Review of Murderball (2005) by Claes L — 01 Dec 2005

[indent][font=Georgia][size=5][i]Murderball[/i][/size][/font].

[/indent]it's such a cliché, but [b]Murderball[/b] is an inspirational documentary. there isn't that much too it, really, nor does it go that deeply into the characters we encounter, but it's nevertheless inspiring to see people struck down by tragedy pick themselves up again and keep going and probably end up being more successful and driven than they had been if they'd never lost their ability to walk. perhaps most surprising of all is that MTV co-produced it. whoever thought MTV would ever produce a fine documentary like this? **** stars out of five.[indent][font=Georgia][size=5][i]Manderlay[/i][/size][/font].

[/indent]the continued adventures of Grace in [b]Manderlay[/b] sadly pale in comparison to it's predecessor, [b]Dogville[/b]. to be frank, [b]Dogville[/b] is pretty much better in every single way and since it was first, it felt more fresh then than [b]Manderlay[/b] does now. that's not to say that [b]Manderlay[/b] is a bad film though, because it's not, and it's certainly well worth seeing since it actually challenges the audience.. but yeah, most aspects of it don't reach the same high level as [b]Dogville[/b]. Bryce Dallas Howard's performance can't compare to Nicole Kidman's (Howard was better in [b]The Village[/b]), but she certainly proves that she's a highly talented up-and-coming actress. the rest cast do a good job too, with Danny Glover as the only real standout. definitely see this film if you saw and liked [b]Dogville[/b], but don't expect it to be as great as that film was. ***½ stars out of five.