Movie Club is way cool, BUT...

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The idea of joining a "film club" is something i've recently been interested in, so I saw the club here and got excited, but
I'd like to be involved in something a little more intimate.
I usually watch anywhere from 3-5 films a week (work at Hollywood Video, free rentals) and I was looking for like2-3 people to discuss films with. Now, I'm not saying we watch and discuss that many movies a week, but I would like to attempt to watch more than just one.
Also, I think that it would be more fun if instead of having a different person just pick a film that everyone watches each week that we discuss and decide on a film or vote possibly. Or have one person pick a like three films and then have another person decide which of those three films gets picked, seems a little more fair and satisfying maybe.
Also I'd like to have some themes perhaps. Like watch all of Hitchcocks' films or Kubrick's, something like that. Or for instance I just watched Green Mile again and will soon (probably tommorrow) watch Shawshank Redemption again and then try and decide which is really better and why. I'm possibly leaning towards Green Mile, which is why I need to Shawshank again, I think.

Anyway, to try and not ramble, if anyone is interested it would tickle me pink. Now I know that a lot of people here are involved in the other film club, so not sure if this will get a lot of response, but if you have any interest in discussing it, let me know, thought I'd toss it out, thanks......



It was beauty killed the beast.
Kong would be game for the idea, but can't really promise to do more than one a week. Kong already has obligations to the other movie club, and a movie forum in his hometown. If we did more than one a week Kong would never have much say in any of the films he watches.

As far as The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption go, The Shawshank Redemption is vastly superior. The Green Mile isn't even good. It has such crappily fleshed out characters who it seems are only able to embody extremes (completely good, or completely evil). Kong found John Coffey to be an extremely boring character, because we know he's a representation of Jesus, and therefore we know what will happen to him, and what his actions will be throughout the film. We're just forced to wait a long three hours of needless repitition to find out that our expectations were right. If they had made the prison gaurds with more dimension, and not had John Coffey in the movie it might have had some potential.

The Shawshank Redemption ***1/2
The Green Mile **
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I'd have to completely disagree with you about Green Mile

It has such crappily fleshed out characters who it seems are only able to embody extremes
I would say that the creole character on death row, who owns mr. jingles is completely comlicated. He's a murderer, there is no doubt about that, but yet we can still be lead to feel sorry for him and have sypathy for him when he must face death. He becomes endeared to us becuase of Mr. Jingles, yet there is no doubt that he should die, he belongs on death row.

In fact, I thought that the characters in shawshank redemption were played to sterotypes. the evil prison warden, the innocent man on death row, ect. ect. Of couse, Coffey is innocent as well, but Coffey's innocence is not what the film is about at all, unlike shawshank which revolves around this point.

If they had made the prison gaurds with more dimension
Tom Hank's character has plent of dimension. He's more or less a good man, but he must debate over what is a right to do or not, not what is right by some law, but what is morally right to ourselves and the world, and when he kills coffey he must pay for it. He lives a lonely long life full of death and suffering, the prison guard of death row is now on a metaphoric death row himself.

Also, Percy is a great character. how much do you hate this guy? But you don't just hate him you feel sad for him. That adds GREAT depth to his character, well acted by what's his butt too. Percy isn't just a sadistic evil man, you get the feeling that he's been picked on as a child and this is his revenge, he gets a thrill of unleashing his vengence.

And as for Coffey being a Jesus figure, I didn't think of it that way, i suppose he can be looked at that way, but I'm not sure if stephen king specifically meant him to be a jesus figure. BUt what makes him interested is the fact that he is tortured by his gift. He doesn't want it, he's a reluctant hero, and in the end he chooses death becuase of his gift as a healer.

I thought that Green Mile was just short of a masterpeice. I think the running time can scare people off, but I like that it takes its time to develop its characters well and make them round and full. I also really like the elements of the supernatural in the story and how they link and twist with real human conflict and emotion.

GRADE: A+
funny how this became a review of green mile

as for the film club, got any sugestions for movies?



It was beauty killed the beast.
Originally posted by Mr. Fong
And as for Coffey being a Jesus figure, I didn't think of it that way, i suppose he can be looked at that way, but I'm not sure if stephen king specifically meant him to be a jesus figure. BUt what makes him interested is the fact that he is tortured by his gift. He doesn't want it, he's a reluctant hero, and in the end he chooses death becuase of his gift as a healer.
You think his initials are JC by accident or coincidence? He was most certainly intended to represent Jesus.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. Kong felt that almost all of the characters were designed rather than real, and the movie was shamelessy manipulative.

Here are a few reviews that Kong mostly (although not entirely) agrees with:
Kenneth Turan - Los Angeles Times
Michael Atkinson - Village Voice
Berge Garabedian (Funny, but a bit harsh.)

Originally posted by Mr. Fong
In fact, I thought that the characters in shawshank redemption were played to sterotypes. the evil prison warden, the innocent man on death row, ect. ect.
Kong agree with you about the warden, but not about the protaganist. The innocent man sent to prison might be cliche, but the character is able to break free from that cliche by being well rounded with both good and bad qualities.

Originally posted by Mr. Fong
as for the film club, got any sugestions for movies?
Well, if you want to do it with a theme Kong would prefer genre/country themes over director themes. That way we can get different perspectives from different filmmakers and still be withing one general context. So maybe a Neo Noir Month, or Scandinavian Cinema Month or something/



Mother! Oh, God! Mother! Blood!
Mr. Fong,

Click on my website tab at the top of this message, and let me know what you think. There are currently only 2, 3, or 4 of us (depending on the week) watching, writing about, and discussing the films. If those aren't the type of films you're interested in, I'd be willing to work with you on something else.

The guys involved with the films on my website have just requested to switch to one film every two weeks because of time restraints, however, like you, I watch about three a week, and would like to be more actively involved.

I love Hitchcock films (I've seen 24 of them so far), and I'd love to discuss any other theme possibilities. Let me know.
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