The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

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Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.
So basically: In the late 1940's, banker Andy Dufresne is sent to Shawshank prison for the murder of his wife and her lover, although he claims he is innocent. There, he meets Red, the man who can get just about anything. They form a lasting friendship and find redemption in each other.

hmmmm, I'm at a loss as to what to say. It's the final movie on the list. The top movie!! Ahh, nothing seems good enough. But, I guess here we go: This was the first time I heard about this movie - when I first read the list. Which I thought was refreshing. I don't think it deserves the top spot, as there are a lot of movies on the list I think are better and more enjoyable. This is a fantastic movie, but I was expecting to be in awe after watching it. To feel something, like I learned something from it, which I didn't.

A good movie that deserves to be on the list, but not first.

Ziggi seal of approval!



The guest reviewer adds her opinion...
I’m assuming the most salient quality of this movie in terms of its 250 inclusion was the inspirational value its depictions of redemption and tenacity and friendship.  I can see this in it, but personally – I wasn’t all that inspired. I most certainly winced and grabbed at my friend’s hand during some of the more dramatically sad scenes, and some of the friendship scenes were pretty heartwarming, but I didn’t find that the movie as a whole carried much emotional resonance. Even the themes and images that I thought were extremely well portrayed weren’t especially poignant for me - a couple of days after watching it, I can’t honestly say that I’m thinking about it at all.
 
I’m not particularly attuned to nuances of cinematography or pacing or whatever else, but I think a truly great movie should be accessible to the average viewer.

So... The Pretentious Reviewer's Seal of Disapproval!

Unforgiven (1992)

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Oh, wow, look! A guest review! Neat-o!
Following an attack on a prostitute, the rest of the brothel offers a reward for the murder of the man who did it. A young, wannabe assassin approaches the infamous William Munny, a retired outlaw turned pig farmer who barely remembers how to ride a horse, and convinces him to return one more time to his old ways. They, and Munny's old partner, set off to exact revenge and claim the reward, in the process going up against the town's vicious, ruthless sheriff.

Never having seen a Western before, I was quite entertained by this movie. However - although I distinctly remember enjoying it - I can't really recall anything distinguishing about it. The characters were interesting, although I didn't find myself caring about any of them. And the atmosphere and setting were kinda awesome, but I gather that's a common thing in Westerns. Towards the end, I thought the movie was tense and somewhat exciting, but there were quite a few other bits that were honestly pretty dull. So - worth watching, but mind definitely not blown.

The Pretentious Reviewer's Seal of Disapproval.

The Terminator (1984)

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Wordy guest review #3.
Sarah Connor's normal ('80s) life is shattered when two men (okay, one cyborg and one man) arrive from the not-too-distant future - one to kill her and the other to save her. Her potential progeny has saved, or will save, humanity from the nefarious machines of the future, so the human race depends on her survival.

The plot is quite clever; the premise itself has time-travelling goodness and as the movie progresses, all the events fall into place to ensure the established future. The way Sarah is gradually hardened into the ass-kicking mother she'll have to be is especially awesome. Throughout the movie, the scene sometimes switches to the war-torn future, which is well-done and close enough to feel very real and relevant. It helps that instead of a tragedy looming several centuries from the present, the beginning of the war is quite imminent. On the other hand, the dialogue is often overly expository, and even though I hadn't known the particulars of the plot, there wasn't much that I didn't see coming.

At a couple of points during this movie, I foresaw potential Disapproval, but the ending convinces me otherwise ... The Pretentious Reviewer's Seal of Approval!

The Incredibles (2004)

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The first review done by a guest reviewer!
This movie is - taking the easy pun because that's how I am - incredible. It tells the story of a family of superheroes trying to live a normal life in a world that has seen, accepted, and then rejected superheroes. Mr. Incredible works a soul-crushing job in insurance while Mrs. Incredible tries to keep the children out of trouble - a trying task since they're struggling to be something they're not. Their not-so-everyday problems are hilarious enough (Mr. Incredible's annoying, persnickety boss is voiced by Vizzini from The Princess Bride!) and the movie only gets better when Mr. Incredible's reinvolvement in superhero activities draws the whole family into a dangerous, explosive adventure to save the world from a bonafide (albeit slightly ridiculous) supervillain.

This movie successfully uses the conventions associated with superheroes and their travails - killer robot, monologuing villain, amazingly narrow misses, epic and debris-hurling final confrontation - to craft the ultimate superhero story. It brings the archetypes to life in a thrilling way which fully acknowledges its use of them even as they work their magic.

... The Pretentious Reviewer's Seal of Approval!