Blood Diamond

[Miles_Yuhas]

I didn't see a thread for this, anyone else see this?

I saw it it last Saturday very suprised. A very powerful movie to say the least.

[BatsareBugs]

Re: Blood Diamond

I really want to see this movie. After watching Hotel Rwanda back in High School earlier this year, my teacher began talking about the Conflict Diamonds in Africa, but we really didn't get into much detail.

My sister already watched it and she said it was very good. I need to see it for myself.

[LilLowe]

Re: Blood Diamond

I saw it on Saturday. Very powerful movie.

[WTF]

Re: Blood Diamond

From the previews, I really am not expecting a whole lot... it just doesn't look that appealing to me. But I'm going to go see it anyway. Hopefully it'll be a great movie...

[theaub]

Re: Blood Diamond

Just want to bump this up since I saw it and IMO its the movie of the year. Really good.

[Beantown]

Re: Blood Diamond

I really want to see it.

[Defel]

Re: Blood Diamond

Edward Zwick is one of my favorite directors. "Glory" and "The Last Samurai" are perfect examples of why.

So far, his movies have all had the following characteristics:

- They're presented in a straight forward manner without stupid camera tricks. Even the action scenes. Wow! What a concept.
- They're going to be cheesy in parts, but the cheese is at a tolerable level.
- The pacing is great so his movies never drag.

The most important thing he brings is perfect balance. Drama and entertainment in perfect balance. The movies I mentioned above are great epics because they're entertaining and I never felt as if the content was dumbed down too much in an attempt to make it entertaining (like the god-awful "Windtalkers).

"Blood Diamond" is supposed to be more preachy than his other movies, but I bet I'll still really enjoy it.

[rudyjuly2]

Re: Blood Diamond

This movie is fantastic. Saw it last night and it is very powerful. Leonardo does a great job and it wouldn't shock me if he won awards based on it. I'm not a particular fan of him but the guy can act. This is the best movie I've seen in theatres in awhile.

[Court_vision]

Re: Blood Diamond

Excellent movie.

It could be accused of not staying 'serious' enough...i.e. Hotel Rwanda was 100% full on serious...

While this has patches of romance and action etc throughout...

But it does entertain whilst giving a strong message.

My wife cried heaps during the movie

Di Caprio is great in this...as he was in The Departed.

[Defel]

Re: Blood Diamond

Movie was pretty good. Not as good as Glory or The Last Samurai, but definitely entertaining throughout. This would be my favorite performance by Dicaprio, however, I don't know what a Rhodesian accent sounds like so I might not know what I'm talking about.

Couple of things annoyed me...

*** Spoilers ***


















I thought African insurgents knew that touching reporters is a big no-no. If they killed a whole bus full of reporters, they would know that doing so would bring some unwanted foreign attention. They couldn't have mistaken that bus and SUV as military vehicles. I guess it was a contrivance to keep Connelly's character together with Leo a bit longer.

I thought the movie should have ended with the "reunion" scene. I didn't need to see Djimon's character get a slow-clap standing ovation.

[rudyjuly2]

Re: Blood Diamond

Movie was pretty good. Not as good as Glory or The Last Samurai, but definitely entertaining throughout. This would be my favorite performance by Dicaprio, however, I don't know what a Rhodesian accent sounds like so I might not know what I'm talking about.

I thought it was just a lie when he said he was from Rhodesia. I thought he was from South Africa which was where he served in the military. Not sure but his accent was good throughout either way.

[keRplunK]

Re: Blood Diamond

I thought it was okay.

But it felt like I was watching two completely different movies at the same time. It could have been a really good movie if weren't trying to use alot of hollywood feel good crap in order to attract more people. But I guess if they don't mix all of that in it, nobody comes...or something. By the end of it I was practically laughing, all of the powerful inspirational scenes were just so corny.

[rudyjuly2]

Re: Blood Diamond

I thought it was okay.

But it felt like I was watching two completely different movies at the same time. It could have been a really good movie if weren't trying to use alot of hollywood feel good crap in order to attract more people. But I guess if they don't mix all of that in it, nobody comes...or something. By the end of it I was practically laughing, all of the powerful inspirational scenes were just so corny.

Well you are much like the critics on Rotten Tomatoes that didn't like it because they felt it was preachy. After reading of many similar stories of violence in Africa in the past, I enjoyed this aspect of the truth. Certainly there were some moral points brought out about the diamond industry and African violence but its also reality.

[Defel]

Re: Blood Diamond

A movie can show reality without it being preachy. It's really easy. They could have shot the movie exactly how it is and just cut a bunch of Jennifer Connelly's lines. Too many of her lines translated to "If only people didn't buy blood diamonds, *cry*."

You and I are smart enough to know that blood diamonds are bad from just the storyline and events that occur during the movie. If this movie didn't explicitly tell everyone that diamond-fueled-genocide is bad and someone came away from this movie thinking it wasn't, I would consider that to be a personal problem.

I still enjoyed the movie. I'm just saying those complaints are valid.

[keRplunK]

Re: Blood Diamond

Well you are much like the critics on Rotten Tomatoes that didn't like it because they felt it was preachy.

That's not what I said. Having a message is fine, although they did try to beat you over the head over and over. But my actual complaints were..... I didn't like how he finds his son and rescuses him, "slightly" contrived in how it happens. I thought Jennifer Connelly's character was like a cartoon. What I'm saying is, if they had a more realistic story line and less hollywood garabage it would have been good. I'm not saying it was horrible.