The Curious Case of Forrest Gump - watch more funny videos
In other news, it seems my readers actually agree with me as WALL-E has barely edged out The Dark Knight for best film in my poll. That'll do pig, that'll do.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
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9 comments:
Yes, but The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is so much better than Forrest Gump. Perhaps Eric Roth has learned something about screenwriting in the meantime?
I have to disagree. While I do think that Benjamin Button is better in the way it does not use nostalgia as a sense of tugging at the heart strings, it is truly an awful screenplay. Simply due to the fact that the short story is so rich and wonderful. Benjamin Button is such a flat, cardboard character, while Forrest Gump is an actual character.
What hinders Forrest Gump is Zemeckis, the way he directs it is so radically different than the way Fincher directs Benjamin Button.
In short, I think Gump is all around better, simply because the screenplay is better, the foundation if you will. Benjamin Button had rich blueprints, but the foundation was laid an entirely different way than it should have been. So far out there that not even Fincher could fully rescue it.
I want to like Benjamin Button more, simply because it looks like I should. But if I am being honest I have to say that I did not enjoy Button half as much as I enjoyed Gump.
Hilarious.
There are so many similariteis, though. As good as this is, it could have gone on and on. Great stuff, though.
Shawn,
We can agree to disagree. I see Mr. Button as a kind of artist figure who looks on his life with a certain measure of detachment (which makes sense given his relationship with time), and that gives his character that flatness of affect. Fitzgerald's short story is barely there compared to the movie--it's more of a sketch compared to the greater canvas of the film, and I find it interesting that Fitzgerald's short stories often had stereotypical African Americans in them, whereas African Americans in the movie (such as Button's adopted mother) tend to be much more complex and important to the storyline.
At any rate, I acknowledge that Roth plagiarized himself, but somehow Button worked for me better than Forrest. The theme of time and aging had more resonance for me than the baby boomer nostalgia of the former film.
Thanks Alexander. =)
Film dr---We can agree to disagree. I can fully see why you feel the way you do.
I've always found "Forrest Gump" to be a deceptively dark movie. It's lighter moments are just SO light that most of the time people done notice how much of the film is such a downer.
ya know Cheap Arse, I have never actually thought of that, but it does make sense.
They have moved the video for some reason. Here is the link to the new one:
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1897317
not only was Wall-E the best last year, it won the Internet Film Critics Poll, and is currently #15 all-time at Metacritic, rated 95, while Slumdog at 84 is just off the listed top 200!
..not much of a Gump fan myself, way overrated, Button was more reverential to its characters affliction I thought, while Gump seemed to play his for laughs and pretend it was affection. good but not 'best' - believe it beat out Pulp Fiction..
but the worst travesty was Titanic beating out Babe! that was my fave kids pic and animal pic rolled into one..
ps - The Visitor was up there with Slumdog for me, maybe just behind it, and Milk was very good also. based on Times of Harvey Milk, which was ok but not magical like Van Sant's vision.
but I think Frank Langella was best actor, not Penn, even Richard Jenkins was better. the real actor of the year was Paul Giamatti as John Adams!
later, jose
http://worldsbestfilms.blogspot.com
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