- 2 days ago
Here’s my review of the movie, Monster’s Ball.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00hey guys it's me Bo back once again here on the film scene investigation channel
00:18I hope everyone is doing good in today's video I'm going to be reviewing the 2001 drama monsters
00:27ball so after my last review I was a little bit stuck on exactly what to review next I have a big
00:37long list of films but yeah I was having a hard time deciding well in light of the recent controversy
00:48surrounding rapper Sean Combs in America I decided to check out his performance in monsters ball
00:55Combs of course is primarily known as a music mogul but he also has a limited filmography with a solid
01:07cast and intriguing storyline I thought now would be a good time to take a deep dive into this 2001
01:15drama before we get into it guys if you haven't already please do consider subscribing to the
01:20channel all the support is greatly appreciated so monsters ball from 2001 was directed by Mark
01:30Foster and written by Milo Adika and Will Rokos the script was written back in the mid 90s but went
01:40through development hell before finally going into production in 2001 in terms of the plot Billy Bob
01:49Thornton's character Hank was a corrections officer along with his son Sonny played by the late Heath Ledger
01:57they lived together in a house in Louisiana looking after Buck Hank's father played by Peter Boyle the Buck
02:06character was this old retired guy set in his ways and yeah a generally miserable person to be
02:19around when we met these characters at the start of the film they were in the process of executing the
02:26death row inmate Lawrence Musgrove who was played by Sean Combs I believe Musgrove had killed at least two
02:36or three people and his execution fell to the hands of Hank and Sonny Heath Ledger's character Sonny was new to the role as a
02:49corrections officer and was generally inexperienced we saw him mess up during a practice session and later lose his composure during Musgrove's final walk
03:01the guy was really struggling and it was beautifully conveyed by Heath Ledger Sonny's rookie mistakes caused a major rift between him and his father Hank
03:17and his father Hank it all came to a head when Hank barged in and confronted his son about his mistakes Hank lashed out at his son violently and ended up busting his lip
03:33Hank Hank had had had enough of Sonny his lackadaisical attitude and wanted to punish his son there was some serious bad blood and Hank was at boiling point this would all lead to a very sudden and shocking exit for the Sonny character
03:59he too he too was a boiling point he too had been pushed too far but instead of lashing out he abruptly took himself out of the equation Sonny had the gun he had it pointed at his dad about to shoot him in the living room and then Hank stood up and declared that he had always hated his son
04:27son the next thing Sonny took the gun and turned it on himself yeah it was it was shocking and up until that point the Sonny character had been a focal point to the story so suddenly I was thinking you know where is all this going Hank had deep resentment for his son
04:55son he thought he thought he was weak like his mother so when Sonny actually died there was actually a sense of relief on Hank's part and the death of Sonny was the main cause for Hank to completely re-evaluate his life leaving the force and later buying a gas station
05:21when Lawrence Musgrove when Lawrence Musgrove was executed he left behind a son called Tyrell and his wife Leticia played by Halle Berry we saw her struggling to look after her son while trying to hold down a waitressing job
05:39Lawrence's imprisonment really took its toll on Leticia and she was left to pick up the pieces
05:49Hank slowly became involved with Leticia randomly when he stumbled upon her and her dying son on the side of the road Tyrell would later die in the hospital leaving a grieving Leticia completely devastated but Hank was there to support her there was definitely some reluctance on the part of Hank to
06:17Hank to get involved but Leticia needed someone and he was there her husband had just died now her kid had been killed I mean it was a major tragic blow for Leticia and yeah you felt bad for the character
06:41a relationship a relationship seemed blossomed between them with Hank growing a newfound perspective on life in the wake of his son's death it was only later on that Hank discovered that Leticia was the wife of Lawrence Musgrove but once he knew he decided to keep it in the past never bring it up and hoped Leticia
07:10Leticia never found out Hank was slowly falling in love and he didn't want anything to come between them at the end of the film we saw Leticia make that discovery while looking through some old photographs it was then up to her whether she was going to confront Hank about it or leave
07:37leave it in the past leave it in the past you know I must say I really like the ending of this movie it was somewhat upbeat yet had this undertone of sadness with Leticia knowing Hank's past but deciding never to bring it up I mean when she initially found out that Hank
08:04Hank her new lover had been involved with her husband's execution I mean she was completely outraged and yeah I mean when you think about it Leticia had every right to feel anger towards Hank for keeping these things a secret but I really did like that end scene with the two sitting outside at night watching the stars
08:33Hank offered her some chocolate ice cream and in that moment you thought that Leticia was going to you know spill the beans and confront Hank about all these secrets but she took the high road her character had chosen to embrace this new life she had forget her past just like Hank had done and that's what she did
09:01So let's talk about the infamous sex scene between Hank and Leticia that happens in this film I'll give you a bit of backstory here so up until recently I had never seen this film before but that's not to say that I wasn't fully aware of this film
09:24and more specifically yes I was very familiar with this sex scene between Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton I mean back in my school days this video was floating around on people's phones and yeah this sex scene you know this clip was very big to millennials back in the early 2000s
09:51and you know this clip was very big to see and you know this clip was very big to see and you know a lot of that obviously was down to the completely naked Halle Berry gyrating all over the place
09:58I mean yeah it was an intense sexual encounter between the two characters and the director definitely brought a sense of realism to the scene at times yes it did um feel like a borderline
10:20very borderline softcore porno but um yeah I'm not complaining and in terms of performances I have to say all round I thought everyone did a great job and everyone was very convincing in their roles from the likes of Heath Ledger to Peter Boyle it was a solid group of talented actors who clearly admired the material
10:48Halle Berry of course went on to win an Oscar for her portrayal in monsters born
10:55but I have to ask was she Oscar worthy you know I thought about this and I would absolutely say that she was deserving of an Oscar nomination
11:13Berry showcased her acting skills in this very demanding role and I thought she did a great job
11:20I will admit though I didn't think it was anything outstanding but then again maybe I went into this with two higher expectations given I already knew that she won the Oscar for this movie
11:38either way
11:39either way nobody can deny her amazing on screen chemistry with actor Billy Bob Thornton
11:45with actor Billy Bob Thornton which was a major highlight for this film I've said it before and I'll say it again when you have a story that's revolving around two central figures the right pairing is crucial for everything to work and in the case of monsters ball the pairing of the
12:08of Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton, well it worked wonders so credit to the casting director
12:16for their efforts. Let's take a moment now to discuss the performance of Sean Puff Daddy Combs
12:24who of course played Lawrence Musgrove in the movie. Taking a step back and simply judging
12:33Combs on his acting ability, I'll admit I thought he did a good job. It wasn't a huge part but still
12:45it was significant and I thought Sean Combs delivered a somewhat sombre and muted performance.
