~*~*Minor Spoiler~*~*
I only put the word movie in quotations because I do not consider 'Monster's Ball' to be a movie in the least bit. A movie is something that has to be somewhat entertaining, somewhat interesting, somewhat worth the time that it takes for me to watch it. 'Monster's Ball' wasn't any of those and I found it to be one of the worst projects of 2001. Scratch that and make it one of the worst of all time.
I'm going to come down hard on this film (there, I didn't use "movie") because it truly is a piece of garbage. I am so tired of the movie companies being under the impression that just because a well known, highly paid and recognized actor is thrown into a film, it will have to be great. That is so not the case. Anyway, let me actually get to my review.
I like Billy Bob Thornton. I don't like Halle Berry. Mix these two together and what we have is a disaster. Thornton turns in a less than average performance. At times, his acting just plain stinks. I'd like to say that I was still interested in him because of his looks, but oh, what a mess. I have just one word for Berry: Oscar!? How in the world did she manage to take home an Oscar? For this performance? I'm sorry, but did the Academy and I have alternate versions of the same movie? She is completely unbearable. I thought that any movie where Penelope Cruz was involved was terrible (and they are), but Berry is so darn annoying. Unlike Thornton, she is at least somewhat believable at times. I had enough of her crying though after fifteen minutes. You know, I think that the only reason she won that statue is because someone on the committee just liked that scene in which everyone keeps commenting on. Honestly, she won it because if the Academy kept moving at the pace they were moving at, they would have soon gotten a racist card thrown at them. They have to cover their tales just like everybody else. So, those nauseating credits roll and I find out that Heath Ledger is in 'Ball.' Goody! My hopes of him saving this trash were soon killed as his character faced the same fate. What a shame. Who else do I feel the need to comment on? Oh, yeah, Sean Combs. He's dropped the 'Puffy', so I know he's serious. You know what? He was probably the best actor in this film. Yup, I actually said that.
The plot is paper thin and runs out of steam practically ten minutes into the film. I was so bored by it all. Just when I thought that it wasn't capable of getting any worse, the ending came. I was twirling my hair or filing my nails or something to pass the time, I looked away for a split second, and the next thing I know the credits are rolling again. It was absolutely terrible.
I thought that I could get all the way through this review without commenting on that now famous scene, but I can't. Thornton's and Berry's love scene was a little uncomfortable, to say the least. I was relieved to realize that I was watching it by myself instead of with somebody else where I would feel the need to break into conversation at that given moment. Anyway, I wouldn't exactly call that scene pornographic, though it was quite explicit. That's just another thing that I hated about this film. The director seemed to think that a sex scene was the only direction to go in; that it would save the film in a way. Why?
So, I think it's pretty clear where I stand on this picture. The acting was horrible, the cast just didn't 'jive', the plot was boring, the whole thing's overrated, and I still can't get over how Berry won that Oscar. 'Monster's Ball' is a horrible, horrible film and I wouldn't suggest anybody see it. Ever.
PS - If there was one good thing about this whole disaster, it was that I didn't fork out $3 or so at the video store; I caught it on Cinemax.
I only put the word movie in quotations because I do not consider 'Monster's Ball' to be a movie in the least bit. A movie is something that has to be somewhat entertaining, somewhat interesting, somewhat worth the time that it takes for me to watch it. 'Monster's Ball' wasn't any of those and I found it to be one of the worst projects of 2001. Scratch that and make it one of the worst of all time.
I'm going to come down hard on this film (there, I didn't use "movie") because it truly is a piece of garbage. I am so tired of the movie companies being under the impression that just because a well known, highly paid and recognized actor is thrown into a film, it will have to be great. That is so not the case. Anyway, let me actually get to my review.
I like Billy Bob Thornton. I don't like Halle Berry. Mix these two together and what we have is a disaster. Thornton turns in a less than average performance. At times, his acting just plain stinks. I'd like to say that I was still interested in him because of his looks, but oh, what a mess. I have just one word for Berry: Oscar!? How in the world did she manage to take home an Oscar? For this performance? I'm sorry, but did the Academy and I have alternate versions of the same movie? She is completely unbearable. I thought that any movie where Penelope Cruz was involved was terrible (and they are), but Berry is so darn annoying. Unlike Thornton, she is at least somewhat believable at times. I had enough of her crying though after fifteen minutes. You know, I think that the only reason she won that statue is because someone on the committee just liked that scene in which everyone keeps commenting on. Honestly, she won it because if the Academy kept moving at the pace they were moving at, they would have soon gotten a racist card thrown at them. They have to cover their tales just like everybody else. So, those nauseating credits roll and I find out that Heath Ledger is in 'Ball.' Goody! My hopes of him saving this trash were soon killed as his character faced the same fate. What a shame. Who else do I feel the need to comment on? Oh, yeah, Sean Combs. He's dropped the 'Puffy', so I know he's serious. You know what? He was probably the best actor in this film. Yup, I actually said that.
The plot is paper thin and runs out of steam practically ten minutes into the film. I was so bored by it all. Just when I thought that it wasn't capable of getting any worse, the ending came. I was twirling my hair or filing my nails or something to pass the time, I looked away for a split second, and the next thing I know the credits are rolling again. It was absolutely terrible.
I thought that I could get all the way through this review without commenting on that now famous scene, but I can't. Thornton's and Berry's love scene was a little uncomfortable, to say the least. I was relieved to realize that I was watching it by myself instead of with somebody else where I would feel the need to break into conversation at that given moment. Anyway, I wouldn't exactly call that scene pornographic, though it was quite explicit. That's just another thing that I hated about this film. The director seemed to think that a sex scene was the only direction to go in; that it would save the film in a way. Why?
So, I think it's pretty clear where I stand on this picture. The acting was horrible, the cast just didn't 'jive', the plot was boring, the whole thing's overrated, and I still can't get over how Berry won that Oscar. 'Monster's Ball' is a horrible, horrible film and I wouldn't suggest anybody see it. Ever.
PS - If there was one good thing about this whole disaster, it was that I didn't fork out $3 or so at the video store; I caught it on Cinemax.