June 11, 200322 yr Excertps from TV Guide review which supposedly gave it 2 stars: A "life-affirming" tale about life imprisonment, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION is the kind of old-fashioned entertainment that is easily overvalued in an era of diminishing expectations. This reverent adaptation of an unremarkable 1982 Stephen King novella was received tepidly at the box office--due in part to advertising that offered no clue as to what the movie was about--but gained a remarkably enthusiastic following and surprised many by netting seven Oscar nominations... ......Whereas some Stephen King adapters have seemed intent on transcending or trashing their source material, writer-director Frank Darabont succeeds through fidelity to the text; the few deviations make this subdued male love story even more audience-friendly. The film benefits greatly from elegant cinematography by Roger Deakins and a poignant score by Thomas Newman. Freeman creates an endearing portrait of a decent man with a dark deed in his past, and Tim Robbins gives what may be his most accomplished portrayal. The excellent supporting cast includes James Whitmore, cute as the dickens as old-timer Brooks Hatlen, and William Sadler as a con who starts out scary and ends up lovable.... ...Which brings us to the film's greatest limitation: prison hasn't looked this inviting since 1940s Hollywood. Nothing seems to build character like a long stint at Shawshank, which on the whole seems not much worse than a downmarket summer camp. This makes for a crowd-pleasing story that has little to do with the messy complexities of reality. It got 3.5 stars out of 5 which translates to "very good". Excellent not to mention great it is not...unless you are that big a fan of King or Robbins. I do love the movie though. That ending sucks ass, however, absolutely false and unneccesary crowd-pandering. JMO.
June 11, 200322 yr Look up "Men of Honor", "Pearl Harbor" and Windtalkers" Three great movies but movie critics hate all three. Whatta buncha crap... All i care about is whether i like the movies. f*** those idiots. Movies are supposed to be enjoyed, not analyzed. Good point. Thats all I care about too. I love those movies, what some fart thinks really doesnt matter to me... That's why ya had to start a thread about it....
June 11, 200322 yr Oscars and Golden Globes, f*** that. Same kinda idiots who vote on the All-Star Games. Shawshank doesn't need any awards to be 5 star classic. The voters for these awards are rather credible. Writers, directors, producers, editors, etc.. Few members are actors and the ones that are are older than dirt, that I remember. I used to have a list of who they were, but naturally I can't find anything when I need it lately. Not the same type of idiots. They at least have brains.
June 11, 200322 yr Not the same type of idiots. They at least have brains. Yes and that's why Beautiful Mind, Julia Roberts and Kim Bessinger all have OSCARs....while Scorsese, Kubrick, Altman, Ed Harris, Julianne Moore and Ellen Burstyn do not. Well, Ellen has one, but she should have two, lol Brains, riiiight...
June 11, 200322 yr Yes and that's why Beautiful Mind, Julia Roberts and Kim Bessinger all have OSCARs....while Scorsese, Kubrick, Altman, Ed Harris, Julianne Moore and Ellen Burstyn do not. Well, Ellen has one, but she should have two, lol Brains, riiiight... Didn't say they were intelligent. Said they had brains.
June 11, 200322 yr Yes and that's why Beautiful Mind, Julia Roberts and Kim Bessinger all have OSCARs....while Scorsese, Kubrick, Altman, Ed Harris, Julianne Moore and Ellen Burstyn do not. Well, Ellen has one, but she should have two, lol Brains, riiiight... Didn't say they were intelligent. Said they had brains. LOL. Heck Kenny Williams has a brain... Now the intelligent part, that is a different story.
June 11, 200322 yr Yes and that's why Beautiful Mind, Julia Roberts and Kim Bessinger all have OSCARs....while Scorsese, Kubrick, Altman, Ed Harris, Julianne Moore and Ellen Burstyn do not. Well, Ellen has one, but she should have two, lol Brains, riiiight... Didn't say they were intelligent. Said they had brains. I didn't say they weren't intelligent....just that the Academy members either have no taste/talent recognition or are just greedy little complacent lemmings sucking off the Industry. Or both. (Oscars are fun. Just don't expect it to be about merit or art or whatever. Enjoy it for what is- the Superbowl of Celebritydom, only with bigger audience)
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