The Great Forrest Gump Debate

[Uncle Spielberg]

You insult 70% of NSC as well as me. I think the film is good but did the thread as it seems to divide opinion more than any film I know. I am not championing it and just because its a Hollywood film it doesn't automatically default into a shit film. Hollywood has produced some very good films over the years.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Not being one of the good people of NSC I have to say that I have never seen Forrest Gump because I know it will be a pile of fugging shite, and not just because it's got that prick Tom Hanks in it.

'Uncle Spielberg - Championing mainstream Hollywood bullsh*t for the greater good' (What next? Charlie Wilson's War?!!?!?! Puurrrllleeeasse)

Also you haven't even seen the film so you base all your opinions in life from a view point of assumptions, prejudice and ignorance

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

'Uncle Spielberg - Championing mainstream Hollywood bullsh*t for the greater good' (What next? Charlie Wilson's War?!!?!?! Puurrrllleeeasse)

Have you seen it?

Its actually very good.

The last bit is expecially brilliant. After the USA spending BILLIONS on supplying arms from Israel to Pakistan to help Hezbollah, (yes money talks) when the Russians finally leave, Charlie askes congress for ONE MILLION to build schools and hospitals.

Basically he is told to f*** off let them get on with it.

It could have all been so different and as he said in the film "we got what we wanted and then we f***ed it up".

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Have you seen it?

Its actually very good.

The last bit is expecially brilliant. After the USA spending BILLIONS on supplying arms from Israel to Pakistan to help Hezbollah, (yes money talks) when the Russians finally leave, Charlie askes congress for ONE MILLION to build schools and hospitals.

Basically he is told to f*** off let them get on with it.

It could have all been so different and as he said in the film "we got what we wanted and then we f***ed it up".

Of course he hasn't seen it, like he hasn't seen FG, he bases his opinions on predujice and ignorance and then slags off people WHO HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN IT !.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Of course he hasn't seen it, like he hasn't seen FG, he bases his opinions on predujice and ignorance and then slags off people WHO HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN IT !.

Get rid of your Ian Botham avatar and I'll take you seriously cup cake.

 

[Superphil]

One of my all time favourite films. I sometimes struggle when movies (or TV shows) portray vunerable individuals as a figure of fun, but in this case Hanks was wonderful, and the script, whilst designed as a tearjerker, is also sympathetic to people who have such mental conditions, and ensures that you realise that people with such problems can contribute too.

I hope I have explained my opinion, but it is difficult to get across in type.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

You insult 70% of NSC as well as me. I think the film is good but did the thread as it seems to divide opinion more than any film I know. .

The 70% is completely warped by the abscense of a fence option which would have attracted VERY MANY votes. A lot of people will have voted in the affirmitive because whilst its not really my thing, its marginally nearer to 'great' than 'shite'.

And I would say that SCHINDLER'S LIST would divide opinion even more.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

I think the 8.8 average on imdb and 6th greatest fil of all time with over 120000 votes gives me a guide as to the public's opinion of Schindler's List. Therefore I do not care what NSC thinks as it will just be slagged off as a wind up anyway so it would not be a reasoned debate.

 

[Nibble]

Schlinders list is a very good film with some admirable qualities and good acting but again, Spielberg lets it all down at the end with his over emotional indulgance. The scene where Liam Neeson (in a rare piece of very poor acting)breaks down and starts whimpering that he "could have bought nine more Jews for this ring" etc was a classic example of Spielbers inability to know when to draw the emotional line.

After a riveting and touching portreyal of the persecution of jews, the confused sadism of the camp commandent and the personal struggle Schindler carries, Spielberg crowbars in mawkish sentimentality and makes the audience turn at the last minute. Poor ending to a good film.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

In your opinion. Personally I found the ending very moving and the point about riches and expensive trinkets being valued more than human life was a valid point. The ending where Neeson placed the Rose on Schindler's grave was poignant moment. No one will convince this me this film is nothing other than a masterpiece and an important film which is part of the school curriculum and a monument and document of the most appaling episode in the history of mankind.

You only need to look at Kenya to see that Humanity towards their fellow beings and intolerance of different tribes, religions etc is still rife so the film is valid but ultimately Human's have and always will kill each other, persecute and be intolerant of each other.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

No one will convince this me this film is nothing other than a masterpiece and an important film which is part of the school curriculum and a monument and document of the most appaling episode in the history of mankind.

You only need to look at Kenya to see that Humanity towards their fellow beings and intolerance of different tribes, religions etc is still rife so the film is valid but ultimately Human's have and always will kill each other, persecute and be intolerant of each other.

All absolutely true of course, and very worthy. Its probably on school curriculums though, because its pitched at about the right level. 'Life is beautiful' and 'The Pianist' are probably too much for kids comprehension levels.

 

[jonny.rainbow]

It won best picture ahead of Pulp Fiction and Shawshank, ffs.
For that reason alone, I hate it. Its a bloody stupid film.

