[.ca] The Laramie Project (Widescreen/Full Screen)

From Amazon.com:
Even though The Laramie Project has been edited down from almost three hours (the original length of the play) to a lean 96 minutes, the harrowing nature of the subject matter--the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard--and the clarity of the voices of the inhabitants of Laramie, Wyoming, give this film a remarkable emotional power. The Laramie Project was created from over 200 interviews conducted with Laramie residents before, during, and after the trials of the two boys who killed Shepard; the interviews create an amazing cross-section of American views on homosexuality, religion, class, privacy, and so much more besides. Even though it features an all-star cast--Steve Buscemi, Janeane Garofalo, Christina Ricci, Peter Fonda, and Laura Linney are only a few of the recognizable faces--the material has not been glamorized and the performances are both honest and intimate. Even abbreviated, it's a remarkable piece of work. --Bret Fetzer

no words to describe:
I just finished watching this movie. I have never, never, have seen a movie like this before. i am not a person who cries in any movie, its on an extremely rare occasion that i will cry in a movie, but this movie.... this movie.... had me bawling. i have not seen a movie that has moved me this way , .... ever. it is an extremely, important film, that(in my opinion, EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH. it really shows not only about what happened to matthew shepard, but it brings to life the viewpoints of the whole town. both the good and the bad.. it' raw, and unforgiving. it conveys the realistic nature of the actors portraying their real life counterparts of the people of laramie, wyoming. they have done this task, very well. what i have learned , watching this movie, is that no matter what your belief is on homosexuality, nobody, and i mean nobody , deserves that kind of violence. i believe that violence is never an absolution. this movie proves that when people who make bad desicions ,their actions can have a ripple effect through other people.in this case,the ripple effect not only spread through the people of laramie but to people throughout the world. I want to be an angel not only to america, but to the world. HATE IS NOT THE ANSWER. You will understand what i just wrote above by watching the movie so without making this review too long. GET THIS MOVIE... YOU WILL BE TOUCHED STOP THE HATE. STOP THE VIOLENCE. BE COMPASSIONATE AND FORGIVING. ....AND PRAY.

Made me cry:
There were just scenes in the movie that made me start crying. and it was just an amazing and beautiful experience. Forget some of the bad acting, overall the movie was just fabulous. The ending was beautiful too, and such a touching way to end it without it being overkill. You just have to watch this movie, it'll make you cry.

How Could Someone?:
Matthew Shepard is a 22 year old college student, who is gay, and is brutally beat and tortured because of it. Based on a true story in Laramie Wyoming, this movie moved me and made tears swell up in my eyes. Every scene, i kept asking myself, How Could Someone Do Something Like This?

An Amazing Project:
The first thing that made me want to watch this movie was the layout of the DVD cover and its large ensemble cast. The Laramie Project is a story of a town trying to cope with the aftermath of a young homosexual man who was beaten to death by two local youths. As I said the DVD cover, with it's great photos of the large ensemble cast was the very first thing that made me check this movie out. I am attracted to films that have a large cast in it and this one was no exception. Everyone in this film had something going on for them; they signed on to this project not because they just wanted to work with other people but, they signed on to this because they belived in it so much. Each person had their time to shine. I felt that this film is one big monologue of the same idea. Each actor/actresses were given a monologue and had to present them and each and everyone of them presented their parts perfectly. I cannot even imagine how big this cast was. It's truly something to be seen. The editing and music of the film is great and so is the story. I belive that there is at least one charatcer in the movie that a viewer can relate to. I felt like I was looking through a telescope and watching these people just present their souls to you. It's very intimate and real, and you feel like you are part of the whole story. Overall, if you like movies that are dramatic, real and one that has an enormous amount of actors/actresses who want to make a good film, then The Laramie Project is the one for you. GO CHECK IT OUT.

"I guess I didn't understand the magnitude with which some people hate":
"The Laramie Project" is an adaptation of the play of the same name, written by Moises Kaufman and based on the interviews he and his group had in 1998 with many of Laramie's inhabitants, after the callous beating up of Matthew Shepard in that relatively small town of Wyoming. Matthew, a young man that was living in Laramie and that happened to be gay, was a victim, and became a symbol. But as another reviewer pointed out, he was first and foremost a human being that deserved to live. Matthew died due to the injuries received in what was defined as a hate crime. He was gay, and two men took exception to it, beating him up and leaving him tied to a fence. The man that discovered him the following day thought at first he was a scarecrow. He was so disfigured that he just didn't seem a person any more. Matthew was taken to a hospital, where he stayed in a comma until he died, a week later. The interviews allow us to witness what the people of Laramie were thinking regarding this event, something closely linked to their views on religion, homosexuality, tolerance and a lot more. One character said something that made a big impact on me, and that explains a lot: "I guess I didn't understand the magnitude with which some people hate". On the whole, I think this is an excellent film, and I am sorry I didn't watch it before. I strongly recommend it to you, as a great film with a good message. Belen Alcat