Rating: 
Summary: Tragedy to Paradise: The Shawshank Redemtion
Review: This movie is an exellent example of a terrible life turning around from hope. The acting couldnt have been better, the novella shared the same theme, the warming and sad music is uplifting, the length is good, not dragged like some would say, directing is remarkable, there is so much to say. It did not follow the book closely, actually it was far away from close. But there is more of a story in the movie thanks to Frank Darabont. The novella was great, but more of an information layout than a story. This movie was in 1994, and nominated for best picture. This is way better than the extremely overrated Forrest Gump that won for best picture that year. On a last note, Tom Hanks is cool, but it is unneceptable how he won for best actor over Mogan Freeman's triumphant acting in this film. All Hanks had to do in Forrest Gump was act like an idiot for two hours, he raised now levels throughout the movie while Morgan started as a guilty man and worked his way up to redemption during the time of the movie. Anyway, this one is a keeper.
Rating:
Summary: THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
Review: I HAVE SEEN THIS MOVIE THREE TIMES , AND I AM BUYING THE MOVIE SO I CAN WATCH IT MENY MORE TIMES TO COME. I HARDLY WATCH MOVIES MORE THAN TWO TIMES. I THINK THIS MOVIE WAS VERY WELL DONE. DAVID
Rating: 
Summary: A very well-made but ultimately MEDIOCRE film
Review: I'm still trying to figure out why so many people absolutely LOVE this film and think it's the best ever and why it inspires such fierce loyalty. (Kinda like *the Green Mile* - but that film was positively awful :(Overall, I liked *The Shawshank Redemption* - key word "liked". It was entertaining, interesting, I tolerated its overly-sugary and sentimental nature well (this movie is kinda like a bowl of Fruity Pebbles for the soul :) but ....... parts of it were stupid however; no big thing. So for me that makes it an average movie. My personal suspicion is that as those who thought this movie to be a five star gem become less depressed and in need of sugary sentimentalized "hopeful" stories, they will see this movie more objectively and not as "the greatest and most perfect film ever in the entire history of movie-making." It will be less of an emotional rescuer or pick-me-up for them, and thereby they will be less prone to idealize and deify this movie and heap accolades on it. Or maybe I just need to be more emotionally in need of inspiration and hope in order to get this "remarkable" film. Could be ................
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites!
Review: I generally don't like prison flicks but this one is a must see. After having my arm twisted into watching it, I was surprised by this film. It speaks of keeping hope and faith through adversity. Need inspiration? See this film. It has a delightful cast. It's a great story. It has a fantastic plot with a surprise ending that you'll love. There are both poignant and light hearted moments. Buy it. You'll love it, too.
Rating:
Summary: FEEEnomial
Review: yes that is just a step better than phenominal. Original story written by Stephen King. The screenplay was adapted and I think directed by the same man who did Stephen King's The Green Mile. This DVD has very little in the way of extra features but it is the DVD I watched the most. Tim Robbins acting and Morgan Freeman's narrating is unmatched. Go see it already. D.Cox
Rating: 
Summary: Open Your Mind
Review: This is an feel-good movie with good acting and a good story. Many people think that this is enough and think the film is "perfect" or "the greatest film EVER!!!" You who think this are wrong. This film is funny but unoriginal and play's into a crowd's need to reaffirm those values which it holds dear like hope or love. If you really want to feel good, experience a new way of seeing life by doing something you've never done or fall in love for the first time or again. This film smothers originality and art under a web of two-dimensionalism and complacenct inactivity. The protagonist escapes, justice prevails but nothing is said about a world where injustice is the norm and big business crushes the lives of the underpriveledged, forcing them into the occupations that "necessitate" penal provisions like those demonstrated in the film. Someone wrote in a review that this film "sums up what life is about." If that is the case, life is a very empty, hollow sum. The politics of Hollywood aside, if anyone who gave this film such supreme praise bothered to delve into the past, study the films that have already been created, she would realize that there have been films made of such overpowering beauty and such incredible emotional intensity that make this film look like the rock next to the crystal. That this movie should rest in people's minds as a piece of perfection while films like "The Passenger" by Antonioni linger in limbo, out-of-print, is a true crime. If you need to be supersaturated with hope and wonder, see "Wild Strawberries," by Bergman or "Ikiru" by Kurosawa, both incredible and "inspirational" films that elevate life, but deftly and with a sense of beauty that towers over Shawshank through its sincerity. Please do not comment on my review until you have seen both films.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome movie
Review: It's not too often that a bunch of college students really like a movie like this one. Well, we all do, that's most of the floor that I lived on (about 50 of us). It's just a great movie. That's really all I have to say.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding....take my word for it
Review: This film seemed like a sure hit: based on a Stephen King story, directed by Frank Darabont, and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. From what I heard, people were praising it, saying it was amazing, the best film in years. But after I read somewhere that this film was better than The Green Mile, I decided that I had to see for myself, though I doubted it would come close. I mean, The Green Mile was directed by Darabont, was based on a hugely popular King novel, and starred Tom Hanks...it seemed to have everything that Shawshank had, but I somehow felt it would be of higher quality. Honestly, I was wrong. After watching The Shawshank Redemption, I was truly in shock. It was about 40 minutes shorter than The Green Mile, but that did not take away from the movie. Second, Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins did a wonderful job. Freeman played a better role than Hanks, in my opinion. The story is simple: Tim Robbins is accused of murdering his wife and her lover, and is sent to prison. We all know he is innocent, but nobody seems to believe him. As he learns that prison will be his home for the rest of his life, he befriends Morgan Freeman, and a wonderful relationship begins. When I rented this movie, the box said that it had one of the best finales in cinema history. I smirked, thinking that it would probably be a let-down. IT WAS NOT! I couldn't be more satisfied with the beginning, middle and ending of the entire movie. On a scale of 1 through 10, I give this movie a 9.5, whereas I would give The Green Mile a 9. So if you saw the more popular prison film that starred Tom Hanks, and have yet to see 'Shawshank' rent this movie. (It's rated R for violence and very strong language, though it somehow seems appropriate in the prison background.)
Rating:
Summary: Best unknown movie of the 90's
Review: Had "The Shawshank Redemption' received any type of marketing push upon it's theatrical release it surely would have been one of the huge hits of the previous decade. As it stands however the movie, through the home video market, has found an ever expanding audience that appreciates it's stunning power and beauty. People now use the word 'classic' when referring to "The Shawshank Redemption". This is not an overstatement. Great acting, directing, writing, cinematography and storytelling add up to an all-time great movie. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Briliant Work of Art
Review: The Shawshank Redemption is simply put, the most awe-inspiring movie i have ever seen. Morgan Freeman is outstanding as always, and puts on a great performance in this movie. Tim Robbins, who plays Andy Dufresne, a man wrongly convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, really makes the viewer gain a larger appreciation for their own life. Lines such as "Get busy living or get busy dying" serve as a backbone for this movie about one mans struggle for freedom. In the movie, Andy Dufresne always remains hopeful, which is the sole reason he survives in Shawshank prison. The ending is spectacular, which is expected from the mind of Stephen King, the man who originally wrote the short story "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption". Thios movie has changed my life forever, and hopefully,will do the same for many others. Unfortunately, five stars was the highest rating i could give it.
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