REVIEW: Herzog's Best in Years, Into the Abyss Tells a Story of Grief, Horror and Resilience

There’s a snag of resistance at the start of Into the Abyss, Werner Herzog’s new documentary about the execution of Michael Perry, the 2001 triple homicide he was convicted of (but never confessed to) with Jason Burkett, and the relatives of their victims. The film opens with a shot of a cemetery filled with identical white crosses where the unclaimed bodies of inmates are buried, and an interview with the man standing in front of it, Reverend Richard Lopez, a clergyman for death row inmates in Huntsville, Texas. He tears up as he talks about counseling men who are about to be given a lethal injection, about how, with their permission, he holds their ankle as they’re on the gurney so that they have the comfort of human contact as they pass. It’s an uncomfortable moment, this abrupt leap into such fraught territory, and there’s a palpable disconnect between the subject matter and Herzog’s familiar voice, from off-screen, prompting Lopez for stories about his encounters with wildlife on the golf course on the weekends. A few years ago, Steve James’ heartsick At the Death House Door launched from a very similar shot into an investigation of the wrongful death of Carlos DeLuna and a gentle but relentless examination of the flaws in the American capital punishment system. That’s not the type of film you’d expect or want of Herzog, but at the same time it’s something the topic all but demands. Could this be territory in which there’s no room for the filmmaker’s beloved ecstatic truth, one in which only the grim accountants’ facts are appropriate? As it turns out, no. Into the Abyss, which bears the subtitle “A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life,” reveals itself to be an outlandish, compassionate and, at times, improbably buoyant film about life’s capacity for grief and horror and about how it bubbles on miraculously in the face of such things. It’s the best thing Herzog’s done in years. In Conroe, Texas, and the surrounding Montgomery County in which the murders took place, the filmmaker discovers a near-mythic land of broken families, sudden destructiveness and tremendous emotion, one in which a capacity for violence appears to be tucked away in everyone, along with one for love. The crime around which the film revolves is notable for its brutality and its needlessness. Perry and Burkett, both 19 at the time, shot Sandra Stotler, the mother of their 17-year-old friend Adam, in order to steal her Camaro. After dumping her body in a lake, they went back to retrieve the car, and ended up running into and killing Adam and Jeremy Richardson, the friend he was with, after luring them out into the woods. They were caught a few days later, after a high-speed chase and a shootout. What would possibly lead a pair of teenagers to murder three people, people they knew, just for their cars is something no one can answer — not the matter-of-fact policemen who walk us through the crime, and not the two who committed it. Both Perry and Burkett are intriguing, unreliable figures who offer interviews from behind bars. Perry, who’s only a few days from execution, is a boyish-looking 28-year-old who bears an unfortunate resemblance to Jim Carrey’s character in Dumb and Dumber. He professes his innocence and his calm, saying “I’m either going home to the world or home to God.” Burkett, handsome and cold-eyed, is more forthright, in part because he pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence instead of facing lethal injection. He has, despite the decade he’s spent in prison, managed to get married, and the film pulls back to introduce his wife, then friends and family members of the convicts and the victims, and finally former Huntsville death house prison guard Fred Allen, sketching out a region that seems caught in some biblically inflected cycle of suffering, regret and rebuilding. Into the Abyss isn’t much to look at, its interviews taking place in prison visiting rooms, parks and modestly decorated parlors. The normalcy works in contrast with the jaw-dropping stories so many of these subjects nonchalantly share, of loved ones and loss. All of the families seem decimated by death or incarceration — Burkett’s father, who’s spent most of his life in jail, speaks of being united, behind bars, for a Christmas dinner with his inmate son. “I wish that I could take his time,” he says of Jason, speaking of his feelings of failure as a parent. “He had trash for a father.” Richardson’s older brother traveled to his sibling’s funeral knowing it meant he was jumping bond — he was arrested at the service. Lisa Stotler-Balloun reveals that the loss of her brother and mother were only the most recent of a string of deaths in her family, by train, by suicide, by sickness. But the most memorable interview of all is one born of apparent serendipity with Jared Talbert, a local who knew Jason and who comes from a similarly rough background (he was illiterate into adulthood). He offers some insight into the region in a section labeled “The Dark Side of Conroe.” Talbert talks about the time Jason almost shot him in the head over a girl — the gun misfired, saving him. He mentioned getting stabbed in the chest with a screwdriver during a fight, and going to work half an hour afterward instead of going to the hospital. And he shows off the tattoo of his girlfriend’s name, Bailey, on his arm — they’ve been together three years. When Herzog asks what he’d do if they broke up, he considers and then suggests he’d get it changed to “Bailey sucks.” It’s a funny moment, but it’s also endearing against all odds, an example of the resilience that runs through so many of the people on-screen, who have gone through extraordinary and often terrible things and soldier on in an admirably matter-of-fact way, prepared for the wonder and the awfulness the world has to offer. Read Movieline’s interview with Werner Herzog about Into the Abyss here. 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Exclusive CSI: NY Start Looking: How Come Danny and Lindsay Planning Their Memorials?

