Film Reviews

Clifford Peach (Chris Makepeace), an easygoing teenager, is finding less than easy to fit in at his new high school, where a tough-talking bully (Matt Dillon) terrorizes his classmates and extorts their lunch money. Refusing to pay up, Clifford enlist the aid of an overgrown misfit whose mere presence intimidates students and teachers alike. But their "business relationship" soon turns personal as Clifford and the troubled loner forge a winning alliance against their intimidators - and a very special friendship with each other. Ruth Gordon, Martin Mull, Joan Cusack and John Houseman round out "a truly remarkable cast" (Variety) in this delightful coming-of-age comedy and triumphant tribute to the underdog.

Teenagers Rose and Bennett were in love, and then a car crash claimed Bennett's life. He left behind a grieving mother, father and younger brother, and Rose was left all alone. She has no family to turn to for support, so when she finds out she's pregnant, she winds up at the Brewer's door. She needs their help, and although they can't quite admit it, they each need her so they can begin to heal.

There is no place in the world where the prison population grows as fast as in Brazil, a country that have the fourth largest population of inmates in globe. Sentence on Trial dives deep into the hellish everyday life of the Brazilian prisons to expose how moroseness, prejudice and the culture of fear amplify violence and the social abyss of the country.