The Worst Film Ever

Sorry, this movie sucks

Just perfect...

A Masterpiece!

Matthew Shepard was about two months short of his twenty-second birth when he was robbed, beaten, tied to a fence post and left to die in a rural area of Wyoming. The man who found him at first thought he was a scarecrow. Rushed to Poudre Valley Hospital at Fort Collins, he died on 12 October 1998--and when Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney were arrested for the crime they resorted to a defense known as "gay panic." Matthew Shepherd had propositioned them, they said, and they were so horrified that they killed him in response.The gay community and numerous civil rights watchdog groups were outraged by the defense, and as more and more facts came to light it seemed that the crime was somewhat more complicated than Henderson and McKinney wanted the public to know. Witnesses stated that Henderson and McKinney had specifically targeted Shepherd because he was gay. After much legal wrangling, Henderson pled guilty and testified against McKinney, who was convicted; after still more legal wrangling, and at the request of Shepherd's parents, McKinney escaped the death penalty but has no chance of parole.The case made headlines from end of the United States to the other and prompted numerous calls for Hate Crimes legislation, which had long been stalled both at the state and federal level. And in the midst of the confusion, chaos, and controversy, Moises Kaufman and the members of The Tectonic Theatre Project arrived on the scene, interviewing more than two hundred people about their thoughts and feelings on the case. These were shaped into THE LARAMIE PROJECT, a drama that debuted in 2000 and which has since shocked, impressed, and deeply moved audiences from coast to coast.On the stage, THE LARAMIE PROJECT is played by eight performers who enact the numerous interview subjects in a three act, three hour performance on a largely bare stage. When filmed by HBO in 2002, it was reduced in length by about half and each interview subject was performed by a different actor--some of them members of the Techtonic Theatre Project, some of them well-known actors such as Laura Linney and Peter Fonda. The result is indeed powerful... but not as effective as the stage version, for on film it tends be a series of readings by "talking heads," a sort of pseudo-documentary, rather than as a cohesive whole.That said, the great difference between the film and the original script is one of balance. On stage, THE LARAMIE PROJECT takes no sides per se; it simply sets forth the words and allows the audience to judge. On screen, it is distinctly slanted, cutting much of the commentary that gave the original such remarkable balance. Even so, and although far outstripped by the stage version, it is a powerful voice for equality, tolerance, and simple human decency. Recommended.GFT, Amazon Reviewer

It is incredible to me that someone would even THINK about doing a mock documentary on a SERIOUS subject with an intent to arouse our emotions. Drama requires talent in crafting dialogue, scenery and mood to convey a message: Be it clarity or ambiguity. Documentary requires skills in packaging other's points of view: Be it to underscore the maker's message or that of the speakers. What the makers of TLP have done is to avoid the work needed in drama and documentary by canning blunt messages and delivering them without the need of acting, directing, camera work, etc. The result is cheap and insincere. I wouldn't mind learning about this tragic incident from a real documentary where even if the producers' point of view was biased I could hear the actual words and see the expressions of the interviewees. Conversely, I could handle a fictional account where I might adopt and/or appreciate another's perception of the events and emotions involved.But to impose a mandated message by pulling our outrage, pity, anger and tragedy stings like TLP is shameful.

A young gay man brutally killed by two young men trying to make a point about their hatred of homosexuals is the basis of Moises Kaufman's brilliant play seen here a few years ago. On the stage the play is somewhat detached because of the limitations in the text, but as a film, adapted for the screen by Mr. Kaufman, the immediacy of the story is more shocking than in the theater."The Laramie Project" is seen in a documentary fashion. The director and his assistants went to Laramie to investigate the incident that caused a world wide uproar because of the savage way Matthew Shepard's death had caused. In recreating the facts, Mr. Kaufman has dramatized the story by having real actors play the different people in town with whom he and his collaborators talked during the days of the research trip.What comes out about the story is that individually, the citizens of Laramie were as shocked as everyone else was. After all, they considerer themselves as pretty tolerant, so why a horrible tragedy like this could ever happened amongst them? In fact, it only takes a pair of misguided individuals, who think thought they would make a statement by inflicting on the unsuspecting Matthew Shepard a punishment he didn't deserve.The ensemble cast that play the different parts is an inspired choice. Mr. Kaufman was lucky in amassing such talent that respond so well to his commands. Steve Buscemi, Camryn Manhein, Laura Linney, Amy Madigan, Frances Sternhagen, Christina Ricci, Margo Martindale, Kathleen Chalfant, Terry Kinney, just to name a few, give excellent readings about what really occurred in Laramie.Ultimately, Mr. Kaufman makes his point by just letting the citizens of Laramie come to terms with the horrible tragedy that shook their town.

