I've always loved you.
A review by Mike Shea Movie Rating: ( * * * * * ) DVD Rating: ( * * * * · )
I don't know what deal with the devil this resting home employee made to become one of the best actors in Hollywood, but Billy Bob Thornton never ceases to amaze me. He was far from subtle in Sling Blade and A Simple Plan but really showed how deep an actor he can go in movies like The Man Who Wasn't There and Monster's Ball. Monster's Ball got a lot of press and a lot of acclaim. It was deserved. It is a simple but deep movie with layers of background and emotional realism. It's a gritty and harsh look at love in poverty and how people are shaped by their upbringing.
There are some amazing roles in this character driven film. Halle Berry showed she wasn't just another pretty face after mortally wounding her career with Swordfish. Peter Boyle hammered out a role with as much spit and vile energy as the role demanded. Heath Ledger and Sean 'Puffy' Combs both did a perfect job with the small roles they were given.
I'm a believer that the most interesting parts of our lives start and end in a very short period of time. Monster's Ball is a story about one such turning point for a family of prison guards and a lower class black family. It's a love story where people don't always have a choice. While it's a story about relationships, the most powerful moments of all their lives happen in the very short period the movie takes place in. It also starts with someone throwing up, which you know is a good sign for a classy movie. Though one might think this movie is more of a touchy feely relationship movie, I would still highly recommend it. Each line of dialog, each look, each scene is filled to the brim with emotion. Monster's Ball is truly a powerful and wonderful film.
The DVD has a very clear 2.35 to 1 16x9 enhanced picture that immediately sucked me into the film. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack adds ambiance where it is required without going over the top. I imagine it is hard for sound editors to put their work out of the mind of the audience but when they do it makes the whole picture better. There are two directors commentaries including one with the director, Thornton and Barry. I couldn't wait to listen to the seat shifty comments between Berry and Thornton while we all watched them hammering away like a pair of rabbits. Unfortunately it wasn't near as uncomfortable as I had hoped. Barry is just as insane as she was during the Academy Awards, so prepare yourself for a lot of touchy feely "become the inner spirit of the character" acting references.
Monster's Ball is one of the best movies I have seen all year. It is a great movie and one I would recommend it to just about anyone who can stand watching Halle Berry tear her clothes off and rape Billy Bob Thornton for twenty minutes. The actors and the story all put together an excellent drama and one of the best American films I have seen in a long time. Go see it.
From: Sucubus ( sucubus@sucubus.com ) on 29 October 2002
Subject: Decline of civilazation
Bison64 & J.R.
I am sad to say that you will BOTH be spending all eternity in hell. You pretend to bash these movies AFTER renting and watching. YOU KNEW what this movie was rated and why it was given that rating but your sick pornographic seeking mind needed to see it(probably over and over when you wife wasnt in the room). "America certainly will drown in it's own filth.Sodom and Gomarra is no match for America.Good looks and no morrals isn't what life is all about" And its all LED BY YOU, you and the money you spend over and over again to watch this porn. Just think of how many rated R full of filth movies you have rented or purchased( only to later say how horrible it is) as you show hollywood you approve by giving them money. You WILL burn in hell forever and you know it so you might as well just go directly to vividvideo.com and get what it is you really want to see. Oh and get a life, there is no such thing as good you freakin loooooser, are you really that freakin naive?
Satan...over and out
p.s.
Bison, if Halley havin sex makes you sick to your stomach to watch chances are youd be a lot happier watching gay porn, oh but god says Gays are bad, ok well go back to your church and lesbian wife you married and keep watching.
From: Bison64 ( bison64@yahoo.com ) on 5 October 2002
Subject: DISGRACE
I was sick to my stomach after viewing this movie. My wife was also! Winning an oscar or even the movie roll for that matter was not worth Halley putting herself on display like that. I understand that you want realism in movies; however, the reality is that she REALLY is a married woman. Call me shallow, but I just could not get over seeing my wife after perform an X-rated scene for the world to see. I guess that is why actors seem to get married on a merry-go-round. Halley really played herself and got played!
B64
From: Mike ( mshea@liquidtheater ) on 25 September 2002
Subject: Monster's Ball morality
Thanks for the update from the Bible belt circa 1938. It's nice to know you can get away from calling girls in mini-skirts "tarts" and lamenting about the war of northern aggression enough to come and comment on this new fangled "internet".
You want immoral? How about the glorification of the deaths of 2400 Americans by turning it into a summer blockbuster.
Oh, I think you have a meeting tonight, Mr. Lights-off-missionary-position-only, don't forget your hood.
From: J.R. ( tga@aol.com ) on 24 September 2002
Subject: monster's ball
I watched the movie at home on dvd and have
absolutely no understanding how or why
Hallie Berry won such an award for simply performing a graphic,imoral,perverted sex act before the world public.If this is what it takes for a woman to win an award for how well she can perform a sex act,then America certainly will drown in it's own filth.Sodom and Gomarra is no match for America.Good looks and no morrals isn't what life is all about.I do beleive however, that this movie was given a perfect title in its truest context;and that is,a MONSTER was indeed having a ball with Hallie Berry.
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From: fia ( sorayafia@aol.com ) on 10 February 2003
Subject: monster's ball
where did the title "monster's ball" come from? what is the origin of that title? What...where was the original monster's ball. what was it held for. what does it have to do with this film being named "monster's ball". Please, please, please tell me.