Movies I Should Have Already Seen Volume 3, Issue 7
Forrest Gump
This is a hard one to see 14 some years after it's initial release. Not because the movie is unwatchable or bad. Not at all. However, after watching umpteen bench sketches and listening to Weird All Yankovic's Gump (Bad Hair Day was the first ever album I bought) all of the magic of Forrest' s accidental philosophy does not hit me too hard.
So, yes, except for the very end and the whole wrap up with Jenny, all those iconic moments were already with me. The braces falling off, the gunfight in Vietnam, the ping pong, etc. However, it as still wonderful to see them all put together. Visually, the movie struck me with coffee table book landscapes and the CGI seamlesness. While dated, the special effects still hold strong. I didn't know that Gary Sinise's legs were amputated on via computer. It looked amazing and I just thought they subbed in a double amputee. Except for that one clip where Forrest meets John Lennon, everything looked great.
And let's diverge for a moment about Gary Sinise and his Lieutenant Dan character. I loved Lieutenant Dan and the way that Forrest lead his life from anger (I had a destiny!) to happiness as co-owner of the shrimp company. Lieutenant Dan is pimp. If anyone deserves to still be called Lieutenant whatever after the war it is lieutenant Dan. The man stood up to a whole hurricane! And he had no legs! NO LEGS! And he hadn't buttoned up his shirt, which must have made it very chilly. We needed Lieutenant Dan during Katrina! "Your not going to break these levees dammit! Where's God now, huh!?" Also, its FUNNY! Not because Tom Hanks plays someone with an IQ of 75. We are beyond crude retard jokes here at the blog and so was the movie. It's just damn funny, filled with pointed references and visual jests. Amanda taught me the wonder of "Lieutenant Dan! Ice Cream!"
It's a damn sweet movie, but I found it off that Forrest Gump, a movie that crafted many moments with the people in power during the past 40 year, didn't really take a stance. Not that such plot points are required, but the movie made a concerted effort to frame Forrest's adventures in the tumult of the 60's, 70's and 80s. Like a Greek chorus, the radio, TV, or Forrest's asides himself tell us why the world is a crazy place. Did Forrest, the character and the movie, agree with the counter-culture? Or should we all have stayed home? Yes, Forrest is a nice guy, but what happens when you stick that nice guy at the Watergate hotel or at a Black Panthers rally? Where does that nice guy fit in?
Don't get me wrong, I am all for letting books and movies exist just for the sake of story and pleasure. Trust me, Amanda and I live in Ithaca where we have to justify why we saw the latest Hollywood movie and not whatever was playing at the local art house cinema. However, Forrest Gump garnered so much praise and so many Oscars (6) that I wanted it to say something besides "Stupid is as stupid does." I must mention that the movie does touch upon this. In a scene where Forrest is running across the county, a gaggle of reporters ask him why is he doing this? Is it for the environment? Women's rights? World peace? Forrest just says because he wanted to run. And there are other little nuggets of reflection. Maybe we can all find redemption in just being ourselves and staying home? Forrest just did everything people told him to do, never injecting his own thought, and he became wildly successful. Conversely, Jenny rebelled against her life and ended up a druggie. Is ignorance bliss? Should we just ignore all that about Vietnam, Watergate, AIDS, Iran-Contra, MLK, JFK, RFK, Malcolm X, civil rights, Roe V. Wade, the environment, Berkley, etc, for our own good? While anyone can enjoy this film, it was made for Baby Boomers. Isn't everything that Forrest what you ask Baby Boomers? Where the hell were you during Vietnam, dad?! Hell, I even asked my parents that when I was young and we lived in quasi-isolated PR. Imagine if I ever had a kid and he or she asked me, 'Hey, dad. What were you doing during the 2000 Florida re-count, 9/11, or the 2003 Iraq invasion?" And all I gave them was this big smile and a "Meh." That kid woulf probably be pissed.
