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AMERICAN HISTORY X review
I saw AMERICAN HISTORY X last night, and wow what a conversation I
had afterwards. Talk about a provocation of thoughtful
conversation. This film lit a bomb of exciting conversation. The
conversation lasted from 5am to 10:30am. And only ended by the
sheer level of exhaustion that caused Quint to fade away and Joad
to collapse of exhaustion. Now only I am awake, it’s 11:17am... 6
hours after I saw the film. I’m wide awake and I have to talk about
it.
This has always been the way I’ve treated the site, it’s my friend,
the person I talk with when all the others are asleep, when they are
at work. You people become the voices I converse with. Albeit
for something like this you are just a listener, well until I receive
your emails. This review may touch off a few. The film deals
with a powder keg of controversy.
I’m gonna say right up front that some of this might be offensive,
not in a ‘cussing’ sort of way, but in the moral or beliefs side of
things. I might be completely offbase with your experience, but
what I’m going to lay out is my interpretation... from my point of
view, the only vantage point with which I could have a viewpoint,
this is the way things happened to our society and to me. Not to you, but to me.
That’s what this is about, about how we see the races, how the
problems occur, how hate is borne, and how the paths are cleared
for us. It’s about the moments of temptation and the roads back to
redemption. I found the film to be very powerful. Others may
find it contrived, heavy handed or simply a story the feel the never
needed to see. To me the film was simply essential.
The story is basically about the descent into the world of white
supremacy, living in that world of hate, of statistics and facts and
how they are wielded for the maximum in subverting the opinions
of the young in order to steer the disenfranchised into a world of
anger, a world of pain, and as Private Pyle so eloquently put it... a
world of shit.
The film stars Edward Norton in another awesome role that just
goes to reinforce all those beliefs that he’s the most dynamic,
amazing young actor working in the biz. He’s a Hoffman, Pacino,
DeNiro in their seventies mode. But to delve into performances
(they are all great) would be a distraction with what the true result
of this film should be and that’s the analyzation of the society that
we live in that could produce these stories, these beliefs and these
conflicts.
As a child the race situation was really really simple. there was no
differences, the first time I really remember being aware of the
concept of ‘black’ people was about the time of the Atlanta Child
Murders, before then I just saw people, but so much of what was
going on was focused on the racial nature of those slayings. I
remember being quite afraid of being killed by the person that was
killing all those people in Atlanta, but then someone, another kid I
think said, “Oh, it’s alright, they’re killing niggers only!” I can
remember it still. The instant thought was of relief, oh... I’m
spared.... cool. But as days peeled away I began thinking of how
wrong that sentence was, about the word ‘nigger’ which I hadn’t
even heard until that moment. I looked it up in a dictionary and
could only find the country Niger and the word niggard, so I
figured it was a made up word.
I grew up with Uncle Remus, who was a role model of mine. I
wanted to grow up to be the guy that made kids smile, that made
people laugh, that healed with a chuckle. The thought of
inferiority never came to mind.
In my Elementary school I was never aware of racial division, all
the kids played together, except for those nasty girly things, there
was the thought that there were a few cool ones to play dodge ball
with.
Then in Junior High, I discovered modern music, before I was
weaned on Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong with a fair dose of
Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. But when I discovered the radio
sitting in my room I remember falling completely in love with the
music of Michael Jackson, Lionel Ritchie, Diana Ross etc.. My
friends were a hodge podge of races, and my parents’ friends were
all types.
Then the move to Seymour, Texas took place. It was a very very
white town. Not very diverse, that’s when I noticed. My group of
friends there were 3 afro-americans, 1 hispanic and 1 lebanese...
we were the mini U.N., as we called ourselves. Why did I hang
with that group? Because I didn’t fit in with the country twang of
the normals. Edward and Bobby and Devlin and Paul and Robert
were all outsiders, all cool and all the very best of friends. Like I
said earlier, my parents were very very in tune with all types, this
was until Seymour. After the divorce my mother was on a
never-ending search to replace my father. At one point it was the
leader of the Klan in Seymour.
I began getting pressure to not associate with ‘them niggers, spics
and sand niggers’. I told the P.O.S. to go fuck himself. I plotted
constantly to remove this tumor from my life. My bond with my
friends grew tighter, then Robert died, he was the hispanic one. It
killed me, he and I were as close as any platonic relationship could
ever be. His mother and father were my second parents, I went to
his catholic church (in all spanish), I spent hours discussing my
life with his parents. They were part of the glue that made me me.
