rhkoehler So, I thought this movie was great for the most part. I thought it looked at a very edgy topic that is not talked about all too often and I thought it brought an interesting point of view for western viewers such as Americans and Europeans. I also thought it was cool that the movie tried its best to stay accurate and serious but at the same time still had a few funny moments here and there. The one thing that bothers me though is that it seems to be one sided, though the director says he was keeping an open view on this topic, I just feel we didn't get the whole background of it. I know a lot of people will not like that I feel this way but the movie , in my personal opinion, seemed to be promoting terrorism more than a "freedom fighter" movement. This just really got on my nerves a little bit and I understand nationalism, but I feel that what the Palestinians are doing is more of a terrorist act than a revolutionary act. With that being said though, I still thought the movie was good and interesting, it kept the viewer on the edge of their seats and kept them wanting more. I would totally recommend this to a friend if they were looking for a movie of this genre. 8/10

thmurphy-37414 Paradise Now is the exact opposite of what you think the title is. For example, no one truly believes a film with the title of Paradise Now has anything to do with bombing. There is so much more to this story though past the bombing. It is not truly about what is bad and what is good. There is the feeling of I need to do this for myself, and what not. Anyways, moving on, the movie started off with a woman crossing one of the checkpoints, and it was a very serious scene in the movie. Any wrong move and it was over for her, as there are many guns pointed on her at all times. She is the past main leader's daughter of the rebellion. She chooses to hide from that, though, and does not support what her father has accomplished. She goes to pick up her car from what seems like a junkyard, and there she keeps running into Said. One of the main two friends is Said, and the other is named Khaled. The two friends are chosen for a bombing mission in Tel Aviv. From the start, Khaled is all about doing the bombing, but Said is not. This is due to religion when it comes to Khaled's reasoning. No one knows why Said is going through with it. Even after seeing the movie I still have no idea why Said ends up going through with the bombing, which occurs at a different time. The ironic thing is the roles between the two friends switches. Khaled stays behind, and Said carries out the bombing in Tel Aviv. There is a lot to see in this movie, but I will leave the rest of that up to you.

Lily Schneider For the most part, this film was interesting to watch. I love the fast paced rhythm of the film. All the action in the film kept me on the edge of my seat, and I could not wait to see what happened next. Although the fighting and battle is not something I particularly like in movies and stories, the plot and symbolism of the film made this essence of the film okay for me to watch. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in war films or the West Bank or the Middle East. I would particularly recommend this to any history classes, for it shares so much information and insight into the lives of the people of the West Bank. I find these types of films very interesting, as well as very important ones to watch to understand a different culture.

Pro Jury This contains spoilers.PARADISE NOW has some weak points in the plot.The large cut gateway in the fence, and the fence area, were quickly left abandoned and unrepaired by the Israeli guards, so the lead character could keep passing through it as he wished. This is not realistic.The girl was an outsider. English born, French raised daughter of escaped refugees. She would not have much standing to influence. This was not realistic.Peeking at his mother, but not checking in, was an artificial story convention. This was not realistic.When his best friend learned from the former boss that the lead character had returned and was hob-nobbing with the girl, he naturally would have reported to the freedom leaders the status update -- that he was not captured and that he made it back on his own safely. This was not realistic.A better movie about human bombs is THE TERRORIST (1995). Much more thought provoking.A better movie about the Palestinian occupation is a large collection of documentary shorts made and edited by Palestinain teenagers called VOICES BEYOND WALLS being shown in 2010 on university campuses and on direct media.