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The Green Mile (1999)
A good book adaptation and a very interesting biblical allegory.
Firstly I must say that I was quite sceptical before actually seeing this film. It enjoyed a huge hype and everyone was raving about it which generally is bad news in my opinion. I was however pleasantly surprised. On a basic level of a book adaptation the film was wonderfully true to the story and didn't detract from the suspense of the book.
As we all know Stephen King adaptations are either gems or stinkers, there is no middle way. This fortunately fell into the gem category.
I myself am not religious but since I was brought up as a catholic it was hard to miss the biblical relevance of this film. It seemed to go a little further than the bible because it actually spells out to us what purgatory and hell are like and what heaven is supposed to be like. These are of course life and death respectively. The ones that die are the lucky ones. There is of course the obligatory element of the struggle between good and evil where satan (wild bill) is defeated by christ (john coffey). Even the initials seem to be so chosen as to make even the dimmest of viewers realise the allegorical aspect.
And of course the judeo-christian aspect of 'eye for an eye' is present as well in the shape of Percy Wetmore.
This movie not only goes a little further than the bible it also questions one of its most important 'truths', namely it states that death equals heaven unlike the traditional view that life equals heaven. For that questioning only this film becomes much more valuable.
I would definately recommend anyone to see it. If you've only read the book up till now do not be afraid of seeing the film and being disappointed, you won't be.
As to many complaints that the film is to long I would like someone to point out which scenes should be cut.... This is a movie where unlike in many 90 minute movies there are no embellishing subplots. Every single scene falls into place at one point of the movie or other. This ranges from Paul's urinary tract infection to Mr.Jingles and the cornbread baked by Mrs.Edgecomb.
Not Without My Daughter (1991)
Great story, great book, but not nearly as great a film.
I have heard of the story a long time ago and I've read the book. The movie follows it closely but somehow doesn't manage to create the same harrowing atmosphere. Which really is the only criticism I have about the movie, it simply is not atmospheric enough.
The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)
A decent movie and the inspiration for Blair Witch
Quite a decent and moderately scary movie. I have seen a couple of people comparing this flick to the Blair Witch. Well that comparison is not far off considering that this movie was the inspiration of Myrrick & Sanchez to create the BWP. I will borrow a quote from an excellent independent movie guide 'Celluloid Mavericks, A history of American Independent Film' by Greg Merritt:
'...Daniel Myrrick and Eduardo Sanchez attended film school together (...). After graduation and years of menial jobs, they were inspired by "The Legend of Boggy Creek" and other drive-in documentaries to create a pseudo-authentic horror'.
Like I said a decent flick but maybe watching it will make people realize that BWP is not as innovative as it pretends to be.
Kids (1995)
Not a masterpiece movie, yet a very important social message
I'm not conservative by any means. Yet even I must admit that I was slightly shocked by this film. What shocked me however was not the picture but the realization that such events happen, and happen regularly in real life. Granted, the movie does show extreme examples which are not always true in real life, yet I know from own experience that these things happen, both on the scale shown in the movie and also somewhat 'milder'. Another reason why I believe that the portrayal is so extreme is because it tries to educate both parents and children that sex, alcohol and drugs must not be abused (as opposed to used). Therefore it sends a strong message showing what happens when these are abused.
One of the many complaints about this film is that the characters are bland and undeveloped. Partly true. Yet is it not true that many teenagers, especially in the USA (excuse the America bashing, but I've experienced it) are in fact bland undeveloped characters with little substance to their lives. Loss/Absence of values both moral and on an even larger scale cultural is the norm rather than exception.
Despite its many flaws I think this movie carries an important social message. It's an eye opener. In my opinion all parents who believe that they shield their children from sex, alcohol and drugs are very naive to believe that they are 100% successful. More importantly shielding through ignoring the subject, not talking about it and flat out forbidding is contra-productive. I hope that more parents will actually talk openly to their children about these topics and educate them rather than keep them in the 'dark ages'.
Forrest Gump (1994)
An entertaining film, but by far not the classic it's destined to become.
I found this an entertaining movie to watch, nothing more, nothing less. I have one major reason for being negative about this film: it portrays a man who is able to attain the 'American Dream' without any intelligence. However much we can admire him for that, I'm afraid that the message being sent out is that you don't need education or smarts and that everything will come to you as if laid by a golden goose. Surely this is not what the movie makers intended but that's the way it came across on me.
Besides that I must say that Tom Hanks does an excellent acting job, and for that alone the film is actually worth watching...but not a classic.
Barb Wire (1996)
Doesn't deserve the celluloid it's printed on
I almost find myself compelled to comment on this movie although i vowed to myself to ban it entirely from my memory after having watched it. However I think that this movie is so awful and terrifyingly uninteresting that I must warn all movie watchers from wasting 90 minutes or so of their valuable time. Essentially this movie is Baywatch revisited in cyberpunk. Like Baywatch there's no story, no character development, poor direction, poor...well everything. And just like Baywatch it focuses on Pam Anderson's breasts for the majority of the film. I would only suggest this movie if you're an adolescent admirer of movies which interchange a plot for a bra.
Star Wars (1977)
Whether or not you like sci-fi....you must see this.
This truly has to be one of the most amazing filming endeavours till now. The special effects are barely outdone by those of overpriced and overhyped movies of the last decade. Yet they were created over 20 years ago...and the techniques used for the creation of Star Wars still form the basis of many of the modern special effects techniques. But technology and sci-fi plot aside, this movie could just as well be filmed as a medieval or modern drama and would still carry the same appeal. Rarely have I seen a movie with better rounded characters which are easily identifiable in everyday life. The entire trilogy shows an excellent introspective look at the human mind and soul. Even the 'good' characters have their flaws and struggle to overcome them, and even the 'villains' have their inner doubts. These struggles however are not pushed 'in your face' they evolve and are subtly presented to the viewers. So if you are still one of the unfortunates who still haven't seen it...DO SO! And if you don't like the sci-fi genre, try and look through the sci-fi shell and try and find the deeper underlying principle.
Easy Rider (1969)
...in one word...a classic...but you knew that already
Two men riding through America, discovering the true meaning of it for the first time. It ends up a big disappointment. The principles of freedom, equality and justice seem not to live up to the standards set by the founding fathers. This is a timeless movie and in my opinion even more true now than ever. I have spent quite a bit of time in the USA and must say that Easy Rider is a perfect microcosmic metaphor of what is happening in the country now. If you are a US citizen you must try and watch this movie with a very open mind. Who knows if enough people watch this and similar movies or read books on the subject and sometime in the future will be able to convert the country back to its original values and principles. Beside all this this movie is stuffed with great dialogue (don't miss the scene where Nicholson, Hopper and Fonda are having a smoke), the characters are instantly likeable, even if you are conservative and the biker image doesn't instantly appeal to you, the drunk lawyer (Nicholson) is seemingly a character which does not fit in with the other characters yet he does so perfectly.
There's much more I could say about this movie but I think you best go out and see it and form your own opinion. I return to this gem once in a while and every time it is a kathartic, eye-opening experience.