The Laramie Project
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Movie Reviews of The Laramie Project
Movie Review: Laramie Project
Summary: 5 Stars
dvd arrived in condition stated and within the estimated delivery time. thank you.Movie Review: Everyone Carries a Piece of the Truth.
Summary: 4 Stars
One of the most powerful speeches witnessed in this film are those by Laura Linney, who tries to create a similarity between the death of Matthew Shepard and the accidental death of a Wyoming State Trooper that same night. It does create a moment of thought in your mind that links the power of the death of Shepard to that of the power of the media, but it is just for a fleeting moment as we are whisked back into another voice, with another opinion. That voice is both the strength and weakness of this film. As a viewer, new to this story and type of storytelling, I felt a bit over biased. I realize that instead of focusing on the death and life of Matthew Shepard, Kaufman, focused on the collective voice of the town, which was nothing but a bag of mixed messages. As I sat, thinking about this film over the course of several days, that is the only issue that I had trouble grappling. This was an emotional film, chalk full of actors giving surprising monologues about their personal opinions as we collectively watch the aftermath of such a horrid crime. We even get the chance to see how the death of Matthew Shepard caused an ill fate to another person within the community. Again, these side stories were powerful to watch because it gave a living soul to the town, but where The Laramie Project went a bit too far was the over-dramatic nature of the characters.
While I would agree that there was probably some emotion behind those that chose to take part in the interviews, I don't believe you would find such a doctor, with such a dramatic "umph" saying, "We take offense to this murder", like no other than Peter Fonda could say it. Christina Ricci, in my eyes, was the embodiment of my last statement. Perhaps Kaufman, would have benefited more by placing unknowns in the roles instead of these name Hollywood players. While they were not A-grade actors, they each did a phenomenal job in this film - but oddly, this was the problem. Steve Buscemi speaking about his relationship with Shepard made me see Buscemi being Buscemi. I didn't see the character that he was playing. I didn't see Fonda's doctor's character. I didn't see anything of value behind Ricci's character (outside of a definite Ricci being Ricci) - and while I realize that this was not a work of fiction, without the development of a known character, they were just actors speaking powerful lines. The lines stood on their own, and it was those lines that continued my attention through the film. Alas, I could not see Joshua Jackson (from Dawson's Creek) as the actual bartender or Dylan Baker as the head of the hospital because I knew these actors. I wanted better from them. The most emotional speeches came from those that I was not fully familiar with. Those like the man who watched the parade route, or the actor that played Matthew Shepard's father. These smaller, unknown bits, was what made The Laramie Project stand out and break a tear out of even the strongest wall.
I want to express again that I thought that this was a very powerful film; there were just certain moments that were using cliché elements to heighten the emotion of the story. This wasn't needed in the least bit. While I know that having the media attention when the residents of Laramie walked out of the courtroom was surprising, the film technique used to demonstrate this seemed cheap, and nearly like a low blow to the story. The glossed effect of when Ricci's character, and her mother, made angels to block the words of protestors, seemed fake on screen - while perhaps actual footage of this event would have strengthened the emotion. Perhaps I am asking too much, but when Ricci walks out with those angel wings flying high, I just expected Will Smith to come out of nowhere, screaming a line that would surely demonstrate to those protestors who was in control here. It came out a bit too Hollywood. As well as the scene where Dylan Baker cries, which I felt was the better of all the cinematic moments. It was powerful, yet subdued. It could have used more realism. Am I complaining too much? Nope, because I thought this was a brilliant film with how unique it was with its portrait of storytelling. I liked hearing the voices, in fact, if this were a story on CD, it would be a personal favorite, but because we were distracted by images of famous actors speaking in their own voice as well as unclimactic cliché scenes, it softened the blow. I was still teary at the end, but this could have been a film to rival that of Angels in America had it just tried a bit harder to avoid the Hollywood influx and paint a more vivid portrait of your average American town.
Overall, I must admit, it took me several days for this film to settle, but I think I could view it again. I especially would like to see Amy Madigan's performance, which I thought, her struggle with what happened, nearly overshadowed what happened to Matthew Shepard. I could have watched an entire film based solely on her. It is amazing what the media chooses to cover, and what they choose to ignore. I like what this film demonstrated. I like that it didn't depict this Wyoming town of rednecks and hillbillies never quite understanding what was wrong with the murder of Shepard. I am glad that we were able to see humanity break through the barriers and show emotion, show sadness, and look beyond the lifestyle to see the human being that was wrongly sentenced. I do think, nonetheless, that liberties were taken with certain actors and certain camera shots, but overall that can be overlooked. By throwing in some unknowns to this picture, I think the drama and the intensity of the event could have been heightened. This is a sad thing that happened, and I am glad that Hollywood chose to open the envelope, but they just didn't give it that final seal of approval. Actors were actors and cliché moments were used to build emotion. You already had a sad story; we didn't need the charades to improve it. I strongly suggest watching this film, if anything, to see that there is compassion within a town burdened with such a horrific crime. It is sad, and will surely bring a tear to anyone's eye.
Grade: **** out of *****
Movie Review: Don't Be Ashamed of Your Personal Story
Summary: 4 Stars
This script is arranged from actual interview comments of the people of Laramie, Wyoming. Laramie is a place where two young local residents brutally beat and killed a young gay man, leaving him for dead for 18 hours before his comatose body was found. "We don't grow children like that here . . . well, it's pretty clear we do." The script comes from their words, making the movie revealing and educational.
