safiee md (instateofmine)

Blood Diamond doesn't disappoint. It's absorbing, fast paced action with a real human, social and political message. Beneath the glitter and the luxury it signifies, diamonds, or rather the diamond trade is a harsh and unforgiving one for those who are forced to literally dig them from the earth in a ravaged Sierra Leone. Leo DiCaprio and Djimon Honsou delivers stellar performances. Both men set out on a quest together to recover a hidden stone for varied reasons. One for personal gains and the other in a hope of saving his family broken up by the constant unrest in his country. Jennifer Connelly plays Maddy, a journalist from the US, hoping to shed some light on the diamond trade. Blood Diamond is one of those powerful films, it has an effect on the viewers. It leaves you feeling grateful, or maybe empowered or simply gobsmacked of what you have witnessed.

Hotel Rwanda wasn't a film that instantly jumped at me. In fact when it was released in 2005, i didn't even know Don Cheadle or Joaquin Phoenix. It was only later after Gladiator and the Ocean's franchise that i started seeing more of them. Now i own the dvd, at a steal, bought it for $9.90, hah! One of the best films i've ever watched. Moving and powerful. Now i know 'powerful' gets tossed about often, and most of the time undeservedly. But if u've seen Hotel Rwanda, you'd agree that it is just that. The scene in the rain where the guests of the Mille Collinnes were being evacuated, boarding the bus, literally brought tears to my eyes. There was one man who even took pictures of the hotel staff and the refugees as they stood and watched them about to leave their ravaged land. They were being abandoned to fend for themselves against their own people divided by race and fuelled by hatred. This is a must see movie. Make time for it, rent it, buy it, or borrow it,you must not miss Hotel Rwanda.