The Shawshank Redemption Movie Review

 

When assigned this Blog I thought of my favorite movie of all time and had no problem writing a review for it. Here it is, my own review on The Shawshank Redemption.

As preposterous as it is appealing, ``The Shawshank Redemption'' takes a straightforward, soul-stirring novel by horror writer Stephen King and turns it into a somber, bloated prison drama designed to pump you up on inspiration.

Thanks to fine performances and beautiful photography, you get that inspirational jump-start frame after frame. And you get generous helpings of the novella's deft ironic humor about a man quietly turning a corrupt system against itself.

The film features a brilliant, touching performance by Morgan Freeman. As a murderer with a life sentence in Maine's brutal Shawshank State Prison, Freeman's unforgettable ``Red'' Redding has basset-sad eyes. But those eyes are alive every minute, seizing on rays of hope in a dead-end existence. Veteran convict Red immediately recognizes something unusual about a newly arrived inmate named Andy Dufresne, played by Tim Robbins. The new kid is aloof. He lacks that edge, that gallows humor and swagger. He's an enigma.

The film focuses on Dufresne, convicted in 1946 of murdering his unfaithful wife and her lover. Given a life sentence, Dufresne, a soft-spoken banker with emotions bubbling under the surface, is sent to Maine's toughest joint. Although he keeps his distance and is obviously not the tattooed working-class type, he befriends Red, known for being able to smuggle goods into the prison. Dufresne also gets chummy with an old-timer named Brooks (played by James Whitmore).

Robbins, who puts the enigmatic twinkle of a half smile into his fascinating portrayal of a man with a mysterious agenda -- you know throughout that he's innocent -- makes a name for himself by using his banker's skills. Before long, he's in great demand as a tax preparer and financial adviser to the prison guards.
Some of ``The Shawshank Redemption'' comes across as outrageously improbable. Yet the film keeps pulling you back with its sense of striving humanity slowly turning the tables against evil.

Olive Garden Review

About two years ago I made my first visit to the small town of Green Bay, Wisconsin. A place that my family and I found and enjoyed was the local Olive Garden. There are a variety of reasons why I love Olive Garden, but this particular one had something magical about it. The breadsticks are always one of the best things.

Olive Garden has plenty of parking spaces. It is in a complex with other stores so finding parking is never a problem. The parking area is also clean and free of trash. As we walked up to the restaurant the walk way is clean and the bushes are trimmed. You can tell- this particular Olive Garden had class!

The service is friendly, secondly only to In-N-Out Burger. When we walked up to the door one of the employees opened the door for us and greeted us with a smile. When we walked up to the hostess she greeted us with a smile and asked how many people want to be seated. We went to Olive Garden on a Tuesday for lunch so the place wasn't so busy but I know it could get extremely busy on a Friday or Saturday.

The hostess seated us right away and handed our menus. She told us our server would be with us soon. When our server came he gave us a nice greeted by asking us how we are doing today. He asked if we were interested in some wine (parents only) or soda. Then he told us about the pasta specials for the day. He asked us if we had any questions about the menu.  I asked him what he thought was the best thing on the menu. He proceeded to ask me what I liked. I told him chicken dishes. He then suggested the fettuccini alferdo. He then asked us if we wanted any appetizers. I asked him what was good. He suggested the calamari and mozzarella sticks. So we ordered the calamari. Basically, I just ordered what this guy thought was best.

The food was wonderful. The calamari tasted fresh and lip-smacking. It came with a spicy red sauce dip, which added nicely to the calamari. The entrees appeared attractive to the eye and tasted magnificent. I ordered the chicken fettuccini and it was fresh and creamy to the taste buds. It came with a white sauce that was drizzled all over the dish. The chicken was smooth and good. My brother ordered spaghetti and meatballs, which is always a good call. There were plenty of meatballs on the dish. Two people could share that dish. Both entrees came with salad. The salad was fresh and crisp. It has cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, croutons, onions and the Italian dressing. It was as if I was in Italy.

I thought the food and service was great. I would come back again and suggest the Olive Garden to others. It was a very special experience.

MJD and Aaron Rodgers are surging, but it's going to be tough for anyone to overtake Tom Brady.

Tom Brady could take a knee on the rest of the season and still challenge for MVP honors this season.

It's that much of a runaway heading into Week 14.

The New England Patriots' incomparable quarterback will not be taking a knee on the season, of course. He kept throwing deep into a 45-3 victory over the New York Jets on Monday night. The Patriots emphasized putting together a full 60-minute performance. If they take the same approach to the regular season, Brady stands as the clear MVP favorite.

Can anyone challenge Tom Brady in the MVP race?

The 2007 MVP already has double-digit victories, the NFL's highest passer rating (comfortably), a 27-4 ratio of touchdowns to interceptions and, improbably, only one fumble (down from 19 in his previous three full seasons).

The Patriots have 48 touchdowns, 10 more than any other team in the league. They have 35 more points than any other team in the league. Brady has thrown 17 TD passes since his last interception against Baltimore 52 days ago.

Working in Brady's favor: The field of MVP challengers has issues.