Then in my Senior year Rap music was borne, and Do The Right
Thing came out. Rap was cool, I mean we had the Fat Boys, The
Beastie Boys and DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. The rap was
fun, it was cool, I liked it, and so did most everyone I knew. A
Nightmare..On My Street and Parents Just Don’t Understand were
anthems for me. There was no devisive nature to the music.
When DO THE RIGHT THING opened Edward, Bobby and
Devlin all went to see it. Afterwards, I didn’t see Edward for a
week, he was my closest friend, he was ducking me. When I
finally caught up to him he didn’t want to look at me. He said, “I
feel guilty for being your friend, like I betrayed who I am, where I
come from and my people”, and how he was so glad I wasn’t there
when the three of them saw the film. This was shocking to me, so
I looked at him and said why? He looked at me, he had tears in his
eyes and he said, “I don’t want to hurt you.” I responded with
nothing you can say can hurt me, “No,” he said, “I didn’t feel like
saying anything, I just wanted to beat someone who was white.”
This stuck with me, a film experience made a best friend want to
hurt me and everyone that shared my contrast of skin. Of course
after deep retro-Harry therapy he realized what a load of crap that
was, but still it had affected him.
After High School I dropped out of the music scene delving into
college, concentrating on that. I didn’t notice any racial
differences in our society till my sister began High School 3 and a
half years ago. Everything had changed.
No longer was it large groups of multi-racial factions, but the
groups I saw standing around in groups were the worst stereotypes
imaginable. There were large bands of single race groups, it
seemed that they never inter-related. Dannie, who grew up
completely in a mix, was now allowed basic access to one racial
group... her own. The kids from other backgrounds just didn’t
seem to mix, and even within her ‘own’ culture it was subdivided
into yuppies, kickers, crackers and gothics.
There was a period in which my sister dove into the world of hate.
She hated ‘Crackers, the blacks, the mexicans’ all but her own
niche.. the goths. This is where things got weird, one of her
friends was raped by a group of kickers, Dannie didn’t want
anything other than to kill all kickers. Then the ‘Vatos’ the
hispanic group with the front of their shirts tucked in, the back
hanging out, the pants low around their hips, the bandanna around
their heads and that Cheech step... well they began yelling phrases
at cars driving by, hurling anger, then some of the black groups
started slamming my sister and her group in the hallways as if this
posturing was somehow significant, and there became no interest
at all in inter-relating. Now sure there were people that stayed out
of the groups, but visually, and culturally to my sister, these people
didn’t exist. She had gone from love to hate in merely two years.
Then one day she awoke finding herself in a world of shit, and she
found love, a place in life not within ‘her’ group, but with this
really cool mexican, from Guadalajara, LOBO. As cool and loving
as they come. He straightened her out, got her to care again, and
now hate is behind her. But still it rages at her school and her
generation... why?
This is a question a lot of people are asking, some are declaring
that integration is a dead concept, that separation is the way to go.
I can’t believe that... why? Well... because my friends in high
school were not friends because of the way their skin caught the
light, but rather because we were the same... up here.. in our heads
and in here with our hearts. But now it seems there are some
strong cultural differences that seem to have people lined up along
visual lines.
What’s different? Well I can’t begin to name all the differences
not for this review (if you could call it that, and I don’t think you
can), when I was in school things like MTV were all music all the
time. The music was all mixed up, all types interspersed. Now
it’s in program blocks. Why? Well I believe in a way, it’s to serve
the advertisers that are wanting to target certain market areas,
certain groups. Well this has been going on... all the time, but now
it’s set up for the other groups to tune out, and they do.
In an integrated society, the music and the shows must be similarly
integrated. Otherwise the races have an important lack of
commonalties. By programming for specific groups only, by
making divisions, you create divisions, at least that’s what I think,
perhaps I’m wrong, but I do know my life, my experiences and I
do know when I almost walked the dark path.
In college, I started out at Austin Community College, a local
junior college place (it’s a long story) but when it came time to go
to U.T. My best friend and I went to transfer together. We knew
both our GPA’s were assuring us entry. Mine was a 3.8 his was a
3.4. We had all the same classes. He got in, I didn’t. There was
one difference besides our grades on the forms. His race was C)
Hispanic.
This is the point where I could have gone down the path to
hypocrisy. If I had had Stacy Keach’s character standing over my
shoulder whispering in my ear and shaving off wedges of that
damn apple of misinformation... well you could know my name for
entirely different reasons. But instead I wished my friend the best,
and I went back to work.
AMERICAN X is about another’s story within the world of races
and anger. It’s compelling, disturbing and provoking. Some may
very well hate it, I don’t, I endure the film for the perspective and
the questions it raises. Enjoying it isn’t the traditional term with
which one should explain the sensory experience you may have
with this flick. It is ‘endure’. But endure it you should, if only to
evaluate where you are in the stance of beliefs.
Is it a great film? I don’t think so, but it sure does bring about
some very personal evaluations, at least for me it did.
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WHY CAN'T YOU JUST REVIEW THE FUCKING FILM? WHY DO WE HAVE TO WADE THROUGH YOUR FUCKING LIFE STORY JUST TO HEAR YOU SAY "IT'S A POWERFUL FILM ABOUT RACE"? WHY NOT INSTEAD TELL US WHAT CUT YOU GOT TO SEE (NEW LINE'S? TONY KAYE'S?) OR MAYBE COMMENT ON THE CINEMATOGRAPHY OR THE OTHER ACTORS PERFORMANCES OR EVEN GIVE US A DECENT SYNOPSIS OF THE FILM? I SWEAR THIS WOULD BE A MUCH MORE ENTERTAINING AND IF YOU WOULD STOP BLATHERING ON ABOUT YOURSELF ALL THE TIME AND JUST REPORT THE NEWS, MAN.
SINCERELY,
JESUS H. CHRIST -
This is to all those who don't like Harry's style of reviewing: don't read the damn reviews. Even better, go to another site, like maybe Ebert's. (http://www.suntimes.com/ebert) I find Harry's style of reviewing to be a breath of fresh air, and truly am interested in what he had to say, not just about the film, but about the issues it raises. In many ways, I am like Harry in that I am a patriot and believe in the flag, etc. I am also a hopeless romantic who happens to still believe in things like honesty and decency and love and kindness... And I think that Harry needs to keep writing reviews like this one... I mean, this wasn't just a review; it was a discussion of the issues the film raised in the most personal of ways: told through the author's true-to-life experiences.
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That wasn't exactly a review, was it? Not to bash what you are saying or nothing, Harry, but give a review next time.
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I just want to say something about Harry's review but first a little background info about me ,I have 2(maybe MORE) brain cells to rub together and I realized how your great story described what the movie was not ABOUT but what it was like and how it felt to view the film. In other news... I think that it might be better off to close off talk back... I mean people just don't seem to add anything interesting besides YOUR FAT, HALLENBACK IS A FAG, or the occasional COMPLIMENT! But besides Talk Back I think AICN is better than ever! Keep kickin' ass Harry & associates
God
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Could we please have a review on here that doesn't turn into some long-ass autobiography? What was the MOVIE like? Who was in it besides Norton? C'mon, really.
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Could we please have a review on here that doesn't turn into some long-ass autobiography? What was the MOVIE like? Who was in it besides Norton? C'mon, really.
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American History X is a profound and stirring film about the consequences of racism as a family is torn apart by hate. This is a great film that shows how racism takes root and spreads like a cancer in our society. Edward Norton stars as the poster boy for the white supremist movement until he is convicted of murder and sent to prison. Upon his release, he is reunited with his family and discovers that his brother (Edward Furlong) is emulating the same behavior that lead him to the hell that is jail. As he attempts to set his brother on the right path, he must confront the insidious bigots that are trying to recruit the nation's youth into their dangerous underground war. The film also features magnificent performances from Elliot Gould, Beverly D'Angelo, Fairuza Balk, James Avery and Stacy Keach.
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Man Harry, you really need to shutdown the talkback. An awesome site like this doesn't need a steady stream of stupidity and immaturity running through it, great review.
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Maybe some of you might have forgotten, but on occasion a film does evoke an emotion or two. It might even strike a chord in a topic someone has strong feelings about. If Harry had simply given a 'standard' review: summarizing the plot, evaluating the actors, commenting on the cinematography, etc... then this wouldn't be HARRY KNOWLES' AICN, now would it? You guys/gals constantly accuse Harry of selling out, being a studio bitch or some other nonsense. You want him to be pure, untainted, and brutally honest. What's more honest then a heartfelt story envoked by a powerful film? Answer me that.
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You must shut it down because the people who write on it more are always the one with stupid comments like below. And we dont wanna read those lousy comments. IF they have something to tell you, theyll email you.
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I for one, am always highly entertained at the incoherent ramblings of the pre-pubescent morons who continually slander Harry for doing a wonderful job and going over their heads.
Oh, and about your review, Harry. I think it'd be better to call it a supplement, because that's what a writing like this really is. It helps you get in the correct state of mind for the film. But at the same time, when you're supplementing a film like this which won't be released for a little while, a brief, at least two sentence, synopsis would be greatly appreciated by those of us who don't know what the movie is about. -
OOOOOOPS! In my earlier post, I referred to Am Hist X co-star Avery Brooks as James Avery.
