Movie Briefs: Opening Statement

It's Olympic Season so we decided to do a special episode on Ice Princess.  What this one lacks in legal analysis, it more than makes up for with Erin's figure skating career, a debate about what is and is not a "sport", the good, the bad, and the ugly of international figure skating, and why physics may not be the answer to everything.  Also, we give you our gold, silver, and bronze medals for the best cheesy teen movie quotes of all time.

This episode had us all riled up.  Dark Places is one of the worst smelling (yes) movies we’ve ever seen, but left us with some good areas to discuss our issues with true crime.  We go deep in the weeds and do our best to describe the problems we see with the true crime phenomenon and what we think needs to be addressed.  Legal issues range from evidence, confession theory, how to interview minor witnesses, and the science of memory.  Also, did you know Erin has a personal connection to Nancy Grace?

We’re BACK!!  In this episode we cover every inch of the best John Grisham adaptation ever made, The Rainmaker.  This movie has everything: young lawyer over his head, sleazy mentor, Danny DeVito sales techniques, insurance scams, Birdie estate planning, Big Rhino, Erin awakenings, and even.....muuuurder.  We also discuss depositions, punitive damages, the ethical conundrum of sleeping with a client, and how many gentlemen’s clubs is too many gentlemen’s clubs for your boss to own?  Get it now!

“Liar, Liar” compels us to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.... for 24 hours.  We do it in 80 minutes flat.  Erin and I talk about all the big legal topics like Jim Carrey’s acting classes, the greatness of Boyz II Men, and why there is NOTHING that can take the shine off of Cary Elwes.  Have no fear, we also talk plenty of family law, contracting with minors, the McDonalds coffee case, lying in court, how practicing at big law firms is our nightmare, and why sometimes the best advice is to STOP BREAKING THE LAW!!

This week it’s all about Devil law with 1997’s legal drama “The Devil’s Advocate”.  Most times we know where we’re going with an episode, but this time we were taken on one hell of a ride.  The law, surprisingly good.  The acting, hit and miss.  The entertainment, INCREDIBLE.  We break down our theories on jury consultants, witness prep, impeachment evidence, how many books you need to look up a municipal health code, and so much more.  Also, is speaking Italian enough to win Connie Nielsen the coveted “Best Attorney” award?  Listen now to find out.

If you wanna know how to mistrial, A Time to Kill is the episode for you!  We talk trials in extreme heat, A/C history, the Westlaw database, death penalty cases, and just how terrible of a lawyer you're allowed to be if you look like McConaughey

Put together your best video essays, cram for those LSATs, and apply to law school with this week's episode on the Reese Witherspoon classic, Legally Blonde.  This episode is a gunner loaded with malum in se, evidentiary support, habeas corpus, and crazy law school hypotheticals.  Erin and Cole wax poetic on their law school experiences, whether New Orleans or Carbondale had the better Halloween scene, why Harvard's grading system makes as much sense as the amount of dogs they let into their classrooms, and Erin tells us all why Sophia Coppola is her favorite director.  

Welcome to our first episode and WOW did we come out swinging with A Few Good Men. This episode is huge – you get all the legal breakdown as well as a primer on what a career in the JAG Corps looks like. On top of talking about witness interviews, trial preparation, strategic objections, and interfering in an investigation, we also get into the importance of YooHoo, the Aunt Jenny Exception, and the ethical implications of yard-arming possession of a condiment. Where can you find us? Instagram: @moviebriefspod Twitter: @moviesbriefspod E-mail: [email protected]

Old friends, movie lovers, and career attorneys Erin and Cole get together each month and use everyone's favorite movies to teach you what's real and what's "Hollywood" when it comes to portraying the legal field on screen.  Was Atticus Finch really that good?  Can Kaffee actually accuse Col. Jessup of ordering the Code Red?  Are there more Carters or Elles in law school?  We'll answer these and everything else on Movie Briefs.