye opening true story. Kenny Waters (Sam Rockwell) is the local troublemaker, known for starting fights and as the youngster who use to cause havoc for the small town. Kenny is a grown man now but trouble has found him as an adult. This time the trouble turns out to have erectable damage. Kenny is arrested for murder and convicted after testimony leads to him as the main suspect. With no DNA testing back in the early 1980’s Kenny is sentenced to life in prison for a murder he insists he never committed.

The only person standing by his side fighting for him is his loyal sister Betty Anne (Hilary Swank). A small town girl who is the wife and mother of two that dedicates her life to proving her brother’s innocence. She begins this process by getting her GED followed by college and then finally law school. She is determined to be the attorney advocating for his release. But eighteen years pass by and when it comes time to fight for Kenny she runs into a few hurdles.

Betty Anne must prove Kenny’s innocence with DNA evidence and she must do so using the evidence from his trial of almost twenty years ago. Only problem is the courthouse is telling her that it was destroyed. With the help of her good friend Abra Rice and their constant persistence they discover the evidence still exist and Kenny’s road to freedom is only days away.

Conviction is an inspirational true story that is hard to believe. As much as I admire Betty Anne giving up her life to help prove her brother’s innocence she also gave up much more. Including her marriage and her children’s childhood. That did offer a sour note to the film but aside from that the chemistry was remarkable between Rockwell and Swank. Both had amazing performances. Overall it is a great true story to witness…but not Oscar worthy.

We have a 50 admit-two passes for the screening Tuesday, October 26 at 7:30 PM at the AMC Studio 30. Winners will be chosen on Sunday, October 24. The winners will receive an email with instructions on how to print out their pass. Make sure to bring the pass with you to the screening. Be sure to get there early. These screenings are overbooked to fill every seat. Only ONE entry per email address. Only eligible for Kansas/Missouri metro area residents. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

SYNOPSIS:

Betty Anne Waters (Swank) is a high school dropout who spent nearly two decades working as a single mother while putting herself through law school, tirelessly trying to beat the system and overturn her brother’s (Rockwell) unjust murder conviction.

The Informant: What was Mark Whitacre thinking? A rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Whitacre suddenly turns whistleblower. Even as he exposes his company’s multi-national price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI, Whitacre envisions himself being hailed as a hero of the common man and handed a promotion.

But before all that can happen, the FBI needs evidence, so Whitacre eagerly agrees to wear a wire and carry a hidden tape recorder in his briefcase, imagining himself as a kind of de facto secret agent. Unfortunately for the FBI, their lead witness hasn’t been quite so forthcoming about helping himself to the corporate coffers.

Whitacre’s ever-changing account frustrates the agents and threatens the case against ADM as it becomes almost impossible to decipher what is real and what is the product of Whitacre’s rambling imagination. Based on the true story of the highest-ranking corporate whistleblower in U.S. history.

The Box: Norma and Arthur Lewis are a suburban couple with a young child who receive an anonymous gift bearing fatal and irrevocable consequences. A simple wooden box, it promises to deliver its owner $1 million with the press of a button. However, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world…someone they don’t know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the crosshairs of a startling moral dilemma and face the true nature of their humanity.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant: A boy unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares.

14-year-old Darren was like most kids in his suburban neighborhood. He hung out with his best friend, got decent grades and usually stayed out of trouble. But when he and his buddy stumble upon a traveling freak show, things begin to change inside Darren. That’s the exact moment when a vampire named Larten Crepsley turns him into something, well, bloodthirsty.

Sorority Row: When five sorority girls inadvertently cause the murder of one of their sisters in a prank gone wrong, they agree to keep the matter to themselves and never speak of it again, so they can get on with their lives. This proves easier said than done, when after graduation a mysterious killer goes after the five of them and anyone who knows their secret.

Everybody’s Fine: A widower embarks on an impromptu road trip to reconnect with each of his grown children only to discover that their lives are far from picture perfect.

Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself: When Madea, America’s favorite pistol-packing grandma, catches sixteen-year-old Jennifer and her two younger brothers looting her home, she decides to take matters into her own hands and delivers the young delinquents to the only relative they have: their aunt April. Initially wanting nothing to do with the kids, April learns along the way that she can change her old ways and become a better person. But it takes a lot of work and the help of a handsome Mexican immigrant who moves in with April to push her to change.

Halloween II: Picks up at the exact moment the first movie stopped and follow the aftermath of Michael Myers murderous rampage through the eyes of heroine Laurie Strode.

Fame: Fame Soars even higher with the EXTENDED DANCE EDITION of the film, featuring over 15 minutes of thrilling dance footage you couldn’t see in theaters!

Passions will be tested. Hearts will be broken. Talent, dedication and hard work will triumph! Fame is the inspiring story of a group of dancers, singers, musicians and actors at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, and their spirited drive to live out their dreams of stardom. In an incredibly competitive atmosphere, each student must shine amidst the tumult of school work, deep friendships, budding romance and self-discovery.

The Hurt Locker: When a new sergeant, James, takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat. As the men struggle to control their wild new leader, the city explodes into chaos, and James’ true character reveals itself in a way that will change each man forever.

Post Grad: Eternal optimist Ryden Malby (Alexis Bledel) has the most brutal of wake-up calls when she graduates from college and can’t find a job, forcing her back home to live with her oddball family. Frustrated and confused about how her life is supposed to turn out, she soon realizes that her longtime platonic best friend is the only one who makes everything in her crazy life make sense.

Moon: Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is nearing the completion of his 3-year-long contract with Lunar Industries, mining Earth’s primary source of energy on the dark side of the moon. Alone with only the base’s vigilant computer Gerty (voiced by Oscar-Winner Kevin Spacey, 1999 Best Actor, American Beauty) as his sole companion, Bell’s extended isolation has taken its toll.

His only link to the outside world comes from satellite messages from his wife and young daughter. He longs to return home, but a terrible accident on the lunar surface leads to a disturbing discovery that contributes to his growing sense of paranoia and dislocation so many miles away from home. Moon is an engrossing, intelligent sci-fi thriller that ranks with genre classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey.

WHIP IT

Release:       October 9, 2009

Directed by:       Drew Barrymore

Screenplay by:         Shauna Cross

Produced by:       Barry Mendel, Drew Barrymore

Executive Produced by: Peter Douglas, Nancy Juvonen, Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith, Nathan Kahane, Joe Drake, Chris Miller

Cast:         Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Alia Shawkat, Eve, Zoe Bell, Ari Graynor, Eulala Scheel, Andrew Wilson, Carlo Alban, Landon Pigg, Rachel Piplica, Kristen Adolfi, Daniel Stern
WHIP IT, the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore, stars Ellen Page as Bliss, a rebellious Texas teen who throws in her small town beauty pageant crown for the rowdy world of roller derby. Marcia Gay Harden plays Bliss’ disapproving mother, while Drew Barrymore, Kristen Wiig and Juliette Lewis play roller-derby stars. 

AMELIA

Release:       October 23, 2009

Directed by:       Mira Nair

Screenplay by:         Ron Bass, Anna Hamilton Phelan

Based on the books:  “East to the Dawn” by Susan Butler and “The Sound of Wings” by Mary S. Lovell

Produced by:       Ted Waitt, Kevin Hyman, Lydia Dean Pilcher

Executive Produced by:  Ron Bass, Hilary Swank

Cast:         Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston, Joe Anderson, Cherry Jones, Mia Wasikowska

Visionary.  Lover.  Dreamer.  Fighter.  Legend.  Icon.  AMELIA.   An extraordinary life of adventure, celebrity and continuing mystery comes to light in AMELIA, a vast, thrilling account of legendary aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart (two time Academy Award® winner Hilary Swank). 

After becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, Amelia was thrust into a new role as America’s sweetheart – the legendary “goddess of light,” known for her bold, larger-than-life charisma. Yet, even with her global fame solidified, her belief in flirting with danger and standing up as her own, outspoken woman never changed.  She was an inspiration to people everywhere, from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (Cherry Jones) to the men closest to her heart: her husband, promoter and publishing magnate George P. Putnam (Golden Globe® winner Richard Gere), and her long time friend and lover, pilot Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor).  In the summer of 1937, Amelia set off on her most daunting mission yet: a solo flight around the world that she and George both anxiously foresaw as destined, whatever the outcome, to become one of the most talked-about journeys in history. 

GENTLEMEN BRONCOS

Release:                    October 30, 2009

Directed by:   Jared Hess

Written by:   Jared Hess & Jerusha Hess

Produced by   Mike White, John J. Kelly

Executive Produced by  Ben LeClair, Jerusha Hess, Jared Hess

Cast: Michael Angarano, Jennifer Coolidge, Jemaine Clement, Mike White, Hector Jimenez, Halley Feiffer, Josh Pais and Sam Rockwell

Benjamin (Michael Angarano), home-schooled by his eccentric mother (Jennifer Coolidge),  is a loveable loner whose passion for writing leads him on an offbeat and hilarious journey as his story first gets ripped off by the legendary fantasy novelist, Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement) and then is adapted into a disastrous movie by the small town’s most prolific homespun filmmaker. 

FANTASTIC MR. FOX

Release:    November 13, 2009

Directed by:    Wes Anderson

Written for the Screen by:   Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach

Based on the book by:    Roald Dahl

Produced by:     Allison Abbate, Scott Rudin, Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson

Executive Producers:   Steven Rales, Arnon Milchan

Voice Cast:   George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Wally Wolodarsky, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, Jarvis Cocker
FANTASTIC MR. FOX is visionary director Wes Anderson’s first animated film, utilizing classic handmade stop motion techniques to tell the story of the best selling children’s book by Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach). 

Mr and Mrs Fox (Clooney and Streep) live an idyllic home life with their son Ash (Schwartzman) and visiting young nephew Kristofferson (Eric Anderson).  But after 12 years, the bucolic existence proves too much for Mr Fox’s wild animal instincts.  Soon he slips back into his old ways as a sneaky chicken thief and in doing so, endangers not only his beloved family, but the whole animal community.  Trapped underground and with not enough food to go around, the animals band together to fight against the evil Farmers – Boggis, Bunce and Bean – who are determined to capture the audacious, fantastic Mr Fox at any cost.

Notorious: Chronicling the extraordinary life of Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace, Notorious follows the young rapper from the tough streets of Brooklyn to the heights of superstardom as he juggles the increasing demands of fatherhood, marriage and a music career. Amid chaos and controversy, Biggie’s remarkable talent and fierce determination help to solidify his legacy as one of hip-hop’s greatest MCs.

The Wrestler: Mickey Rourke gives the performance of a lifetime as pro wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a former superstar now paying the price for twenty years of grueling punishment in and out of the ring. But he’s about to risk everything to prove he has one more match left in him: a re-staging of his famous Madison Square Garden bout against “The Ayatollah.”

Frost/Nixon: For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans. Likewise, Frost’s team harbored doubts about their boss’ ability to hold his own. But as cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted. Would Nixon evade questions of his role in one of the nation’s greatest disgraces? Or would Frost confound critics and bravely demand accountability from the man who’d built a career out of stonewalling? Over the course of their encounter, each man would reveal his own insecurities, ego and reserves of dignity — ultimately setting aside posturing in a stunning display of unvarnished truth. Frost/Nixon not only re-creates the on-air interview, but the weeks of around-the-world, behind-the-scenes maneuvering between the two men and their camps as negotiations were struck, deals were made and secrets revealed… all leading to the moment when they would sit facing one another in the court of public opinion.