12:55You know I've always had a pretty low opinion of Sean Combs, never really been a fan of his music,
13:03and yeah not that surprised hearing all the debauchery and stuff that he's been getting up to
13:11behind closed doors. But yeah going into this film I didn't know what to expect too much but yeah my
13:21expectations were pretty low. I guess passable would be a good choice of words to describe his performance.
13:33With his character being stuck in prison awaiting execution I could not help but think about
13:41Combs's real life imprisonment. It was visually striking to see Combs behind bars given his real
13:51life arrest by the FBI. And taking into account what we know now about Sean Combs and his private
14:02sadistic lifestyle I have to ask was it really a stretch for Combs to play a sick and twisted individual
14:13like Lawrence Musgrove? No, not really. Without sounding too coy I wouldn't be surprised if Combs felt at home
14:25with a character like Lawrence Musgrove. Yeah it's just interesting to see how over time people's opinions
14:35and thoughts change and thoughts change and how people change sometimes for the good and sometimes
14:40for the bad and in some ways you can say that we're now seeing art imitating life. Before we get into
14:51dislikes I have to give some credit to the awesome soundtrack that we heard by musicians Ash and Spencer.
14:59The music was very ethereal and dark, a perfect blend for the visual imagery that was provided by
15:08cinematographer Roberto Schaefer. The music was highly produced and really conjured up that kind of bleak,
15:19dark emotion that the film was trying to convey. Now I'm not too familiar with Ash and Spencer,
15:27these musicians, but I've read that they have provided other soundtracks so I'll definitely be looking into
15:35their work. And Sue dislikes for Monster's Ball 2001. My main dislike for the movie would have to be
15:47the lack of Heath Ledger. His character, Sunny, only featured during the first half of the film
15:56before he was killed off suddenly. You know, Ledger gave a strong performance with the limited screen
16:05time that he had. Very captivating and very memorable. You know, he left you wanting more and it's a shame
16:16that it just wasn't a bigger role. Now, from what I read online, originally the actor Wes Bentley was cast but pulled
16:27out at the last minute, leaving Ledger to step in. Even with it being a small role, I have to say that
16:37Ledger over-delivered. Honestly, like, it could have been his movie if the character had just lived longer.
16:47Not to take away how good and intriguing and interesting this film is, but yeah, I mean,
16:55there was a lot of meat on that bone when it comes to the Sunny character and it's a shame that
17:02things were not more developed with him. Another dislike I have for the film would be the
17:09the muddled message that the movie was trying to make. So, Monsters Ball featured this interracial
17:20relationship between Hank and Leticia. Hank was from this very racist background who, you know, made their
17:31feelings quite known to the local community. So, it was supposed to be this significant aspect of the
17:40story having this racist man change his ways and fall in love with a black woman. I totally get what
17:49they were going for, but I just didn't think that the message was clear enough from the audience's
17:57perspective. There should have been more scenes establishing Hank's racist background, so as to
18:07really, you know, hit home that point they were trying to make. What we got was a few racist outbursts,
18:16but I don't believe it went far enough. I mean, Hank was not a fully-fledged neo-nazi. You know,
18:25he didn't have hate in his heart. Well, besides for his son, of course. For the most part, Hank seemed like an okay guy.
18:36So, when he started dating Leticia, it really wasn't that hard to believe. Monsters Ball was a poignant
18:48and emotional roller coaster that deserves all the praise it gets. It was a film about two people
18:58finding each other and helping one another during their horrific situations. If you haven't seen this
19:05one yet, take my advice and definitely check it out. It's worth your time and, um, yeah, you know,
19:12sadly they just don't make movies like this anymore. If you guys have seen it, I'd love to hear your
19:19thoughts. Sean Combs, I mean, did you guys like him in this film? Should he have done more films?
19:25I mean, this was probably one of the very few he did, so, um, I guess he wasn't really much into acting.
19:31Nevertheless, that was the review today, guys. I hope you have enjoyed it. I'll be back next week.
19:36Don't forget to subscribe and, of course, take care.
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