Film Violence

One thing I have found interesting about this film is that some people seem to condemn movie violence no matter what context it's in or what truth it shows. And I thought the "turn the tv off" parents portion of the article was too true. And I disagree with that concept completely. I think in this day and age, too many parents are like that. I think parents should try to let their kids see whatever they want, and be able to decide for themselves what is appropriate.

Another thing I found interesting was others praised violence in films as long as it was shown in proper context. An example is Saving Private Ryan, which is personally one of my favorite movies, precisely for that reason. Especially the D-day scene where it shows troops storming the beach. You can see men all around getting mowed down, and mens' guts laying out which portrays the true horror and chaos of war.

The third thing I found interesting about this article, and also particularly truthful was that people sometimes take liberties and put violence in for violence sake. One particular example of this was a movie I watched last night that was on TV called "Lake Death" that dealt with issues of incest and murder, and inbreeding. There wasn't really anything particularly meaningful about this movie. In fact it was very poorly made, and the actors didn't do a very good job or play a very convincing role. Also the fact that I didn't care about what happened to the characters, and didn't care who lived and died showed that the story was poorly made. I do think that many cheap horror films are made that way, so that the viewer simply wants more characters to be killed off in incredibally bloody ways.

My personal view is that movies should be able to take the liberty to put violence and gore into movies. But only if it is truely neccessary to the story. For instance Saving Private Ryan would be a completely pointless and ineffective film had it not been as intense as it was, and not shown the true horrors of war.

Forrest Gump review

I think some of the reasons I would recommend Forrest Gump to others would have to be the fact that it emphisizes that emotional and human aspect of the story. As well as the fact that it takes you through one of the most turbulent periods in American history through the innocent eyes of a mentally challenged man. This is a great film from many aspects, because it blends several genres into one. Part sports story, Part drama, Part war story etc. and the soundtrack is made up of all music from the era that the movie takes place in. Also this is one of the first instances CGI is used, and it is used well and realisticly, having Forrest shake hands with Kennedy, and talking to John Lennon. Among other things. All and all, it is a fantastic movie and definitely worth seeing.

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?DVDID=7407
This reviewer seemed to value the emotional aspect of the film.

I agree with this review, because obviously the film has a strong emotional aspect, but I'm disappointed it doesn't carry much praise for either the soundtrack, or being technically well done.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/forrest_gump/articles/1230432/this_film_is_both_serious_and_funny_entertaining_and_thought_provoking_and_it_could_make_people_laugh_and_cry_with_equal_degree_of_ease
This reviewer valued how it could "make you laugh and cry with equal ease" And the human aspect of the movie.

I agree, but the same as the last review.

http://www.reelviews.net/movies/f/forrest.html

This review seems to say the same as the last few, so it seems to be unanimous that Forrest Gump does do an excellent job of portraying the emotional aspect and characters.

http://reviews.imdb.com/Reviews/35/3569

This review actually praises the special effects work on the film, but downplays the human aspect of the movie. But generally I agree with this review. I am still relatively surprised that no praise has been given to the film's soundtrack.

http://www.flickfilosopher.com/blog/1999/03/forrest_gump_review.html

This review generally praised the special effects as well, but also criticized the fact that the film seems to place such a "dim-witted" chracter in such central roles in critical events of the 60's. But this gives Tom Hanks a lot of credit for his role, and the job he did portraying it.

Top Ten List

My top ten list of my top ten personal favorite movies:

1. Forrest Gump
I enjoy the human aspect of the movie, and the view of the time period in history
2. Tommy Boy
I enjoy Chris Farley, and his humor
3. Star Wars series
Some of the most groundbreaking movies of their time, and always classic.
4.Batman series
Some of the greatest modern superhero movies.
5.Lord of the rings series
A good film that has great action sequences and has an excellent plot
6. Saving Private Ryan
Well made film, and I like how it shows the true horrors of combat.
7. The Patriot
Mel Gibson played a good role, and I enjoyed the action sequences as well as the story
8. Band of Brothers (if it counts)
I enjoyed how it follows the 101st airbourne through the entire war from D-Day to the occupation of Germany.
9. 28 days later
A surprisingly well done British independent film, I enjoyed how realistic it was.
10. Angels in the outfield
A classic disney movie, it's on this list simply because it was one of my favorites as a kid.