mfan3

Hi everybody have you guys seen that movie "Hotel Rwanda"? I saw it yesterday and it was an awesome movie!!! The soundtrack is really cool also!!!

shrrshrr

Hi there - welcome to the boards!

Just so you know, we already have a good discussion going on over at the Movie Board Soundtrack Thread. Feel free to repost your message over there.

But since we don't have a Hotel Rwanda thread, and you've seen it, I'd like to change the title - it's supposed to be such a great film and it's definitely one I'm going to see.

Let me or ROCKSTAR know if you have any questions, okay?

mh67511

I definitely want to see this movie and thankfully my theatre is showing it!

I have heard some criticism (including my school paper) that it did not do enough to show the genocide. For example one review on E! Online said: What do you think? I think those reviewers are just misunderstanding the meaning. Honestly, very few movies, if any, could capture the whole scope of genocide in two-hours. It's not easy to do and I don't even that was the point. Rather I think the intent was to focus on this one man's story and HIS experience, not what happened from HISTORY'S perspective, but HIS perspective. Then again these are my thoughts before I've seen the movie so I'll let you know what I think after I see the movie.

shrrshrr

And would we really want to see genocide captured on film? Do we need to in order to understand the violence and horror of the events? I don't know about you, but even though I tried to shield myself from the images (my own imagination is probably more than enough), I still have a few of a distant figure hacking someone to bits with a machete - something I randomly actually had a nightmare about the other day (I could even hear the knife cutting through flesh and bone in my dream).

How much is too much violence for a story, and how much is enough information to get the message across. Did anyone say the same thing about Shindler's List - that the level of violence wasn't enough to show the scope of the horror? (you know, now that I've typed this I think there was)

Interesting points as usual, mh67511.

UnsilentMajorty

I've seen this film and I will comment on the violence... Or lack there of.

I don't think you need to see soldiers gunning down defenseless women and children in the streets for this story to be effective.

The threat of violence is through out the entire film and is probably MORE effective since you just hear about the horrors (whole villages and entire groups of children being burned alive), so when Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) is threatened with violence in a few scenes, you already have a reference to what is going on around him, who these Militia are and what they are willing to do, rather then being "numbed" to it if Terry George (Director) had shown us everyone being killed in the first fifteen minutes of the film (when the coup starts).

The film is actually about privillage and the responsibility people in privillaged positions, like Paul Rusesabagina who is educated and has a good job, have to the rest of those who don't have those privillages.

Do you just turn a blind eye because you can... Or do you do what he did and that is risk your very life to help [less fortunate] people because it is the right thing to do?

This film is so relevant right now, but saddly, most people won't see it UNLESS it wins Best Picture and I am not holding my breath, unfortunately

That's the focus of the film and I think the amount of violence is just enough to where there is a legitimate threat, but not enough to detract from Paul's story and that is what the film is all about.

S.A.S.H.A.

I saw this film and thought it was wonderfully done. There isn't a lot of downright brutal violence like in some movies, but you see enough of the chaos that ensues by the people fleeing and the outcome of it all by seeing those that escaped deal with the killings, which seemed more powerful and emotional to me than showing countless people getting stabbed or shot to death.

Sudan genocide

Actor Don Cheadle and members of
Congress at a news conference about
the crisis in Darfur, Sudan.

Sasha

mh67511

Yeah I agree. It was a great movie and everyone should see it.

varock

i enjoyed this movie a lot. reminded me of schindler's list.

and whoever says it's not violent enough is completely missing the whole point of this movie.

XOrefused

Sasha thanks for the link. Its important to point out that the horrors of Rwanda aren't over yet. The movie is so relevant to what's happening in the Sudan but unfortunately everyone's wearing blinders about it.

yoshy

Is the movie based on true story?

mukooh

yes, sad to say it is....it's based on the true story of paul ruseabagina.....a man i liken to a moden day oskar schindler....

read about paul ruseabagina here

Rivulet027

I recently saw this film as well. One of the kids in my writing class wrote a wonderful review on it urging everyone to go see it. It's relevant.

I also don't understand how someone could review it and say there wasn't enough violence. Did they miss all the violence in the film? It was there. You really got a sense of the helplessness that they felt and the horror of the events.

wanderer78

I saw it too, and I thought it was amazing. I'm actually rooting for it at the Oscars, but I don't think it will win anything. I went to see it b/c I'm a huge fan of Don Cheadle, but I ended up getting so much more from it.

I thought there was enough violence. We see violent images all the time on the news. And most of us (myself included) are desensitized to it.

I think by putting a human face and feelings to it, it made me feel more.

The scene that terrified me was when all those toddlers and small children were sitting silently in that room without an adult. And when Paul Ruseabagina turned on the light and they all went silent. He had to tell them it was OK. The idea of children under 5 expecting harm and death was very scary to me.

Or when he saw an overturned Red Cross van and thought it was his friend was dead.

Sasha, thanks for that link. Hopefully, this time something will be done.

Nayden-fan868

I saw it and it was amazing. I remember being in school when they were talking about the genocide back then. At first I didn't want to see it because I knew it would be heart-wrenching.

But it was really good. Don Cheadle did an amazing job.

Jamie did good in Ray but Don was superb in this movie. He did so much better than Leo.

fattyboomboom21

i liked don chedle...or whatever...however you spell it. he did a good job in it.