The Shawshank Redemption

I came into this film expecting to actually like it less than I was supposed to. - It's, like, one of the most popular movies ever made, so I wasn't sure if it would live up to the hype. - I watched a majority of it in class some time ago, so I knew the first half already. - And on top of that, I saw some major spoilers during the time leading up to now. But despite all of these aspects, it still captivated and surprised me. I have to say, it hits close to home. It has a beautiful message which can be supported by interpreting the prison as a metaphor for life, and Warden Norton as the meanness and iniquity in it. I've experienced many hard and unsure times in my life, same as every one of us, people. And It's very possible I even had more of them than the average person my age. But I'd like to say I remained hopeful throughout it all. Today, I'm still far from the life I want to live. There are still days when I'm discouraged or disappointed, but I still hope. After finally watching this masterpiece, I imagine that some day I'm also going to crawl my way past all the shit and come out clean on the other side. I, too, wish for a time in my life when I'll be 'sitting on a beach watching the tides of the Pacific Ocean'. To anyone out there reading this, I'm sorry if this sounds familiar, and I wish the best for you. To others, I'm sorry for making this review bleak. These are some of my favorite quotes:> Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.> Andy Dufresne - who crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side.> I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying.