Guest writer Andrew St. John reviews:
David Morse
Doug Hutchinson
Bonnie Hunt
Sam Rockwell
Harry Dean Stanton
Tom Hanks
Gary Sinise
Barry Pepper
I see alot of movies. Tons of them. Good ones, bad ones, funny ones, sad ones... But when I rank a movie, it always comes down to one thing:
The bathroom.
If I am summoned to answer the call of nature during any movie, I have one of two options:
1.) I can excuse myself and waddle comically to the nearest restroom, or
2.) I can sit and suffer while I continue watching the movie.
Now, if I opt for number 1, chances are, the movie is slightly less than superior. However, if I choose to endure the insufferable misery of a full bladder, it has to be a well above-average film. In the case of the new release, The Green Mile, I sat for over an hour in squirming, agonizing captivation, unable to force myself to leave. Tom Hanks is simply unbelievable. With every movie he makes, I continue to ask myself, "Can it get any better?". Believe me, it does.
Mr. Jingles
To be perfectly honest, this film is not exactly what I thought it would be.
Michael Jeter
I was under the impression that The Green Mile would be just another film about a white, southern lawyer trying to prove the innocence of an incarcerated negro. To my surprise, the movie was so much more than that. Tom Hanks plays Paul Edgecomb, the head guard at the Cold Mountain Penitentiary. There, he watches over a particular kind of prison inmate: the ones on death row. "The Green Mile" is an allusion to the green-colored floor which leads from the cell block to the electric chair. John Coffey ("Like the drink, only not spelt the same"), played by the gargantuan Micheal Clarke Duncan, is brought to Edgecomb's block in shackles and surrounded by several (slightly smaller) guards. At first sight, one might take him for a cold-hearted killer, but upon the first close-up shot of his distraught face we learn of his tender nature. Coffey is directed to his cell, momentarily taunted by the pretentious Percy Wetmore (played by Doug Hutchinson), whom you will immediately hate, then led gently into his new home by a more sympathetic Edgecomb. As the story unravels, we learn of a certain ability possessed by Coffey. The movie turns from a serious melodrama smeared with dry humor to a wondrous story of love and healing.
Words cannot express the plethora of emotions sewn together in this thrilling tapestry. Laced with cruelty, bizarre pestilence, and a little magic, The Green Mile is one of the most stirring, invigorating films I have had the pleasure of watching.
On a 1-10 scale:
*The character development is superb,
*the writing is genius, and
*the story is heartwarming.
+
9
=
Alas, I cannot solve the problems of the world. But I can offer you these four words of wisdom:
Go see this movie.
It is one that will stay with you for a long time.
BACK to the Negative
Feedback? Slurs? Generally disparaging remarks? Eh, you can tell St. John at the gate.