Monster's Ball on German TV - three times!

[Penthesilea]

For all the Euro Brokies who can see German TV (probably only Anke, me, Fabienne, Melissa and Jude I guess):

Monster's Ball with Heath will be aired on German TV:

Saturday, January, 27th, 23.15 Uhr (11:15pm) on HR3 (=Hessischer Rundfunk)

I haven't seen it yet. But you bet I will  .

[MaineWriter]

I am warning you, there is a very very tough scene to watch, about 25 minutes in. Be prepared.

L

[yb]

Leslie is right, be very very prepared.

[Penthesilea]

I know what's going to happen, so I thought I am prepared. And I'm a tough girl regarding movies (with the exception of BBM, that is).
But now you two are frightening me...

[MaineWriter]

If you know, you may be prepared. I had no knowledge and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Thank God I was in my living room and not a movie theater!

By my reckoning, you are watching the movie right now. Report back when it is done and give us your review!

L

[David In Indy]

"Monster's Ball" is an outstanding movie. I have it on DVD and I get it out every once in awhile to watch it.

It is a deeply disturbing though. Actually there were several scenes in the movie that shocked and startled me the first few times I watched it.

Heath Ledger is excellent in the movie. Peter Boyle (Frank Barone in "Everybody Loves Raymond) Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry also give great performances. 

[MaineWriter]

I agree that everyone was excellent but for me, it was a watch it once, that's it movie.

I always think of Peter Boyle as Frankenstein in "Young Frankenstein." LOL

L

[belbbmfan]

For all the Euro Brokies who can see German TV (probably only Anke, me, Fabienne, Melissa and Jude I guess):

Monster's Ball with Heath will be aired on German TV:

Saturday, January, 27th, 23.15 Uhr (11:15pm) on HR3 (=Hessischer Rundfunk)

I haven't seen it yet. But you bet I will  .

hey Chrissi,
hadn't seen this until now. But we can't receive HR3 anyway, only ZDF and ARD.
but i saw this movie on Belgian television some time ago. It's raw and i agree with leslie, i wasn't prepared either and glad to be in my living room.
I didn't know about Heath Ledger at the time (it was pre BBM).

I was watching Unforgiven last night! Great movie, love Clint

So, did you like it?

[Penthesilea]

So, did you like it?

Leslie and Fabienne:
I haven't seen it yet. It will be aired at Jan, 27th; two weeks from now  . I'll report back then.

[Mikaela]

** Very general comments, no specific spoilers**

Through a strange coincidence I received the Monster's Ball DVD as a gift a few days ago, so sat down to watch it over the weekend. I had never seen the whole film, just part of it on TV some while back. I had missed quite a bit of the first scenes with HL, as it turns out, so I was glad I watched the whole DVD. Heath's very impressive in this one and I can see why this role and characterisation was the precursor for Ennis. Sonny's is a very bleak story, very bleak life.

I could write a lot more about the film but I'll refrain. I may well watch the 25 first minutes or so again, but not the rest which I'm content to have watched, - but only this once. Parts of it was balancing on the edge towards the completely speculative, IMO, - and that was  quite  unneccessary and diminished the film. I'm not certain I completely bought the "change" that occurred in the main character, and I'm embarrassed to say that Peter Boyle pulled me out of the story more than once. He just always *is* Raymond's cranky father to me.

I'll be interested to read you German/Belgian Brokies opinions on the film, once you've seen it.

[MaineWriter]

Leslie and Fabienne:
I haven't seen it yet. It will be aired at Jan, 27th; two weeks from now  . I'll report back then.

Like, duh, Leslie...LOL...I never looked at the date. For some reason, I thought it was last night on your TV!

Okay Chrissi, we'll be waiting.

L

[David In Indy]

All this talk about "Monster's Ball" made me want to watch it again.

I just put it in my DVD player and I'm going to watch it as I finish cleaning my house.  

[MaineWriter]

I was watching Unforgiven last night! Great movie, love Clint

When we were traveling in Norway (2005) we saw Unforgiven on Norwegian TV (more than once). What is this, an American staple of European TV? LOL

Leslie

[Pipedream]

Thanks, Chrissi! I hope I can watch it. 

[belbbmfan]

Like, duh, Leslie...LOL...I never looked at the date. For some reason, I thought it was last night on your TV!

Okay Chrissi, we'll be waiting.

L

  
So did I Leslie!

When we were traveling in Norway (2005) we saw Unforgiven on Norwegian TV (more than once). What is this, an American staple of European TV? LOL

Leslie

Yeah, we all love Clint! 

[Penthesilea]

Monster's Ball will be aired two more times on German TV:

Thursday, Feb. 8th, 22.50 Uhr (10:50pm) on 3SAT

and

Tuesday, Feb. 13th, 23.15 Uhr (11:15pm) on RBB

Okay, I saw it last night. I liked it, think it was a good movie. But you are right: for me, one time is enough. I didn't like it that much that I would see it again any time soon. Except for the beginning with Heath in it  .

