BBD Comments:
Live by the sword, die by the sword – or machete in this case. Coolbaugh has been very hard on other Selectors of late (even when he hasn’t seen the film in question) so I was expecting great things from his first pick since the wonderful ‘Treasure of the Sierra Madre.’ I had hoped Coolbaugh was going to walk the walk as he has talked the talk and set a very high bar with an electrifying Selection. I wish I could report here that he had done so, but as a Movienight pick ‘Hotel Rwanda’ leaves much to be ‘Desire’-d.
To be clear, I am very glad to have seen this film. Don Cheadle deserves all the praise he gets for this performance. He is stirring as Paul Rusesabagina and his numerous life and death decisions throughout the film dance across his face magically. We are with this man as he lives through the most unthinkable horrors. Equally brilliant is the performance of Sophie Okonedo. She generates a character of incredible strength, yet still manages to remain painfully vulnerable. It is a masterful performance. Netti and I debated the virtue of Nick Nolte’s performance and where he found it to be uninspired work, I believed in his character. His admission to Paul that the UN would not stop the slaughter was a highlight in a film already populated with excellent performances. Joaquin Phoenix has little to do in this film, and he does little with it.
I will admit, like most Americans, that I was almost completely unaware of the depth and nature of the slaughter in Rwanda. While a film should not be held responsible for teaching us history, it is responsible for being a film. As a film or a history lesson, ‘Hotel Rwanda’ falls short. There is little to recommend here by way of photography or editing, and the score for this film is straight up awful. I cannot believe that composers still lean on the hackneyed use of tonal cues to describe upcoming narrative events. There is little by way of surprise in ‘Rwanda’ principally because the score always lets you know what’s coming. As a film, ‘Hotel Rwanda’ owes more in both structure and execution to a TV Movie of the Week than it does to good cinema.
My biggest gripe with the film is entirely Ben Wiener’s fault. If it had not been for his Selection of the vastly superior ‘The Battle of Algiers,’ I may not have even noticed what was so wrong about ‘Hotel Rwanda.’ In ‘Algiers’ we have a true story told in a manner that considers both sides of a horrible conflict. In his comments on that film, Coolbaugh pointed to his own ability to see both sides of any issue. ‘Hotel Rwanda’ doesn’t share that strength. The Hutus are shown as awful inhuman monsters. Period. There is no effort to understand the purpose they believe their terror serves, and the script sweeps over the issue with a throw away line from Paul about how he cannot understand it. I think if the film had at least attempted to ground the Hutu in reality they would have come off even more frightening in their fury. Instead we find them here just short of a dastardly villain twirling his moustache.
For all of his bombast about the nature of a good pick, I’m sorry to say I think Coolbaugh phoned it in with this one. Granted he was picking under the duress of a bad day, but all the more reason to provide us all with the escape that a GREAT movie provides. If you’re just gonna grab your pick from under the TV set, next time make it ‘Apocalypse Now.’
Onward.
Brandon Comments:
Bringing to an end this wave of ½ documentary - ½ movie selections is ‘Hotel Rwanda’—a truly marvelous film, if not an eye-opening tour of genocide, survival, and destruction. Without venturing too far into the politics of Rwanda, and completely leaving alone the feud between the Tutsis and Hutus, ‘Hotel Rwanda’ stands as one of the meatiest, most barbaric films I have ever seen…whether in the Back Yard or elsewhere. And that is not saying anything negative about the film; it is a masterpiece that grabs you by the conscience and shakes you as it asks, “What would you do in this situation?”
I’m sure a lot of my Movienight brethren will dissect, analyze, and savor the politics, true gore, and heartlessness that this film symbolizes, but I will not. My review focuses solely on the film itself, as well as its actors. With this film above all others, Don Cheadle gives his best performance to date. His wife in the film, Sophie Okonedo, not only matches his talent but nearly surpasses it as she does her best to keep her family and friends alive, showing every ounce of pain and fatigue upon her face. And my favorite living actor also displays a strong performance here: Nick Nolte shines as the U.N. Peacekeeper (and “not the peace maker”) as he struggles to help the refugees as well as follow orders. In nearly every scene he’s in, there’s a constant battle of right-and-wrong illustrated upon his face. He is the only thespian I’ve ever seen who can say everything his character has to say without even uttering a word: a simple lip snarl, a wrinkled forehead, or a twitch in his eye can convey 1,000 words. And even though one of the Movienight godfathers claims Mr. Nolte was drunk throughout the film (and I won’t say which one said this), I still believe he is the best actor walking this earth, and his small, almost cameo performance in ‘Hotel Rwanda’ clearly proves this.
