A Beautiful Mind

John Nash is brilliant. Grossly understated, I know... He is a genius. He is quick with numbers. He got a full-ride scholarship to Princeton. But boy, is he awkward. He can't even breathe the right way around women... But that's beside the point.


His first day at Princeton could be better. He has a roommate that annoys him to high heavens, he's not exactly as 'upper class' as most of his classmates, and, like I said, he's an awkward person.

Things start to change when he comes up with a brilliant new idea...a discovery that brought him to the brink of international acclaim. He was given the world on a silver platter after that. He got so much attention, even the government noticed him...

That's when things got messy.

The government asked John to help him break some codes and secret messages that they believed the Soviets were planting in magazines and newpapers. He works feverishly, hiding his work from his coworkers, friends, and his girlfriend. Even after they are married, he doesn't tell her anything that's going on.

Nash begins to get paranoid. Then, a shocking discovery is made that completely changes his life forever...

I loved this movie. It was EXCELLENT. The plot was twisted and amazing and the surprise at the end is unforgettable. I absolutely loved it.

Russel Crowe was astounding. His 'Best Actor' Oscar was clearly deserved. Ed Harris, also, did awesome. Jennifer Connelly did well...Heck, they ALL did well!!

Awesome script. Awesome acting. Awesome plot. However...

THERE WERE SO MANY CONTINUITY ERRORS I WANTED TO CRY. Also, SEVERAL factual errors...there's no ceremony of the pens at Princeton! Alfred Nobel's name is spelled 'NOBEL' not 'NOBLE'!

4 and a half stars.

The Pianist

Wladyslaw Szpilman is the most accomplished pianist in Poland...maybe even the most accomplished pianist in Europe. He plays for Warsaw Radio and greatly enjoys what he does. But when the Germans take over Poland, several anti-Jewish laws go into effect. First, all Jews are required to wear a special patch to identify themselves...then they are forced to move into the infamous Warsaw Ghetto...then they are forced into deportation to death camps.

'The Pianist' is the story of how Wladyslaw escapes deportation becomes a Jewish refugee. In hiding, he witnesses the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943 and the Warsaw City Revolt in August/October 1944. He eventually must hide in the sorrowful ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto when the city of Warsaw is torn to bits by the Germans.
I
can't imagine being in Wladyslaw Szpilman's position...he was forced to watch his family be shipped away to their deaths while he was able to escape. He was forced into hiding, where he couldn't go outside or play the piano. Being a pianist, myself, I can't go for a day without playing, much less four years. It made me sick to watch the Germans torture and kill the Jews -- there was one instance where some Germans raided an apartment across the street from where the Szpilmans were living. Inside the apartment lived an old man in a wheel chair. They took him and threw him over the side of the balcony of the apartment, and of course, he fell to his death. This and many other horrific displays of cruelty were shown throughout the film.

I loved 'The Pianist'. It was definitely difficult to watch the cruelty that man is capable of, but it was excellent. Adrian Brody deserved his Oscar...he was absolutely stunning. I also liked the actors who played his mother and father. You only see them for the first 20 minutes or so, but they do a fabulous job each time they appeared on screen. They camera work was very, very good, and I loved how they depicted the Warsaw Ghetto -- it was exactly as I had imagined it.

5 stars.