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I just really wanted to write to you and tell you that I have had a lot of the same experiences that you have had when growing up. Like you I never saw color growing up. My three best friends were Eric Jason and Jaques. A mexican, a chinese, and a black guy. We were friends because of our common interests and we were on the same wavelength. I then moved to ALIEF, a suburb of HOUSTON and probably the most diverse area of town. We have all races represented in about equal numbers. In high school I lost interest in school and I joined a gang. The first white member. I got introduced to a warped view of how blacks in america lived. When the gang dissolved I went to a different High School. There I joined the skinheads and forced my warped views on others. Then something I never expected happened. A black girl began talking to me knowing full well what I was. I started liking her and quit the skinheads to be with her. It didn't work out but she turned my life around. I still see color too much of the time but I try not to judge a person untill I know them. This is really a short form of my life but I see it too. Kids today only hang out with people of their own race. Sure there are a few intersperced between each other but they are hard to find. Your review of this movie and the story of your life have convinced me to see this movie.
PS I have had the privelegde of enjoying your site for almost a year now and I just wanted to say keep up the good work
your fan and fellow movie buff,
Will the Irishman -
This non-review made me feel that I had wasted 5 minutes of my time.
Harry, you bonehead, if you need to recount your personal experiences in the context of a film review at least review the fucking film! -
Dear Harry,
Thank you for that very open, very honest, simple, loving piece on race. I could hear the honesty in every word you wrote. I'm glad you're here.
Lorenda Starfelt
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It might be appropriate to say that this site is not just for news. But for Aint-It-Cool-News. Using this as a primer, we could say that Harry's reviews are more than just reviews. We aren't given the scraps that the media gods deem appropriate, we are given everything Harry has! (minus spoilers, thankfully.) We would be in the dark if it wasn't for Harry. When you review, you tell how the movie made you feel. That's how people answer when asked, "how was it." They say, "It made me really sad." or "It stoked me royally!!" Harry is telling you how he felt before the movie so you can understand how he feels after the movie. And if you are different from him, you may feel differently about the movie. Harry is one of the only reviewers that admit his opinion is not written in stone. I understand the need for good actors and the like, but maybe Harry feels so strongly about this that it would not seem right to judge all the movie aspects as usual. He did not treat this like a film, but as something opening his past experiences. The kind of entertainment that isn't really entertainment, but more like a "message", be it positive or negative. So in a way, it was a review of what fueled his opinion towards this flick. After all the people writing in a further review might actually be posted. But I am satiated with what Harry gave me.
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Good job on the review, Harry. As many before have noted, AICN Reviews don't neccessarily have to be blatant exposition about the movie (spoilers, etc.) or the people in it (Ed Norton is cool, etc.), but about the way a movie makes you feel. Reading the quasi-reviews are in many cases more informative than just saying what the movie's about. To throw my $.02 in, I never saw color when I was a kid, either. Unfortunately now, I definitely seem like a racist to those who don't know me; meaning I parrot the redneckian claptrap. EG: Who's the black guy on Voyager? Mr. Spook. Hey, let's build a wall and start throwing Mexicans back. I say it with humor, but I guess the problem is that people say it at all, and I'm certainly not helping anything. I've recently realized how seriously people take things, and I'm trying not to spread the racist stereotypes; even though I know I don't really feel that way, others hear things like that and say, "Oh that's great! I'm gonna tall that to my friends!" And crap like that. Please don't misunderstand, this isn't just another Cracker Honkey Bastard feeling guilt, but just a realization that anything a White Guy says, however innocent or jokingly, still can cause a propagation of mistrust and hurt.
I don't understand why kids carry guns now, I don't get the whole white supremacy or race war thing either. Chalk it up to naivete, I guess, maybe I'm just an old bastard who doesn't "get it". Hey Harry, great review (you fat bastard), keep 'em coming.
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This was the most self-indulgent waste of space I have seen on the web. You seem far more interested in wasting the time of others than in film. Your badly written accounts of the inanities of your personal life are not a matter of general interest. Having been widely publicised in the press aint-it-cool has the potential to be a really good center for movie news. Maybe it will be in future, but I, and probably many others, won't know - we won't be visiting again.
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All right, yeah that review was long as hell, but weeding through it does pay off for something. How many times have you read the same thing, "PROVOCATIVE", "TWO THUMBS UP, WAY UP!", "MASTER FILMMAKING"? That shit gets old. Yeah, Harry did seem to ramble on a little much this time, but give the guy some credit, he's doing it differently than your usual critic. Hell, what would you have to say about him if you took all of the extra out and only left in the review? Probably something along the lines of "That lazy bastard couldn't write more than a page!". He told you that it was excellent in the opening paragraph, that's what you needed to know. Now stop your bitching and if it bothers you all that much, then go to Corona. Those bastards can't even give you a shitty review. Thank you Harry for giving a review of what is sure to be one helluva thought provoker. Just next time, let's keep the life story to a minimum. Thanks, and Hallenback is a shit head motherfuckin crack fiend. But his honesty is magnificent. Keep up the good work guys.
