Hotel Rwanda (2004)

Genre: Drama, Biography
Starring: Don Cheadle, Joaquin Phoenix

Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
IMDb: 8.2
On Netflix Streaming: No





Summary:

Hotel Rwanda tackles one of the most horrifically ugly events in recent history, when the Hutu extremists of Rwanda initiated a terrifying campaign of genocide, massacring hundreds of thousands of minority Tutsis (who had been given power by the departed Belgian colonists), while the rest of the world looked on and did nothing. Don Cheadle stars as Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager at the fancy Les Milles Collines hotel in Kigali. Paul is a Hutu, and a very successful businessman who smoothly greases the wheels, making powerful connections in all strata of Rwandan life. His wife, Tatiana (Sophie Okonedo of Aeon Flux), is a Tutsi. She urges Paul to use his influence to help local Tutsis, who are being harassed and beaten with increasing frequency, but Paul will only use the political capital he's built up to help his own family, if and when they need it. Soon enough, the violence escalates, and the Hutus begin their genocide of the Tutsis. European guests and staff at the hotel are flown out of the country, and Paul is left in charge. He finds that his conscience won't allow him to watch as the innocent are slaughtered, and before long, the hotel has become a well-appointed refugee camp. Paul is seen as a traitor by some, putting his life in danger, and the predicament of his "guests" grows more precarious every day, but despite good intentions on the part of a journalist (Joaquin Phoenix) and a UN peacekeeping colonel (Nick Nolte), the rest of the world is not eager to intervene and stop the massacre.

My Thoughts:

I'm not into too many genocide movies, but I will say, Hotel Rwanda managed to make a genocide worth watching. Don Cheadle's character is a very likeable person and it is by far his best performance. You do have to enjoy drama films in some way to like this. The fact that it is a true story makes it even better in my opinion. I also liked that the film was about Africa, since not too many films do today. The movie reminded me a little bit of Lord of War, because of the geography. I would encourage you to at least watch the trailer.

In Bruges (2008)

Genre: Drama, Comedy
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes

Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
IMDb: 8.0
On Netflix Streaming: No






Summary:
London based hit men Ray and Ken are told by their boss Harry Waters to lay low in Bruges, Belgium for up to two weeks following their latest hit, which resulted in the death of an innocent bystander. Harry will be in touch with further instructions. While they wait for Harry's call, Ken, following Harry's advice, takes in the sights of the medieval city with great appreciation. But the charms of Bruges are lost on the simpler Ray, who is already despondent over the innocent death, especially as it was his first job. Things change for Ray when he meets Chloe, part of a film crew shooting a movie starring an American dwarf named Jimmy. When Harry's instructions arrive, Ken, for who the job is directed, isn't sure if he can carry out the new job, especially as he has gained a new appreciation of life from his stay in the fairytale Bruges. While Ken waits for the inevitable arrival into Bruges of an angry Harry, who feels he must clean up matters on his own, Ray is dealing with his own problems, not only with Harry, but with a Canadian couple and a half-blind thief named Eirik. Ray hopes he can count on both Chloe and Ken to help him carve out a new life for himself. In the end, Harry, involved in an incident with Jimmy, may have to keep to his own principles.

My Thoughts:

In Bruges is one of those movies I can watch over and over. Despite some people's views on Colin Farrell, he is actually very good in this movie. The movie has a genius blend of comedy, action, and drama. I can't even describe how well done this film is; I try to get all my friends to see it, and none of them have regretted watching it. Although the trailer below is a good summary of the film, you really need to watch it to find out how good it is. If you are a college student I can almost guarantee you will love this movie, and I won't be saying that with most of the movies I list on this blog.

Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)

Genre: Docementary
Starring: Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Thierry Guetta, Space Invader

Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
IMDb: 8.1
On Netflix Streaming: Yes




Summary:
Exit Through the Gift Shop marks the feature-film debut of notorious street artist Banksy. The documentary's focus is French-born L.A. thrift-shop owner Thierry Guetta, whose apparent compulsion to videotape every moment of his life led him to document the phenomenon of contemporary street art. Guetta's cousin, a street artist known as Space Invader, allowed the avid cameraman to tape him as he illegally spread his artwork, and Space Invader also introduced him to other street artists, whose work Guetta captured on tape. Eventually, Guetta hooked up with Shepard Fairey, who was best known (before he created an iconic Barack Obama campaign poster) for his widespread stickers featuring an image of the late wrestler Andre the Giant over the word "OBEY." Guetta soon hears about the mysterious street artist/prankster Banksy, and becomes obsessed with finding him and videotaping his exploits. Thanks to Guettta's growing reputation among street artists, the two eventually meet and form a sort of partnership. Guetta even videotapes Banksy's infamous "Gitmo" prank at Disneyland, wherein a handcuffed, hooded figure in an orange jumpsuit is placed beside one of the rides. They get along quite well until Banksy suggests that Guetta stop shooting, take the countless hours of footage he's accumulated, and start assembling them into a documentary. Banksy eventually takes over the documentary project, and inadvertently pushes Guetta's creative energy in a new direction, as Guetta becomes a kind of street artist himself, with shocking results. Exit Through the Gift Shop, narrated by Rhys Ifans, had its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. While it was very well received, there was much speculation as to the documentary's veracity and the provenance of Guetta, his videotape, and his artwork. Given Banksy's reputation, that should not come as a surprise.


My Thoughts:
If you are someone who enjoys any type of art (which is most of us), chances are you will take a liking to this movie. I had heard of Banksy before I watched this film, but never knew just how "cool" he really is. Inconspicuous Banksy lives perhaps one of the most interesting lives and takes you behind the life of a street artist. It also goes behind the scenes of a few other street artists who are very interesting, to say the least. Although the beginning of the film seems like it starts off kind of slow, it quickly picks up and draws you into it. If you are reading this and saying "I hate documentaries" that's too bad, because that's what my original thoughts were, and then I watched it.