MaxFly

Nope, can't stop there... If you label Hitler as evil and stop there, you learn nothing from the tragedy. You're then apt to chalking up the Holocaust to simply the evil doing of a madman, when, in actuality, the issue is more complex than that. No one is saying that what Hitler did was good. Not a single person who has posted in this thread has said that. What has been said repeatedly is that while Hitler thought what he was doing was good the vast majority of the world knows that it was bad. This discussion has nothing to do with showing mercy. It is an attempt to get deeper into the issue than simply saying "Hitler was a bad man." Why is it important to go beyond the simple notion that Hitler was a bad person? It's important to understand the thinking of people like this because they are the ones who are most dangerous in our society. They are the ones who can deceive millions... they play on the prejudices of people and subsequently do the most damage. Saying that Hitler was a bad person is nice and pithy, but it doesn't get at the heart of the problem, and that will only lead to us making the same mistakes over and over again. I'm not sure how many times people will need to say that Hitler was bad for you to acknowledge that people have said it. You might need to go back and re-read this topic. The reason why people are dying today in Sudan is that no one cares about the reasons these genocides begin or the dogmas that continue to fuel them. We simply chalk it up to people being bad, leave it at that, and go about our business. If we are incapable of looking at these issues in a more complex and intelligent manner, we're doomed to repeat the same mistakes.

I saw it at the Imax theater again, yesterday... I bought tickets online ahead of time, but asked the teller what the theater was like before we went inside. There are 500 seats in the theater... 483 people inside the theater... and people were still behind us trying to buy tickets... :paperbag:

To prevent tragedies like the holocaust from happening again, it is imperative that we understand why they happen and stamp those ideologies out at their root. It is entirely ignorant for us to believe that all people do evil for evil's sake... When we focus simply on Hitler, we forget the ideology that fueled the holocaust... that lead to Bosnia and Kosovo... that fueled Rwanda... that fuels Sudan right this very minute. No one is saying that we should forgive and forget... but to simply label Hitler as evil and leave it at that is irresponsible. It simplifies an issue that is far more complex.

Hitler believed that what he was doing was good. In his own twisted, demented mind, he believed that what he was doing was good and beneficial. In actuality, the vast majority of people, including Will, know that what he did was not good by any measure.

You think Bush is worse than Hitler was?

Someone who is mentally ill to that extent, a sociopath really, needs his thinking reporgrammed desperately, perhaps more so than anyone else. Will didn't say that what Hitler did was good or that the atrocities he committed weren't severe and heinous. The overarching point seems to be that in his demented, twited way, Hitler thought what he was doing was good. This is an important cautionary tale in that real world villains aren't people who do evil for the sake of doing evil. They are generally people who have deluded themselves into thinking that what they are doing is good. The important thing to note is that these are the most dangerous of villains because they tend to catch us unawares and they are often unshakable in their twisted convictions. willreign, there is no reason to believe that Will is trying to dismiss the severity of Hitler's atrocities or explain away his role.

What an amazing story! Beautiful.

You should probably read the article. :stickpoke:

Don't. Do. It.

Dag man, you're a Debbie Downer... We're gonna start calling you Debbie from now on.

Lol, pessimism... right up your alley, Ty.

Actually, it's smart not to debut a big film with a big name actor with a big film with that same big name actor. It tends to turn people off... it's basically overexposure. Give people some time to breathe before you hit them with your next movie, you know.

I definitely want to see it. Incidentally, this is just another example of why I don't take critics all that seriously. They've bashed the movie mercilessly.

I just came back from the IMAX theater... We has a snow storm on Thursday that basically incapacitated the city. We had another snow storm today that did the same. I couldn't even go to church this morning, and I live 5 minutes away... The roads were horrible and the plows weren't out. This afternoon, they finally plowed, and since I had preordered tickets, I made sure I went... I got there kinda late... roads were still slushy and wet and I had to pick people up... Packed... 7:50 showing... Packed... Regardless of two, count em, two snow storms and horrile roads... Packed.

To tell you the truth, I liked the ending of the movie much more than that of the book. The only problem was that the ending came upon you very quickly... I think people, especially the critics, have mischaracterized the ending; it's not bad... it's actually quite good. It's just that they could have extended a few things in the middle to make it play out more smoothly. I've heard a lot of people say that it's anti-climactic... Um... no. I also think there are a lot of things people have missed... a lot of deeper meanings... perhaps even plot devices. As David Letterman would say, "The parallels are quite vivid." I can't talk about it without revealing the ending, so I'm going to wait until most people have seen it. Oh, and all this foolishness about Francis Lawrence not being a good director needs to stop. He did a masterful job. I believe it was his idea not to use much music in the film, and jeez, that worked to perfection. I'm telling you, this film is constant suspense because of that decision, and the vista's and pans are beautiful... :signthankspin:

I'm gonna see it again tomorrow in IMAX and maybe again on Monday. :wiggle: Suggestion... people who have a history of congestive heart failure or any other heart ailment shouldn't even attend cinemas where this movie is playing. Go see Alvin and the Chipmunks in some art house theater. If you do want to see it, see it during the daytime and make sure there's still light outside when you walk out of the movie because it may be the most nerve racking walk to your car, otherwise.

I just came back from a 7:30 showing... packed... How packed? People had to sit up front in those two rows of horrible seats. I've never seen such an early show time packed like that. Wow...

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Do you know who is on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Yes, there's great actors, but also people like Tim Allen, Matthew Broderick, Angela Bassett, John Goodman,ect. People who aren't nearly as famous as Will. Jamie Foxx and P Diddy are scheduled for next year. It's not nearly that special anymore to be on it. You must have missed the discussion... http://www.jazzyjefffreshprince.com/forum/...showtopic=11393

That was great Julie, thanks!

I don't know. I still think he needs to do a few more serious movies in order to get a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. I mean, Kermit just barely has one, and look at all the work he's had to put in. Will's still not there yet. 4.4 billion in movie grosses is nice, oscar nominations, great... but he's still not that highly considered... :sipread:

I have tickets for IMAX tomorrow, but forget that... I'm going to go see it today!!!! Shoot. 28 million in 1 day? That's ridiculous.

I have it and I'll go ahead and upload it today. I've just been busy elsewhere.

I've read the comments. Sad thing is that he counts towards the score of the movie.