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Keep the talkback going.
Who gives a shit if people slam your site. That, if nothing else, generates interest. I enjoy reading the stupid comments as well as your reviews. Furthermore, on the subject of this much-talked about film, I must make the comment that race does not exist.
It is a human construct dreamt up by some loser scientists who were felt they were superior to the inhabitants of continents like Africa and South America.
So, before you get too intellectual, remember that race is a figment, not a pigment.
I don't know sweet fuck all, but I do know that.
One more thing,
has any one seen RETURN TO PARADISE? Having spent my youth in India and Tanzania, East Africa, I must say the film is quite accurate in its portrayal of legal systems in many countries outside of the United States sphere of influence. Many friends of mine were busted for buying pot and faced jail time in disgusting prisons.
The traditionnal liberal establishment who panned this film doesn't have a clue what it's like out there. However, the person who made this film certainly does.
big ups and much respect from me.
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first i love this site never stop its the only one i like to get my reviews from . second excuse my spelling (small laugh) but really what you wrote concerning your views on the movie american x made me want very much to see it.i myself grew up with friends who are now concidered mixed cultures but i dont care i served in the navy and my best friends where other than my color im white but why should that matter as i know you agree i have been trying to set up a site to express myself not that my views are worth anything lol but i had to say something.after the bombings in africa i noticed how bad it was in america and how we were divided as a nation (by the way i hate the kkk and all them jack ass fuckers excuse my french)i to live in texas and them jerks give good people a bad name .but anyway i went to chat rooms and no one could agree on even the smallest of things it bothered me so and we were once such a great nation . and the really sad thing about it is we could be again the old saying divided we fall is so true and we are seeing it at work today .its enough to break the heart me and you share a lot of the same views im glad that there others that cant understand the hate .or i should say why it had gotten so bad we need to be banding together as a country there are enough enemys out there who hate us without us turning on each other ..well thanks for listening i didnt mean to take up to much time its just hard to find people that think like this any more ..oh if you get a chance check out my very weak site i have only started just a week ago so its not much but if you want ill send you the link lol i forgot it damnit all well take care .. id be proud to call you a friend or anyone else who cares .
dennis u. -
man i have never seen such abuse for a guy who does his job man this site dont cost you money people why come here ,i guess some people just have to bash someone and although the review itself was short man it stired feelings in the man and its his site ok ,and as far as the comment about another shamed white guy whos likes a black actor man you didnt read his review at all what a brain dead comment to make .you know its the crap like this that has made the us a battle ground and why we make such easy targets for terrorism hell if we cant even agree on a movie how can we ever hope to band together to stop all the killing of the innocent people and what the hell happened to united we stand hey if you dont like this country leave ok .its not a hard thing to figuar out. harry dude your right on man i hate just the same old boring stuff like oh this movie was cool or that sucked but something that tells me whaTS behind the movie .keep up the good work and remember you cant please all the people any time lol .
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I saw American History X last night and made my friends watch it just after I did.
I believe it is one of the most gripping films I have seen in over a year. A small film with guts, passion and a powerful painful messege.
I hope somebody wins an Oscar for this.
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Harry, for the love of God,
will you please review RETURN TO PARADISE.
I am anxious to read your thoughts of the film.
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I don't think that I have ever read a movie review that has made me want to see a movie more than this review. Movies of this genre are supposed to invoke emotions and cause us to question the norm. Personnally, I do not like to know everything that is going to happen (except the end which most reviews don't tell you because they don't want to spoil the movie. Ha! Like the last 400 words detailing explicity the character and plot development of the movie hadn't already done that) in a movie. The well thought out and thought provoking insight that Harry gave into a growing trend in popular culture was more compelling and intersting than a standard review anyday. So give him some slack and open your minds.
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Dear Harry,
Ignore all the assholes who keep complaining about your reviewing style. They are a bunch of wannabe whiners who are TOO FUCKING AFRAID to leave their real e-mail addresses. I do think you should setup an access type account that must be filled out in order to use TALK BACK. That way no punks can hide behind a fake ass e-mail address and they atleast have to THINK long enough to fill out a form and get a PASSWORD in order to air thier comments. Great job with the site Harry, keep up the good work. -
Hmm, So much to say, but gotta make this short.
