Monster's Ball
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Movie Reviews of Monster's Ball
Movie Review: Intelligent Script with Strong Performances
Summary: 5 Stars
I had watch this film a couple of times over the years and it is not so much a love story as it is the story of two emotionally overwhelmed people clinging to each other out of desperation. As such, it may hit a little too close to home for some people. It's improbable that a man and a woman in real life would experience the absurdly coincidental events these characters do, but the fact remains that many couples form a union from basic needs rather than from true love.
Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Barry have both given the performances of their careers here and every time I watch this film I see why Halle won that Oscar. This is not for the faint of heart, and if you are just looking for light entertainment, looks elsewhere. We are talking deep here.
"Monster's Ball" is a look into two people lives, Hank & Leticia, and how their characters connect through the whole movie -- Her husband is executed on death row, and Hank is one of the corrections officers that assist in the execution. Sean "Puffy" Combs plays the husband, and he is quite impressive. The film also shows how they end up after so much tragedy is bestowed upon both of them. They both lose their sons, but in some sense, I didn't see them really grieving for their loss which is one part of their character that truly bonds them. They are both extremely complex, angry characters, and you want to have sympathy for them, but it isn't easy. As the film moves on, you start to feel for these characters. We get to know them on a personal level.
This is an amazingly well crafted piece of work, the acting, cinematography, excellent screenplay, and realism of it is all just brilliant. Even if it is very depressing it is also extremely engrossing. Rent and/or buy this film - you will definitely get your money's worth.
Movie Review: Last 12 Months a Tour de Force by Thornton
Summary: 5 Stars
I knew Billy Bob Thornton was talented when I saw him for the first time in "Sling Blade," which he starred in plus wrote and directed. Little did I suspect though that he was hiding a talent with such range under that semi nerd appearance. In the last 12 months, I've seen him reinvent himself so many times that I couldn't tell you who Billy Bob Thornton really is (Bandits and The Man Who Wasn't There, to name two). And, boy, does he not shy away from a difficult, even potentially hateful role. In this film, Thornton and his son (Heath Ledger) are the death row guards for Halle Berry's husband who is about to be executed. Far from that execution's being the main event of the movie, it serves to set off a chain reaction of events that show the two characters, played by Thornton and Berry, in depth as human beings with multi facets. Each of them has a son and each could be called a bad parent. Each has a scene with his/her respective son that will take you way past any comfort zone. Then, there's Thornton's relationship with his father, played by Peter Boyle, a truly despicable man. With all these jagged edges, it is surprising that the movie is at heart a relationship movie about Thornton and Berry as a couple and not a film about death row or parents and sons. Berry is outstanding and certainly did an Oscar worthy performance. The only other film I've seen her in is "Swordfish". Many people might not even guess that this is the same actress. As for Thornton, he is that rarity, a triple or quadruple threat talent: he can act (comedy and drama equally), write (The Gift and Slingblade), direct, sing, drum. I guess the only question is, Can He Dance? If he can't, give him a few lessons and I'm sure we'll see him in a Fred Astaire remake next.Movie Review: Surprisingly wonderful film but not necessarily comfortable
Summary: 5 Stars
I watched this movie rather reluctantly. I expected it to be totally depressing and suprisingly it was not. After seeing it, I couldn't get it out of my mind and keep mulling over so many of the subtle details.For me, the beauty of this film was how stark and yet how subtle it seemed to be. All the characters, even the minor ones, seemed so layered without being heavy handed. The two main characters, Hank and Letitia, played by Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry, are not necessarily likeable characters. They are living lives of quiet desperation and somehow their lives come together through a series of circumstances. Somehow Hank finds some joy and hope that he probably never remotely imagined existed and Letitia finds unexpected shelter from the relentless blows life has showered on her. Together they are nicer people and more whole than apart.
I found personal beauty in so many tiny elements and how subtly Hank's racist attitude starts to change. When Hank starts approaching the black neighbor whose kids he drove off his property with a shotgun, the neighbor doesn't rebuff him as he obviously could have which would have reinforced Hank's racist beliefs.
Halle Berry is obviously a gorgeous woman but I didn't feel her beauty detracted from this role. It seemed like she was a woman who should have had a much better life (i.e., her physical beauty opening doors and opportunities) but like many people, bad choices and unfortunate circumstances over the years have taken their toll.
I highly recommend this film but warn that it is not necessarily a comfortable movie to watch. At the end, I chose not to watch the deleted scenes (on the DVD) because I didn't want to change the impressions I had after my initial watching.
Movie Review: Just 1 Oscar.....?
Summary: 5 Stars
Having seen both this film (on DVD) and "A Beautiful Mind" (in the theatre), I'm perplexed at the disparity of honors that were given out on Oscar night. Halle Berry absolutely deserved her Oscar for her portrayal of Leticia Musgrove, the Death Row widow who enters into an unlikely relationship with Hank Grotowski, played by Billy Bob Thornton. This was not a "political" choice, i.e. because she happens to be black. Her character was a black woman, okay? I can't even remember the other actresses who were up for the Best Actress Award. Anyway, the Academy got that one right. But in truth, this film should have won Best Picture, Best Director (for Mark Forster) and probably best supporting actor, for Heath Ledger, even though his character dies early on in the film. But the subject matter of this film (black man is executed, widow falls in love with a white man) just wasn't "appropriate" enough to give it the high visibility of those other awards. Better give them to a superficial, "unreal" concoction that is "A Beautiful Mind", a feel-good movie if there ever was one. Don't get me wrong, I though Russell Crowe did an outstanding job in that film; but, "Monster's Ball" is about the hard truthes of life, death and love in an unequal society, told with unflinching realism. Sean Combs did an outstanding job (for a non-actor) as the condemned man, Leticia's husband, and his scenes leading up to the execution are some of the most powerful ones in the film. As a native southerner, I actually thought that the racism was toned way down, and that is my only real criticism of the movie. Oh yes, and the commentary by the director and the principal actors on the DVD was a nice touch. Believe me folks, they wuz robbed.Movie Review: Splendid!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Like a great novel sticks with you long after you've read the last page, this movie will leave you thinking for a long time after you've seen it. While the theme of racism is prominent, there are other themes that relate to family, history, and choices. This is a tragic tale, yet having grown up in the South and grown up poor, I can envision the type of scenarios that comprise these lives (although death through govenment-instituted electrocution is a stretch, at least in most states).Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton have incredible chemistry that one may not expect from these two very different actors. Halle Berry definitely deserved the Academy Award for her performance. The supporting cast is superb. The perfomance by Sean Combs is surprisingly good. This is a "character" movie, and none of the actors let you down. From the beginning, the small details of the characters' actions make you feel like these could be people next door (even more real if you are familiar with the deep south). I was actually surprised that the movie did not receive more Academy nods, as the acting was incredible.
Much has been made of the sex scene between Hank and Leticia (Thornton and Berry). While I wouldn't let my children watch, this scene, like the rest of the movie, serves a purpose. It is not at all gratuitous, as we learn something about the characters and where they are in their lives based on their actions in this scene. I thought it was very well done.
I was surprised by the ending. It was refreshing, because most movies these days are predictable from the beginning.
I'd recommend this film to anyone. While difficult to watch at times, it will challenge you, make you think, and make you feel.