Rating: 
Summary: brilliant allegory of American racial history
Review: This film should be shown in every American History class, as it captures the essence of American racial/social history as well as showing some rays of hope for a better future in American race relations. Billy Bob Thornton puts in another top-notch performance (can't remember the last time I saw him give a BAD performance) as a man who helps electrocute people for a living. His father is a classic Southern conservative redneck---ossified, miserable and misery-spreading---whose poison makes his son a casual racist and equally miserable and repressed male, who drives his own son to suicide. At which point Thornton and Berry's paths meet (a series of fortuitous catastrophes and coincidences which slightly stretch credulity) and their relationship transforms him away from the redneck Neaderthal paradigm of his father, whom he finally puts away where he belongs---in a nursing home (ironically run by mostly black people!) so he can rot away without ruining his son's life anymore. That one night with Berry could so completely transform a man is a bit hard to swallow, as drop-dead gorgeous a woman as she is, but somehow Thornton makes us believe it's possible. Berry finds out that Thornton is one of the men who helped execute her husband (who she no longer loved anyway) and is stunned but doesn't hold it against him. The beautiful thing about this film is that as the camera fades out at the end, we are not subjected to the typical Hollywood cornball ending of a Big-Happy-Wedding-and-Happily-Ever-After riding off into the sunset that cheesier directors (e.g. the earlier Spielberg) would've taken. Instead you see the two of them side by side looking up at the stars---tentatively, not completely sure of each other and where they're going, but quietly daring to hope for better days ahead, together. "Monster's Ball" is perhaps a meditation on what has to die in order for other things to live. Berry's husband, her semi-retarded son; Thornton's own son (his blood sacrifice) and not soon enough, his miserable and evil redneck father. It suggests, darkly, that those things which hold us down must wither away before we can hope to fly again. Reality and American history is what it is, so if you're looking for quick-and-lazy emotional-candy/escapism then stick with the kitschy garbage that comprises the other 95% of Hollywood movies.
Rating:
Summary: Berry of the Bunch
Review: Both emotional and vulnereable, Halle Berry's character (Leticia) falls in love with a man who, unbeknownst to her, was the executioner of her husband. Halle's ability to show emotion without dialogue goes far beyond what any other of her fellow female Oscar nominees did in 2001. Thorton was okay, but Berry was excellent. The movie is disturbing, but mature and superb.
Rating: 
Summary: Trash....
Review: Monster's Ball is a terrible movie. Oscar....yeah right..it must have been for that crazy ... scene that was really unecessary. Halle Berry should have won this award for Dorthy Dandridge...this movie was trash ...
Rating: 
Summary: can't i give this zero stars?
Review: There's an old adage that if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything. But I will overstep this to prevent any other good decent people of watching this poor excuse of a movie. Simply put, horrible storyline, horrible acting, horrible setting. It's no surprise that this wasn't made by a big time movie studio. Save yourself a lot of headache and don't even bother renting this.
Rating:
Summary: Sorry to be a sexist..
Review: If it weren't for Halle's beautiful naked body, this movie would be a total piece of .... Why did she win a oscar anyway? It had to be the sex (sorry Halle,) but I could name three other films that she was better in: How about "Losing Isaiah" wasn't she better in that film? And even "Boomerang" was better than this movie. However, I will watch Monsters Ball again, but I will fast forward the movie to my favorite parts...and that is a shame because she is a good actress...the only reason I watch this movie: Halle naked!
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: I give this movie one star for Hally Berry's wonderful performance. However, other than that this movie will bore you to death. It contains one of Hollywood's favorite story line, Southern rascists. This movie is a throw-back to another time in the South. We would appreciate it if Hollywood would take notice that the South has changed.
Rating:
Summary: Depressing
Review: Good acting, but very depressing to me. Need to watch "Sleepless in Seattle" to cancel it out.
