Domestic Disturbance (2001)

Directer: Harold Becker

Frank (John Travolta) is divorced, and yet keeps a good relationship with his ex-wife. They even share responsibilities with the son (for whom she has custody). But she’s getting ready to marry Rick (Vince Vaughn). Rick seems like a nice guy, but when he kills a guy in front of Danny (the son of course) it causes a domestic disturbance (and a film devoid of any originality).

Disturbed law:

1. Danny ditches school and is picked up by the police. He’s done it before and demanded a lawyer. Way to know your rights Danny.

2. When Ray, one of Ricks old criminal buddies, comes to town, Rick tells him that scumbags are what he “came to hate most about working outside the law.”

3. After Danny sees the murder there is a police interrogation in which no one believes Danny. Finally, Frank believes him and sues for custody in order to get him away from Rick. He even kidnaps Danny in “custody play.” His lawyer says that he has no choice but to fight for custody and his girlfriend tells him that “mom’s always win these things.”

4. There is a custody hearing that Frank loses because Danny (under duress) retracts his accusations. There won’t be any perjury though because he was too young to swear in according to the judge.

5. Not really a legal thing, but man it was great seeing Vince Vaughn electrocuted by a well placed crow bar.

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Body Double (1984)

Director: Brian De Palma

Struggling actor Jake Scully is loaned a flat by a total stranger who keeps appearing in his life. He sees a strip show in the house across the way and becomes obsessed with the woman. He then finds that a porn star does the same dance, and gets into a film with her. Then he witnesses the murder of the woman that he peeped on in the first place by another peeping tom. Its all very convoluded and slightly stupid, and I’m still upset that I wasted my time.

Double law:

1. It was billed on TV (Film 4 in England) as a movie they tried to ban. I don’t know where or by whom.

2. The whole idea is that the man is set up to see the murder and give evidence that draws attention away from the real murderer. Of course, if you were the killer this would be a ridiculous amount of preparation that might not pay off, but whatever.

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The Third Man (1949)

Director: Carol Reed

This murder mystery is set in post World War II Vienna. Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), an American writer arrives in Vienna to hunt down an old croney, Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to find that he has arrived on the day of his friends funeral. He is determined to find out what has happened to Lime and is soon embroiled in a murder investigation that keeps getting murkier and murkier.

That post war law:

1. Post war Vienna is cut into four segmants and each one is administered by a different state (UK, US, France, and Russia). The center of the city is run an international coalition of all four.

2. There was an inquest (not shown only mentioned) over the death of Harry, but evidence was not heard from the porter and a third unknown man. The Porter is told by Martin that “it was his duty to give evidence,” but the porter adamantly did not want to testify.

3. Search and seizure. A member of each police force show up to search Anna Schmitt’s (Alida Valli) room (as it is in the center of the city). They give her reciepts for everything confiscated.

4. Ms. Schmitt is found with a forged passport. We are told this is because she is a Czech and “the Russians could claim her.” We later see a police interrogation of her.

5.SPOILER WARNING: As it turns out Harry is still alive, but the police are after him for some nasty crimes. He is living in the Russian part of the city, because (for political reasons) he is safe from arrest there.

6. Harry claims crime money is “free of income tax.” He should consult with Al Capone on that one.

7. Harry also claims that while the government “talks about people and the proletariat,” it doesn’t care about the people. This is a statement both of a political nature and one used as a justification for Harry’s criminal acts.

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Ed Wood (1994)

Director: Tim Burton

This is a charming little film about Hollywod’s favorite cross dressing B movie director, Ed Wood. Wood, portrayed by Johnny Depp was a film director with a dream: too make movies. That’s exactly what he did too. The movies he made though were so atrocious that they’ve gone down in history as classics (we here at visual evidence certainly appreciate such film). Burton’s biographical film, shot in black and white, captures the manicness of the sets that Wood ran. It’s a definite A movie for B movie fans.

Cross dressin’ law:

1. At one point the crew must stop filming and hit the road because the police are spotted and they don’t have a permit.

2. Bela Lugosi’s unemployment gets cancelled by the government.

3. Bela also includes in his will that he be buried in his Dracula cape.

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