American Beauty

After moving back into school, I downloaded American Beauty.

I'd been into both Sam Mendes (director) and Thomas Newman (composer) ever since Revolutionary Road.

I also knew it had gotten huge praise and acclaim; it won 5 Oscars, including "Best Picture", in 2000, so I was really expecting a lot.

I was not disappointed at all. This movie was so...I can't even describe. The music, the story, the direction, the cinematography, the acting, everything just tied together so well. And the casting was picture perfect. During the whole picture I was on edge because in the beginning they reveal the main character, played by Kevin Spacey, is supposed to die, and he narrates the story.
Also the editing was amazing, as well as the metaphorical use of rose petals with the character Angela throughout the film. It was so great and such a twist at the end.
There is this one character, Ricky Fitts, played by Wes Bentley, who I was so creeped out by at first. I ended up loving him. I loved the sound of his voice, too, for some reason. And he really looked like Chris Cooper, who played his dad.

I also found it funny how Mena Suvari looked so much like Kassi, my best friends brothers girlfriend.

But that's irrelevant...
The best part of the film was probably Thomas Newman's score. It used a lot of percussion and mallet instruments, but it also used orchestral parts and chunks of pianos used here and there. It had a great effect and really made sense for the story. It balanced everything perfectly.

Also the film ended with Elliott Smith's version of "Because". It came up with the credits, and I heard Elliott's voice, and I couldn't think of a better way to end the picture.

I just thought the movie was everything I thought it would be, but more. I highly recommend it to everyone if they haven't already seen it.