Watching all the movies on the Warner Bros. 50-movie box set that I bought for cheap. This week the random number generator gets busy living as it selects The Shawshank Redemption.

Here’s what happens: Andy Dufresne is thrown in jail for a crime he didn’t commit, and spends the next several years making waves and touching lives in ways both big and small, often in conflict with a cruel warden. Then it’s revealed what Andy’s plan really is.

Why it’s famous: This movie is beloved, and I mean beloved. That’s thanks to Frank Darabount’s confident direction and great acting. This is the movie that first gave us the “Morgan Freeman narration” thing.

Get your film degree: The movie is mostly episodic, various vignettes about life behind bars and Andy being quirky. It’s not until the movie’s final third that it all ties together in a big satisfying way. The final 30 minutes are definitely why the movie is so beloved.

Movie geekishness: The movie co-stars familiar faces Clancy Brown and William Sadler, in dramatic roles even though they are mostly famous for the sci-fi/horror work. That’s fitting, considering this movie is based on a story from Steven King’s Different Seasons, a collection of his (mostly) non-paranormal literary fiction.

Thoughts upon this viewing: I was ready to shrug this one off as “that movie that’s always on cable” but I’ll be damned if the movie’s sweeping final act doesn’t draw you in like no other.

Next week: Something something badges something.

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