Glamouria - Machine Gun Preacher:”You Must Not Let Them Take Your Heart!”…. By Hayat Ammouri

Glamouria
Machine Gun Preacher:”You Must Not Let Them Take Your Heart!”….
October 21, 2011
I finally went to see “Machine Gun Preacher”….
 
Gerard Butler on the set of the movie

Photo Credit- Phil Bray© 2011 MGP Productions,
 LLC.  All Rights

For the first 10 minutes, I hated the producer, Gary Safady… I have to admit, this is not my kind of movie.. I would rather watch Disney princesses finding eternal love, or other romantic ones (Crazy Stupid Love, No Strings Attached, Bridesmaids)… I usually like to go to the movies to dream, laugh, snuggle with my friend and eat popcorn… But last night,  it wasn’t the case!

 
You have to know, I am born in Lebanon, and I grew up in Beirut during the war… I have seen it all, and I remember it all. I also know that this is when I started writing…. During the war.. It was my way to let everything out! 
 
I have seen dead people on the streets, and I have smelled burnt cadavers.. I know that when you hear the noise of a bomb before it explodes it means it has passed you and you’re not in danger anymore…   I have seen blood on the stairs in the building I lived in, and heard men screaming because they were being tortured on the 2nd floor (we lived on the 1st floor)….  This is why I hate politics, and I don’t watch the news, just rarely…. I am done… I had pushed all these memories away… Until last night at the movies… I saw it all over again… I was trying to close my eyes, at the beginning… but then, I really wanted to see!!

Machine Gun Preacher is about the story of how kids are being tortured, forced to kill and fight in the war in Sudan..  It’s about the true story of Sam Childers, this person who was a drug addict- going there and saving these kids.. And her, the wife, played by Michelle Monaghan, she was the driving force behind him, “Get off your butt, go and build it again”… So many little amazing details, but I don’t want to ruin the movie for you!… 
 

That scene at the church, will he stand up or not? I was praying he would…. His daughter as a little girl, she broke my heart… and then those kids… That kid that always wanted to be with Gerard Butler… The playground… Leaving these kids behind…. Torture!

 


On the set with producer Gary safady
Photo Credit- Phil Bray© 2011 MGP Productions,

 LLC.  All Rights Reserved
I loved each and every scene. There wasn’t one scene that was not necessary… Not one scene missing! I loved the lighting, and the music, and even the rough images sometimes… This movie will break your heart…  Even if you’re not willing to help (but I promise you will), it will make you appreciate your life!


 


And…. For those who love Gerard Butler… It’s not the sexy Gerard Butler that you’re going to see… But almost “the man of your dream”, in a weird way… The man of courage who dared, and after he did, he couldn’t go back and let go! There’s this conflict about him.. Is the man who’s killing the killers a hero or just another criminal? In my eyes, yes he was, a hero…  And he played his role so wonderfully, so naturally, he was so true to his character…


 


Needless to say, I cried for the whole 2 hours….  Every scene made me so emotional!


Learn more about the LRA, and all the atrocities they are doing in Sudan and Uganda. See what’s happening to these kids, and please please please, help in any way you could!!!


For more info, visit the movie’s website and click here.
 

 


On the set with producer Gary safady, in South Africa

Photo Credit- Phil Bray© 2011 MGP Productions, LLC.  All Rights  Reserved


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