Maybe the movie as trying to tell us something, but really just wanted us to focus on the heartwarming aspect of Forrest's life. I can give it that, in fact, I feel too many people today do not realize that you can just have fun at the movies whether it be though explosions or a life-story. I enjoyed all the little references sprinkled throughout the movie, which helped merge Forrest's life with the times. However, part of me still wants to know how those two work.
Peace!
So, yes, except for the very end and the whole wrap up with Jenny, all those iconic moments were already with me. The braces falling off, the gunfight in Vietnam, the ping pong, etc. However, it as still wonderful to see them all put together. Visually, the movie struck me with coffee table book landscapes and the CGI seamlesness. While dated, the special effects still hold strong. I didn't know that Gary Sinise's legs were amputated on via computer. It looked amazing and I just thought they subbed in a double amputee. Except for that one clip where Forrest meets John Lennon, everything looked great.
And let's diverge for a moment about Gary Sinise and his Lieutenant Dan character. I loved Lieutenant Dan and the way that Forrest lead his life from anger (I had a destiny!) to happiness as co-owner of the shrimp company. Lieutenant Dan is pimp. If anyone deserves to still be called Lieutenant whatever after the war it is lieutenant Dan. The man stood up to a whole hurricane! And he had no legs! NO LEGS! And he hadn't buttoned up his shirt, which must have made it very chilly. We needed Lieutenant Dan during Katrina! "Your not going to break these levees dammit! Where's God now, huh!?" Also, its FUNNY! Not because Tom Hanks plays someone with an IQ of 75. We are beyond crude retard jokes here at the blog and so was the movie. It's just damn funny, filled with pointed references and visual jests. Amanda taught me the wonder of "Lieutenant Dan! Ice Cream!"
It's a damn sweet movie, but I found it off that Forrest Gump, a movie that crafted many moments with the people in power during the past 40 year, didn't really take a stance. Not that such plot points are required, but the movie made a concerted effort to frame Forrest's adventures in the tumult of the 60's, 70's and 80s. Like a Greek chorus, the radio, TV, or Forrest's asides himself tell us why the world is a crazy place. Did Forrest, the character and the movie, agree with the counter-culture? Or should we all have stayed home? Yes, Forrest is a nice guy, but what happens when you stick that nice guy at the Watergate hotel or at a Black Panthers rally? Where does that nice guy fit in?
Don't get me wrong, I am all for letting books and movies exist just for the sake of story and pleasure. Trust me, Amanda and I live in Ithaca where we have to justify why we saw the latest Hollywood movie and not whatever was playing at the local art house cinema. However, Forrest Gump garnered so much praise and so many Oscars (6) that I wanted it to say something besides "Stupid is as stupid does." I must mention that the movie does touch upon this. In a scene where Forrest is running across the county, a gaggle of reporters ask him why is he doing this? Is it for the environment? Women's rights? World peace? Forrest just says because he wanted to run. And there are other little nuggets of reflection. Maybe we can all find redemption in just being ourselves and staying home? Forrest just did everything people told him to do, never injecting his own thought, and he became wildly successful. Conversely, Jenny rebelled against her life and ended up a druggie. Is ignorance bliss? Should we just ignore all that about Vietnam, Watergate, AIDS, Iran-Contra, MLK, JFK, RFK, Malcolm X, civil rights, Roe V. Wade, the environment, Berkley, etc, for our own good? While anyone can enjoy this film, it was made for Baby Boomers. Isn't everything that Forrest what you ask Baby Boomers? Where the hell were you during Vietnam, dad?! Hell, I even asked my parents that when I was young and we lived in quasi-isolated PR. Imagine if I ever had a kid and he or she asked me, 'Hey, dad. What were you doing during the 2000 Florida re-count, 9/11, or the 2003 Iraq invasion?" And all I gave them was this big smile and a "Meh." That kid woulf probably be pissed.
Maybe the movie as trying to tell us something, but really just wanted us to focus on the heartwarming aspect of Forrest's life. I can give it that, in fact, I feel too many people today do not realize that you can just have fun at the movies whether it be though explosions or a life-story. I enjoyed all the little references sprinkled throughout the movie, which helped merge Forrest's life with the times. However, part of me still wants to know how those two work.
Peace!
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