Paradise Now

Paradise Now is the story of two Palestinian friends that have been given the honor of becoming suicide bombers (yes, the honor) to avenge the death of a key figure in the liberation of Palestine.

This movie is Oscar-nominated for best foriegn language film, which I think is great. I'm not sure how to really review this movie, because the whole thing is so untraditional. There isn't much I can compare it against.

The story is told well, and the acting is true and sincere. The pacing of the story is medium-slow, and the lesson learned is moving. I think most people have a fairly strong stance in the States against suicide bombing, and most of us are sure that's not the way to accomplish any true goals. However, that's the debate put to the test in this film, and going through the minds of two men that are making that choice. Who better to debate the issue?

I felt like in the middle east, this film probably has a much wider impact, is a much braver thing to do, and deserves all the praise in the world for that. As an entertainment piece, the movie falls short of "fun" if you know what I mean.

The story did take some unexpected turns, I was completely spellbound sitting in the theater watching credits roll, and if you see this movie you'll understand why. But it just didn't click, even with all that enthralling stuff.

This was an "open people's eyes" kind of a movie, and I feel like mine were already open. But, if you haven't quite made up your mind on the suicide bomber issue, maybe you'll learn something and enjoy the movie? Who knows.

I feel really strange about this movie. I've got almost nothing of any real value to say about it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It's just one of those heavy, well-executed, "wish I'd gone to see something a little more fun" films.

I think that all movies, politically motivated or not, have to stay in their place as MOVIES. This is an entertainment medium, not a platform for influencing lives. I mean, you can influence lives, sure, and you can even give a slice-of-life thing a try (even if it's a suicide bomber's slice-of-life) but there's still an element of entertainment that should be encouraged and an element of preachniess that should be beaten into the ground.

The protagonist said it best when asked what his favorite genre of movie is......"Is there a boring one?" and it is evident that the filmmaker's agreed with that.