Shurtleff on Acting

In 1879, Wyatt Earp and his family arrive in the violent town of Tombstone with the intention of running a bar. But Earp is elected sheriff of the place and will have to face the Clantons, a gang that intends to dominate the town.

While he's out fishing with his Mennonite friend Jeremiah Peters on the morning of 2 June, Amish Eli Weaver receives a message via a call to Jeremiah's cell phone that Eli's wife, 29-year-old Barbara Weaver, has been found shot dead in their bed. While the Amish elders want to deal with the issue solely within their community, the Wayne County Sheriff's Department is forced to investigate in the murder having taken place in their jurisdiction, the two investigators being Detectives Bruce London and Mike Maxwell. What is subsequently shown is the current investigation interspersed with flashbacks of Eli and Barbara's life, which Eli admits to the investigators was not always perfect. Those flashbacks show that prior to their marriage, Barbara wanted to marry for romantic love, which is not the Amish way. Eli seemingly wanted the same; he was the black sheep of his family in not always adhering to Amish strictures. London and Maxwell have their theories of who the murderer is; they suspect Eli, who isn't reacting like a typical grieving husband and father, but they know they'll have problems finding evidence because the Amish Eli will have no digital footprint; and the community's sole telephone is a public one for emergencies, usable by anyone. They hope that the unofficial traditional Amish communication network, rampant gossip, will provide some clues. They find that some talk emerges in the form of a collection of women not in the community who were a part of Eli's secret life as the Amish Stud.

In 1957, lawyer James B. Donovan is recruited from his prestigious law firm to defend accused Soviet spy Rudolf Abel. It's an unenviable task in many respects. Donovan hasn't practiced criminal law since he was a prosecutor at the Nuremburg trials after World War II. Also, the strong anti-Communist mood at the time makes him a target from who think Abel should just be executed. Abel is convicted but Donovan convinces the judge to sentence him to prison, rather than execute him, as they may at some point in the future want to swap him for an American spy the Soviets might have in custody. Just such a scenario comes into play when in 1960 U-2 spy pilot Francis Gary Powers is shot down over Soviet territory and taken prisoner. Donovan is again recruited to act as the intermediary and negotiate swapping Able for the American requiring him to travel to East Berlin crossing the newly built Berlin Wall.

Cecil Gaines was a sharecropper's son who grew up in the 1920s as a domestic servant for the white family who casually destroyed his. Eventually striking out on his own, Cecil becomes a hotel valet of such efficiency and discreteness in the 1950s that he becomes a butler in the White House itself. There, Cecil would serve numerous US Presidents over the decades as a passive witness of history with the American Civil Rights Movement gaining momentum even as his family has troubles of its own. As his wife, Gloria, struggles with her addictions and his defiant eldest son, Louis, strives for a just world, Cecil must decide whether he should take action in his own way.

Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on half-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo. It opens in 1972, as the three are members of an East L.A. gang known as the "Vatos Locos", and the story focuses on how a violent crime and the influence of narcotics alter their lives...

"Hamilton" is the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and show tunes, "Hamilton" has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theater--a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. Captured at the Richard Rodgers Theater on Broadway in June 2016, the film transports its audience into the world of the Broadway show in a uniquely intimate way.