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Beer for My Horses Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Elephant
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MPAA RATING: R for disturbing violent content, language, brief sexuality and drug use - all involving teens
Starring Alex Frost, Eric Deulen, John Robinson, Elias McConnell, Jordan Taylor, Carrie Finklea, Nicole George, and Larry Laverty
An inside look at an American high school on what appears to be an ordinary day.
| GENRE(S): | Drama | Suspense/Thriller |
| WRITTEN BY: | Gus Van Sant |
| DIRECTED BY: | Gus Van Sant |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: May 4, 2004 Video: May 4, 2004 Theatrical: October 24, 2003 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 81 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | USA |
Winner, Golden Palm and Best Director, 2003 Cannes Film Festival
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 5.5 (out of 10) based on 66 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Kevin C. gave it a10:
For those of you too young to recall or to lazy research the height of the Cold War, the movie is technically very accurate (unlike Fail-Safe). In fact, the equivalent of "Attack Plan R" still exists today(and we're still flying the same bombers and tankers --scary). Those of you who miss the bone dry humor are missing out. I used to show the scene where Peter Sellers is captured to my troops, to show them how Americans are perceived, and I use quotes like -- "I don't think it's fair to condemn an entire program because of a single slip up." -- in business all the time. So, the delicious script, the fantastic camera work and lighting and the terrific characterizations make this a winner Boys, the world was a different place then; you have to slip into the millieu.
Clay T gave it a9:
Flouridation!!!
Brian T gave it a9:
This was a great film, very original, the long sequences were hallucinatory, while Van Sant panders to the lovers of of storylines with flashbacks and story jumps. People who hate this film really have no clue, jumping to conclusions like that glorifies violence. It does anything B-U-T, it registers violence and nothing else. It doesn't judge or glorify. Haters are so scared to lose their gun-toting rights, they are almost foaming at the mouth. They are in such a panic, they simply can't stand any criticism on whatever, Opponents are immediately branded as Un-American, as if it is American to slaughter people senselessly ... Oh wait ,,, IT IS! The lack of wall to wall music was so refreshing.
Heather W. gave it a0:
I have officially found the worst movie of all time. The characters were all stereotypes, not even close to real people. The only message that we are told is that homosexuals, who play video games and watch documentaries on the Third Reich run out and kill people. It is not even shot that well. Throughly and utterly disappointing
Jeremy F. gave it a0:
This movie is the worst movie I've ever seen. I know all your 10-ers will say I'm crazy and badmouth me inside your head and say things like "How could he say this? He must have no taste." Well, honestly, I can't find one good thing in this movie. It drags on and the 90-minute duration feels like 120. It's ridiculous. I watched this movie cause everyone said it was so good and artistic. It's not. It is simply a director getting lost inside his own desire to be so deeply artistic and compelling. Trying too hard is unflattering, and usually does more bad than good. Although, it almost seems like he didn't try hard enough, as this is a bland movie in it's entirety. It has some long drawn out shots of someone just walking, and stayed locked on the screen (camera not moving, of course, for our entertainment) well after the person leaves. I found myself confused at times, but when I eventually connected the dots and saw this was all one day, I was even more horrified. I HATE the scene where the two killers on in the shower together and kiss. This is the most unimportant and unrelated scene I've seen in a movie in a very very very long time. A lot of people think this scene is a perk, showing a brief moment of their relationship but never delving into it. BULL! This is an unneeded potential-love scene. Whatever. I don't care that this movie has an inconclusive ending, but I don't like that all that really was shown to us as a motive was the kid getting a paper ball thrown at him. Stupid. If this is supposed to be a reinterpretation of Columbine, he should be locked up from all film equipment, because he did a poor job. I think the actors and actresses were all mediocre, which I suppose worked in favor since it was supposed (again trying too hard) to be a "normal" highschool on a "normal" day. The actual film of the movie was beautifully shot, but the way it was shot (the long drags, the pointless following scenes) threw me off. The 5 to 15-minute dialog-less points I nearly fell asleep during. I want to appreciate his craft, but this is an insanely overhyped (one of the most I've ever seen) movie, THAT I RECOMMEND TO NO-ONE!!!
[Anonymous] gave it a1:
This movie was boring, story is pretty slow. Nothing really happens in the movie. It got so boring that I skipped to the end. The ending ended too early.
Ariana M. gave it a10:
I think a lot of people want to point to this movie and say it's another case of "The Emperor has no clothes". But wow, I got this movie. Apart from how amazingly well it was done, I was actually looking for myself in those hallways. I graduated nearly ten years ago, but apart from it being much larger and much more beautiful, that WAS my highschool. I didn't see a single stereotype. I saw real people. Their personalities were barely glimpsed and yet they were never without personality. You knew it was there. But this movie was not a deep exploration of all the different people who inhabit a highschool, it was more like walking down the halls (which actually was the majority of the movie). In this case, the fact that this movie was difficult to watch is why everyone should see it. Perhaps it will incite some understanding and empathy-- not for killers, but for the people who have been suffering in isolation for one reason or another-- whether it's the blonde boy who seems so cool and struggles with an alcoholic father, to the 'nerdy' girl who loves looking at the sky and suffers ridicule every time she has to change out of her clothes after gym. I don't want to minimize the crime or the guilt of the killers, but I want to point out another villain in this movie and in our lives-- lack of empathy.
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