I felt like Mikaela, I didn't fully believe the change in Billy Bob Thornton's character. It was too easy. But I liked the scene very much when he threw his father out of the house. I wasn't distracted by Peter Boyle because I dont know him. Never saw "Raymond".

I liked Halle Berry's perfomrance, but didn't find it outstanding. What made it hard for me to like the movie was that I can't stand Billy Bob Thornton. I just don't like him period. And The Hank character he played wasn't likeable, too. No, not likeable at all, that bastard.

Heath's very impressive in this one and I can see why this role and characterisation was the precursor for Ennis. Sonny's is a very bleak story, very bleak life.

I couldn't agree more, Mikaela. Although I have to limit my judgement about Heath's and Halle Berry's performance to what I could see. As usual, the movie was dubbed in German, so I didn't hear the actor's voices.

What I found the most depressing about Sonny's story were his last words, the last part of his confrontation with his father:

Sonny Grotowski: You hate me. You hate me, don't you? Answer me! You hate me don't you!
Hank Grotowski: Yes, I hate you. Always have.
Sonny Grotowski: Well I've always loved you.

And then *bang*. That really hit me.

Another thing I didn't like about the movie: the fact that they actually showed the execution. Sorry, but to me it was unneccessary. It was brutal enough when they showed Musgrove with his son. To imagine how they both must have felt. Unimaginable, harrowing.
For the purpose of the movie it would have been enough to show all the preparations for the execution, but not the execution itself.

[Mikaela]

**spoilers**

Another thing I didn't like about the movie: the fact that they actually showed the execution. Sorry, but to me it was unneccessary. It was brutal enough when they showed Musgrove with his son. To imagine how they both must have felt. Unimaginable, harrowing.

I very much agree with this. But I also wonder whether it intended to make that impression on the viewers..... or needed to go to those lengths in order to be sure that it made any impact? Executions seem to be becoming a frequent event in US films and TV series. Even if they're not actually showing the execution (unlesss it's by means of lethal injection  ) it seems that even relatively "benign" shows like Judging Amy and the West Wing more or less take executions for granted. When the plot in (too) many American TV series and motion pictures circle around an execution it doesn't dwell on whether it's questionable or immoral or wrong of a society to employ such punishment - but more on whether the person in question has actually commited the crime he's about to be executed for. I find that very disconcerting, and I'm sure that sort of attitude may have impacted on how Monster's Ball treated the topic as well.

Perhaps the only way to make an execution have an impact in a US film anymore is to actually show the whole grisly scene; - otherwise the audience would be numb to the horror of a person dying in this way?       I've found to my surprise and utter chagrin that American friends of mine whom I deem to have a humanist outlook and be both insightful and liberal, still cannot wrap their minds around why the general public over here would not contemplate or tolerate or propose the re-instituion of capital punishment. The death penalty's seemingly become so much of a fait accompli in the US, that even my friends take it for granted. 

What I found the most depressing about Sonny's story were his last words, the last part of his confrontation with his father:

Yes. And I realized that nearly equally as depressing I found him half-heartedly asking the hooker to stay and chat or have something to eat... as if he had no access to nor hope of any ordinary everyday kindly human interaction, and so figured that this woman he'd paid for sex might also provide other kinds of make-believe closeness and contact. The total loneliness of that scene was very sad.


That said, that loooong sex scene between the two main protagonists was quite horrible. I felt embarrassed for the actors.

[MaineWriter]

It saddens me that we have executions in this country and that people have this voyeuristic need to see filmed versions...as if to make them real.

We have 12 states in the US that have legislated against execution as a punishment. Maine (where I live) is one of them. I have made the decision that I will never live in a death penalty state. In other words, I will probably be living in Maine forever!

One of the most harrowing movies about the death penalty, with an excrutiating execution scene is "I Want To Live!". It was made in 1958 and stars Susan Hayward, for which she won an Oscar. It is a based on true events, but lots of stuff was changed

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051758/

If you folks have Netflix in Europe, this would definitely be worth a look.

Leslie

[David In Indy]

They showed several appalling executions in the movie "The Green Mile". I love that movie, but I always fast forward past the execution scenes. One execution which goes terribly wrong is particularly horrible and shocking.

Indiana (the state I live in) is very pro death. In a recent survey by one of the local television channels here, 2/3 of Hoosiers want to keep captial punishment in Indiana, even if it means running the risk of executing an innocent person. 

I truly believe Indiana will be the very last US state to outlaw capital punishment.

I never could understand the benefits of capital punishment. I think it only serves to satisfy people's sense of revenge.