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Originally posted by jaybird
Kirstie Alley and Will Patton star in this movie based on a true story about a woman, regarded by her neighbors as a devoted mother and pillar of her community, who is accused of heinous crimes, including being the mastermind of a crime family for more than 20 years.
OMG - so glad they got that woman locked up!
God Bless Our Troops and Keep Them Safe
175/145/140
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03-14-2004 09:06 PM
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Banned
this is more I found on the movie... interesting!
CBS offers Sunday night movie "Family Sins." Based on the true story of Frances Burt, a Rhode Island woman whose cruelty to her foster children knew no bounds, the made-for details the most appalling abuse imaginable: beatings with electrical cords, forcing kids to shoplift and then hitting them when they get caught, withholding food for minor infractions. Though it's only a skin-deep treatment of the subject -- those interested in a Ph.D-level exploration of deviant psychology need not apply -- salacious nature of the plot will keep auds hooked.
Burt is fictionalized as Brenda Geck, a New Hampshire housewife whose generous, church-going, upright-citizen demeanor belies a role as the head, more or less, of her own crime family.
Played by a blowsy Kirstie Alley, Geck's vile nature is inherent in both broad strokes and little details. It sounds hopelessly over the top, but Alley gives a touch of dark humor to the proceedings to make it bearable. After maliciously being teased by Geck for being fat, foster daughter Marie (Deanna Milligan) reveals she's pregnant. Alley's shrill sneer as she wonders if the rapist was either her husband or her son sets the tone for the rest of the movie.
Marie eventually escapes and tells the media of her imprisonment, resulting in the filing of about a billion criminal charges against Geck and her family. The beatings, the insurance fraud arsons, the mental abuse is dealt with briskly -- a viewer doesn't have much time to ponder the most recent atrocity before a new one is revealed. Without the time for reflection, the tone of Graeme Clifford's ("The Last Don") made-for is breezy, even if the subject matter is the absolute opposite.
Performances are solid throughout, with Kathleen Wilhoite (she's had recurring parts on "ER," "Gilmore Girls," "Mad About You" and "L.A. Law") a standout as Marie's simple mother who is locked in the Geck's basement for 20 years -- and is thankful for the kindness the torturers have shown her over the decades.
The big question, of course, is why Geck became such a monster. No motive is ever given beyond an offhand reference to financial gain and the traditional "we may never know what drove this woman to commit these deeds" explanatory platitude for psychos.
Camerawork and editing is creative, with flashbacks given a different tone depending on the age and demeanor of the narrator. Scenes of the initial raid on the Geck house are shown via a hand-held camera. Calgary setting is appropriately Anywhere, North America.
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This is what I found about the real family in this movie.
Members of real-life Burt family spent time in prison
At the end of Family Sins, members of the Geck family are sent to prison for a very long time.
In the real-life case of the Burt family, lengthy sentences were also handed down, in 1994, but substantial portions of those sentences were suspended, reducing the amount of time they were required to serve in prison. All members of the Burt family have since been released, though some returned to prison for violating terms of their probation.
Matriarch Frances Burt, described by the police as the "Ma Barker" of the family, was sentenced to 30 years, with 11 years to serve and 19 years suspended. She was released from the Adult Correctional Institutions in June 2001 and is serving 19 years of probation.
Her husband, Walter Burt, was sentenced to 25 years, with 7 to serve and 18 suspended. He was released from the ACI in November 1998 and is serving 18 years of probation.
Their son, Dennis Burt, was sentenced to 12 years, with 4 1/2 to serve and 7 1/2 suspended. He was released from the ACI in August 1997, but sent back for a probation violation. He got out again last month and is serving 54 months of probation.
Another son, Raymond Burt, was sentenced to six years in prison and was released in January 1998. He is serving nine years of probation.
Daughter Cynthia Burt was sentenced to time served, plus probation, after cooperating with authorities. She is no longer in the state correctional system.
Raymond Burt's longtime companion, Tammy Lacoste, was sentenced to probation and is no longer in the state correctional system.
The only person connected with the Burt case still in custody, according to an ACI spokeswoman, is a friend of Dennis Burt, who did not originally receive any time to serve. Gerard Taddeo had been given a seven-year suspended sentence. He is currently being held at the ACI without bail as a probation violator and has other charges not related to the Burt case pending against him.
Three others received suspended sentences and were released before the Burts themselves were sentenced. They are: the Burts' adopted daughter, Renee Demrest; their son-in-law, Keith Demrest, and Eneida Facha, Frances Burt's niece.
God Bless Our Troops and Keep Them Safe
175/145/140
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First off "WELCOME" Sunshine00!
Yes its a true story and was quite the big one when it happened.Why they decided to make her a NH housewife is beyond me why not film in Rhode Island where it happened??
But yes its a true and grisly story what that monster did 
I finally found the one man not like all the rest!
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I like her too but I missed the movie.
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Come on Spring!!
That family was really messed up!!! My hubby just could not believe how she treated everyone in her family. I too did not realize how big Kristi Ally had gotten.
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Banned
Originally posted by MamaFairal
First off "WELCOME" Sunshine00!
Thanks MamaFairal
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crazy!!!! It is so sad what people can do to kids!!!!
"ONLY GOD CAN DETERMINE THE FUTURE"
R.I.P. MOM 7-24-54 TO 5-27-09
I LOVE YOU.
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well if it comes on again, maybe I will get to see it!
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I was going to bed when i found it looking for cartoons for my grandson, needless to say he didnt get cartoons last night. It was a very good movie, and may i ask why someone would focus on Kirsties weight gain? especially when the movie was so good? She has had an
up/down/up weight problem forever
WHAT PART OF 'NO' DONT YOU UNDERSTAND?
IF YA CAN'T LAUGH AT YOUR SELF......THEN WHY BE??
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tommyjo - I started this thread right at the very beginning of the movie and yes, at the time, the weight gain was my focus. She played a very good role tho and I had forgotten about the weight. Kudos to Kirstie for great acting.
God Bless Our Troops and Keep Them Safe
175/145/140
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((YankeeMary))
Proud Aunt to Logan and Baby Mason 
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