Messages

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Eastwood News / Re: Flags of our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima DVD release news

« on: May 28, 2007, 04:33:38 PM »

I am a DVD fanatic and I must say that the new five disc FLAGS/LETTERS DVD set is without a doubt the DVD release of the year, and one of the best releases in the life of DVDs.

- First off, you get two films that are masterpieces. (Yes, upon further review FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS is a masterpiece.)

- Secondly, the extras on the discs are exactly what extras should be - enhancements to the film. These extras aren't your standard glad-handing, aren't we great filmmakers tripe. The extras in this set provide a deeper insight into both the stories told and the filmmakers who told them. The accompanying real war footage in some of the documentaries honors the men who were there and shines a light on just how great a job Clint, the screenwriters, and the actors did in capturing these stories so well.

- Thirdly, the  fifth disc "Heroes Of Iwo Jima" is the real treat. It tells the FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS story in documentary form. We have the dramatic version that Clint gave us and this fantastic documentary version with actual footage of the very scenes in Clint's film. This fifth DVD is a bonus that elevates this box set to DVD of the year.

I could go on and on about all the extras in this set, but I'm sure you have it and I hope to God that you take all the time to watch every last second of it.

(And, yes, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS is a masterpiece. I walked out of the theaters and was disappointed. I watched it a few days ago on DVD and when the DVD ended, I was stunned at how great the film really is and how wrong I was about it. )

I am so glad I own this set. It does what a DVD set is supposed to do -- further one's appreciation of a film.

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Eastwood News / Re: Who saw LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA? (No spoilers!)

« on: January 15, 2007, 05:29:28 PM »

My quick plus points:

1. I'll get this out of the way first -- LETTERS is a far, far better film than FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. A million times better.

2. What we get here is simply a great war movie. We get soldiers doing and saying "soldierly" things.

3. Unlike the characters in FLAGS, the characters in this film are well drawn and extremely real. Even before the backstories to the characters are given, one gets a strong feeling that these are very real individuals. Credit the acting for that. The faces were so expressive (particularly the baker's).

4. The meek and the mighty occupy the same story and both are central to that story. Most war films give us the grunts or they give us the brass. This film wonderfully provides both and meshes them seamlessly. It is ONE story. Brass or grunt...war is ONE thing for all involved.

5. Absolutely astonished at how I felt when the first shots were fired upon the Americans hitting the beach. Did a part of me for an instant actually root for the Japanese characters I was introduced to? Should I feel ashamed that Clint made me feel that way? Did the skill of Clint's storytelling lead me to see the enemy as...not an enemy? Well, yes, to that. Clint actually made a film about our WWII enemy that makes us see them as more than just "the enemy." LETTERS bridges the gap of "us and them" in a way a war film rarely does. It is actually a bit dangerous for a war film to do that. Had this film been released in 1945, Clint would have been hanged. But, 2007...I give him a big WOW! For the first time in a quality war film I was on the other side.

6. One of the best war films ever made. Who would have thought that a film about the Japanese on a tiny island could become one of the few quintessential war films. Isn't a great war film supposed to be about the good guys? Nah...it's supposed to be about people. People who have moms that give us the same advice.

Poor things about the film:

1. Grey-toned photography. Enough already with this recent penchant for coloring films in a monochrome. Oh, we get it --the island is ash, the absence of life through the absence of color...ugh! In truth, the actual colors make for a more vivid experience -- ever see color film of concentration camps? More horrifying than black and white. Why Clint had to follow this trendy fad of "coloring" his film is ridiculous. It didn't work back in 1915 with BIRTH OF A NATION and it ain't working now. Please stop this and give us life as we see it. The true colors evoke more feeling than a director's coloring decision ever can.

2. Music. I am a film score fanatic...a bigger score would have been nice. But, alas, yet again in a Clint film we get a few plunked notes that any eight year old could find on a piano and that is supposed to be a score.

3. Scope of the film was lacking. Instead of the many thousands of Japanese on that island, Clint's budget made it seem like just a handful throughout the whole film.

To sum up:

Fantastic film. Not only one of Clint's best, but one of cinema's best.

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Eastwood News / Re: Who saw FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS? (WARNING: SPOILERS ALLOWED!)

« on: October 21, 2006, 07:19:10 PM »

Not the masterpiece we have lately been accustomed to from Clint.

Some weak points:

- NARRATIVE STRUCTURE: Clint didn't pull it off effectively (see Kurosawa's RASHOMON, RED BEARD, or IKIRU, all of which I believe Clint was very influenced by for this picture)

- CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: the scenes with the one death followed by another and another was ineffective emotionally because they were more or less faceless, formless forms. The majority of the characters never reached a point of living, breathing beings.

- MUSIC: this film cried out for a SCORE! A good old-fasioned Hollywood epic score would have brought the house down, not three or four notes picked on a guitar

- WHO'S WHO?: one slight annoyance was at times I really had a difficult time telling one guy from another. Turning the film stock to drab gray, having mainly no name actors, and then having those actors wearing the same gear just all added up to who is who and what is happening to whom?

