Movie #5: Forrest Gump

-

Forrest Gump


Date Watched: 05/30/24

Format: Streaming on TV via Fandago at Home

Going into the challenge, it was only a matter of time before we ran into a movie like Forrest Gump.  There are a few movies on this list that I already consider perfect.  Obviously, they still deserve another watch which I will happily do.  The true task will be when I try to rank these "perfect" movies of mine.

Directing (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐):

Rural and costal Alabama.  Washington DC.  The Vietman war.  Hospitals, plantations, shrimp boats, and cross country trips.  Robert Zemeckis had to do it all with this movie and I feel he executed perfectly.

Writing (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐):

Like Zemeckis, the writing had to cover so much ground.  You had to grow with characters and their environments across three very unique decades.  The humor was on point and did not distract from the emotional rollercoaster of this great film.

Acting (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐):

Unlike a lot of other features I have watched so far where we had either a great supporting cast or a great main cast, Forrest Gump gave us both.  Tom Hanks is synonymous with a lot of roles, but Forrest Gump will always be the first in everyone's mind.  Sinise, Wright, and Fields all stepped up their game for this film.  Truely enjoyable actors to watch.

Wildcard (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐):

Music.  Forrest Gump was the first movie soundtrack I ever bought.  Those two discs got listened to a lot.

Hound Dog
Blowin in the Wind
Fortunate Son
I Can't Help Myself
Sloop John B
California Dreamin
What the World Needs Now Is Love
Break on Through
Mrs. Robinson

...and that is just disc 1.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda:

I will go into more detail at some other time about my love for the year 1994.  A lot of films could have won Best Picture.  Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, and the Lion King are generational films in themselves.  There were a ton of other films like The Crow, Speed, Clerks, Dumb and Dumber, and True Lies that I still watch to this day.  I am not going to argue for any movie here.  No matter who won there are going to be camps saying the Academy got it right and tons of others saying they got it wrong.

Ranking:

1) Forrest Gump (Movie #5) 20⭐

2) Gone with the Wind (Movie #1) 17⭐

3) On the Waterfront (Movie #3) 16⭐

4) Amadeus (Movie #4) 13⭐

5) Shakespeare in Love (Movie #2) 13⭐

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Movie #2: Shakespeare in Love

-
Shakespeare in Love Date Watched:  05/17/24 Format:  Streaming on TV via Max "Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?" Directing  (⭐⭐): The movie really fell short here, in my opinion.  I don't think there was anything special with Madden's direction.   Writing  (⭐⭐⭐⭐): I like what Norman and Stoppard did with this movie.  The story is original but still ties into the Shakespeare stories we know.  I did not find much wasted on this script, both action and conversation wise.  The only reason perfection was not achieved was due to the language the actors used.  It was this odd mix of period and Shakespearean.  It was a distraction at times. Acting  (⭐⭐⭐): A tale of two extremes.  An amazing supporting cast and two leads that just did not work for me.  Rush, Wilkinson, Dench, Staunton, and Firth.  I would watch this movie with this cast all day long.  I will continue to scratch my head about Fiennes.  Paltrow just reminded me of Claire Danes throughout the whole movie.  25 ye
Read more

Movie #3: On the Waterfront

-
On the Waterfront Date Watched:  05/20/24 Format:  Streaming on TV via Prime Video "I coulda been a contender!" Directing  (⭐⭐⭐⭐): Kazan did a wonderful job of bringing you into the Jersey shore.  You felt part of that time and that environment.  Some of the more action-packed scenes were a little rushed but overall, a very good job. Writing  (⭐⭐⭐⭐): A sign of a good writer is bringing you into a story you know nothing about and making you want to learn more about it after the movie was over.  The struggles of the Jersey longshoremen is nothing we can understand in today's United States (thankfully).  It says something that the story was still so impactful to me 70 years later.  Well written. Acting  (⭐⭐⭐⭐): I have a feeling as I go through more and more of these films, I will keep on coming back to Marlon Brando as one of the best performances in any Best Picture winner.  From the opening scene to the last one, he wore his emotion on his sleeve.  It was unfortunate that
Read more