Carmine Giovinazzo, Anna Belknap It may be per week late, however it appears like CSI: NY's Halloween episode is going to be fittingly morbid.Friday's episode (9/8c, CBS) - that was knocked in support of repeats because of Game 7 around the globe Series the other day - finds Mac (Gary Sinise) & Co. looking into the dying of the fraternity pledge master, whois left within an open grave following a Halloween frat prank goes awry. But after investing each day collecting evidence inside a graveyard, a few of the CSIs minds' start to consider their very own mortality.Take a look at photos from the CSI: NY castAs you can observe within this exclusive first-look clip, Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) and Lindsay (Anna Belknap) particularly start to think harder about where their bodies' final resting places ought to be. Plus: Each of them share some ideas about how exactly the making it through spouse should handle the very much departed's funeral plans. (Hint: Danny wants a 2-week celebration including a performance from his favorite rock-band.)Watch the clip below. CSI: NY airs Friday at 9/8c on CBS.

The Vampire Diaries Bite: Ready for a 1,000-Year Flashback?

Joseph Morgan, Claire Holt On Thursday's episode of The Vampire Diaries, Alaric will begin to uncover the story - drawn in Viking script - of the Original family. And we'll finally meet a key figure in the show's mythology: Esther. Vampire Diaries exclusive first look: Meet Klaus' mother In this edition of The Vampire Diaries Bite, we delve into the connection between Esther and the talisman, Mikael's link to the family, and why he and Pearl are the only two who know how to kill Klaus. Make sure to send your theories, questions and comments to TVDBite@tvguide.com; we might feature them in an upcoming video.

News Corps HarperCollins Agrees To Buy Religious Publisher Thomas Nelson

NY–(BUSINESS WIRE)– HarperCollins Publishers today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Thomas Nelson, Inc. for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition, which is expected to close by the end of the calendar year, is subject to regulatory clearances and other customary closing conditions. Thomas Nelson is one of the leading trade publishers in the United States. The Company provides multiple forms of inspirational content including: books, Bibles, e-books, journals, audio, video, curriculum and digital applications available for download on smart electronic devices. It has published some of the bestselling books in the industry, including the current #1 bestseller Heaven Is For Real, and the books of many popular authors, such as Billy Graham, Max Lucado, and Dave Ramsey. Founded in 1798 in Edinburgh, Scotland, Thomas Nelson shares a long and rich heritage with both NYs Harper Brothers and Scotlands William Collins & Sons. It is thus with great pleasure that I look forward to welcoming Thomas Nelson to the HarperCollins family, said Brian Murray, President and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide. HarperCollins global print and digital publishing platform, which includes e-book distribution into more than 175 markets, Print-on-Demand, Digital-to-Print at Retail, and worldwide marketing reach, provides an opportunity to further expand the readership of Thomas Nelsons distinguished authors. Additionally, Thomas Nelson adds further balance to our existing publishing programs. Its broad inspirational appeal is a good complement to Zondervan, which will continue to publish books consistent with its mission, added Murray. We are excited to be joining HarperCollins Publishers, said Mark Schoenwald, President and CEO of Thomas Nelson. We believe this transaction represents an attractive strategic fit for our company. With HarperCollins resources and capabilities to draw on, we will capitalize on the many opportunities in this rapidly changing world of publishing.

Mad Males Creator Matthew Weiner Notifies All (To His Large Sister)

Deadline frequent contributor Allison Hope Weiner interviews her youthful brother, Mad Males creator Matthew Weiner, this month relating to this fascinating hour-extended video about his show’s roots, his difficult contract discussions,and also the inspirations when writing the series, additionally to Large Media issues and a lot of personal reminisces along with his large sis:

NBC Lands Comedy From Jack Black

By Lesley Goldberg and Lacey Rose October 26, 2011 NBC is in love -- with the Internet.The network has given a script commitment to a single-camera Internet love story from "30 Minutes or Less" scribe Michael Diliberti with Jack Black attached to executive produce.The untitled comedy, from 20th Century Fox Television, Reveille and Black's Electric Dynamite, revolves around two sweet but colossally unfit young people who meet online and fall into a sudden, uncontrollable bout of true love, much to the disapproval of most everyone in their lives.Diliberti, whose credits also include serving as an associate producer on the feature "Stop-Loss," is attached to pen the project and executive produce alongside Black as well as Reveille's Carolyn Bernstein and Todd Cohen.The project marks the latest project for Black's Reveille-based Electric Dynamite shingle this development season. The company also has a Josh Lieb multicamera comedy set up at Fox about a brother and sister who live together.Diliberti, repped by WME, New School Media and Morris Yorn, also penned the script to the upcoming has "Comic Con" feature. The Hollywood Reporter

Dorian Missick Joins TNTs Southland

EXCLUSIVE: Detective Lydia Adams finds a brand new partner. Dorian Missick (The Cape) has became a member of the cast of TNT’s dark cop drama Southland like a recurring. He'll play Ruben Robinson, Detective Lydia Adams (Regina King) new partner starting with the show’s 4th season premiere on The month of january 17. Adams went through a number of partners. She was most lately joined with Det. Josie Ochoa (Jenny Gago) but that didn’t last lengthy after Josie discovered that Lydia have been sleeping together with her boy. Missick is by using APA and MJ Management.