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Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9781589711853 Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC ISBN: 1589711858 Label: Lions Gate Languages: Manufacturer: Lions Gate Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Lions Gate Release Date: February 18, 2003 Running Time: 112 minutes Studio: Lions Gate Theatrical Release Date: February 08, 2002 Editorial Review: Amazon.com: The unflinching realism and searing performances of Monster's Ball are stunning in all the connotations of the word. Hank (Billy Bob Thornton) and Leticia (Halle Berry) inhabit stark, queasy realities of the contemporary South, he as a death row corrections officer and she as the soon-to-be widow of an inmate (Sean Combs) whose execution Hank helps conduct. In the aftermath of the execution, both lose their children to tragic deaths and they form an unlikely bond. In the hands of lesser participants, the fateful plot might strain credibility and seem tailored to allow for liberal sermonizing about the obvious wrongs of our legal justice system, but director Marc Forster and cinematographer Roberto Schaefer balance the contentious nature of the film's issues--the death penalty, racism both overt and subtle, interracial couples--with a flawless attention to character and visual detail that completely convinces. The moral ambiguity of both central characters is given full voice as our sympathy is drawn out reluctantly at first but all the more resolutely in the end. Thornton draws from seemingly limitless resources to deliver yet another outstanding performance, but it is Halle Berry who is a revelation as she sustains throughout the complex tenor of brutality witnessed and raw courage defined. --Fionn Meade Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Monster's Ball - Take OneIt was OK. There were racial slurs against blacks in it and abuse, mental and physical in this movie. Halle Berry played a strong but abusive mother, who treated her kid like he was an evil step child half the time. Billy Bob Thorton lived an empty life and was the cause of his son's death. With the guilt of that, and Halle's son dying, they both created a comfort space for each other. They talked, related a bit and had sex (it was Halle's idea). The story drags on in parts ... Read More Rating:  - An utterly depressing, but truly unforgettable movieI was given Monster's Ball absolutely ages ago, but as usual, I have a build up of DVDs and never seem to get around to watching some of them. (Here's an idea - stop buying, start watching!) Then of course there was the death of Heath Ledger, and it never seemed like the right time. Two days after coming home from a beach holiday, I decided that now was the right time to watch it. I was in the mood, I had plenty of time, the phone wasn't going to ring and there would be no interruptions. ... Read More Rating:  - Could have had a V8Would have been a good movie if it weren't for that pornographic sex scene which distracted from the plot. It seems like it WAS the basis for the story. I have lost all respect for Halle Berry as an actress. I will acknowledge that she is a great actress, but I will never support her again. As a black woman, I am appalled. So she had to take her clothes off to get an Oscar? Backwards!! If you want to be taken seriously, Halle, as a black actress, keep your clothes on! Hello, use your ... Read More Rating: - DisappointingIf you are buying this movie to see Heath Ledger, don't bother. He isn't in it very much. You will be highly disappointed. The same with Halle Berry. Even though she won an academy award for her part, she really isn't in it that much either. Even though Heath and Halle did their parts well, the movie as a whole, was just okay. It isn't something I would care to see more than once. Rating: - Love it or hate it?The film is very slow moving, realistic and mostly boring except for sexually explicit scenes and an electrocution. The acting by the leads is actually very good, but the script writing seems weak and the action very slow. For most people it is a drama that they may miss the point of: father-son multi-generational interaction, systematic racial discrimination and the interaction of authority figures with others. An interracial sexual affair seems to have been what sold this ... Read More |