First of all, after reading this beautiful "review" I wanted to respond immediately, but unfortunately decided to wade through the - 'Shut up and review the movie' - comments.
Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but that's what makes
AICN's reviews so unique - the personal detail and extraneous info that make up the character of this site. Granted, the entire review constisted of personal detail, but since Harry felt the need to use this space to react to this movie and was open enough to share these experiences and personal thoughts with us, then I was definitely motivated to read on. Thanks.
"This has always been the way I -
I've been visiting your site everyday for about 1 year now and I love it. I wasn't crazy about the new look but I got used to it.(I thought "simple and to the point" was better..but things must evolve)
Harry, I'm not sure if American History X was your review or one of your spies, but I've been noticing a trend in your site lately (maybe its always been there to some extent)..."preachy and political, moral viewpoint heavy" movie reviews.
I don't really care to read a biography of the reviewer. Sure a few lines about how the movie affected you helps flesh things out....but goddamn...did I have to read 20 paragraphs of snippets from your life (some of it was so sappy I almost lost my lunch) only to find out that there really was no movie review at all? That's not the first time I clicked one of your movie review links and found a bunch of babble and no meaty info about the film itself.
I hope you take this constructively...
Mike D
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Okay, Harry, I have to say, I haven't seen American History X. I just saw the preview the other night at Pecker, so I just thought I'd see what you had to say, but just reading your review made me introspective. Well, I'm a frosh in college now, at Cornell now, and I totally notice the separation, and I miss diversity. You see, back home, I was part of a group of friends similar to yours I think. I mean, there was like five or six white kids (one of 'em jewish and another half lebonese), a filipino kid, and two indian kids (I was one of em). Well, the thing was, we were a great group of friends, though we had some personality clashes which I am still upset about, but that's another issue. Anyway, what I wanted to say was that at school I totally noticed how everybody kind of associated with their own race. I mean, all the black kids hung out, all the white kids hung out, all the hispanic kids hung out, and everybody else kind of picked between those three groups. I mean, I guess I got mixed into the "white" crowd, since I didn't have any black friends. But that wasn't because I didn't talk to them, they just excluded themselves. When they didn't, I could at least talk to them, but the ones that were more open were usually jocks, so we didn't usually talk anyway.
Well, anyway, regardless of that, I still had my crew, and we were all cool with each other. But here, now, I don't see any diversity. I don't know what happened in the nineties. I mean, all the oriental kids hang together, all the white kids do, and all the black kids do. I hang out with some indian kids and some white kids, but it's like I can't find a nice diverse group of buds. I mean, nowadays it seems people want to be exclusive. These stupid organization like "Indian students Association" and "Chinese Bible study" only encourage racial differences, instead of stressing commonality. It just pisses the fuck out of me. I mean, it's all melanin to me, so who gives a fuck? I certainly don't. Anyway, I'm done bitching.
Last note: I love your site, but I have to say I liked the old one better. And what's with that puky orangish brown background? Well, keep up the good work. Later. Oh, and now I MUST see American history X. OH, I loved Antz, too. Any reviews for PI? -
Harry;
I was happy to see that you wrote about Americain History X. I too went to the advance screening of it yesterday here in Vancouver but I wish that I could have seen it with you so that I could have been in that discussion after.
I thought that it was a very thought provoking movie well. I have always wondered how people got so far along in their hatred or even how it all started. This movie showed me. Boy did it show me. And in graphic detail as well. It made me think about where I come from Kiel, Germany and whether or not my family had ever been part of atrocities such as the ones demonstrated in the film. Most importantly it made me appreciate that I am not on the receiving end of racism.
The movie was very well writen considering that it is a tough subject to deal with. I appreciated the way it should both sides of the story, I mean ALL sides of the story... how white supremists think, how the blacks think, how Edward Nortons character ended up in jail and receiving his punishment (tough scene to watch), and how even though he made the step to change his life the anger was still out there.
The direction, the editing and the music all added to the point of the film. The point being... and I think the character of Dr. Sweeney put it best to Edward Nortons character; "All the hate, all the anger, all your malicious actions. What good have they brought to your life?"
My mother always said "treat others as you would like to be treated".
Hope you are well and look forard to the next time I hear from you. Your ever cheerful Canadian snow bunny :)
KILLER -
I'm buying a ticket tommorow. Do not get rid of Talk Back. Where the hell is the review for 'Happiness'?