Highlights:

- the brief military briefing aboard the deck of the ship. Man, I wanted to jump right into the screen and enlist. Clint got this right. As horrible as war is, it is still man's ultimate adventure.

- Hayes hugging the Gold Star mother and weeping painfully at the reception. Brought tears to my eyes. I haven't cried in a movie theater since, well, MILLION DOLLAR BABY. Kudos to Clint for touching me so much that I weeped in public. Thanks Clint.

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Eastwood News / Today's NY Daily News Headline - 7/14

« on: July 14, 2005, 09:19:21 AM »

Today's (7/14) front page of the NY Daily News gave me a good laugh today.
And with the DVD just released, not bad publicity.
http://www.nydailynews.com/
The story is about rich, corporate thief Ebbers who cried in court when sentenced.  Billion Dollar Baby.  I guess the Daily News could have used "Hang 'Em High."

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Eastwood News / Re: To Clint Eastwood: Best Director, Best Picture: Million Dollar Baby

« on: February 28, 2005, 08:14:44 PM »

Well done.

From searching for Arch Stanton's grave with Tuco, through the mad adventures of stealing cars and robbing banks with Lightfoot, all the way to seeking a state of grace via the million dollar baby, Mr. Eastwood has given to the world one stirring film after another.

So many films, so many styles, so many genres, so many nods of the head after the film ended and saying to oneself, "Man, that was good."

Seeing you take home a few Oscars for MILLION DOLLAR BABY...man, that was good.

 

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Eastwood News / Re: Must See TV Friday Night for MILLION DOLLAR BABY Fans

« on: February 13, 2005, 09:46:39 AM »

Yeah, Rijker did a fine job.  She was personable, prepared (did you see all the notes she had in front of her?), and she was honest in her opinions.  Boxer, actress...she now has a future as sports broadcaster.

That segment on what she taught Hilary Swank for the film was pretty interesting.

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Eastwood News / Must See TV Friday Night for MILLION DOLLAR BABY Fans

« on: February 08, 2005, 03:15:25 PM »

Fans of MILLION DOLLAR BABY plan on staying in Friday night to watch ESPN2's Friday Night Fights - 9:00 PM EST.

ESPN2's FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS is a two hour boxing show that shows a few live fights and cuts back to the studio for all boxing talk.  It is the second best television program on American TV  (The Sopranos is #1, but FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS is real close).  Why should Clint fans be watching this Friday night?

Here's why:

#1.  If you were captivated by the drama of Maggie and her desire to be a top female boxer, well FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS is having the top female boxer in the world today fight in the main event.  Laila Ali (Muhammad's daughter) is the top female boxer and she will be fighting this Friday night on ESPN2.   After watching Laila fight you will be amazed at how truly great a performance Hilary Swank gave in the ring.  (I say Swank can beat Ali.)

#2. Every FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS features an in studio boxing guest for the whole two hour program.  They talk boxing, answer questions, tell great stories, etc... Well, this Friday night's in studio guest is LUCIA RIJKER - the woman who played the Blue Bear in MILLION DOLLAR BABY.  Miss Rijker is a boxer/actress and she will obviously be talking a lot about MILLION DOLLAR BABY, Clint, Hilary Swank, and stories from the film.  You can even e-mail her a question that she might answer over the air.
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=1967098

Look, you might not be into boxing, but Lucia Rijker being interviewed and real women's boxing has to appeal to anyone who loved MILLION DOLLAR BABY.

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Eastwood News / Re: MILLION DOLLAR BABY comments (WARNING: SPOILERS ALLOWED)

« on: January 13, 2005, 09:29:24 PM »

This has been kicking around, but I haven't seen it yet here. (Apologies if someone else has raised this point and I missed it.)

Is MILLION DOLLAR BABY another one of the very few Clint films that Clint dies in? 

In other words -- does Clint commit suicide at the end of this film?

Some points that should be considered:

A. Before going off to the hospital to do what he does, Clint packs his bag not with one, but with a few needles.  Freeman's voice over says that one was enough to kill Maggie a number of times over.  Who are the other needles for?

B. the priest tells Clint if he does what he does there is no, no, NO way he can be saved.  Twenty-three years at mass couldn't give Clint the salvation he was looking for for his mistake with his daughter, he knows nothing will redeem or lift  him from the hell he is about to enter for what he has done to Maggie.  After what he does to Maggie Clint knows no God can grant him grace or peace on Earth (something he has been searching for for twenty-three years)  so what is left for him here on Earth?  Nothing left for him here but a tortured, condemned existence.

C.   I'm not even sure that I saw Clint in the diner, but the final scene at the diner was Clint's one last final supper.  The one place where Maggie seemed to have been most happy with her father -- eating that pie with her dad.  Clint going to the diner (if he was even there)and eating that heavenly pie was kind of like one last one for the road.

D. No more letters are sent to his daughter...Freeman has to write a final one.

D. Freeman's words "I never saw him again."

Yes, maybe he bought the diner and tried to find an inner peace, but  do you think a  character attending mass every day for twenty-three years wanting release and salvation could find it in a roadside diner?

