The Judge (Blu-ray)

Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.Lao Tzu advice to Confucius 551BC-479BCAfter a 50 year marriage the caregiving spouse dies while trying to self nurture by caring for her hydrangeas. The Caregiver Helpbook, Powerful Tools for Caregivers  Cleland & Schmallhalf of caregivers die before their loved one of stress induced accidents, infection, noncommunicable disease NCD, illness It's All in Your Head: True Stories of Imaginary Illness  Suzanne O'Sullivan neurologistTakotsubo cardiomyopathy Broken Heart syndrome death due to emotional stress, psychogenic death.Of course it's all in your head Harry. That doesn't make it any less real. Professor Dumbledore Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection A teen with a promising baseball career ends with a "gimp" right hand because of a reckless impulsive brother on a high. Drunk In Public  documentary 18 years following one manThe Judge abuses recreational chemicals, conceives son with intellectual disability.The Judge undertakes his own version of recovery for 28 years with expected outcome. Parenthood (Special Edition)  Steve Martin Mary Steenburgen Rick Moranis comedy3 generations impacted by grandparent's recreational chemical useIf only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them.But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart? The Gulag Archipelago Abridged: An Experiment in Literary Investigation (P.S.)  Aleksandr SolzhenitsynRussian handling of dissent, kidnapping, incarceration, assassination.Genes confer vulnerability to action. Genes are not destiny and do not condemn outcome. The Judge (Duvall) son Hank (Downey) mirrors The Judge's personality weaknesses (self righteous bullheadedness, moral superiority, mockery of others, vanity, feeling of personal legacy, demanding loyalty) and strengths (truth telling admiration of decency in a young lawyer named Henry). The Judge adjudicates a case with a 16 year old who exhibits the same reckless impulsivity as The Judge's rebellious son Hank.The Judge grants the young defendant leniency in court with disastrous consequences.The Judge concludes that Tough Love Helicopters, Drill Sergeants and Consultants: Parenting Styles and the Messages They Send Jim Fay elementary principal 30 years & Foster Cline MD child psychiatristParenting with Love and Logicis necessary for guidance of his son Hank who wears The Judge's bullheaded self justifying controlling nature.Sometimes those sharing the same personality have difficulty negotiating relationship. Those who are distinct yet complementary, eg athletic son Glen loved and admired by The Judge for qualities The Judge himself lacks (humble patient responsible fathering consistency compassion) often enjoy mutual respect support trust and friendship. The Judge (2014)  as parable embodies timeless themes interwoven in the fabric of small town American life, as representative of any small village anywhere across the globe, integrating kindness with practical acknowledgment of prejudice favoring "us" locals vs "them" outsiders. The Judge recalls admiring the decency of a young lawyer named Henry who was shunned for dutifully defending a killer who was hated by the community. "Henry had to live here."It takes courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more courage to stand up to your friends. Prof Dumbledore Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection The Majestic  Jim Carrey comedy carries the same themes as The Judge, though in a different era, post WWII American Big Band, community grieving after war, brokenness, resilience, effort at recovering optimism, accepting truth, building family. Developing Resilience: A Cognitive-Behavioural Approach  Michael Neenan British CBT cognitive behavioral therapy (dianoia discursive thinking) for self healing: acknowledge facts, search for disconfirming evidence, listen carefully to opposing points of view, pause to think before acting, beware of anoesis reflex response without cognitive content, agnotology (the making and unmaking of ignorance).Hank (Downey) wears a wristlet reminder to stay in the present moment. Amulets: Sacred Charms of Power and Protection  Sheila Paine Dhamma Brothers  documentary time alone in silence allows self examination, space for unavoidable truths to emerge.Vincent D'Onofrio portrays the burden of being the favorite child, always trying to resolve conflict in the family. Everything I Never Told You  Ng family secrets' unintentional harm Stuart Saves His Family  Vincent D'Onofrio Laura San Giacomo Shirley Knight Harris Yulin comedy fruitless pursuit of effort to "fix" others, change their attitudes behaviors character. Others' lives are their problem to fix . . . or not. Dad "that never happened." 28 Days (Special Edition)  Sandra Bullock Viggo Mortensen Steve Buscemi comedy "I should have taken better care of you" older sister.The Judge embodies the Confucian adage: what you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.Hank (Downey) defends an insurance company executive who denies insurance coverage to terminally ill patients. Ironically The Judge is forced to sell his wife's rings to pay for his non-insurance covered self-directed medical care in a fishing cabin.Four Pillars of Medical Ethics: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice.That kindness and influence so frequently fail to intersect is a bitter injustice.But so too is vilification in the service of vendetta.Joseph D Martin History of Philosophy of Science Truth with a Vengeance sciencemag.org 25May2018The Judge is complex, well written and requires repeat viewings to absorb the subtle nuances created by characters withalexithymia (a=no lexi=words thymia=for feelings) those without verbal facility for emotional expression, who act rather than speak emotion (psychosomatic vomiting, Hank's jealousy of his favored brother, older brother Glen's empathy for Hank's suffering in professionally defending their father, youngest brother Dale's joy in seeing the family reconciled). The Judge also provides examples of the Dunning-Kruger Effect: those with the least skill are the most highly confident, those with knowledge and wisdom are aware of potential unanticipated consequences and more restrained. Hanlon's Razor never assume malice for an outcome adequately explained by incompetence.The Judge is 5* for inducing self reflection on one's own moral failures and triumphs over personal temptations. Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts Tavris & Aronson The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time  Konnikova the psychology of self delusion The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us  Chabris & Simons why we do not see what is right in front of our eyes, YouTube videosWhat seems to us more important, more painful, and more unendurable is . . . merely that which is closer to home.Everything distant which for all its important moans and muffled cries, its ruined lives and millions of victims,that does not threaten to come rolling up to our threshold today we consider endurable and of tolerable dimensions.Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Made me fall in love with Robert Downey Jnr. Great acting. Great soundtrack