Leading contender:
 
Tom Brady, Patriots QB: The three-time Super Bowl winner made this, for now, a one-person race after claiming his second consecutive AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Wednesday. After engineering Monday's 45-3 rout against the Jets, Brady has led the Patriots to an AFC-best 10-2 record and the inside track for the first playoff seed. His performance in the team's four-game winning streak has elevated him above the MVP field: He's thrown 13 TD passes with a remarkable 81.5% completion rate and zero INTs. Three of the wins -- against the Steelers, Colts and Jets, -- have been against playoff-contending teams and are important to the Patriots' chances of gaining home-field advantage.

Tom Brady and the Patriots have an NFL-best record of 10-2.

For the season, Brady leads the NFL with 27 TD passes and a 109.5 passer rating, and he hasn't thrown an INT in his past 228 attempts. Overall, he has just four INTs this year. With the next two games against the Bears and Packers, Brady will have a chance to prove his candidacy for a second MVP award against two of the NFC's best teams.

Also in the race:
 
Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars RB:



Six weeks ago, the 3-4 Jaguars weren't thought to be serious playoff contenders and Jones-Drew was not among the players getting MVP buzz. But more than a month later, Jones-Drew has put the 7-5 Jaguars on his back with five consecutive 100-yard rushing games that have helped his team claim first place in the AFC South. Jones-Drew has rushed for 667 yards in the five-game stretch, during which the Jaguars have gone 4-1. He rumbled for 186 yards in Sunday's 17-6 win at Tennessee when the Jaguars took a one-game lead on the Colts in the division. While he is second in the league in rushing yards with 1,177, Jones-Drew has just four rushing TDs. But with a Week 15 date in Indianapolis where the Jaguars can stake a claim for their first-ever AFC South title, Jones-Drew has a platform to perform on a big stage.

Philip Rivers, Chargers QB:



The gun-slinging comeback artist was considered a front-runner until last week, when Rivers suffered his first-ever loss in the month of December, falling to the Raiders. With 24 TD passes, a 102.5 passer rating and 3,642 passing yards (all ranking in the top three), Rivers has the statistical resume to mount an MVP campaign. But the Chargers' suddenly-gloomy playoff hopes work against him. The Chiefs can actually eliminate the Chargers from the AFC West race with a win in San Diego on Sunday. If Rivers can't get to the playoffs, he can't be the MVP. But Sunday's loss aside, Rivers has a sterling record of clutch December wins. If he can reignite his team and lead the Chargers on a hot finish to another AFC West crown, he'll draw MVP consideration.

Matt Ryan, Falcons QB:



The third-year QB's stats (2,920 passing yards, 21 TDs, 91.8 passer rating) don't scream out immediately as MVP-worthy. But the Falcons' road to an NFC-best 10-2 record has been paved with six comeback wins orchestrated by Ryan in the fourth quarter or overtime. He'll likely compete with Roddy White for his own team MVP honors, but Ryan's panache for comebacks has thrust his name into NFL MVP circles. While the Falcons still have a game against New Orleans (over which they hold a one-game lead in the NFC South) in Week 16, three of their remaining four games are against squads without winning records. So if Ryan and the Falcons continue to win, he may not have an optimal platform to wage an MVP campaign over the final month.

Michael Vick, Eagles QB:


His two-week stretch as NFC Offensive Player of the Week in early November has been obscured slightly by Brady's recent success, but the Eagles starter remains a viable contender. His 105.7 passer rating -- which is more than 27 points higher than any of his years in Atlanta -- is second in the league, and he has thrown an NFL-low two INTs. He bounced back from a Week 12 loss in Chicago with a strong performance (two passing TDs, one rush TD) in a win against Houston. Over his past four games, he has thrown for 1,226 yards and eight TDs and rushed for 204 yards and four TDs. Vick has assembled two really strong months sandwiched around the three-plus October games he lost to a rib injury. If he plays in the final four weeks with the excitement he brought to earlier wins against the Colts and Redskins -- and especially if he helps the Eagles rally past the Giants for the NFC East title -- Vick will challenge Brady for MVP votes.   

Others to watch:
 
Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs WR:



His candidacy fizzled when his streak of seven consecutive games with a TD pass ended on Sunday when the Broncos shut him down in Kansas City's 10-6 win. Bowe was held catchless for just the second time in his career and the first since his rookie season in 2007. He still leads the NFL with 14 receiving TDs.

Roddy White, Falcons WR:



There's likely only room for one Falcons player in this race, and White's valuable contributions are at risk of falling behind his QB's in the MVP balloting. He leads the NFL with 91 catches and has 1,140 receiving yards and seven TDs.

Aaron Rodgers, Packers QB:

Of course this guy should be the league MVP! But besides my Green Bay Packer fan bias, after posting three TD passes and a 135.1 passer rating in a win against San Francisco on Sunday, Rodgers lurks in the top five in passing yards, TDs and rating. His biggest stage -- a three-game finish at New England and at home to play the Giants and Bears -- is still to come. Rodgers could vault into the MVP race if he lifts the Packers to an NFC North title with wins down the stretch.

Not to watch:
 


Peyton Manning, Colts QB: The two-time defending MVP's reign is all but over after a three-game stretch in which Manning has thrown 11 INTs. The four-time MVP, whose team has lost four of five to fall a game back in the AFC South, now has just two more TD passes (15) than INTs (13).