Alright, so on Sunday I watched Nick & Norah, American Beauty and Fast Times, in that order. On Monday I watched The Usual Suspects and then Forrest Gump. I will critique them in another order however.
The Usual Suspects (1994)
Forget The Dark Knight; The Usual Suspects is the most overrated movie of all time. This movie was essentially pure trash. The story was below average, and then in the end we find out it was entirely invented. The twist, like Fight Club, and unlike Saw, is presented terribly, however, unlike Fight Club, this twist renders the entire film to have been pointless. The movie is basically Kevin Spacey lying for 90 minutes. Great. Slow start, disinteresting plot, just an overall garbage movie.
It isn't the worst film I've ever seen though, Old School for example is worse.
Rating: 3.7/10
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
An alright highschool comedy. It has nothing on Mean Girls or Breakfast Club but it's a lot better than most. There are some deep, interesting issues brought up in the film and the characters are all reasonable. There aren't many stupid cliches used in the story, though the characters are slightly so. A decent film. Wouldn't go out of my way to watch again.
Rating; 7.0/10
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008 )
I remember QB rating this highly in his top 20 list of 2008 and prior to that I had wanted to watch this film, so after that moment I knew I had to watch it. The movie truly is excellent. There is something so beautiful about two strangers falling in love, which this film exposes incredibly well. Not only this, but the way Nick's friends, Nick and Norah see the world is the way I believe everyone should see the world. They are just out trying to have a good time, and that is what they do. It is truly beautiful. This film also is a great example of a film which was entertaining and compelling to watch despite not being a high concept film (something The Dark Knight failed at.) There is barely any plot in this film... but who cares? It is nice to watch regardless and we love being on the ride with the characters. This is what movies should be all about. My only regret is not watching this movie with a girl.
Rating; 8.4/10
Forrest Gump (1994)
A very interesting film. It was a tad strenuous to watch at some points but overall the story is simply beyond words. The ending beautifully encapsulates a truly epic story. We can really feel with Forrest and can't help but to love him throughout the movie. Forget Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump is the best acting performance I have ever seen. The only problem with this film is that it's a bit slow at some points. Other than that, it is perfect. I do think The Shawshank Redemption is a better film and should have won Best Picture in 1994, but what can I do about it?
Rating; 9.4/10
American Beauty (1999)
I watched this film because Zithers, resident GLB movie expert, claimed it was one of four 10/10 films he had seen (the others being The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, 2001; A Space Odyssey and American History X.) Going into this film, I figured it would be a good exhibition of film excellence... but that presupposition was completely understated.
This movie is extremely captivating from it's opening scene. All six main characters are greatly exhibited and we can clearly see, almost instantly, what these characters are like from deep within. This is rare for films, as most have trouble perfectly demonstrating even the main character, yet this film makes us feel as though we have known all six for all our lives. Not only this, but the story is extremely mundane... the fact that the film can be so captivating while taking place under such mundane circumstances is amazing. In one way, the mundanity of the movie makes it easy for us to all relate to... I think almost anyone can see their family or themselves in the seat of at least one of the characters. Lastly, the concept of beauty and the way to live your life which the film explores is truly mind opening.
I downloaded many films this summer to study the characters which men of high value have. This is why I downloaded movies like Die Hard, The Thomas Crown Affair and Fight Club. When I started to watch this film, I wasn't expecting a guy like Tyler Durden or Thomas Crown to study and model behaviors or insight after, however the character of Lester Burnham was greater than I could have expected. I knew I did poorly at school for a reason... to give myself more freedom and enjoy myself more in other aspects of life... and when I saw what Lester did in this film, it only cemented that what I was doing by following my heart was correct. Lester is someone who discovers that life is beautiful, and there is no point in getting caught up in bullshit (like family, work, education, whatever) and that it is best to enjoy yourself. That philosophy is so freeing. Just get the means to do what you want to, and then do it. It is beautiful. I want to live the rest of my life like that. It truly is the most beautiful thing anyone can ever learn in their lives.
Rating; 10/10