Is that the Shawshank Redemption that only one man and his dog had gone to see BEFORE it was oscar nominated?

 

[Barrow Boy]

Middle ground for me as well, I also liked the scene where he ran away from the bullies and shed his leg irons but thought Hanks performance was well over the top, and a lot of the lines were cringe worthy.
"My momma said life is like a box of chocolates, ya never know what your gonna get", well your momma should have bought English chocolates where she would have found a nice little card telling her exactly what she's gonna get.

 

[Nibble]

In your opinion. Personally I found the ending very moving and the point about riches and expensive trinkets being valued more than human life was a valid point. The ending where Neeson placed the Rose on Schindler's grave was poignant moment. No one will convince this me this film is nothing other than a masterpiece and an important film which is part of the school curriculum and a monument and document of the most appaling episode in the history of mankind.

You only need to look at Kenya to see that Humanity towards their fellow beings and intolerance of different tribes, religions etc is still rife so the film is valid but ultimately Human's have and always will kill each other, persecute and be intolerant of each other.

It is very telling that it takes an over-sentimental, mainstream director to reach the film-going public and relay the horrors of the "final solution". There are far better films depicting the same subject and better still, far better documentaries that tell the story without manipulating the audience by adding scenes depicting events that never happened, and judging by the real character accounts of Oskar Schindler. never would happen.
You state it is a monument to the episode but I think your lack of objectivity regarding Spielberg has obscured your perception of a good film. There are far better documents of this episode in history that explore the facts far better than Spielberg. If you are truly interested in this period, as oppose to just liking anythng Spielberg produces you would probably know and have seen many more films relating to this time and not just the big studio version of events.

 

[MattBackHome]

I'm also a fence sitter on this one.

 

[Easy 10]

Is that the Shawshank Redemption that only one man and his dog had gone to see BEFORE it was oscar nominated?

Yes.
Thats the one.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

It is very telling that it takes an over-sentimental, mainstream director to reach the film-going public and relay the horrors of the "final solution". There are far better films depicting the same subject and better still, far better documentaries that tell the story without manipulating the audience by adding scenes depicting events that never happened, and judging by the real character accounts of Oskar Schindler. never would happen.
You state it is a monument to the episode but I think your lack of objectivity regarding Spielberg has obscured your perception of a good film. There are far better documents of this episode in history that explore the facts far better than Spielberg. If you are truly interested in this period, as oppose to just liking anythng Spielberg produces you would probably know and have seen many more films relating to this time and not just the big studio version of events.

Spielberg had a fine balancing act between making something responsible but not completely alienating the audience with gratuity. A balance I think the vast majority of critics believe he got just about spot on. It is a mainstream film in so far as its produced from Hollywood but Speilberg did not expect it to make $ 310 000 000 worldwide and throught it may struggle to recoup its $ 22 000 000 budget. The fact it is in the public arena and schoolkids at least know this event happened is a good thing. You can nit pick if you want as you clearly are not a fan of Spielberg but you make out he did a bad job and I totally disagree.

He was going to film real life events such as SS Nazi officer throwing babies from 5stories of the Ghetto's for officers on the ground to have target practice to see if they could shoot them but decided at the last moment not to.

I have seen the Pianist which was also good but Life is Beautiful I have not. The definative document of this is Shoah at 9 hours long which I will watch one day but its not something kids or the general public would sit through I am afraid.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

He also gave huge amounts of the monies the film made to establishing a lifetime memorial to the survivors and stories of the Holocaust.

 

[Nibble]

He also gave huge amounts of the monies the film made to establishing a lifetime memorial to the survivors and stories of the Holocaust.

That is a good thing. However, it does not change the facts about the film.

 

[Nibble]

Spielberg had a fine balancing act between making something responsible but not completely alienating the audience with gratuity. A balance I think the vast majority of critics believe he got just about spot on. It is a mainstream film in so far as its produced from Hollywood but Speilberg did not expect it to make $ 310 000 000 worldwide and throught it may struggle to recoup its $ 22 000 000 budget. The fact it is in the public arena and schoolkids at least know this event happened is a good thing. You can nit pick if you want as you clearly are not a fan of Spielberg but you make out he did a bad job and I totally disagree.

He was going to film real life events such as SS Nazi officer throwing babies from 5stories of the Ghetto's for officers on the ground to have target practice to see if they could shoot them but decided at the last moment not to.

I have seen the Pianist which was also good but Life is Beautiful I have not. The definative document of this is Shoah at 9 hours long which I will watch one day but its not something kids or the general public would sit through I am afraid.

The thing is that whatever he left out of the film (which is quite a lot) it is the sentimental grandstanding that he does include that is my problem with the end to the film. I think the rest of the film is a perfectly passable, if Oscar seeking, Hollywood take on the events of the holocaust. I by no means think it is a bad film overall, but I think it should be viewed in the context it was made.