Rating: 
Summary: Maybe I'm Just A Dumb Old Redneck from Georgia
Review: I hated this movie. No wonder Angela Bassett turned the role down. This was not an Oscar performance by Ms Berry, even tho she does have a beautiful body. I did not like any of the characters and thought their portrayl of what "they were supposed to be" shallow and grave. If I hear the former Miss Junior Miss from Ohio tell us one more time how she has had to fight to maintain her integrity in Hollywood I am gonna be sick. Everyone knows what a hard life Ms. Berry has had. The only performances that had any real life to them were Heath Ledger's and Sean Coombs. This movie taught nothing, revealed nothing in a new light and will be nothing in 10 years. Obviously someone in Hollywood felt that Ms. Berry's nudity rated an Oscar. Maybe we do have a lot to make up for in racial equality but that does not mean we let a murderer go free and give an Oscar when it is not deserved. But then Hollywood so often gets it wrong. I did not think that Kevin Spacey earned his Oscar for American Beauty either.......
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent and Thought Provoking
Review: I think Monster's Ball is one of the best movies I've seen because it so accurately depicts the racial issues that bring people together and the ones which divide them. I like Billy Bob Thornton's work, and he was at the top of his form in this movie. I also like Halle Berry's work; she was outstanding in Monster's Ball. Together as Hank and Leticia they portrayed their characters in realistic, believable detail. Hank is not a very sympathetic character in the beginning of the movie. He seems to be walking through the events in his life on auto-pilot, and there's not much room for emotional interaction in his character. Leticia seems to be getting through her life in much the same way as Hank, only Leticia is obviously holding it all together with more difficulty and with the additional help from cigarettes and the occasional drink. Where Hank's life is routine but settled insofar as his job and financial position is concerned, Leticia's life is cluttered with a number of serious problems like the execution of her husband, the probability of losing her house, a job change, and a number of other issues. She's doing the best she can with what she's got, but the strain is always present in her body language and in her face. Hank and Leticia connect when they each suffer the loss of their sons. This one circumstance forms the basis for their growing attachment to each other. As the relationship progresses, Hank becomes less the automaton and a much more sympathetic character. Leticia loses some of that tension she carries around with her like second skin. It appears they've both found a new beginning in life which neither of them would have believed could happen. But, after all, the title of this movie is Monster's Ball; reality does intrude before everyone gets too comfortable in his or her better life. It would be an oversimplification of the issues in Monster's Ball to let the explanation for the message in this film go at that. It is about racism and the implications of that mind set. It's about men and women, and how they perceive circumstances. And I think it's about who we are and the events which shape us into what we are. It is also about the interracial aspects of a relationship, and how that in itself affects not only the people in the relationship but those around them as well. I highly recommend this intelligent, thought provoking, and well done movie.
Rating: 
Summary: overrated
Review: Fans of Billy Bob will enjoy this movie, and people will probably buy it for Halle Berry's Academy Award-winning performance. The steamy bedroom scenes will attract some viewers. All in all, the movie has a slightly manic quality. Halle Berry plays the role of convict's wife and bereaved mother without much gradation, and comes across as slightly hysterical throughout. (Her acceptance speech at the Awards seemed a continuation of this "take".) Billy Bob plays a phlegmatic, decent man who has his own memory-demons to conquer. The movie is diverting but fails to satisfy.
Rating:
Summary: This film isn't even worth reviewing...
Review: All I want to say is, Billy Bob Thornton and Heath Ledger both deserve 5 BRILLIANT stars for their performances. I'm sorry, but Halle Berry brought my rating down to a star. The storyline is worth another star. Hence, two stars is my rating.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of "Passion" and "Tragedy"
Review: Thorton, Berry, and the rest give some fine performances. The sex scenes, though, are really a little much and are unnecessary, though they do contribute materially to the plot. (At times the sex scenes are also, perhaps unintentionally, hilarious.) On the surface the movie seems to be a morality tale with two-dimensional, almost stereotypical, characters dealing with race and sex/gender, but actually the film possesses a great deal of depth and ambiguity. Ask yourself questions about everything you see in it. I reckon film scholars will be studying this one for a long time. All in all, this movie is filled with "passion" and "tragedy," both in their precise original definitions. It's a masterpiece and Miss Berry truly is deserving of her Oscar.
Rating:
Summary: Not sure why they were nominated let alone winners
Review: Although the acting in this film is good, it's certianly not Oscar worthy, however none of the films nominated this year were. Monsters Ball is a movie about prejudice and sex, that's pretty much it. Aside from the sex, you will probably find this film to be rather slow, offensive, not just the sex but the prejudice content and overly depressing. Apparently hollywood forgot when they made this film that movies are meant to entertaiin and people to enjoy, not want to go to bed and not get out for weeks because they are so depressed afterwords.
If watching depressing movies that move at the pace of molassas is your thing, then by all means get this one and watch it, otherwise be advised this movie is really not good, and as it relates to the mass hype, if you listened to that you are going to be thorougly dissappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Overrated and overhyped
Review: Halle Berry is a beautiful woman and a good actress, but she didn't deserve an Oscar for this one. Billy Bob Thornton, alas, lacks both good looks and acting talent. But they are not what's really wrong with this depressing piece of cinema. (What is good is Peter Boyle as Billy Bob's dad, more of a Monster than Boyle's best known role.) Where did the idea originate that excessively long scenes of simulated sex are entertaining? Especially when punctuated with all sorts of morbid violence. I suppose this is "realism." Give me escapism any time. Speaking of which, Berry's orgasms are no where near as well done as Meg Ryan's in "When Harry Met Sally." And neither Berry's nor Thornton's characters were consistent. An altogether unpleasant film. As it happens I had just watched "The Shawshank Redemption" a few nights earlier...similar subject matter, considerably better handled.
Rating: 
Summary: This movie is better than I thought it would be.
Review: Billy Bob does an excellent job portraying a man who is re-awakened to the world due to some catastrophic events. Peter Boyle's performance was good as was Heath Ledger's as his son. Halle Berry's performance was admirable also, but not in my opinion Oscar-worthy. I could have done without Puff-Daddy, P-Diddy, Puff the Magic Music Thief, or whatever he calls himself these days even being in this film. At least his part is somewhat short. In short I rate this film as a decent flick about 2 people whose lives have spiraled out of control and find some solice and direction in each other's company.
Rating:
Summary: Not Impressed
Review: I was not impressed, I was really excited to see the oscar winning performance of miss berry, but I didnt think she deserved to win the oscar. It shouldve gone to Nicole for Moulin Rouge. This movie was slow and at times very dull and boring. The drama wasnt that dramatic and the love sceens seemed like something you would see on showtime late at night. I only give it 2 stars for the actors performances.
Rating:
Summary: High School Creative Writing
Review: ... That's this movie. The characters are not well developed, and many of their actions appear to be inconsistent with what we learn about them. I got the feeling the plot was developed with a Magic 8 Ball. What happens next? Ask the question, shake the ball and look at the answer. In this case, I stopped caring what happened next. The nudity is not full frontal but the sex scenes are explicit enough to make me uncomfortable seeing them with my grown daughter in the room.
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