Gone With The Wind

By Jonathan Goodsell

Through one of the darkest periods in American history comes the most frustratingly beautiful romance story in Hollywood history. Gone with the Wind is the Academy Award winning Civil War chick-flick that won the hearts of a nation and still holds the overall box office record, if adjusted for inflation of course. Starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, Gone with the Wind tells the emotional and romantic life of Scarlett O’Hara (Leigh) and her love affair with Rhett Butler (Gable) as they live through the Civil War and fight for what they believe in and for what they love. As Scarlett O’Hara famously says, “As God is my witness, I will never go hungry again”.

This film had a very unique and almost charismatic screen play. It’s riddled with humorous phrases and remarks that keep the story flowing. My personal favorites are Scarlett’s use of phrases like “fiddle-dee-dee” and “great balls of fire”. The lighting and use of silhouettes was rather well done. The final shot with Scarlett standing silhouetted against the tree at Terra was, in my opinion, the perfect way to end the film has it set this conclusive mood that everything was complete. 

The charismatic Rhett Butler was rather enjoyable to watch. His carefree look upon life even during the war was what made me really love him. But the thing that really drove the movie was the chemistry between Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. Their romantic tension was perfect. Granted you wanted to slap Scarlett for all her blunders and immature actions, it all worked out. The only problem I had was that when the movie ended, it seemed like something was missing. The story appeared to be going one direction and ended going another, and which direction I’ll leave unsaid so as not to spoil it. But I guess that’s how the story goes and that’s how the director chose to do the film, so I can respect it.

            Overall, this was a very enjoyable film. Filled with humor, drama, romance, and even some action, it’s a film anyone can enjoy. It’s a film that, even though the life and time portrayed has gone with the wind, the story will last for generations to come.

The King's Speech

The King's Speech- R

By Jonathan Goodsell

When Inception was beat by The King's Speech for best picture, I knew I was missing out on something good. After seeing it, I see why it won. The King's Speech is the true story King George the VI (Collin Firth) and his struggle to overcome his speech impediment as he is called to become the King of England during World War II. With the help of a very unorthodox speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush) and his wife (Helena Bonham Carter), King George works through his fears in order to be able to speak to his country during the time of war.
I wish they made more movies like this. It's simple, thought provoking, and just fun to watch. The main reason I love movies like this is because of the talent that goes into it. The job done by Collin Firth to pull of a stuttering speech impediment was just phenomenal. It was reminiscent of Sean Penn in I Am Sam and Leonardo DiCaprio from What's Eating Gilbert Grape. It was no surprise to me how he won an Academy Award for his job. All the other acting though was fun to watch. It was entertaining to see Helena Bonham Carter play something that wasn't dark and creepy. Tom Hooper did an excellent job of filming the show. It was just amazingly well done and really enjoyable to watch. It flowed almost perfectly and it was mellow in an old fashioned sort of way. There was nothing sophisticated about this movie. There were no special effects to take away from the plot. It was just good, old fashioned, classic story telling. Better yet, it was a story you could fall in love with, and I think that's what made this movie an instant classic.
The thing that bothered me about this movie though was that it easily could have gotten a PG-13 rating, maybe even a PG rating. There isn't any violence, no blood, nor any risque behavior. The only reason it received the R rating is because there is a scene when George's therapist gets him angry and he loses his temper and lets off strings of f-bombs and other strong words for about a minute straight. If you know where this scene is and hit your "mute" button in time, the rest of the movie is perfectly harmless and really amazing to see. So honestly, I'd find someone who's seen it and watch it with them because this really is a movie all will enjoy and love.
I haven't said this yet in this review. I loved this movie. It was just fantastic. It told it's story beautifully and was even humerus at times to watch. I would recommend it to anyone, granted you know where to mute it. So in my reviewer opinion, The King's Speech gets a royal 9.5/10

Schindler's List

Schindler's List- R

By Jonathan Goodsell

In my opinion, this is one of the greatest movie ever made. Starring Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Ben Kingsley; Schindler's List tells the story of Oskar Schindler and his attempt to protect the Jews from the cruelty of the German Nazis. Schindler's List was a work of art. Despite the R rating, this is still a movie that all should see at one point in their lives. 

I loved this movie. It's no surprise that it won seven Academy Awards including best picture. It is extremely emotionally draining though. After I watched it, I sat around for probably an hour in a stupor of thought. What makes the movie so horrifying is that it's a true story. All the terrible things that happen in it, really happened. I think that's why it's so hard to watch. It's kind of like Titanic in that way. The acting was just superb. I don't think I'll ever be able to watch Ralph Fiennes the same again, which means it's a good thing I've seen all the Harry Potter all ready. But this was Liam Neeson at his best. I'm not sure if I've ever seen an acting job as good as his. It didn't surprise me that this was a Steven Spielberg film. He seems to be behind all the major hits. But this, this was special. This is by far one of his bests. The whole film was just so amazing and really well laid out. It wasn't complex and hard to understand, it was simple yet so full of detail it was just stunning. It was, simply put, a masterpiece. As good as it was though, I won't be watching it again soon. It's just so emotionally straining to watch, It'll take a while to want to watch it again. But when I do, I know I'll love it as much as I did the first time.
This movie was rated R for a reason, and that's something you need to realize before you watch it. But, there was no way the film could have been filmed and not received an R rating. Leaving out parts to get the lighter rating I believe would have been like telling a lie, it would have been immoral. We can't just pretend it never happened. We tell the story or we don't. There are a lot of bloody and merciless killings of Jews by Nazi soldiers. If the movie wasn't black and white, the blood and gore would have been way to much to handle. You also see plenty of other disturbing hardships the Jews are put through in the camps.You see groups of Jews stripped of their clothing and put through physicals; if they pass they were sent to get their clothes back, if not they were sent to the gas chambers. As graphic and clear as these scenes are, it's not meant to be in an inappropriate way, it's just what happened. There was some strong language, the one factor of the movie I believe they could have toned down. It wasn't exactly necessary to tell the story. I see why it was there to set the mood and try to explain the feelings going around, but for this film I believe it was still a lot more than needed. Most importantly I think you just have to remember that this movie is about the holocaust; it's depressing and almost aggravating to watch. So watch with caution, it's definitely not for your younger generation. But as strong as it is, I personally believe it to be a movie that almost everyone should watch at some point in their life.
As hard as it is to watch, this movie is still amazing. The feeling and emotion put into along with all the talent in and behind it made this movie one to be remembered. It's personally one of my favorites.So in my reviewer opinion, Schindler's List gets a loving and very well deserved 9.5/10