Rating: 
Summary: Way too graphic
Review: I rented this DVD after seeing Halle Berry win the oscar. The clip they showed at the award ceremony was awesome and after seeing Losing Isaiah, I knew I liked Halle Berry. (I recommend Losing Isaiah... very good movie).
Monsters Ball... hmmmm.
good acting, intense, depressing.
My big problem with it:
I wasn't expecting to feel like I'd walked into a truckstop hookers motel room and couldn't get back out before I saw WAY MORE than I wanted to. Yeah, yeah... artistic freedom.. blah, blah... Trouble is, once you've seen something you find gross there isn't much you can do about it. I have the visual already. I DO NOT recommend this film!!
I'm only reviewing it because Amazon recommended it to me based on a decorating book on my wish list! I don't get that at all.
Unless you are feeling macabre and watching two people you don't know grunt and sweat with each other isn't a problem for you... don't let it in.
Rating: 
Summary: Sometimes Dismal, But Always a Strong Love Story
Review: Lions Gate Films, which gave us very original films like Vincent Gallo's "Buffallo 66," again offers a stunning independent film. Before you watch this, prepare for the following facts: 1) it is a romance, but a kind of romance that may shock some of us. There's nudity and an intense love scene. 2) The script is apparently not so great, but the director Marc Forster uses it as a backdrop to tell the story very silently. Some may call it boring, but I just don't share that view. Here's the reason. Because the overall feeling of the film resembles that of European films, giving minute details to show the inner feelings of the complicated characters. Look at how Billy Bob washes and cleans one thing which brought a terrible result. Or, how he orders a cup of coffee at a diner. Those small descriptions add up to the realistic portraits of the two leads, and in spite of the obvious flaws of the script, those details, if noticed, would slowly draw the viewers into the world of the film, which, set in Georgia, USA, goes on as if respectfully detached from the two leads. But that European storytelling doesn't come as a big surprise at all because the director is born in Switzerland. As many reviewers justly complain, the plot is far-fetched, to be sure. Billy Bob Thornton's character Hank, being respected while working at a prison as an officier, is a politically uncorrect guy, but not as much as his father. Hank's son Sonny (Heath Ledger), more liberal-minded, so to speak, also works at the same place, but at the execution scene of a convict (Sean Combs), this son greatly disappoints the conservative Hank. Then, next morning, follows a string of tragedies (very violent, I warn). But he is not the only one who suffers. He later happens to get acquainted with Afro-American widow Leticia (Halle Berry) working at a diner, who had experienced (perhaps) more horrible things recently. Out of their mutual compassion comes unexpected love, but is there any possibility that this most unlikely pair would get along with each other? Don't expect any definite answers to the issues about races or capital penalty here. This is basicaly a love story, and should be seen as that. And the film avoids using many dialogues intentionally -- this is a wise decision for, as you see, there are some coincidences that stretch the credibility of the story. The director only uses the script as a springboard for actors to be the characters, but nothing more. As a result, two elements greatly help the film deliver: one is of course the acting. Billy Bob is excellent; he is a kind of actor who can convey the character's any kind of emotions without saying anything, and he does it again. Halle Berry is superb, completely leaving behind the rather humiliating role in "Swordfish." Heath Ledger is also good, but sorry, his fans, his screen time is shorter than you might expect. (Wes Bentley, his co-star in "Four Feathers" was originally supposed to be in Sonny's role, but he bailed out because of the fatigue coming during the filming.) Please remember, this is not an easy ride; when it is depressing, it is unflinchingly, ruthlessly depressing, but they have made a point. As the story unfolds, the film slowly gets calmer, showing the tender side of those characters living in turmoil. Watch it like you watch the films like "Slingblade." It's slow, and sometimes incredible, but at the same time rewarding if you accept its dismal and intense aspects.
Rating: 
Summary: Very misunderstood film
Review: It's a real shame that people will only focus on Halle's nude scene, the interracial relationship, or the death penalty issue. Despite all these qualities of the movie, the movie really deals with two people that need each other, not out of love, but more out of necessity. Though they have nothing in common, they are together to essentially console each other. I really thought Halle was outstanding and this is best acting I have seen her in. Billy Bob is always quality (check out A Simple Plan). Great supporting cast (including P Diddy) as well.
