Rating: 
Summary: American Beauty and X Japan symbolism
Review: Of course the DVD could have more extra feaures but the next edition surely will. Clever biz move.
But the movie itself is absolutely OTT.
It deals among other topics with magic in ordinary life and the doors that lead to it.
Many bands like Mirror or X Japan for example use the same color symbols pattern which stand for passion.
KURENAI = crimson color = deep red.
It stand for many things, first of all and most crucially for:
ROSES and BLOOD.
X {Japan}'s first single was called KURENAI and founded that concept.
In Amercian Beauty the symbols of KURENAI always reoccur and make it really interesting in terms of visual art and not only fabula of the movie itself such as the context, the meaning and text. But visually all is bonded by images that are so real and realistic and at the same time magic and special.
Really gifted.
I wonder if Sam Mendes is an X Japan fan?
Rating: 
Summary: Continually Frustrating
Review: American Beauty is the most frustrating movie I have seen since a while. The movie show cases scenes of raw emotional and comic genius, and then cuts in with pretentious and sappy points. It is frustrating, because how you see the potential of the movie just slowly eradicate, because the director just couldn't take it far enough. Like the characters in its story, the narrative of American Beauty is a confused one. It seems Sam Mendes is not sure if he wants a black comedy or a postmodern soap opera (as a friend would say- you know who you are!). The movie succeeds mostly in the former, just observing the way everything sort of happens. Consider the scene where Ricky, the drug dealer who tapes everything, comes back home. His conservative father is watching one of those World War 2 propaganda movies, and his mother watches. A few minutes after a silent pause, the mother, who is sick, asks if somebody said something. The entire scene is from one comical shot, and mocks how disconnected the entire family is form each other, despite it is obviously a disturbing matter. Scenes like this, the fantasies of Lester Burnham and others, they work just beautifully. Then, suddenly the director says that he wants a serious movie and it suddenly goes off from a comedy of observations to an opinion. All of this happens pretty much the second time Lester says "I'm great" in disbelief towards the end- the soap opera mode kicks in. The entire flashback of Lester flashbacking along with everybodies experience when they hear the shot, it suddenly makes the topic a lot more serious than it actually took itself until now. Kevin Spacey really carries the movie big time though. He's a great actor with only a few career mistakes (ex: Pay it Foward). He makes the entire role look really easy. Definetly second would be Wes Bentley and Annette Bennig, who are just as good. There is actually a fine balance to most of the movie. A fine balance to what Lester was trying to accomplish, and how the characters around him evolve. And eventhough the actual concept of the ending is hilarious, it seems forced and far too sappy considering the subtlety of the rest of the movie. And the last words of Lester Burnham are just plain insulting and pretentious. The movie could have really done it without those. I also think that the camera has too much of a personality- it was wrong making it all God mode I think- espacially considering it switched on and off with Dead Lester mode in the beginning and in the end. Or is Mendes saying that the dead are God, and the ones that judge us? Whatever his intention, I felt it was conrasting. I guess I shouldn't be too critical of Sam Mendes- it is after all his first movie. His movie has the same sort of style that Paul Thomas Anderson showcased in Boogie Nights and Magnolia and the Coen brothers showed in Fargo- escept all three of these movies pull the job off a lot better. I am critical though of an Academy that just sees itself in this movie and forgets a the really great "Boys Don't Cry". Oh well- we've all have learned not to trust the Oscars recently, haven't we?
Rating: 
Summary: A cartoon
Review: The best description of this movie is it is a cartoon. Kevin Spacey seems to be acting with his tongue in cheek. Annette Benning over-emotes to the point of being laughable; the makeup on her lover is so ridiculous as to seem to have been for a high school play. As for the story, Mendez seems to have been making it up as he filmed it, and when he doesn't know what to do next, he throws in a sex scene. Most of the sex scenes are okay, that is they stop short of really grossing you out. I think everyone misread this movie. It seems to aim to be a satire, but turns out just to be a lame comedy. You can't really like anyone in the story, certainly neither of the teen-age girls, who are probably pretty typical, nor any of the adults. The young drug dealer turns out to be the most likeable, and he's got problems. (...)
Rating:
Summary: Beauty
Review: I simply fail to understand how people can slate this movie. To me, any rating that is less than four is a total injustice, and, for want of a better word - wrong.