Rating: 
Summary: Hot For Halle
Review: Monster's Ball Wow...and they say that David Lynch films are obscure and pointless. Monster's Ball is a difficult & fun film to review. Halle Berry - while mesmerizing to look at - is downright bizarre as she's hitting her fat child and screaming about his obesity. Her svelte figure next to his rotund one is a study in contrasts unbefitting of the time, place and situation of this story...but then what are the time, place and situation of this story? When she is ranting and raving before giving herself to Billy Bob in the moment of despair- errr, I mean passion - was this the moment that clenched the Oscar? Do women who look like Berry (or any women for that matter) really sleep naked when their son is in the next room and no one else is in the house? No wonder he was cramming chocolate bars down his throat. Billy Bob Thornton is disturbing and entertaining as the offbeat racist turned master-hero of political correctness. His performance in this film seems a microcosm of his actual transformation from southern good ole' boy to Hollywood darling. Ribs to tofu can happen in two hours!!! The only problem is that if you're actually from the South, you'll have trouble figuring out what Billy Bob is all about. At times he is convincing and almost enjoyable in his role as a perplexed, jaded I-don't-know-what. At others you are left wondering if he is the long lost love child of Ned Beatty's interlude in the woods from you-know-where. Whoever cast Heath Ledger must have thought that his muffled grunt would suppress any Australian and successfully pass for effective Southern twang, not to mention that genetically he's not too convincing as Billy Bob's son... Strange scenes like him callously banging in the hotel room and vomiting in the hallway make it seem like he detested every moment of the picture ... I don't blame him... The music is haunting and mysterious while the camera work does at times evoke wonder. Halle Berry does transfix, but not always in a good way in this film. She seems far more convincing shopping for the hat than pawning the ring. Billy Bob seemed on the verge of laughter, especially in the Oscar stealing performance of his co-star as she again waxes non-poetic about her son's obesity...then segues with no subtlety to sexual moans!?! ...at least don't try to pass this off as aphrodisiac/foreplay.
And then the sex scene made me want to vomit. Alas, Heath beat me to it. I cannot decide if this film was intended to be satire, parody or sincere drama. I felt guilty while laughing at it. In terms of "moments to feel sorry for the actor because of the writing" it's a toss up between Berry's doe-eyed "I know I'm hot and that will carry this film far" look and Billy Bob's "I could write better after 10 Jack and Cokes." All-in-all l did pay attention to the characters and the film kept me watching to the very end, but the writing of this tale left something (other than Halle Berry) to be desired. T & A does sell movies and move Oscars, now, don't it!
Rating: 
Summary: No Grammys At The Oscar Presentation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I'm sorry but the review from St Peters, Missouri drove me nuts!!! Any Academy Awards program that I've ever seen gave out Oscars not Grammys. You may have seen Grammy winners nominated for Oscars but I digress. Something about the movie? Oh, okay. Halle Berry is a stunningly attractive woman who proved with this movie that she deserves to be taken seriously. The woman can act. Billy Bob Thornton proved once more that he is one of the most gfted actors working today. An eccentric human being, a so so singer but at least he can fall back on acting. No, I don't think he got a Grammy nomination. Heath Ledger has a very small part in the movie but at least has a scene that will leave you with your eyes spinning counter clockwise. Based on the movies I've seen of his, I'm forced to conclude that he may be just another pretty face. Peter Boyle may steal the entire movie as the type of Southerner that's supposedly not part of the New South anymore. An unapologetic, unabashed racist, he tells his son Hank (Billy Bob Thornton) that every southern man has a fling with a black woman from time to time but you don't flaunt it and you certainly don't start a relationship with one. Hank promptly sends him packing to the old folks home. Is this a movie worth seeing? Of course, it is. Is it a trifle on the gritty side? Yeah, buddy! What was with the hooker who always did it standing up? Did the movie win any Grammys for acting? Um, no.
Rating:
Summary: I wish I could give that more than 5
Review: That was really brilliant. Bob and Halley were terrfic and the story was great. Our country needs more movies like this.
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