Posted on 09/13/2009 2:58:46 PM PDT by JoeProBono
Well in all fairness, the film makers were only following the book. They didn’t come up with the story on their own.
Black Hawk Down is another good one.
What overrated, manipulative Hollywood dreck. At least the director has the good sense to know other movies are far, far superior.
I like SHAWSHANK but it’s not even the best Stephen King adaptation (that would be THE DEAD ZONE with Chris Walken). I was watching it again the other night and noticed, not for the first time, a significant flaw. It should be the other prisoners who beat the predatory homo senseless, not the mean guard captain played by Clancy Brown. Emotionally, this part of the movie would make a lot more sense that way.
“This whole movie looks like somebody’s ‘last known photo.’”
Kinda liked “Tiger Bay”...
now i want to watch it again...
I would have to break down best movies into parts, which is why they do the Oscars that way.
For example, as far as cinematic brilliance goes, the hands down winner would be Akira Kurosawa’s Dersu Uzala. Filmed in Siberia in 70mm, which means you can only really see its magnificence in an IMAX theater. It looks like a completely different planet, and leaves you wondering how on Earth did they film that?
“The Shawshank Redemption” is very good. But “Fight Club” is the best—hands down.
Yeah, best movie ever is subjective in many ways. 2001 A Space Odyssey is truly head and shoulders above all others in its field but there are plenty of others that are just as good in their own right.
I think critics and actual film directors are a better, more authoritative source of opinions. Why? Because they see so many movies (especially critics). I’ll wager the average voter on IMDB (and I vote on IMDB all of the time and the daily polls too so I have a feel for what “average voters” are like on IMDB) has seen very few films older than Star Wars, not many black and white films, isn’t all that familiar with foreign or silent films, and thus their tastes are rather shallow and not too mature (meaning they tend to watch more popular, accessible movies that are easy to find in theaters and video stores, and they aren’t too familiar with non-modern-Hollywood film-making styles). If that sounds elitist, it’s not, I think it’s just a reasonable inference from the top 250 polls, daily polls, and many user reviews. I’d say 70% of what’s on the top 250 list is a popularity contest among people who don’t have that broad an exposure to film from around the world or throughout history.
I have discovered a great many of my favorite films perusing the Sight and Sound lists (once-a-decade poll of directors and critics from around the world), even though my first glance at the list (1992 edition) left me baffled, since it was mostly movies I’d never heard of and while I was expecting famous movies like Gone With the Wind on there, they were largely absent.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/
“The Lives of Others” is IMHO, the best movie I’ve seen. And natch, it didn’t come from Hollywood.
One thing you can say about Shawshank Redemption is that it is a film you can re-watch. Many times. Not many can stand up to such scrutiny.
My favorite film to watch is “Against All Odds,” not quite a popular film but excellent acting (James Woods, Richard Widmark, etc). What doesn’t it have? Power, corruption, my hometown in all its glory, a very well-choreographed car chase on my favorite street, love scenes in the tropics, a bad guy with a heart of gold (forget the protagonist, James Woods is the one whose love springs from the screen), a lawyer who gets his just desserts, football, and a beautiful rich girl who doesn’t understand her power.
I practically know it by heart and I still love it.
you can get busy living or get busy dying....I loved this movie and have watched it about a dozen times. Although it’s in my top 3 it’s not the best....
Not that one, the A&E 1995 mini-series.
I’ve never seen the one with Keira Knightley, but I’m sure it doesn’t compare with the A&E production.
Ahhh! Good ole Dr Leslie west...should be in charge of Congress’ super special health care.
No. It comes in second next to ‘The Great Escape’. :0)
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