I almost can’t believe this is the first time someone was brilliant enough to cast these two magnificent actors together, but I think it took this film, these particular characters - at odds, alike, separate, different - to create the perfect alchemy that takes place between and is created by Duvall and Downey herein. Forgive the flourishing words, I am truly moved - more than I even expected to be, given my love of both actors, and the odds that I would be completely taken by Duvall’s performance as I have always been by his past appearances - after watching The Judge. The movie is at once quietly restrained yet thrumming with a current of emotional chemistry threatening to boil over. The cadence of even the scene or two (one in particular) where the eruption for which the viewer is braced actually takes place is so perfectly balanced between raw, powerful emotions built up over the years these characters developed before coming to screen and a sort of respectful restraint (obviously the result of brilliant direction and acting) keeps the viewer from being left overwhelmed by the moment; allowing us instead to breathe and take in the whole story.What a beautiful picture. This one, I know, will stay with me for some time. Having literally just finished it, I imagine how much more deeply still I will grow to appreciate the themes eloquently conveyed here - universal to us all, yet without being shouted at us using overly broad or shallowly drawn characters and relationships. These actors are so remarkable, the writing and direction, the lighting and set and all the aspects of film we don’t even consider when done right, work in perfect concert. This is the rare movie that leaves me FEELING so much, satiated with the plot curve and an ending which wraps up the story beautifully but not too tightly. Leaving room for the imagination, but outlining possibilities for these characters (after the end credits role, when we decide what happens next) that are not singular, nor are they infinite; we understand who these people are and what they have been through, so wherever they end up, doing whatever they end up doing, we have a sense of closure, knowing the story has done what it set out to, knowing the characters completed one momentous journey begun before the start of the film (well conveyed during the movie though, unfolding at a lovely even pace without gratuitous mystery yet somehow avoiding predictability or boredom). We see changes occur that are subtle, realistic and hopeful. I found the story life affirming and inspirational in that measured arc for each of the characters.Don’t know how helpful any of that was, but I can confidently recommend this film to anyone bothering to read these reviews. Be it the plot, setting, direction or any of the phenomenal actors (and the supporting cast is amazing, it’s almost tragic that the 10 or so phenomenal actors in these roles probably didn’t get as much press only because Downey and Duvall are just so good it’s hard to spend time talking about anything else!), whatever sparked your interest in this title will exceed all expectation in execution.

Great story about the challenges in family. It’s a great movie.

First viewing: much melodrama. Third viewing: this film is brilliantly scripted, acted and scored.Recommend 100%. The director does not telegraph all the punches the script lands. The more you watch it the more masterful the ensemble cast and film become. Duvall underplays a role he is used to. Downey reacts to Duvall without "acting". Billy Bob Thornton is restrained but fiery. Vincent D'Onofrio gives an understated, moving performance. Vera Farmiga is marvelous in a difficult role. This is no comedy. It is a film that explores the ties that bind from many conflicting angles: romantic, familial, professional, spiritual. The initial release reviews accusing the film of cliched plot, mawkishness and the performances as "showy" were I think unjustified. Richard Roeper's review is especially off the mark.Audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes are closer to the mark. The movie is an A minus at worst, and has aged far better than most films released in 2014. (Oscar nominees The Wolf of Wall Street, Dallas Buyers Club, Nebraska, American Hustle are all much more forgettable.)

Amazing

Un thriller intenso e seguito con attenzione come merita. Ottime le interpretazioni del padre giudice e del figlio avvocato. Rapporti personali contrastanti ma sempre in cerca di comprensione. Grande la gestione del processo da parte del figlio avvocato bravissimo a utilizzare situazioni imprevedibili e negative per la difesa in modo da trasformarle a vantaggio del padre accusato di omicidio senza venir meno ai suoi imprescindibili principi morali.

Es una película fascinante, como dice uno de los actores en los extras, no tiene acción, no tiene terror, ni disparos ni nada que llame la atención en un principio... Pero hay que verla.

Certamente un film incentrato sui rapporti fra padri e figli nel contesto della provincia americana, ha sempre un certo appeal, in questo caso la "legge", i giudici e gli avvocati sono solo una scusa, il film è molto bello, gli attori ovviamente sono eccellenti, in primis i due Robert, ma come spesso nei film americani c'è qualcosa che fa cadere la storia nei cliché fin troppo ritriti e guasta quello che è la storia in se. Probabilmente se vi fosse stata una mano un po' più pesante ai tagli di alcune cose inutili, avrebbe avuto una critica molto migliore.La valutazione del Blu Ray è ottima per la forma e per i contenuti speciali per cui vale la pena di acquistare un supporto invece di andare online.

Ho trovato il film molto bello. La trama rischia sempre di scadere nel banale o nell'inverosimile, ma riesce a restare a galla fino alla fine offrendo una bella storia piena di conflitti padre-figlio sullo sfondo dei classici e avvincenti processi made in USA.Molto bravo Robert Downey Jr., ma assolutamente superlativo Duvall.Nel complesso ottimo, assolutamente consigliato. Anche la regia e la fotografia meritano una menzione speciale, sempre curate al massimo.Peccato solo per la qualità delle immagini, non perfetta: il bitrate è alto, ma spesso si notano cali di framerate e le immagini non sembrano mai estremamente definite, con la presenza costante di un po' di rumore.