"Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."
Finally! I don't no why it took me so long to see one of the most acclaimed films of all time. The Shawshank Redemption really moved me.
The emotion that was put into it, was something really truthful and real. Even when there are moments where you predict what is going to happen next, its subtleness and immense depth affects you anyway. Since the very first moment, we are attached to it and not many films do that with the audience. Such a simple story but with such content.
Frank Darabont direction was amazing! The film has over two hours and you never get bored, you are driven by the emotion of the events and the great cinematography makes you feel the terrifying life in prison.
The performances from all the cast are something great to see but Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins are the ones who gave absolutely phenomenal performances. The performances of a lifetime.
I can see why many people love this film. They love it because is power makes it unforgettable. Now I love it too, and I will always remember it.
An absolutely beautiful story about hope and friendship.
Do not watch this movie. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone definitely make a cute couple. They should just produce a romance with them. Wait for that movie instead of watching this now.
The characters seem to loose dimension. The plot between Peter and Gwen is basically:
"I am going to go." - "No don't go." - "Yes, I will go." - "Don't go away", etc. Who wrote that?
And then there are the two villains... Electro is a laughably 1 dimensional character that is simply ridiculous when he is still a human. As other form, he can atleast fight, kind of. The action scenes were actually so bad that I wanted to watch the whole "I will go to somewhere else" thingy Peter and Gwen got going on.
The green goblin is not too bad, however there are so many enemies in the Spider-Man universe, I don't think they should've brought one of the few back there were in the original trilogy. However, I already should've stopped watching when Electro first appeared, so what does it really matter anyways.
In conclusion:
- Weak characters development from the first movie "simplified", terrible dialog, missed potential, laughably terrible villain
+ Cute couple, 1 villain that is not complete %$§&
Do not watch this movie.
Millennium Actress, which is directed by Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Paprika, Paranoia Agent), is without a doubt his defining masterpiece in my opinion. This movie is a complete directorial tour de force and Kon literally blew my mind away with the editing, style and art that he displays in almost every scene. This is ultimately a biographical story about a young girl chasing after her first true love while becoming a popular Japanese movie actress but it morphs into something much more.
Millennium Actress probably had one of the most unique forms of story telling that I've ever seen in a movie. I loved how Chiyoko's story had a dualistic perspective as Kon seamlessly melds together images and scenes from the story of Chiyoko's own real life and from her famous films (which vary wildly from taking place in the Sengoku period to post-WW2 Japan to outer space). These transitions really add to the feeling and intensity of Chiyoko desperately chasing after and searching for her lost love. And you can't help but fall in love with the passion shown by both the main characters, Chiyoko and Genya. Just as Chiyoko says at the end, it was the "chase" that she truly loved and, by god, this film was one hell of a thrilling chase. This is an absolute must-watch for fans of Kon's other works.