The idea that kept recurring as I watched this film was how this event would have easily been forgetten in the greater cultural memory if this movie had not been made. And I was also impressed how clueless and stupid so many of the people of Laramie were without knowing how stupid they were. I'm not throwing stones at them, because I have been far more stupid in my past than they appeared to be. But it is just embarrassing watching them reveal their consistent hate and ignorance, still unaware of their stupidity. I don't use the word "stupid" often, because it is a word that for me is as bad as most profanity, but it is appropriate here.
This movie reveals tragedies that are very relevant to today's audience because I live in a state where homosexuals are being treated as second class citizens by the legislature and the general public. We're one of 8 states with popular vote initiatives this year to change the laws so that homosexual relationships are statutorily not given full protections or validation. According to the Assoc. Press, "Constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage have passed in all 20 states where they appeared on the ballot . . . passed overwhelmingly, ranging from a high of 86 percent in favor in Mississippi to Oregon's 57 percent, the slimmest margin in the country. Experts say . . . lawmakers feel only benefits and no backlash." Sadly, gays are still being discarded from first class protections & rights through legal and majority-sanctioned means.
These actors and filmmakers chose not to be silent. I appreciated Jonathan Lapin's comment in his review below - "closets kill". Every time society creates a legal definition that creates a "less than ideal" class of people, there is an implicit authorization to treat those people with less than full rights and privileges.
Additionally, when someone has to hide something they love or something that defines them, it can intrinsicially create negative health effects on that person, even in the absence of notorious mistreatment by others. When someone has to hide and implode so many things that feel true to them, then those self-closeting and self-silencing actions can manifest themselves in both physical and mental disorders. When something so core to their personal definition is discouraged by everyone around them, that can cause an otherwise good person to shutdown in negative ways.
Of the deceased gay man, Matthew Shepard, his parents released these words upon notice of his death, "Like a good son, he was caring to the end, and removed guilt and stress from the family." Do what you can to help remove feelings of unwarranted guilt. Help the gay and bisexual people around you overcome any false guilt feelings they may still have. "You must tell your story," the movie says. And I praise the filmmakers for telling this young man's story for future generations to continue to remember.
Movie Review: A Powerful Statement
Summary: 4 Stars
Matthew Shepard was about two months short of his twenty-second birth when he was robbed, beaten, tied to a fence post and left to die in a rural area of Wyoming. The man who found him at first thought he was a scarecrow. Rushed to Poudre Valley Hospital at Fort Collins, he died on 12 October 1998--and when Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney were arrested for the crime they resorted to a defense known as "gay panic." Matthew Shepherd had propositioned them, they said, and they were so horrified that they killed him in response.
The gay community and numerous civil rights watchdog groups were outraged by the defense, and as more and more facts came to light it seemed that the crime was somewhat more complicated than Henderson and McKinney wanted the public to know. Witnesses stated that Henderson and McKinney had specifically targeted Shepherd because he was gay. After much legal wrangling, Henderson pled guilty and testified against McKinney, who was convicted; after still more legal wrangling, and at the request of Shepherd's parents, McKinney escaped the death penalty but has no chance of parole.
The case made headlines from end of the United States to the other and prompted numerous calls for Hate Crimes legislation, which had long been stalled both at the state and federal level. And in the midst of the confusion, chaos, and controversy, Moises Kaufman and the members of The Tectonic Theatre Project arrived on the scene, interviewing more than two hundred people about their thoughts and feelings on the case. These were shaped into THE LARAMIE PROJECT, a drama that debuted in 2000 and which has since shocked, impressed, and deeply moved audiences from coast to coast.
On the stage, THE LARAMIE PROJECT is played by eight performers who enact the numerous interview subjects in a three act, three hour performance on a largely bare stage. When filmed by HBO in 2002, it was reduced in length by about half and each interview subject was performed by a different actor--some of them members of the Techtonic Theatre Project, some of them well-known actors such as Laura Linney and Peter Fonda. The result is indeed powerful... but not as effective as the stage version, for on film it tends be a series of readings by "talking heads," a sort of pseudo-documentary, rather than as a cohesive whole.
That said, the great difference between the film and the original script is one of balance. On stage, THE LARAMIE PROJECT takes no sides per se; it simply sets forth the words and allows the audience to judge. On screen, it is distinctly slanted, cutting much of the conservative commentary that gave the original such remarkable balance. Even so, and although far outstripped by the stage version, it is a powerful voice for equality, tolerance, and simple human decency. Recommended.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Movie Review: Saw it in HS play form, Bet the movie is good too!
Summary: 4 Stars
I recently had the chance to see The Laramie Projrct performed as a High School Play on Long Island. Although I have never seen the movie version, I get the strong feeling that no matter what way The Laramie Project is showcased, the point will still come across in a powerful and moving way.
The teens who stared in the play really brought the emotions of Shock, Hate, Disbelife and Disgust to the surface. Rather it were the polic officer sobbing hystically as she recalled throwing caution to the wind to save Matthew, only to later discover she had been exposed to his HIV infected blood, the Minister preeching that Homosexuality was wrong, or the gay college profesor revealing that after the attack, she lived in fear of being assulted and killed herself.
Despite the fact the play was extremly long, and put on by a small Long Island school with a small budget and small stage, I still feel as thow it did a marvelous job in bringing to light the fact that hate, closed mindedness and unimaginable horror can thrive in even the smallest towns such as Laramie, where everyone thought "My town dosn't harbor such fellings" If it can happen in Laramie, it can happen in my little town, who's high school is home to only 200 kids grades 9-12.
I recomnd seeing The Laramie Project in any way shape of form, Movie, DVD, Broadway of High School Play. It will open your eyes, and your mind, and will leave you thinking in a whole new way, a way that kind of shocks you and smacks you right in the face. I got that feeling from a High School Play.
PS--I plan on writing an articel about the Laramie project for my High School News Paper. Maybe Ill post it here when it comes out!