Journal #1

Rita Kempley's review of The Shawshank Redemption was one of the reviews where the writer was extremely positive towards the movie, but also gave the movie critique in a negative way.

The first I saw this movie was on Spike T.V. I knew it was highly regarded as a great movie and my dad loved it, so i had to watch it. As I was watching it, I became more and more frustrated because of the reason Andy (Tim Robbins) was in jail. Andy was wronlgy accused of the murder of his wife and was placed in a maximum-security state prison in Maine. Andy was a very intelligent young man and used his talents to help the prison guards and the warden out with their taxes. In prison, Andy meets Red, (Morgan Freeman) who eventually becomes his best friend. They create a special bond where they can tell each other anything and everything. The question everyone asked to Andy is why are you in prison. Andy tells them he is not guilty and of course none of his buddies believe him. But, one day a young man comes into the prison and tells everyone a story about the real murderer of Andy's wife and Andy demands to have this young man tell the warden. The warden asks this young man if this is true and he says, but instead of the warden helping Andy, he decides to kill the young man who knows the truth about Andy. As all of this is going on, Andy was collecting sharp tools, which helps him carve a hole into the wall. After 21 years of being in prison for a crime he did not committ, he used the tools he collected to escape through the hole to freedom. Red was later released and they went to the promise land together, the ocean.

This movie was exceptional because Andy's character was so brilliantly played. He was very mysterious and the audience never knew what was going to happen next with Andy. Red's character grew into a intelligent man when Andy taught him life lessons and how he could actually contribute to the world if he were to get on the outside again. Rita Kimpley's review was a mirror image of my opinion. She thought it was exceptional and also kept the audience thinking and on the age of their seats.

Kimpley explains: "Mostly, though, it reminds us of that we all hold the keys to our own prisons."

Kimpley expresses that people are sometimes wrongly accused and you just have to deal with it. I totally agree with that because life somtimes throws you fastballs that are unfair, but you just have to deal with them. Whether you committed the crime or not, you just have to look to the future and hope for the best

Rita Kimpley summarizes: "Whether or not he pulled the trigger, Andy blames himself for causing his wife's death; his redemption comes as he learns to give of himself over the course of this marvelously acted and directed film."

One comment of Kimpley's I did not agree with was when she said that this movie gives hope to prisoners all around the world. This movie is semi-unrealistic, and that is what a lot of other critics said also. But for the most part, I would have to agree on most of everything Rita Kimpley expressed in her review.