With its references to sealed documents, national security threats and “terrorist organizations,” "Good Night and Good Luck" is designed to remind viewers that journalists face problems in getting the whole truth today, in the midst of our war against Islamic extremism, as they did during Murrow’s time. It’s a provocative film, beautifully shot in black and white, with strong ensemble acting. But its efforts to appear timely are hindered by lines such as this one, spoken by Murrow: “A network is defined by its news.”

That may have been the case as recently as 10 years ago, but network news viewership has since eroded, and the string of embarrassments – particularly at CBS News, to which "Good Night and Good Luck" pays tribute – are a painful reminder that neither side of the political spectrum finds journalism to be the heroic profession it once was. The Right looks to blogs to break major news stories, while the Left sees a lapdog press corps all too willing to carry the administration’s water. And so, for all of its relevant elements, "Good Night and Good Luck" presents an ideal that we rarely see in today’s media world. It’s a strong film that looks back, rather than a prophetic picture that points the way forward.

CAPOTE

An unusual film about a highly unusual man, "Capote" tells the story behind "In Cold Blood," Truman Capote’s account of the murder of several family members in Kansas. The book launched a new genre – the “nonfiction novel” – and catapulted Capote to great fame. "Capote" recounts the agonizingly long start-to-finish process of writing the book and the heavy toll it took on its author.

When Truman Capote (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), a staff writer for the New Yorker, reads about the murders and the pending trial for two suspects, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, he heads to Kansas in search of another magazine story. Traveling with him is friend and fellow writer Harper Lee (Catherine Keener), who would soon achieve fame of her own as author of "To Kill a Mockingbird."

After talking with one of the suspects, Capote calls his editor and informs him that he has enough juicy material for a book. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have any certainty that the men accused of the crime are indeed guilty, but he’s confident that, through his time spent interviewing Perry, he can win Perry’s confidence and eventual confession.

Instead, he finds himself drawn to Perry, calling into question his journalistic objectivity, and motives. Is he interested in exonerating Perry and Dick, or in hastening the judicial process, so he can complete his book?

Capote’s homosexuality is portrayed through his ongoing relationship with a male partner, but the film is less interested in the morality of Capote’s sexual preference than it is in his slow downward spiral in the face of pressures from his publisher and his methods for extracting information from Perry.