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Well. I've only been viewing AICN for a few weeks now, but I am thouroughly enjoying myself. Harry, I absolutely loved this review. Yesterday I read the review for American X in Entertainment Weekly, and from what I read there it sounded like an interesting film, and i thought I might check it out. Then flipping through th reviews here, I thought i would see what you had to say, since I live in a small town in the middle of Alberta, Canada, and would have to rent the film if it even shows up in my local video store. I wanted to find out as much as I could, since there seems to be a fairly high number of quality films coming out in the next while, i am debating whether or not to pay of my 120 dollar tab at the video store or just wait for a new one to open and start all over. Anyway, back to the point, I got the basic plot from the EW review, but Harry got to the heart of the film, laying out the deep emotional reactions the film caused in him for all to see, sharing personal experiences with a bunch of virtual strangers. He opens up to the disembodied voices in cyberspace without fear of derision or reprisals, and that is a brave thing to do. So stop shitting on him. If you don't like it, don't come back. Sorry for the length of the post and any digressions from the point, it's my first time.
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Brilliant amazing beautiful
Brilliant metaphor for our society
loved the review nice to see your infatuation in cartoon and animation. Very healthy. By the way did you hear that Tony Kaye wanted to reshoot American History X and because the Film Company refused he asked to be listed as Humpty Dumpty on the Credits.
Loyal listener
(bad speller)
John
From
Ireland -
What a beautifully shot movie. You're right, Mr. Knowles, a wonderful perf. from Edward Norton. Funny thing about many of the other comments on the page, I had a similar reaction to Harry when I walked out of the theater. It made me think of a million different things. How many movies have that ability? Most films make you think about the pic itself, this one was damn thought-provoking. I would recommend it to anyone who would go in with an open mind. All the hype and mouthing from Mr. Kaye only serve to delineate what is a truly engaging piece of work.
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Just wanted to say "shut your trap" to all those who say this isn't a review. Go see the movie if you want to know who's in it. I want to thank Harry for the honest and thought provoking review for a change. This movie should do to everyone what it did to Harry and me for that matter. Make you think. Make you act. Make you change. Make you feel.
Thanks again. -
I have seen the movie American History X twice. Please do not ask why I have seen it twice, but I have. In my personal opinion this movie is one of the best that I have seen in a number of years. Iam writing movie reviews for my college paper and in the review of American History X I said that all people should see the film and should be required to see the fim. The reason for this is that the movie shows that hate is wrong, stupid and unjust. I hope when the Osars comes around this movie will get the recognition that it diserves. In particular I believe that Edward Norton should be at least nominated for best actor in a drama. He is an amazing actor and this movie should help him in landing more lead roles. The directing and the writing of this film were also surperior and that aspect of the movie should also me recognized.
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Anyone that mentions something negative about Harry's review.
As always, two things :
- Dont come here.
- Go see the film, then think about the abuse.
I live in London, five minutes away from the theatre I saw AHX in. After the film finished, I wanted to clap, but I realised that was the wrong response to a movie of such magnitude. The entire cinema, packed to the brim, was completely silent after the credits started. After the cast was well past, people, very very slowly, got up, and filed out of the theatre. Not a word, rustle, or breath could be heard. I don't know how this comes across, but if that's ever happened to you in a cinema, then you know what kind of a feeling that gives you. For lack of a better word, it was like being in the presence of genuis, achievement, and accomplishment. On the way home, I had four cigarettes, had to sit down twice, and stopped in bar to get a shot of whisky. This was possibly one of the best movies I have seen in the past five years, because as many people have already said, I have been profoundly affected by it. I have told everyone I have spoken to since then(and I emphasise, *everyone*) to go and see this film. Whether they have to mug someone for the money, or beg for it, or borrow, whatever. But this is a film that stands tall in my memory. Within about an hour of seeing it, I felt almost uneasy, from the sheer impact of what I'd seen in there. By the end of the night, I was more a witness to something amazing. Very few movies of this calibre and thought have graced the screen in the past decade, and if nothing else, left such a significant imprint on the consciousness of a generation that seems to take race-relations and natural, instinctive defense mechanisms as a statistic in nature documentaries or history books. -
I like movies that make me think about something. Sometimes it's right away, sometimes even a couple of days later. If a movie can make me love it or hate it, that's a great movie for me.
Anyway, this movie had an excellent cinematography. I especially liked the close-ips, angling, and black and white scenes that did kind of look like a calvin klein commercial!!
Visuall, great. Ed Norton, great....as I had expected.
but the story line, not developed, just a cool looking movie, with a some fluff and quotes of some rascist pigs. But the story didn't stick together, especially after Derek (Ed Norton) brutal murde, going to jail....the reform...just because some black inmate made him chuckle a little? or that he got f---kd by a bunck of skinheads.....
I did like the confrontation with the role of Stacey Keech, and what he said..that was cool.
Anyway, I heard the director of the film thought that it would have been better without Ed Norton or something like that...which I find really strange considerering he is what made it
.
