Sunday, December 15, 2013

The Shawshank Redemption [Blu-ray]



The Greatest Movie Not to Win an Oscar
It has long been my contention that it is the moviemaker's task to hold the viewer's attention, not to burden him with his self-indulgent, difficult-to-follow symbolisms.

That having been said, I find it difficult to find another movie I would recommend more highly than The Shawshank Redemption. Without any high-adrenaline action sequences or steamy sex scenes (two sure-fire ways to get the vewer's attention), this film somehow has the power to make you sit through all 142 minutes without for a moment getting bored. And I challenge anyone who has seen it to delete any scene, even any minute, from the final edit. The fact is, you can't. Because every single scene is an essential element that contributes to the final result: a masterpiece that captures the drama of enduring friendship and resiliency of the human spirit more powerfully than any other film ever made. Even those who normally do not watch movies with a critical eye will find themselves so drawn into this experience. I...

A Triumph, One of the Best Movies Ever Made
Every so often, a certain type of movie comes along that deeply moves anyone who watches it. This movie is grand in scope and scale, its character portrayals so moving and so real, that you cannot help becoming completely engrossed by it. I believe that the Shawshank Redemption is one of these movies. Often times, movies based on books are sub par, with the common complaint being, "The book is better." Well I, for one, have read the book and watched the movie, and I assure you that the movie is not a let down at all, but rather a triumph of modern cinema. The DVD disc itself is a little thin on features, but at an average price of about $15, anyone with a DVD player and a taste for Drama(or anyone who simply likes excellent movies) should own this movie on DVD. Now, on to the movie itself. The Shawshank Redemption saw career-defining performances from many of its cast members,including Tim Robbins, who became a top star after his incredible performance, and Morgan Freeman,...

Although not a special edition, still a fine DVD
The Movie:

Every so often in everyone's life, they walk out of a movie that they consider perfect. A movie where you don't sit through it and think to yourself how you might have done it all differently had you been the director. I have a couple of movies like that, and "The Shawshank Redemption" is one of them. I still remember clearly walking out of the theater in 1994 and thinking that I've just seen one of the best movies that I'll ever have the pleasure of sitting through. A movie so elegant and emotional that is perfect in its way of storytelling. A movie that is about how hope can never die. The movie earned several Academy Award nominations that were certainly well-deserved, but it left theaters all too quickly. Over the years though, it has gained a strong cult following.

The movie stars Tim Robbins in one of his very best performances as Andrew Dufresne, a quiet man who is convicted of the murder of his wife and is sent to Shawshank prison. It's...

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