THE LARAMIE PROJECT Aspect ratio: 1.85:1Sound format: Dolby DigitalFollowing the murder of Matthew Shepard by a couple of homophobic thugs in the nondescript town of Laramie, Wyoming, a theatre troupe descends on the area and questions residents, politicians, doctors and police officers in an effort to probe the circumstances which led to this appalling crime.When 21 year old Matthew Shepard was murdered by Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney in October 1998, it seemed like the culmination of a ceaseless conservative crusade against the so-called 'gay lifestyle' (whatever that means). For some, Matthew's death had been facilitated by the ongoing propagation of hatred which flourishes unchecked in every aspect of our daily lives, and which found its ultimate grim expression in the beating, torture and near-crucifixion of a virtually defenceless gay man. The killing prompted a national outpouring of grief and anger, fuelled by a media campaign that seemed more concerned with gaining mileage from a juicy story than challenging the attitudes which had given rise to this event in the first place. THE LARAMIE PROJECT - which began life as a stageplay created by the Tectonic Theater Project in New York, using the actual words of Laramie residents instead of 'dialogue' - attempts to redress the balance by probing the causes and consequences of bigotry, and the deep-rooted feelings of those most affected by the murder. It's a heartfelt debut from Tectonic founder and artistic director Moisés Kaufman.Interviewees include friends and colleagues of Matthew, the investigating police officers, the doctors who cared for him during the coma which preceded his death, and those whose religious convictions appear to have clouded their judgment and humanity - in one appalling sequence, a mealy-mouthed reverend (Michael Emerson) expresses sympathy for the victim, whilst simultaneously hoping that Matthew spent his last conscious moments reflecting on his 'lifestyle'. Presented in mock-documentary format, in which the 'characters' are portrayed by an all-star cast of familiar faces (including Steve Buscemi, Amy Madigan, Laura Linney, Christina Ricci and Frances Sternhagen, amongst many others), Kaufman's film offers a platform to those on both sides of the debate, though the filmmakers' own liberal outlook is plainly obvious throughout. But, in taking a stand against fundamentalist attitudes, THE LARAMIE PROJECT seeks to demonstrate the flaws in extremist viewpoints. In other words, those with bigoted opinions are given enough rope to hang themselves, and some of them leap head-first into the noose. Thankfully, Fred Phelps and his satanic crew - who rubbed salt into a festering wound by protesting against 'fags' during Matthew's funeral - are reduced to little more than an unwelcome guest appearance, during which they're confronted by a host of silent, accusing townsfolk dressed as angels...Reluctant to shrink from uncomfortable truths, the film is not afraid to tackle the thorny issue of Matthew's HIV status and the small - but significant - part it played during the fall-out from this terrible event (notably, the devastating consequences for one of the police officers who was first to arrive at the scene of the crime), but that hasn't prevented some critics from questioning the film's 'narrow' liberal viewpoint. For instance, is homophobia and AIDS more deserving of such a high-profile movie than any number of similar social ills? No, but no one has ever complained about high-profile movies which (quite rightly) denounce racism, for instance! And while prominent actors may not be lining up to star in powerful dramas about cancer (for example), those afflicted by cancer are hardly likely to encounter discrimination at state and governmental level because of their 'lifestyle choices', with little more than begrudging tolerance for their medical welfare. Secondly, the film is accused in some quarters of being a patronising diatribe, in which a bunch of 'backwoods hicks' are taught the error of their ways by 'omniscient and enlightened Californians' (as one skeptical Internet reviewer has complained). Only the townspeople themselves can confirm or deny this particular accusation, though the Tectonic Theater Project mounted a special performance of the stageplay in Laramie itself which didn't seem to generate any controversy. Other questions are not so easy to dismiss: Was the country really so outraged by Matthew's death, or was the controversy generated by little more than a media frenzy? After all, despite the platitudes expressed at the time, little has changed in the intervening years with regards to hate crimes legislation. In some ways, this is hardly surprising, since most politicians find it expedient to pacify an alignment of fanatical religious bigots. If nothing else, THE LARAMIE PROJECT reminds us to guard against prejudice and hatred wherever it manifests itself, to derive inspiration from the likes of Matthew Shepard, and - most importantly - to honor the fallen.As a film, "Laramie" (which opened the Sundance Film Festival in 2002) is an impressive achievement; Kaufman has brought his considerable skills as a theatre director to bear on a much broader cinematic canvas. It's mostly talking heads, of course, but there's an urgency in the telling which might have been lost in a straightforward documentary presentation. Ultra-professional in all departments, and acted with conviction by a sterling cast, the movie is thought-provoking and poignant, and inspires confidence that all is not lost in the battle against ignorance.