King has been redeemed
Well, I guess we can only hope that "The Green Mile" ends up being as good as "The Shawshank Redemption". "Shawshank" won by a landslide (at least a landslide in our context) and it may win overall film once we finally get to that poll. A good showing by both "Braveheart" and "Schindler's List", both deserving nominees. I haven't seen all the movies on the list but I have seen most of them. There were only a few that could have gotten the top spot with which I would have disagreed.
"Braveheart" was an epic in the classic sense and beautifully filmed. That sequence where Gibson and Catherine McCormack are riding horseback across the Scottish meadow while the rain falls like gentle tears and life seemingly bursts from everything in the frame is an absolutely gorgeous shot. A professor of mine once told me that you know a movie has excellent cinematography when you would like to have a freeze-frame from the movie as a piece of art on your wall. That scene would definitely qualify. The only other one like that I can remember off the top is the scene in "Forrest Gump" at the end when Hanks, in a flashback, is leaning against the mast of his boat watching the sunset on the Gulf of Mexico. That, too, was a brilliant shot.
"Schindler's List" is harder for me to describe but I remember seeing the movie and not wanting to talk to anyone for a few hours afterward. It just didn't seem right to discuss the cinematography and art direction and performances after watching that film. I felt like some kind of horrified voyeur watching the Holocaust unfold before my eyes. It is one thing to learn about the tragedy of the holocaust in 10th grade World History. It is quite a bit different to have the suffering of that horrible time bombard your senses in a movie theatre. Hard to believe the vision came from the same guy who directed "Always" and "Hook".
Getting to "Shawshank", I remember seeing it at the time and thinking "Wow, this has to be the best Stephen King adaptation I have ever seen." I don't mean that to knock on King however. I have been a fan of his since junior high. I used to read his books just to get the shit scared out of me (which Salem's Lot and The Shining will do, by the way) but then once I was older and had been exposed to "good" literature, I went back and reread them to make sure that they were indeed the "mindless drivel" I had always been told they were. You know what? They weren't. Not by a long shot. The Shining is an excellent story that should leave you asking the question "What is the real monster? A ghost or Torrance's alcoholism?". And for anyone who hasn't read The Gunslinger or any of the Dark Tower series, you don't know what you're missing. This series is an excellent example of romance in the literary sense. The Stand is an absolute epic.
In my opinion, King is one of the best writers working today. "The Green Mile" was wonderfully suspenseful, although I think a lot of that had to do with the serial installments in which it was published. My point is, King is not the drivel a lot of critics will tell you he is. His ability of characterization is his best attribute. He makes you believe in those characters. Sometimes his supporting characters leave a little to be desired but that's a small price to pay for the devotion to the protagonist, et al. Anyway, enough rambling about the master of the macabre.
The new poll gets back to good old "t and a", or lack thereof. Who would you most like to see in a nude scene that has up until now been very stingy with the skin?
As usual, all comments and suggestions to lawdogusc@hotmail.comShould we stay with the "T and A" themes or do you guys want to see sports, arts, or anything else? Let me hear from you.
total=464