My thoughts before watching the movie:
*This movie gives him more fame, which is supposedly one of the reasons why he did what he did in the first place, and I obviously don't approve. Why are they giving him more fame? That's what he allegedly wanted.
*Not only are they giving him fame, but they're turning him into a star...like they're glamorizing him and what he did! Are they going to be inaccurate? Are they going to alter the truth to make things better for the movie?
*Why are they glamorizing the event by making a movie about it? What are the intentions behind this?
*It's inspired by a book I haven't read. Is the book accurate? Is the book on John's side? What does this mean for the movie's accuracy and stance?
*I can't judge the movie until I've watched the movie, so it's about time I just do it since it came on television.
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My thoughts after watching the movie:
*I'm glad that it wasn't a biography of the murderer's life. It's only about his trip to New York. Even though his life story may be important to "understanding what he did," there's still no real understanding of what he did...and plus, making it a biography would have been the way to make him a star. The movie's just about the event and it doesn't exactly take sides. It's just there to show the event and that's that.
*There were many details I didn't know about one way or the other. I don't know if they're true or false. In order to make a movie, I assume they have to make up some fiction to fill in the gaps that no one knows, and that's a problem for someone like me who would appreciate being able to see any kind of truth-based movie and know that everything is fact. I don't think that's ever happened and unfortunately it's probably not even possible...which makes making movies based on truth so tricky.
*They did an excellent job capturing his thought process, I think. They clearly portray how he was at war with himself, very confused, and not in a stable mindset. They don't just make him out to be some purely bad guy with no thoughts, feelings, or hesitations.
***
As much as I want to have a firm opinion, I can't. I know he loved John. I know he was not in a correct state of mind when he did it. I know that he's supposedly sorry. I know that I definitely don't want to see him ever be released, of course! I know that it's an important story, so making a movie about it could just be for educational purposes and/or to show what happened. I don't know what to think. I think they did a good job from what I can tell, but I still feel weird about approving the existence of a movie about this event. It's not as though I can actually "LIKE" it or "ENJOY" it, you know? I want to hear your thoughts, everyone!
