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Reviews
Monster's Ball (2001)
A Great Film
I had to write only after reading other users comments on this movie. Some users complained that it was "too depressing", "not one smile", "like picking scabs". What? Maybe they can't understand what a tragedy piece is about. Shakespeare did plenty of them and, yes, lots of people died, there wasn't a happy moment, parents mourned the loss of a child. TRAGEDY. But, there was a happy moment. It was after Hank's father, Peter Boyle, makes his nasty, racist insults to Leticia and Hank finds out about it. The next scene is Hank dropping his father off at a nursing home! HA HA!
Now that my rant is over... I thoroughly enjoyed the subtle change that Thornton's character goes through. He didn't announce that he was against racism and to prove it he was going to have an African-American girlfriend, Halle Berry's Leticia. They each saw something good in each other. Their personal tradegies opened them up to caring for each other. Even when they eventually found out about each other, each one silently bore the revelation of their connection and they ended up saying that they were going to be okay. It didn't get preachy.
I enjoyed the directing, as well. Lingering shots of a burning cigarette in an empty room, reflections in windows, odd shots of someone's hand in a birdcage, and the magnifying mirror in different bathrooms set motifs that suggested different layers in this film of tragedy and acceptance. No real violence or gore, this movie moved through emotion. I even liked the way it ended. Quietly. You realize that they rescued each other.
The characters were well acted but I'm happiest that Halle Berry won the Oscar for her performance. She has played a broad range of roles from confident (Swordfish), tragic (Monster's Ball), historical (Dorothy Dandridge), to comedic (BAPS) women with skill. Such a gracious attitude and love of acting is why I think that she'll always be a favorite. Congratulations, Halle!
B*A*P*S (1997)
Come On. Lighten Up! It's Just FUNNY
Sure it's not "deep" but it is full of sight gags and it's hilarious. The scene at "The Gold Tooth" nightclub, the over-the-top hairdos, and the scene in the line for tryouts in the music video is nothing short of a gut-buster are only a smattering of the laughs you'll have. It is a heart-warming movie that you can watch over and over. PLUS, Halle Berry is such a BABE! So, lighten up and watch it... it beats the copycat 'Booty Call'.