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just wanted to comment on all those that ragged on Harry for talking feelings instead of just giving a simple review of the movie in an objective way.
When movies hit colse to homeits hard to look at it objectively, and I think thats the point..this movie obviously made him think about how it related to him. I think its great that he mentioned that at one point he could have been vulnerable to someone like Mr. Sweeny. I'm sure at som point in most of our lives' we could be influenced. its too easy simple to hate , too primitive to fight..and the problems are too complex for simple solutions such as prejudice and scapegoating. We all have demons and prejudices....but we have to fight against ourselves and think.
Even Hitler said " what luck for rulers, that men do not think"
oh sorry with the all the typos
oops!
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AHX is a film about hate. It's a film about how tempting it is to allow your anger to burn out of control, to let pain rule your life, and how that pain will come back and eat you alive. Harry - when your friend told you he wanted to hurt you for being white after Do The Right Thing you should have pointed out to him that the people he needed to hurt were the racists. Society should not be seen as composed of whites, blacks, hispanic etc., rather it should be viewed as composed of racists and non-racists. As a non-racist, the racists, not opposing skin colours, are your enemies. If you allow hate to rule you, you slip to the side of the racists. Norton is great in this movie; charismatic and human in what could have been a role rife with cliche and stereotyped evil Nazi posturing. Before prison he's a kid looking for some order or stability and finding it in the simple answers provided by white power. Post prison he's a man back to take responsibility for the pain he has caused to his family and the community. It's too late though, and the line of hate he set in motion comes back to haunt him and his family. This is a truly truly great film - the best of the 90's in my opinion. The acting is outstanding ( Norton is God, despite Fight Club! ), the direction is outstanding ( I've not seen the film in three months but I can still recall images from it as clearly as if I had seen them yesterday - Norton bearing down on the car-jacker in particular ), and the message is mature and well thought out - I never thought a film could reflect the subtleties of race relations and the cloud of hate in which they so often exist as sensitively or thought provokingly as Do The Right Thing till I saw this film. I pray to god that one day I get to see the Kaye final cut in some shape or form.....
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I have just spent a few moments reading Harry's review of AHX. I must applaud Harry for pointing out that this film is not one that you can merely view the content of the film then walk away. It is an assult on the senses that requires you to remember instances from your past and present and reassess your views and ideaology (dont worry not too much politics here).
I my self previously have gone from a love of all creeds to maybe five years ago discovering a real hatred of races borne about by the western worlds inability a react to the massess of refugees and illegal immigrents. This of course was pathetic on my part and truely a case of ignorance. Around that time one of my closest friends got AHX out on video and was so impressed that re hired it and suggest i watch it with him, i did. Needless to say that it hit me like a cattle prod up the ass. The guilt that i almost felt for being white was very profound and at times i felt like crying at the sight of Derek in full propoganda flight, at his re-birth of moral values and tragically at the rejection of these changes by Danny and his subsequent death. This film was not a popcorn coated good day out to be had by all type of film, but rather a wake up call. The scenes before the raiding of the store was reminiscant of the Nuremburg rallies. I know this seems an extreme comparison, but this sort of propoganda has caused scenes like this in history, and sadly will go on to create knew ones. It is almost so believeable and you can identify with Derek, about his loss when his father died, with his anger towards blacks, about his feeling of wanting to gain Camerons acceptace. Indeed i belive the dinner table scene to be not only one of the most powerful in modern cinema, but also one of the most political. The new bruce willis film "tears of the sun" is another film such as AHX although not as powerful and thought provoking. With TOTS the open scene of a news report in which people are dying etc ..etc stings like AHX because it is real, because we all switch off scenes like this in the news everynight. It is a problem in the world, it does happen and we switch off. Both films act as a beacon of wisdom and morality calling for us to land ashore. In TOTS also the end scene when they all approach the border and the planes fly overhead, i found a lump in my through, the joy, the relief, the pain of these people will momentarily die away. AHX brings about the same feeling of relief when Derek emerges from prison and explains to Danny his neo-nazi demise and subsequent rebirth. Relief that this clever man has seen in himself something that wasn't so clever, something that didn't do him justice, and Dannys realisation that perhaps he's right ciome too late to save him, suggests the that this subject cannot be dealt with half arsed.
A film that inspires us to become better than we are, to acknowlegde the wrongs in the world, and perhaps in our minds just for 10 mins / a day / a year/ a liftime convince ourselves that we can put it right.
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on imdb. Is there any chance of a director's cut which would be entirely different?
Also, wolfpack. Funny line. -
that 'X' does. It's all about connections...matalo, do you frequent old threads?
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