optimism_always

There had always been a tradition among the Americans themselves as well as the rest of the world, not without exceptions, of course, to believe in the unity and the firmness of the interrelationships within the typical American family. Before the sixties it had been the privilege of most families on U.S. soil to say that "The bonds which hold our family units together make us the greatest nation on this planet." Nevertheless we should not disparage the family values of the rest of the world for our country consists entirely of the indigenous populations of a multitude of states around the globe. We ought to be fair and unbiased when judging ourselves and everyone else, indeed. But as far as fairly judging ourselves is concerned we have come to the point when all our illusions can no longer shield us from the bitter truth. And that is when cinematic masterpieces like 'American Beauty' are born.

The film catches us completely off guard and awakens a kind of nostalgia towards the past of our great country when parents were respected and teenagers' only income stemmed from respectable diligent part-time work and not from the sale of drugs. Back then a high school education was considerably more impressive and its quality was incomparably better than the relative knowledge of a few pages of Shakespeare and a few simple mathematical formulas we have today instead of a thorough and systematic academic programme which United Kingdom for instance has.

As we watch 'American Beauty' we start to panic and think about our own families especially if our children are teenagers. On the screen in front of us we can see the disintegration of two middle-class families not much different from our own in most cases. Some of us begin to take preventive measures soon after leaving the cinema. And that is the way it should be. In fact it's the only way it should be. Therefore movies like 'American Beauty' are a blessing in disguise, even though the rest of the world may experience a feeling of triumph or scorn and even be encouraged to continue to tamper with our security, prosperity and well-being. Bravo. A 10/10.

Martin Scorcese's harsh and yet delicately balanced masterpiece rises above anything petty meaning that if one wishes and has the ability and means to create a Sicilian mafia movie he should do so with grandeur and put into it as much effort as possible for people remember those who take advantage of their talent and circumstances and are diligent in their undertakings. Casino is in my opinion an epic, but it's much more than that. This film speaks even to those who dislike the subject of organized crime. You have to be objective when judging this movie and those of us who criticize everything that stands out amongst the grey background of that which is mediocre are fools who envy others' accomplishments and view them as insults to their own personal uselessness. Casino is one of the best movies of the 90's. In fact, in my opinion, it's one of the best organized crime movies of all time. Its moral is that no matter how tough you think you are there's always someone you answer to and that you ultimately will, indeed, if you screw things up.