Money has been tight again, so I'm doing something from my DVD collection that you probably have never heard of.
Pleasantville was the brainchild of one Gary Ross, who hasn't done much since. The only significant thing he's done in fact was the Hunger Games movie. That is a real step down, because Pleasantville is incredible.
Pleasantville was the brainchild of one Gary Ross, who hasn't done much since. The only significant thing he's done in fact was the Hunger Games movie. That is a real step down, because Pleasantville is incredible.
I love this movie, let's not waste any time.
Story: This film about a couple of teenagers that get trapped in a 1950s sitcom and their antics force it into color with the social turbulence of the sixties, would appear on the surface to just be a silly comedy, and comedy is certainly present, but it also goes for serious drama about how these people react to serious social change when Pleasantville has only ever been pleasant. And it does so with, well, flying colors.
Gary Ross creates a fantastic work that manages to juggle comedy, drama, and an actual relevant message, all at the same time.
Visuals: At the time this was made having color and black and white onscreen at the same time was a big deal. This was actually one of the first films to be shot digitally, they shot it in color and shaded the footage into monochrome where they didn't want color.
I'm sure it was impressive at the time, but in 2013 it's something anybody with moderate skill in Photoshop could do.
Acting: The actors are fantastic. Toby Maguire and Reese Witherspoon do a great job as our leads, William.H.Macy and Joan Allen do a wonderful job as the sitcom parents, and special note goes to Jeff Daniels as the owner of the soda shop that discovers art.
Music: I usually don't talk about soundtracks, because I just don't know music, but this film has an amazing one. Ranging from music from the actual fifties, to emotional heartstring pulling original work by Randy Newman.
In Conclusion: This movie is absolutely fantastic and I recommend it wholeheartedly, since you probably missed it on the big screen, go hunt it down for the small one.
Greg.B
Sidenote- How does the director of this end up making the serviceable, but not very good Hunger Games movie?
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