The Shawshank Redemption (1994) ****

Based on the novella, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, by Stephen King, this is another of my all time favorite movies.  I read the book many times before the movie came out.  I used to do that a lot. Rather than read another book, I would read a book over that I enjoyed.  This story was one of them.  It is from a collection called Different Seasons.  When I first saw the first few frames of the trailer, before I had heard they made it into a movie, I knew.  I got so excited and couldn’t wait to see it.

 One thing about Stephen King novel-based movies, you never know if it is going to work because his greatest books are so imaginative and what you picture when you read the book, is not always the way someone else does.  Examples of the ones that didn’t work: Pet Semetary, Christine, Cujo, and probably a bunch of the made-for-TV movies that I didn’t bother watching.  Of those that worked, The Shining, Delores Claiborne, Carrie, The Dead Zone, and Misery, although the movies were great, the books were better.  He has many, many others that were made into good and bad movies, but I either didn’t see the movie, or didn’t read the book, or both. 

The Shawshank Redemption works.  Even with the changes that had to be made to fit it into a movie’s timeframe, it works.  Actually, I think there were some things in the movie that I didn’t get out of the book.  I can give three specific examples: 1)The pronunciation of Andy’s last name, Dufresne, which in the book says it’s a common name, but I didn’t know how to pronounce it so I don’t think it’s very common around here. 2) The scene where Andy locks the guard in the bathroom and plays the opera album over the prison loudspeaker. It’s my favorite scene in the movie and there would be no way to know what that song sounded like from reading words in a book. 3) The sound of the name of the place where Andy was planning to spend his life after prison, if he ever got out, Zihuatanejo.

Of course, the cast was terrific… I love a great cast!  Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are definitely on my list of favorite actors (I’ll have to share that list when I actually concoct it… it’s quite long).  It was amazing that Morgan Freeman was chosen for this role and was perfect.  He’s got such a great face!  I remember him from the Electric Company as Easy Reader. Wow! THAT was a long time ago.  I think Tim Robbins is a great actor.  I LOVED him in Mystic River. I’d love to digress and describe my feelings for that movie, but I’ll save that for another post. I don’t think many of the other cast members are as well-known (at least by me), except maybe James Whitmore,  but the acting was terrific.

Directed by Frank Darabont, who also wrote the screenplay, it is a story about an innocent man,  sent to prison for the murder of his wife.  The evidence against him was substantial albeit circumstantial. It’s a story about survival, friendship, and hope.  There is also deception, corruption, and of course redemption, hence the title.   Narrated by the secondary character, Red (Morgan Freeman), “The only guilty man in Shawshank,” we are told how this unlikely survivor makes it through many long years in prison. 

Just like reading the book over and over, I have seen this movie many times and will watch it many times to come. 

My Faves

I’m making new posts of my favorite movies, actors, actresses, and TV shows, but pre-dated the posts because the lists are long. If you’re interested, they’re in “My Faves” category.

20 Questions

Did you ever get one of those emails that asked you to answer like 20 questions about yourself?  I like those. I’ve received several.  Sometimes they have the same old questions, but sometimes they’ve got some unique ones.  I like it when you send them out and people actually take the time to answer and send them back.  I’d say it’s one of the only type emails that are forwarded to me that I don’t mind sending back and forward.  You know the other kind… “send this to all the strong women (great mothers, close friends, etc.) including the person who sent it to you and you will have good luck (see how many true friends you have, etc.)”  I get a lot of those, too, but I never send them.  First of all, I believe that is spam, in a way.  Also, they could easily be spreading a virus and maybe my friends that send them don’t realize it, and since I opened it up, I probably can’t avoid the virus, but I don’t want to spread it further to my other friends.  Sometimes I can’t help but feel a little bit guilty though.  I mean, if my friend “Joan” sends me an email saying that she thinks I’m amazing and/or a true friend, and then I don’t reciprocate, is she sitting there thinking that I don’t feel the same way about her…”Am I really a true friend?”  Well, I hope “Joan” et al don’t think that.  I hope that they all see that I try to make them feel special in other ways.

I think a lot of people enjoy those survey type emails, like I do.  Probably because people like to talk about themselves and these emails invite them to do just that. It’s cool because everyone is answering the same questions and no one is thinking, “Man, I like her, but all she does is talk about herself.”  Well, blogs seems to be a lot like that, too.  I’m talking about myself, but everyone else can talk about themselves, too.  Go to comments and answer a few questions.  Just copy my questions, click on comments, paste the questions, and answer them.

Here we go:

1) Where were you born?  Syracuse, NY

2) What is your age? 42

3)  How far from where you were born do you live right now?  about 80 miles

4) Describe your living situation.  My family is myself, husband, & 2 children w/ a dog living in a small 3 bedroom ranch-style house.

5) What is your occupation?  Stay-at-home Mom just starting own home-based billing business.

6)What are your top 5 favorite movies? A Few Good Men, Good Will Hunting, Shawshank Redemption,  Dreamgirls, American President.

7) Top 5 favorite actors? I have so many favorites I can’t pick only 5, here are six. Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, Samuel L Jackson, Matt Damon, Robert DeNiro, Ed Harris. I’ll have to make a separate list later because there are probably 20 more.

8 ) Top 5 favorite actress? I’ll make a separate list of actresses, too, but I don’t think there’s anyone better than Meryl Streep. Four others are Jodie Foster, Drew Barrymore, Mary-Louise Parker, and Julia Roberts.

9)Five favorite TV shows? Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, Ugly Betty, West Wing, Studio 60.

10)Favorite fiction writer? John Grisham

11) Favorite novel? A Time to Kill by John Grisham

12) Favorite sport to participate in?  golf

13) Favorite sport to watch? football (on TV); basketball (in person)

14) What is your favorite food? Steamed crab legs w/melted butter

15) What’s your favorite alcoholic beverage? Frozen Margarita (no salt) or beer

16) What’s your favorite non-alcoholic beverage? Ice water (no lemon) or really sour lemonade

17) Favorite dessert? Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

18) If you could take a week and go anywhere in the world for free, where would you go that you’ve never been (Top 4)? Los Angeles, Hawaii, African safari, a Caribbean Cruise.

19) Which do you enjoy more dogs or cats? I LOVE DOGS!!!

20) What kind of vehicle do you drive? minivan

Well, there’s twenty.  If you’ve got some good ones, please let me know.

Luv & Peace to Everyone!