For this is a beautiful film. And a masterpiece of filmmaking. Mendes takes some of the strongest, and in many ways disturbing scenes in the film, such as Thora Birch's character removing her top for her boyfriend, across the street, then clashes it with shocking and sudden violence, from the boyfriends father. It shocks - it brings you back to sick reality. And yet, Mendes never pauses on the individual emotions for too long - it never becomes unbearable. In a film with so many socially awkward moments, it would be easy for it to be cringeworthy, but it is executed so perfectly that the impact is delivered sans the guilt. This in itself is genious work from Mendes.
The story boldy cracks along, developed in a slightly Pulp Fiction-esque way (inter-twining plots). The music is divine, and implemented brilliantly. The message is delivered in a suitably oblique way, so that the viewer needs to think about it, but also gets a direct message fed to him. It works in all the right areas. You watch in a state of overwhelming consciousness, of yourself, and of your life. For me, it's as close to life changing as a movie is ever going to come.
I feel I must address the various poundings the film has received here, though. It is saddening that nudity is used as an excuse to give the film a bad rating, seeming to suggest that female nudity is either wrong or bad. I didnt see one complaint about male nudity, maybe that's due to the vagaries of reviewer demographics, but it seems that some moral attribute is amiss here (one of the very issues the film tries to tackle). Suvari is seen topless because she is being undressed. In real life, there would be no convenient blanket to cover her up in such a situation. And get over yourself, it's a minor feature of the movie. 'Curse words' (which obviously affect the story SO much) are also a poor reason to criticise a movie. Also, as a person who dislikes cursing anyway, this movie didnt shock or annoy me in that respect.
It seemed real, maybe too real. And maybe that's what people need to get over, the fact that the movie is highly real, and real in a way that can shock and impress. There's a message here that is so deep, it belongs more in the books of Plato or Socrates.
So, I beg you, watch it. Be entertained, laugh, cry - be moved.
Rating:
Summary: Spec-tac-ular
Review: I've watched this film many MANY times, I believe it is the greatest movie I have ever seen--a MUST watch if you haven't seen it. Kevin Spacey superbly plays the roll of a man who 'never felt this..sedated.' He searches for happiness, and the entire film shows the truth behind life. Also, I'd like to just recommend to anyone who loves this movie that they see the french film Amelie--it, too, is a must see if you like movies that show the truth of life.
Rating:
Summary: I liked it anyway
Review: I've read a lot of the negative reviews around and on this site, and I actually agree with a lot of the criticism. I'm very indifferent to homosexuality so that whole subplot didn't really bother me although I can definitely see how it could annoy. I thought the paper bag scene was pretty lame too, actually. The ending would have been better had they not changed it. But I still liked the movie a lot anyway. I had a lot of fun watching Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham, waking up from his slumber of a life as a beta-male, turning around and living life the way he wants. It's funny and somewhat inspiring. I really connected with his character and his whole obsession with the 17 year old Angela. Who cares that she is much younger than him? She is one year away from being Playboy-model age and people are talking about comparing him to a pedophile? Get a grip. Anyways it was a good movie, maybe a bit political but I enjoyed it anyway. Worth a rental at least.
Rating:
Summary: gettin spiritual with a sexual center in this modern world?
Review: Simply put - this film loses me with it's disturbing sexually suggesting content. Sex becomes the center for observation outward, and for this crisis of soul... and while nothing is shown, in fact nothing really happens... it's felt in its raunchiest terms. That (...) big time, because there really is a story here, a few in fact, of marvelous proportions of people getting in touch with life... but it's overwhelmed by the pointless sexual overtones and occasional crudity just for crude's sake... That's not realism, that's not important revelations, that's just embarrassing. I can read a Henry Miller book for example, and the sex can be meaningless if I choose so I can read the real message... but in a movie where human beings are positioned to really do this stuff for us to watch... it only feels like disgusting voyeurism in the middle of what is supposed to be a good story. I'm not a prude by any account, but when something feels cheap and degrading to me, I don't lie, and this sort of sexual overtone in a movie does. Just read the screenplay if you want to know this interesting spiritual tale without being embarassed by how the screen handles it
Rating:
Summary: Look Closer.......
Review: At a truly moving film. Look Closer..... At an amazing actor playing an amazing character. Look Closer..... At a flawless performance from Kevin Spacey (as usual) Look Closer..... At a movie that not many people could appreciate. Look Closer..... At American Beauty.