Rating:
Summary: Rent Chairman of the Board starring Carrot Top instead
Review: Well, where do I begin. I rented this movie off direct TV for 3.99 plus some 1.50 fee for the help the electronic voice gave me. Anyway, I began watching this movie with all the expectation I could muster considering Halle Berry's Academy Award win and the hype surrounding the film. This could have been where I messed up. I was disturbed by the film, and not in a good way like in Silence of the Lambs. It was more disturbing like watching a dog eat its own poop. Billy Bob Thornton is part of the team that executes Halle Berry's husband, whom we can tell she obviously hates from the visit she has with him in jail before he is executed. Billy Bob Thornton hates his son, who is apparently aspiring to have the same career as his father--he, too, is on the staff that executes Berry's husband. Shortly after Berry;s husband is executed, Thornton's son kills himself because Thornton hates him. Berry's overweight son, whom she is unbelievably mean to, is hit by a car somewhat after this. Billy Bob Thornton, who is a mean SOB, has a change of heart and begins helping Berry after he takes her and her dying son to the hospital. I won't spoil the end, because if you watch the movie, it will spoil itself for you.
I don't understand the hype that surrounded this movie. The plot is thin, the acting mediocre (except for Berry, who really got nastied up for her role of mean mom) and the script is just plain, well plain. I found nothing exceptional about this movie and the end will leave you mad that you wasted your money on renting it, just like it made me. Allbeit, I enjoyed it better than any Pauly Shore film I've ever watched, so maybe you big Shore fans will like this movie.
Rating:
Summary: WELL, I ALWAYS LOVED YOU...
Review: Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton), a bigot and chief prison guard with strong convictions in his own notions, is about to bring a man to his execution with his son, Sonny (Heath Ledger), who also is a guard at the prison. The man they are about to bring to the electric chair is Lawrence Musgrove (Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs) and he is terrified of dying. Sonny shows empathy for Musgrove and reacts strongly before the execution, which his father Hank loathed. Hank displays his disgust for his sons behavior and this triggers a series of events that initiates some questioning of Hank's convictions. The cinematic experience is a first class drama with profound views on social interactions and the resulting impacts.
Rating: 
Summary: Schizoid
Review: This movie has three thing going for it: it's cinematography, its moody soundtrack (which mostly worked well with the visuals) and that interestingly-shot sex scene. Otherwise, the characters and plot were frankly laughable. As a character-driven film, my DVD player has more character. It was really just style over substance, which wouldn't have been as bad if the film didn't take itself so seriously.
Rating:
Summary: The worst
Review: movie I have seen in quite a while. From meaningless sex scenes to having to listen to the strange background music that made it impossible to hear half of what the actors were saying, it was a complete disappointment....
Rating:
Summary: Not even fitting as a Xmas tree ornament
Review: Truly a waste of film. I scratched my chin when she won an oscar... can't imagine spending money on this pointless film.
Awful.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, an artist approach!
Review: This is why I want to watch movies... Something different, not cliche. This is an mellow, yet comfortable feeling movie that expounds generosity, compassion and difference. Sometimes it's soothing to view something that doesn't involved a complicated plot or some other meaning. Billy Bob Thorton is at himself and I was quite impressed with Halle Barry's unigue and simple approach to acting. The film personafied simplicity while coping with regular issues involving basic, yet interesting views asked by many, solved by few. It was a refreshing story of how two people cope with issues of life and come together without asking too much from the viewer. This I liked and the comfortability was outstanding. 5 Stars!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Disc for a Brilliant Film
Review: The film itself is a top-notch piece of isolationistic work. If you want to feel better about yourself, see this movie. It's a great story, with superb performances, very good writing, excellent music, and an overall tone that transports you to a place not unlike a morgue. The bonus is a couple of steamy sex scenes, which you probably know about already. Enough said about that. Although, that alone could be worth the price of the disc. As for the rest, it's got all of the features I've come to expect and want, without the senseless filler. Deleted scenes, alternate scenes, trailers, mini-documentaries, and commentaries. While I'm usually bored by director commentaries, I'm a sucker for commentary by actors, and this one takes the cake. Billy Bob is a cut-up, and he makes listening to this track worth the time. If you're into a downer of a film, pick up this disc.
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