Shawshank Redemption revisited

I liked the way that the entire movie led up to the point that we all get what we deserve(except for the kid who got shot). Morgan Freeman was just along for the ride nd, as the narrator, he could tell the story with the same incredulity that you or I might have , were we able to witness Tim Huttons multi year plan of escape , revenge and life after prison.
I liked it a lot.

You wanted someone to speak in tongues and have his head spin around and vomit pea soup?

Maybe you were not in the mood for that sort of movie. I loved it, and always watch it when available. I agree with FM, Morgan Freeman is probably one of the most gifted actors alive today. His performance in Nurse Betty was one of my favorites.

I didn't fault the actors. I love Morgan Freeman's acting. Maybe it was just me on that particular day.

I think Morgan Freeman's narrating had a lot to do with it for me. His voice takes me back years. Even so, I've only rewatched it maybe once. Compared to films like Full Metal Jacket or Apocalypse Now, both of which I rewatch a few times a year.

I watch Full Metal Jacket and Jarhead from time to time, but Apocalypse Now....i need about 10 years between viewings.

The "Redux" version takes about 10 years to watch...

I think it was a very good and memorable film indeed. I agree it has gotten a very exalted status, perhaps a bit more than it (or any film) deserves. However I think Farmerman nailed it in his estimate. The story line was clear and well organized; the characters interesting and believable; and the acting was remarkably well done. Each of the main characters came across in a very believable way, and, even in the absence of dramatic theatrics, that required very good acting on all their parts. The writer's device of using Morgam Freeman's character as narrator enabled the story and film to put a lot of meaning in otherwise simple scenes that might otherwise have had far less impact on the viewer.

I've seen this film at least three times and I enjoyed it every time.

I like Shawshank but I have to give it a break of two or more years to wath it again. I will avoid watching it till, ohh, maybe 2017, cause I watched it down at the beach last year in August nd on special redux Blue Ray .

Heres a guilty pleasure movie, wonder what anybody has to say

PAUL
(The Simon Pegg movie about these two cartoonists on a road trip to alien highpoints in the American est, and they wind up picking up and hiding a little alien with an attitude)
Anybody like (or dislike) this one?

it's the other Tim -- Robbins...

as much of a King fan as i am, i also thought he basically copied the template used in other prison escape films -- most notably Escape from Alcatraz.

still, the film has a great cast and the plot moves along seemlessly.

i've watched it enough times that when it's on these days, i'll pass...

Here is my take on it.

The guys that are suppose to be good, are really the bad guys. And Andy was a real good guy who got taken advantage of but ultimately got things settled in the right way. If you have never been falsely accused of something you wouldn't know the frustration on trying to prove your innocents. The movie constantly reveals the duality of humanity. Where a once bad person can do good things, can reform, can see the wisdom of their mistakes. This last bit is Morgan Freeman's character.

This movie is a good example as to why we shouldn't have the death penalty. To kill an innocent person for a crime they didn't commit is a terrible thought. The movie is also still relevant because it seems many prisons are now big business and the more inmates they have the more money they receive. So there is a huge incentive to lock up people even for insignificant crimes just so they can collect more money.

It's not in my top 100 or 150 or 200 top favorite movies of all time. I can see why it's a beloved movie.

It's all a matter of perspective (generationally speaking). A lot of people first saw it in their teens or twenties. So, there's the sentimentality factor you're glossing over.

As a film deconstructed and looked at piece by piece? All parts hit their mark and do so consistently. Great acting. Snappy dialogue. Characters the viewer can relate to or at least end up caring about. Emotionally tugworthy score. Key plot points timed perfectly to grab the viewer and tug at his or her heartstrings. Also, it's a product of the 1990's.

They couldn't make this movie in the 1970's. The Shawshank Redemption protagonist is too smart. He's definitely likable. Protagonists of the 1970's are dumb antiheros who couldn't cross the street to save their respective lives, (eg. Babe from Marathon Man (1976) for example).

The villains are iconic (though a tad 1 dimensional). When it comes to populist films, don't discount happy endings.

You don't have to apologize for not LOVING a given popular film. Movies are so subjective. Even if the sum of the film's respective parts should add up to something great but don't.

I can't stand The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974) even though they're technically flawless films. The lack of sympathetic characters make for an extremely DULL movie. Criminally dull.

My first 2 viewings (now seen 4 times) of that movie were the most impactful. That is in no way damning it with faint praise. Any movie, IMHO, that I watch more than once gets an exalted status. Tim what's-his-name (Robbins?) and Morgan Freeman's narration and acting put it over the top for me. These characters are quite 3-dimensional and you end up caring what happens to them.

How this plot evolves and moves along is very involving ...especially for a movie that has no action to speak of - and especially in these days of CGI/special effects.

I just watched a movie (for the third time) that really moved me. Million Dollar Baby with Clint Eastwood (produced and acted), Morgan Freeman and Hillary Swank. All of them at the peaks of their respective acting abilities and talents. What amazing courage and dedication to her craft for a beautiful woman to even want to take on such unglamorous role.

This one recvd and deserved 4 AAs. I gotta tell you after seeing it again afterward I was drained..and it brought tears to my eyes.

I didn't make it all the way through the Godfather.

I saw Million Dollar Baby. It was a well made film.

Does the soup have bits of ham in it?

I have watched a few movies without enjoyment, but gave them a second chance and then loved them. One example is The Producers, with Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel.

Better than Shawshank, to me is one by the same author: The Green Mile. I watched it a number of times.

thats good too, its godawful long though