Hotel Rwanda

M

Mike_Donis

Veteran
Absolutely brilliant.  Thinspirit and I saw this (among other great movies) at the Toronto Film Festival today.  A great world premiere, Don Cheadle (the star) was there, as was the film's director, other stars, and in the audience, Michael Moore surprized everyone by showing up.

It was shocking to watch - compelling, but definitely shocking.  One of the most powerful movies I've seen in a while - I forsee oscars here.

Anybody else see this today??
 
Re: Hotel Rawanda

Re: Hotel Rawanda

Yeah, this film was awesome... a very humbling experience...

I'm sure Mike and I will have tonnes of stories once the film festival is over and will write up big reviews...

Right now though it's almost 4 am, I've been up since 6:45 am and have only had 4 hours of sleep. I just finished watching the machinist with Christian Bale and i am totally tripped out on a lack of sleep. The fact that the movie was about someone who was tripping out because of insomnia was just way too weird for me. I felt exactly what that character was feeling...

So 4 movies later and one day at the festival down, I'm quite pleased at everything...

Expect reviews on I HEART Huckabees, the merchant of venice, hotel rwanda (some more), and The Machinist... four of the biggest films at the festival this year. In fact, Hotel Rwanda was probably *the* screening of the festival... quite an event...
 
Re: Hotel Rawanda

Re: Hotel Rawanda

[quote author=Mike_Donis link=board=movies;num=1094957309;start=0#0 date=09/11/04 at 19:48:29]It was shocking to watch - compelling, but definitely shocking.[/quote]
I can imagine. Michael Moore has that affect on people. :o
 
Re: Hotel Rwanda

In all honesty - there *were* people staring at Michael Moore for quite some time - standing up out of their seats to get a better view. So you're pretty much right, Ranger :P
 
Re: Hotel Rwanda

Yeah, that was weird... he's quite the unattractive man as well... he appears even fatter in real life than on the screen...
 
Re: Hotel Rwanda

Will do, we're halfway through our films... we just watched a film by Hong Kong director Johnnie To... awesome film. It was called Throwdown... it's about these three characters who end up helping each other out through a difficult part of their lives and revolves around Judo more or less...

Very stylized... very original... the lighting was killer...

The entire movie was a tribute to Akira Kurosawa according to the filmmaker which is true in the last Judo fight. They fight near the water in hong kong in these tall marsh plants... it's like the scene in seven samurai when they're fighting in the forest and all the plants are rushing by... very cool... the music is also sampled from an Akira Kurosawa television series I believe.

They also homage Zatoichi as one of the main characters goes blind... according to the director at the Q&A though, he said that was also because that lead was such an attractive person it was a great irony that he would go blind...
 
Re: Hotel Rwanda

thats awesome guys.. how do you guys get hook ups to go to the screenings.

and also I want to hear about The Machinist, I really dig Brad Anderson's work especially session 9. I believe the machinist is a spanish film right?
 
Re: Hotel Rwanda

I don't think Machinist was spanish... it seemed american to me...

I thought it was only alright... not the greatest film... not really my type. Trippy experience though being tired as hell as well at the time we watched it. Christian Bale was skinney as hell too...

We didn't get hookups, we simply bought tickets... you buy them in advance, pick the right movies, and hope you get a good position in the draw. Then you can go to any movie at the film festival... Mike and I got a 10 pack, so that's 10 movies of our choice. If they fill up though before they get to our box then we won't get them. the trick is to pick strategically so you get the ones you want but at times that they won't necessarily sell out.
 
Re: Hotel Rwanda

Actually, from what I understand, The Machinist was shot in Spain, but had American funding. So you were both right :)

I didn't neccesarily like it either - definitely the fact that it was a midnight screening, after having been awake for over 17 hours, made me feel really weirded out. It was quite the trippy experience.

I'd really need to see it again to know if I like it when im 100% coherent...
 
