The Playlist

The prologue of each of the four episodes of “Death Row” is the same: a restless camera prowls through the dismal ante-room, holding cell and injection chamber of an unnamed execution facility, while director Werner Herzog tells us in his familiar teutonic monotone that, as a German and a guest of the United States, he “respectfully disagree[s]” with the death penalty, legal in 34 states, and performed regularly in 16. And so he sets out his stall up front. What's perhaps surprising, however, is that what he then delivers is neither polemical nor propagandistic in its approach; Herzog's storytelling instincts trump his didactic ones here, to compelling effect. Having already tackled this subject in his feature-length “Into The Abyss” (the central figure of which makes a fleeting appearance here in the "Joseph Garcia and George Rivas" section), it's clear that in exploring the stories of these condemned men and women, Herzog has found a rich vein to mine, and he brings to this latest endeavor, a four-part TV series for Investigation Discovery, an uncharacteristic restraint. His even-handedness serves the subject matter well, largely refuting any accusations of liberal whitewashing before they can even be made. What he delivers instead is a series of nuanced, meticulous and gripping portraits of several death row inmates, unflinchingly portrayed, mostly in their own words and those of the men and women who arrested, reported on, prosecuted and/or defended them.

“Michael Perry, we would like to offer our condolences.” These are the first words of the “Into the Abyss” trailer, spoken by Werner Herzog to a young man about to be executed. Few things seem less comforting than the sound of Werner Herzog’s voice before death. But he can’t help it. That’s just how he sounds.

'The Ides Of March,' 'We Need To Talk About Kevin,' 'Carnage,' 'Wuthering Heights' & More Also IncludedWe're really getting into the thick of festival season by now. Telluride is long departed, things are winding down in Venice (we're here for another 24 hours, but it's starting to look like a ghost town), and The Playlist team head off to Toronto this afternoon. But there's plenty more on the way in the months to come. Only this morning, AFI Fest revealed that it would open with the premiere of Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar," and shortly afterwards, the full line-up for the 55th BFI London Film Festival has been announced.

Controversial Cannes Critics Week Entry 'Snowtown,' 'Kill List,' 'Oslo August 31,' 'Pina' Also Among The HighlightsYep, it's that time of year again: Rise of the Planet of Film Festivals. TIFF and Venice already announced their first wave of titles last week, but don't fret, movie lovers, as today the good folks in Toronto have opened the curtain on their next batch of titles, focusing heavily on their Midnight Madness and documentary slate of programming. So let's get to the films you should be seeing, shall we?