Rating: 
Summary: American Ugly: Hollywood Does Jerry Springer
Review: This was one of the worst pieces of tripe I can recall sitting through. I realize that I put myself in the vast minority by panning this flick, but I cannot recommend this movie in the slightest. The mechanics of the film were, admittedly, well done. However, the plot, premise, and script ruin the entire viewing experience. While I acknowledge that there are some aspects of truth to the generally acknowledged depraved premise, they are not presented as the parody of American life that they are touted to be. The vast majority of the people I talked to didn't like it because it made them think about what is wrong with our society but because they like what is wrong with our society. It's the same sadistic pleasure people get from watching Jerry Springer or slowing down to look for blood on the pavement at an accident scene. This window into the disordered mind of a "typical" suburban father and husband is more of a view into the intellectual and moral wasteland of Hollywood than into reality.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful movie, Horrible DVD
Review: First, I love American Beauty. In recent years, The Matrix and Crouching Tiger are the only other films I've seen more than once while still in first-run theaters, and American Beauty has much more substance than either of those. This movie is not an "ugly look at life" as some have said. It is an extremely hopeful look at life. Lester is a very real character that can be easily identified with, and everybody who feels that in some way their life has become a pathetic routine of dull existence can find assurance in the message that there's always time to make something of your life. The opening narration very clearly states this as Kevin Spacey says: "Both my wife and daughter think I'm this gigantic loser, and they're right. I have lost something. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I know I didn't always feel this... sedated. But you know what? It's never too late to get it back." This movie is an inspiring message wrapped up in fun humor, great music, and beautiful cinematography. The director states that it is a movie about imprisonment and escape from imprisonment. I'm shocked at the number of people who just don't get it. The people I know personally who don't like American Beauty aren't actually friends of mine, and they generally have that cranky, going-nowhere attitude about life. (...) Does Lester’s mundane life hit a little too close to home? The closest thing to a legitimate criticism is that the movie glorifies a would-be pedophile. People who say this need to pay more attention. Lester is a middle-aged guy who isn't getting any at home, and Angela is constantly giving him eyes. He even hears her shouting the obscene things she wants to do to him. She claims to have had more sex as a teen than Lester has in his whole life. Then Lester finds out his wife is "getting nailed by the King of Real Estate." It’s understandable that his affection shifts from his wife to Angela. Once Lester finds out the truth about Angela, we see a nice guy who wouldn't think of touching her. Lester is a normal man who shows a moment of human weakness when a young girl is coming on strong. If you think that makes him a pedophile, I'd hate to see your opinion of Kuberick's Lolita, where an even older man is very actively pursuing an even younger girl. Just look at the facts. Mena Suvari was 20 when the movie was made. She plays a high-school girl who is old enough to drive, meaning her character is between the ages of 16 and 18. 16 is above the age of consent in 39 of 50 US states. This film does not glorify a pedophile. (...) Yes, it is somewhat unpleasant seeing Lester get his brains blown out, but if they wanted gore, they would’ve shown the exit wound and made the blood darker, instead of making a bright puddle to match the red theme of the film. Yes, the movie shows young girls’ breasts, but I don’t see anybody accusing Traffic of being child pornography, and that has graphic depiction of a teenage girl whoring herself for drugs. The beauty lies in the transformation of Lester. I feel sorry for anybody who doesn’t fill with joy at the beginning of chapter 21. I’m not a big fan of The Who, I don’t run marathons, and I don’t aspire to flip burgers, but when the film cuts to Lester running down the middle of the street to “The Seeker,” it makes me glad to be alive. Anyway, the DVD itself is a real disappointment. Look at the name of the DVD. "The Awards Edition." It should've been called the (...) Edition. This DVD was specifically made so that fans would end up purchasing the DVD twice when the REAL version is released. OK, maybe it's not that bad... It DOES have both DTS and Dolby 5.1 audio, and it is one of the few DVD's that doesn't make you sit through a minute of obnoxious "don't copy this" warnings. It DOES have two trailers, audio commentary, a featurette which just says, "This movie is great!", and a "storyboard presentation." So let me tell you what the problems are. Just try to watch the hour-long storyboard special feature. Particularly annoying is that it is one single 61-minute chapter. It's really just a 49-image slideshow being discussed by the director and cinematographer. The first 22 minutes of the presentation are spent discussing chapter 1-4 of the DVD. The rest of the presentation skips around discussing chapter 5-18 of the DVD, and it ends abruptly without touching on the last 10 chapters. The most important flaw is heard when listening to the director commentary.(...) If you listen to the commentary, it's obvious that a "deleted scenes" section has already been compiled and prepared for the DVD, but they chose not to include it with "The Awards Edition." Nobody in their right mind would say, "I think people would rather see this horrible and incomplete storyboard discussion instead of the deleted scenes." It is clear that Dreamworks just wants to force the true fans to buy the DVD twice to get the version with the deleted scenes. Expect to see “American Beauty: Special Edition” in a year or two.
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