As an unofficial-yet-hopeful patron of Movienight, I for one am happy that we have reached the end of the documentary-themed selections. There’s nothing wrong with the genre, or even three straight from the genre, but in their pursuit to show reality they strip themselves of the one thing that makes them films: suspended belief.
Netti Comments:
‘Hotel Rwanda,’ filmmaking aside, serves a powerful wake-up call about a decade too late. However, it can apply to the current crisis in Darfur, which you can read about here.
The post-colonial West seems to be a cut above the Hutus in their complicity; and you and I, fair readers, at least have a responsibility in that complicity. Our leaders, and others share a level of guilt in that complicity; and the perpetrators themselves will hopefully enjoy a long stay in the lowest depths of hell. How does humanity sink to this level? A question not asked by the filmmakers. Instead the filmmakers present: people struggle when humanity eats itself. As humans, or a more apt description, animals, we will find differences where we can. Jews and Arabs- they are brothers. The Hutus and the Tutsis- they are brothers. The Irish and the English- they are brothers. Serbs and Croatians- they are brothers. For humanity to stop eating itself, it has to eat others. We will only achieve unity through a common enemy; like aliens from outer space. Where are some old-fashioned insectoid aliens when you need them. We need some alien insects to put our intra-species conflicts on the back burner.
As a film, I feel it can be correctly described as a really good Movie of the Week. It tells the story, basically. It has strong lines of good vs evil, with very little gray area. We never get the view of the other side. Yet, the story of Paul and his wife is a remarkable one, and it more than carries the day.
As for the pick, I think it's hard to argue against the telling of that story. It is a nice followup to ‘The Battle of Algiers’ (‘F for Fake,’ not withstanding). However, I have a hard time swallowing the very vocal arguments pursued with Hutu-like vigor, against a pick of infamy, ‘Wings of Desire,’ which was seemingly didactic, but at least thoughtful. I mean the guy came down from San Francisco, for Christ's sake! Can we show him a little charity, rather than chop him to pieces. Perhaps we'd stop this brutal infighting if we found another movie club at which our violent impulses can be directed. Listen my brothers! We must get the cockaroaches! Tall Tuesday Trees! Cut down the Tall Tuesday Trees!
Nubs Comments:
I want to thank Coolbaugh for bringing Movienight our first Black pick. It was long overdo, but this is probably the only movie that would work. I was going to play the Michael Richards tirade, but ‘Hotel Rwanda’ seems more appropriate. Yes, just like “Brokeback” became the comically P.C. way to say “faggot” last year, Michael Richards has given us the same ammo for racist jokes.
Speaking of controversial prejudice and Hollywood, who wants to bet which Movienight Crew-Member will bring us ‘Apocolypto’ in 2007. Usually Coolbaugh would be the odds on favorite for his love of the depressing, intense, and gratuitous. However, Tooda is the first and only member to rush out and hand Mel money on opening night of its release. Of course, Judaism cant keep Wiener out of the favorites, what with his love for Mel and the historically accurate, bloody war flicks. Then there’s our rookies, Netti and Brandon who are both wildcards coming out of the gate. By the way, I still think “wildcard” is a better nickname for Brandon than “Slim”. Actually, the way he’s been bumped the past two weeks, Brandon’s nickname should be “benchwarmer” or “Lucas”. Anyway, Vegas would definitely put me as the long shot. Though, you know I like a good bet, so I could always pull a Pete Rose and bet on myself to win.
Well I think I’ve made enough sports references and edgy jokes to conclude this review, oh, I forgot to discuss the movie. ‘Hotel Rwanda’ is an important movie that should be seen and considered by everyone. Yet does that need to happen on Wednesday? It had the chance, following ‘Algiers,’ to prompt an important politically charged post-movie discussion, yet just like the movie accuses of us Americans; me and Coolbaugh ducked-out to finish our more-entertaining basketball game. Mavs won, or you could say the white, Aryan, German, Dirk Nowitzki, beat the accused Black rapist, Kobe. Did I need to throw that in? Probably not. Anyway, this illustrates why it was a forgettable pick come Academy time. Its sad, because it’s a great story, Don Cheadle, is the best he ever will be, and yet…I don’t know. I do know it wouldn’t be my choice on Wednesday, but we all know that’s how Coolbaugh rolls. It’s fine. It’s Movienight.
[Editor’s Note: Although Nubs identifies ‘Hotel Rwanda’ as our first “Black pick,” if this category were officially observed the first such pick would be ‘City of God.’.]
*‘Bull Durham’s “chick flick” status remains in dispute.
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