Jane Velez-Mitchell Movies
- 2002
Syndicated by Warner Bros. Television, the daily half-hour reality series Celebrity Justice offered tantalizing glimpses of how the Rich and Famous dealt with their various legal entanglements. Each half-hour episode featured a number of individual segments, among them "You Be the Judge" (mock trials in which the viewers were invited to "judge" a high-profile court case), "CJ Spin" (the legal strategies of celebrity "dream teams"), "Equal Justice?" (Do famous people receive preferential treatment in court, or are some judges prejudiced against fame?), "Real Estate Wars" (celebs vs. neighbors and vice versa), "Family Matters" (fallout from celebrity divorces), "Art of the Deal" (peculiar contractual demands), "Celebrity Wills" (who gets what from the estate and why), "Court Appearance" (making "fashion statements" while standing before the bench), and "Power Players" (profiles of the top L.A. attorneys). Hosted by Los Angeles TV newscaster Holly Herbert, Celebrity Justice was first telecast on September 2, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Holly Herbert, Pat LaLama, (more)
Director Barry Levinson follows up the low-budget An Everlasting Piece (2000) with another comedy, this one of the homegrown variety from former Twin Peaks (1990) TV series writer Harley Peyton. Bruce Willis stars as suave bank robber Joe, who has escaped from prison with his hypochondriac buddy Terry (Billy Bob Thornton). Together, the two men have devised a clever scheme to take a bank officer hostage the night before a heist, then simply escort the executive to work early the next morning when they clean out the vault. Their ingenious methods have led to the men becoming media darlings dubbed "the Sleepover Bandits," but all Joe and Terry want is to make a nice pile of money before crossing the Mexican border to a life of freedom and legitimacy. Their quest gets more complicated when Terry is struck by a car driven by Kate Wheeler (Cate Blanchett), a bored housewife who's then forced to join their crime spree. Soon both Joe and Terry are in love with Kate and she with them, realizing that the two friends put together pretty much equal the perfect man. Bandits co-stars Troy Garity, son of actress Jane Fonda. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, (more)