Bringing this thread back from the dead. I remember when our boys were bringing us daily Toronto reports. Well, I finally got around to this one. Wow. Truly an amamzing film. Compelling indeed. For those of you that do not know:

The genocide of some one million Rwandan Tutsis and their Hutu sympathizers by their Hutu extremist neighbors. A sad and not very well known moment in recent world history. But hey! How is MJ and the Aruba girl? This film follows Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), a Hutu manager of a 4 Star Hotel who gives shelter to over 1,200 Tutsi refugees during the 100 Day crisis that no one in the world decided to help out with; by the way.

If you havent seen it; run out and get it. Very moving. Very enlightening and a rare film that makes you sit back and realize life is good in our microcosm of a world. Don Cheadle is epic in this. The Cinemtography is somewhat straighfoward fro my taste; I would have preferred a more '21 Grams' Cinema Veritte approach to this type of film and I would like to have seen more of what went on outside the Hotel as well as the back story of the Hutu and Tutsi. At one point; Don Cheadle vists his wifes brothers home, they cut to 'after dinner' and before Cheadle can get a word out, one of the children run in "Soldiers are in the street!".

But no matter; I can pick apart a handful of subjective items I would have done differently; this film delivers and had me on the verge of a choke a few times (Husband, Father, Human thing). Great film. One of the better films I have seen awhile; even if more of a docudrama.
 
Hey Mike and Thinspirit,

I did not saw this one, but it is on my list for sure.

And if you have a chance try to go to see a film from Jean-Marc Vallée, C.R.A.Z.Y. it is a very, very good movie. The movie's getting really REALLY positive reviews. And I agree... One of the best french Canadian film in a decade...
Best film Quebecois since Leolo... and since Leolo got an amazing response internationally (its in the new top 100 of time magazine), I expect no less from this one. It's really that good.

"It shares a strong resemblance with Ang Lee's The Icestorm, which I love !!"

"Here's the summary from IMDB:

It's a story of two love affairs. A father's love for his five sons. And one son's love for his father, a love so strong it compels him to live a lie. That son is Zac Beaulieu, born on the 25th of December 1960, different from all his brothers, but desperate to fit in. During the next 20 years, life takes Zac on a surprising and unexpected journey that ultimately leads him to accept his true nature and, even more importantly, leads his father to love him for who he really is. A mystical fable about a modern-day Christ-like figure, "C.R.A.Z.Y" exudes the beauty, the poetry and the madness of the human spirit in all its contradictions."
 
I just saw this, and while it was good (and the acting really solid), it didn't move me that profoundly. Maybe I'm just jaded, but the threat of violence never really seemed that strong to me until the end of the movie when people actually started getting shot, and the slick cinematography, carefully staged figure movement, and static camera set ups didn't give it the chaotic feeling I felt it needed. Maybe it was too tastefully shot, but I felt it would have benefitted from a different visual and directorial style. Still not bad by any means and still a good story that should be told.
 
t didn't move me that profoundly. Maybe I'm just jaded, but the threat of violence never really seemed that strong to me until the end of the movie when people actually started getting shot
Click to expand...

And that Policar; is the difference between being a husband and father and being a young man. (I mean that with all respect and politeness). The second his familia is in jeaporday and I'm relating and stressing out.
I can agree on the visual style completely; unless it was done by David Lean or Vilmos and Steve it just didn't nail the mark in this category for me; a chaotic, verite style would have been better to really serve the in the moment feel.
 
I definitely know where you're coming from with regards to the cinematography - but to be fair, it may have almost been *too* in your face otherwise. I thought it was quite tasteful, letting the story speak for itself.

Too bad we can't see the exact same movie shot a different way - then we'd really know which was more effective!
 
John, you're probably right and I take no offense. Oddly enough, during some scenes, I was thinking that David Lean would have done them better although in a similar way so I agree with you there as well. Then again, after being lucky enough to catch a clean 70mm print of Lawrence of Arabia, I haven't seen crowd scenes that impressive since.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top