Movie Debate #95: The Shawshank Redemption

[Reed Rothchild | 9,520]

Feel free to PM me one movie for a future debate.  Be reasonable: I won't do films that only two of us have seen.

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

Is this the one with Morgan freeman and they drink beers.

[Mega Tank | 960]

10. Easy.

[Mega Tank | 960]

1 minute ago, docile tapeworm said:

Is this the one with Morgan freeman and they drink beers.

 

[Gloves | 11,775]

Never seen it. 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,520]

15 minutes ago, Gloves said:

Never seen it. 

Knew it

[Sumez | 2,941]

Does anyone truly dislike this movie?

Seems to be like the most universally likeable movie in the world, even though it's probably not many people's favourite.

Edited November 8, 2021 by Sumez

[Brickman | 3,983]

12 hours ago, Gloves said:

Never seen it. 

I’m not even surprised anymore. You are definitely not a movie guy 

[RH | 4,903]

2 hours ago, Sumez said:

Does anyone truly dislike this movie?

Seems to be like the most universally likeable movie in the world, even though it's probably not many people's favourite.

Even though I gave it a 6 (based off of the meaning of a 6 for this rating), this movie is otherwise no doubt a 9.5-10 in film rankings. It's certainly the Citizan Kane of it's era and from my opinion I'd say it's a better film than Kane.

Gloves, you joked me about imagining living in a world where you haven't seen The Thing when I mentioned that over in werewolf. Lol, I could honestly say the same about this film. If you are going to watch any film from the 90s, this has to be on the very, very short list.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

14 hours ago, Gloves said:

Never seen it. 

I'm not even surprised. Just mildly disappointed.

[Mega Tank | 960]

That whole Brooks scene hits hard. The way he explains about life after prison etc.

[RH | 4,903]

36 minutes ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

I'm not even surprised. Just mildly disappointed.

Ah... Come on, Dad... don't be disappointed. .   

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

1 hour ago, RH said:

Ah... Come on, Dad... don't be disappointed. .   

Hey, I did say mildly! 

[Californication | 1,477]

Spoiler

 

 

[tbone3969 | 304]

This was easy considering it is my favorite movie of all time.  10 all the way.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,520]

3 hours ago, RH said:

Even though I gave it a 6 (based off of the meaning of a 6 for this rating), this movie is otherwise no doubt a 9.5-10 in film rankings. It's certainly the Citizan Kane of it's era and from my opinion I'd say it's a better film than Kane.

wut

Do I need to rewrite the 6 description?

[RH | 4,903]

Just now, Reed Rothchild said:

wut

Do I need to rewrite the 6 description?

I guess, maybe.  That's how I feel.  I will say the description of 7 and 6 may need to be swapped, but it's a bit relative.  This isn't the type of film I'm always interested in watching, nor will I want to watch it much.  However, could I see myself watching it once every 5-10 years if I caught it on TV or maybe being in a mood to choose to rewatch it again?  Absolutely.

This is just one of those films that to me personally, I can 100% see why it's good and worth a viewing and appreciating.  However, it's not my cup-o-tea when it comes to movies I actually care to watch many times.  It's hard to find that balance, because light hearted stuff is much easier to rewatch, however, some heavier and more serious stuff does have the option to be the more "favorite" movies on my digital shelf, but that doesn't mean I want to watch it much.  It's hard to explain.

Shawshank isn't "hard to watch". It's just not classical "entertainment", and when I watch a movie, at this point in my life 95% of my time I just want something fluffy and entertaining whether it's a comedy, a cartoon with my kids, a romance film with my wife or WWE.  Shawshank Redemption is an excellent and noteworthy film, but not a personal favorite and also doesn't fit into any of those former catagories.

[G-type | 2,480]

6 minutes ago, RH said:

I will say the description of 7 and 6 may need to be swapped

7 is "Very good"

6 is "Pretty Good"

I think the meanings are clear.

[RH | 4,903]

5 minutes ago, G-type said:

7 is "Very good"

6 is "Pretty Good"

I think the meanings are clear.

Yes, but there are also further descriptors to describe the intent:

• 7/10 - Very good movie, but not quite great.
• 6/10 - Pretty good. You might enjoy the occasional watch, or tune in if you happen to catch it on cable.

That bolded description exactly describes how I feel about Shawshank Redemption.  But again, it's not apples to apples to compare a movie with the mood and tone of Shawshank to a movie like Dumb and Dumber, which is another one I won't go out of my way to see, but would definitely stop to watch if it was on TV, but my reasons for feeling this way for both films are quite different.

 

Shawshank is a solid 9 in my book in ranking how "classic" it is and is good as an important film you should watch.  Regarding personal tastes and long term enjoyment, it's a 6-7.  It's a different type of ranking and I feel that's the spirit of all of Reed's ranking posts.

Edited November 8, 2021 by RH

[Gloves | 11,775]

6 hours ago, Shmup said:

I’m not even surprised anymore. You are definitely not a movie guy 

I love movies, I've seen tons! 

[OptOut | 8,883]

I saw this film once, agreed it's a very good film! I don't remember EVERYTHING about it, must have been easily over ten years ago I seen it. I think I'll give it an 8, because I remember it so fondly, but not enough to want to watch it again.

[tbone3969 | 304]

58 minutes ago, Gloves said:

I love movies, I've seen tons! 

Please watch it.  It is Stephen King at his finest!

[Californication | 1,477]

I automatically remove one point in movies where men/boys get raped. Sleepers too much rape -2, The Hustler subtle rape -.5, Freddy Krueger - very subtle 0, Doubt/Spotlight also get a pass for pointing out how rapey the catholic church is. 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,520]

46 minutes ago, Californication said:

I automatically remove one point in movies where men/boys get raped. Sleepers too much rape -2, The Hustler subtle rape -.5, Freddy Krueger - very subtle 0, Doubt/Spotlight also get a pass for pointing out how rapey the catholic church is. 

How many points if a woman gets raped?

[tbone3969 | 304]

45 minutes ago, Californication said:

I automatically remove one point in movies where men/boys get raped. Sleepers too much rape -2, The Hustler subtle rape -.5, Freddy Krueger - very subtle 0, Doubt/Spotlight also get a pass for pointing out how rapey the catholic church is. 

Wait... what.... a man got raped in The Huslter?  I must have missed that scene I guess.  Another great flick BTW.  Oh and the sequel The Color of Money.  Maybe some future poll movies here.