While I can't say I've seen all the great movies out there yet for 2005, I would have to say this point North Country has my vote for best picture and best actress awards. This powerful and intimately emotionally riveting movie is among my most favorite movies of all time (among my top ten). Compared to Erin Brockovich which played more mainstream, Hollywood characterization and playfulness, diretor Niki Caro and writer Michael Seitzman have created a brilliant and poignant look at sexual harrassment in an important movie that still raises essential conscientious issues about today's society. Except a almost frivolous last scene this movie is near to perfection in its delivery.

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mark f posted:

tabuno, I only came into this thread to bring up that the responses are all appearing backwards in the thread, similarly to a few other threads, at least one of which you've also posted in. That's what the "Who cares?" was all about.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. May you be blessed. You have redeemed my faith in humanity. Whew!!!

tabuno, I only came into this thread to bring up that the responses are all appearing backwards in the thread, similarly to a few other threads, at least one of which you've also posted in. That's what the "Who cares?" was all about.

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Mark f

This is one of those backwards threads. My main opinion is Who Cares, but since our originator cared Big-Time, I'm not allowed to recall that one!

To think that anyone could say, "Who Cares?" about a serious, dramatic film about sexual harrassment is disconcerting to say the least. I'm glad that the Golden Globes at least nominated Charlize Theron for best actress for her role in this important social commentary about a major discriminatory and emotionally demeaning behavior that continues to this day. The additional elements about rape and domestic violence cannot be overlooked by any person who wishes to have moral integrity. I am saddened by anybody who can look away from a tragedy that murders innocent women every day.

This is one of those backwards threads. My main opinion is Who Cares, but since our originator cared Big-Time, I'm not allowed to recall that one!

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ChrisFromAstoria:

Wow. We have a big disagreement here. I thought this was a film that was implausible on so many levels and it was a film that completely fell apart. That courtroom scene at the end was ludicrous.

I also didn't think someone who looked like Charlize Theron would be working as a miner in the wilds of Minnesota or wherever it was where the film was supposed to take place.

And I found it hard to believe that the miners would have been so mean to Theron because a) her father also worked in the mine and the other miners, out of respect for her father, would have given her a pass; b) her father would have beat the s hit out of any of the miners who treated his daughter the way they did.

I enjoy and appreciate your specific comments here and how you form your observations.

I'm surprised thought that you would focus so on looks (though based on your comments on the Hottest Actresses thread I can see you also may have been caught up the bewildering and beguiling physical female phenomenon compared to my more sober commentary on the same thread). So many men believe that just because a female is attractive that she couldn't conceivable end up being a miner. Such arguments have extended to the dumb blonde observations and have stereotyped females both on and off the big screen. It is not only looks that we need to be looking at but at the whole societal environment of the movie, the culture, the location, the past relational history of Charlize Theron's character and her past abuse and what happened to her and her father. Your somewhat narrower perspective and focus on Charlize overlooks the likely feasibility of what could and can actually occur in real life. Even many lives of real models, superstars, attractive females have had terrible histories of abuse and sadness in many walks of life. It is impossible to point to the apprearance of a person and abitrarily indicate what career, occupation that person is actually in. Careers are products of abilty, skill, luck, desperation, accident, parental influence. Even Charlize didn't even consider being a miner at first, but sometimes circumstances just lead one in a direction that was unfathomable before. In this instance, I completely sympathized with Charlize's situation as a single mother. There are female combat veterans, apparently not so bad looking either that have struggled through basic training and have had to suffer through harrassment as well (consider the Naval Academy fiasco a number of years ago).

It is unfortunate that so many people may have had the same opinion of this movie and overlook the reality of what is still happening today in terms of domestic violence, family discord, and sexual harrassment and discrimination in this country and especially in many other countries around the world.

Having to deal with the reality of domestic violence and alochol and drug abuse in my social work practice makes me realize that the emotional, physical bruises in this movie are not that far afield. It is rather sometimes that we just don't want to see something that may make us feel uncomfortable because it just possibly hits closer to reality than we care to admit.

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Originally posted by tabuno:
While I can't say I've seen all the great movies out there yet for 2005, I would have to say this point North Country has my vote for best picture and best actress awards.

Wow. We have a big disagreement here. I thought this was a film that was implausible on so many levels and it was a film that completely fell apart. That courtroom scene at the end was ludicrous.

I also didn't think someone who looked like Charlize Theron would be working as a miner in the wilds of Minnesota or wherever it was where the film was supposed to take place.

And I found it hard to believe that the miners would have been so mean to Theron because a) her father also worked in the mine and the other miners, out of respect for her father, would have given her a pass; b) her father would have beat the s hit out of any of the miners who treated his daughter the way they did.