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sweetlusciousangel
Reviews
Against Their Will (1994)
A movie which shows the horrors of the modern prison system(possible spoilers)
The only portion of the previous comment I agree with is that the movie is good. The statements of "the guy hardly ever did anything" is entirely wrong. All throughout this film there are scenes of rape, beatings,coercion and forced medication on the part of the prison guards onto the general population. There is only one female guard in the entire prison so men are allowed to do as they wish to women who have been cast out of society for acting "unwomanly". It is a wonderful film and a true account of the horrors of the modern day prison system. We seem to hold the belief that when someone is incarcerated, guilty or not, whatever treatment they receive on "the inside" is something they deserve. What about respect for autonomy and human dignity? what about the concept of rehabilitation? We lock human beings up in cages like animals and subject them to constant inhuman treatment and wonder why upon release they wind up more violent and committed to a life of crime than they were upon entry. I wish more could see this film, perhaps it would give needed attention to a large problem hidden in plain sight.
Sometimes in April (2005)
Movies will never be able to show the tragedy of genocide, but its the best attempt I've seen yet
I work for Amnesty International and we are currently in serious crisis in the Western Reigon of Darfur, Sudan and Sometimes in April could not be a more important film for everyone to see right now. I've seen both this film and Hotel Rwanda, and Sometimes in April literally left me ill, to the point of retching. There is a point in the film where an entire room of young Catholic schoolgirls are shot and then dismembered with machetes and this is the point where the film transcends reality. Unfortunately the truth is that these events really did happen, which is the sickest fact of all. These movies are important to see because when we (specificially Western Nations) think of the word "genocide" and we hear the enormous amounts of loss of life that occur, we forget that each number that passes is a human being. Someone's friend or relative. Watching this film hit home with me that these people could have been my own relatives and friends, i could have been one of the almost 1 million victims during the massacres. Movies like this will never fully encapture what takes place during genocide, but i believe that 'Sometimes' comes as close as possible and hopefully will anger enough people to truly stop these events from happening ever again. What needs to be understood is that Rwanda could have been stopped, the killing that is currently underway as i write this in the Sudan can be stopped, but until enough people are ready to undertake the challenge of doing whatever it takes to end the violence, it will continue.
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
The most powerful film I've ever seen
I am a young human rights activist and I was able to see a special screening of the film last night with the Director, Terry George, present for a Q and A session afterward.
This movie is the most powerful film i have ever seen. No film has ever invoked rage and fear the way that Hotel Rwanda did. It shed light on an event that was not really covered very well here in the states and it made everyone more aware of how problems like these arise and snowball. For anyone who needs to understand the severity of the Rwandan Genocide that occurred in 1994 or to see how it now parallels what is becoming the next Rwanda in the Western Sudan today, this is the movie to see. I would not recommend it for anyone under the age of 15 not because of the visual violence, it is not entirely full of gore or blood, but the feelings that it invokes from the audience may be more than a 14 year old or anyone else who is younger could deal with. No one in the theater left the room without crying at least once. It is a must see for anyone who is concerned about Human rights, and how to avoid such atrocities from ever happening again.
Meltdown (2004)
A Surprising turn of events (SPOILER)
I was anticipating the premiere of Meltdown after I saw billboards for its release two weeks prior and I must say that it did not disappoint. In the beginning it appeared to be a typical terrorist flick depicting Arab speaking people or fundamentalist Muslims as those invoking the terror-as if others do not commit heinous acts in the name of religion.
However, the movie took an interesting turn when it was revealed that terrorists that had taken over and were currently occupying the San Juan Nuclear Power Facility were not in fact Muslims or even Arabs for that matter. They were very much American, highly decorated American commandos to be exact. What follows is a series of events proving that those enshrined with our security are often the first sent off to be slaughtered.
It was also interesting that every point of the movie which could be related in real life (news anchors, the name of the power plant) were intentionally fictionalized, whereas in other situations actual news anchors from various stations are used. Too close to home? Too real? Perhaps, only time will tell.