The extra needles, no hope at a peaceful life, condemned by God, and Freeman saying Clint was gone for good is pretty good evidence to interpret the ending that Clint opts for suicide.

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Eastwood News / Re: Who saw MILLION DOLLAR BABY? (No spoilers)

« on: January 12, 2005, 03:15:52 PM »

Clyde-
please tell me you are going to read the book!

I was planning on picking up the book this weekend.  I didn't want to read it till after I saw the film; choice between spoiling the film experience or the reading experience, for this one I wanted to know absolutely nothing prior to seeing the film.

Thanks for the little push to make sure I pick up the book this weekend, GBHermosa.  No big fights this weekend so I'll just read about some fights.

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Eastwood News / Re: Who saw MILLION DOLLAR BABY? (No spoilers)

« on: January 12, 2005, 02:09:31 PM »

Ms. Swank is astonishing!  One of the greatest female characters in film.  So real, so wonderful.

I'm a crazed boxing fan and a mega Clint fan.  When I heard about this film -- WOW! -- boxing and Clint!

As far as a Clint films go -- it's not UNFORGIVEN, but one of his best.  A great, real film.

As far as boxing films go -- oh, man, they got everything about the sport dead right.  Well, almost dead right - -the guys in the gym  listening to the big fight on radio was way off (radio hasn't broadcast a live fight in forty years, let alone a women's fight); the size of the arenas were too small (blame the budget); and no HBO announcers (again blame the budget).  These were glaring, inexcusable errors for boxing fanatics. 

But other than those errors, as a sports fan and boxing fan MILLION DOLLAR BABY ranks as a top five sports movie of all time.  The heart, determination, the nowhere-else-to-go, the pain, the love that is in all form of sports, Eastwood captures perfectly.

Back to Ms. Swank.  If she does not win an Oscar for her portrayal of Maggie, well to use a boxing phrase, "She wuz robbed!"  Everything about her rang true -- her eyes focusing on the other characters, her body, her smile, her boxing ability.  Ms. Swank simply created this very real Maggie in body and soul.  You get an Oscar for that in my book.

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Eastwood News / Coogan's Bluff DVD

« on: February 26, 2004, 06:58:08 PM »

COOGAN'S BLUFF is finally arriving on DVD (region 1) in June.  Hooray!  This will be my 42nd DVD that stars Clint and will finally complete my Clint DVD collection.  (I know Clint starred in 43 films, but I will never add THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY to my Clint collection. I choose to construct  my own Clint filmography...as long as  MADISON COUNTY is  not on my shelf, Clint never made that film.)  Can't wait for June and COOGAN'S BLUFF.

Here's a link to COOGAN'S BLUFF on amazon:


LINK TO AMAZON.COM

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General Discussion / Re: References to Clint

« on: July 23, 2003, 11:40:27 AM »

Some early 80s British music mentioned Clint. (They must love him over there.)

First up, Adam and the Ants have a song called "Los Rancheros" where some of the lyrics are made up of Clint's movie titles ("For a few dollars more we'll hang 'em high") and the chorus of the song is simply "Clint...East-wood"!

Second, Big Audio Dynamite (a band formed by ex-Clash member Mick Jones after The Clash split) on their first album have a song called "Medicine Show" that samples
the entire dialogue from the scene in "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" when Clint turns Tuco over to the Sheriff to collect his bounty. It is funny to hear Clint's and Eli Wallach's voice in a song.  (Also in that song are some samples from "Duck, You Sucker.") It's obvious that Big Audio Dynamite must be big Clint fans because on that same album is a song called "Sudden Impact."

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Movie Night Discussion / Re:EVERY WHICH WAY: Business and Publicity 3: The Box Office

« on: July 14, 2003, 06:01:15 PM »

Ironically enough, this is one of those rare Clint films that my friends and I did not run out to go and see in the theaters.  The curiosity factor of Clint in a comedy with a monkey did not intrigue us at all.  In fact, it turned us off -- we wanted more Thunderbolt and Lightfoot!  I just figured EVERY WHICH WAY was in the SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT-CANNONBALL RUN vein.  And no it does not surprise me that Clint's film made tons of dough.  Those SMOKEY and CANNONBALL pictures were massive smashes that had great appeal to the NASCAR nation and I suppose EVERY WHICH WAY held that same appeal.

As far as publicity goes, when EVERY WHICH WAY came out, that monkey was EVERYWHERE!  Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, anytime you turned the tv on, you saw Clyde (or a sibling or two).  He was the hit of the talk show circuit with his trainer who always wore a tux (I don't recall his name) and their act would have my family and I laughing hysterically...yet I still wouldn't go out to see Clint's comedy.

I guess I blew it because a few months later it came to HBO and EVRY WAHICH WAY came to be one of my favorite Clint films.  I guess I should have been a little more independent, ignored my friends (and my own snobbish prejudice against "redneck humor") and just gone to the theater to see the film.  It's a great film and in no way is it surprising that it was a smash.

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General Discussion / Re:TAG, you're it!

« on: June 21, 2003, 05:32:07 PM »

Clyde: What is your favorite Eastwood character and why?

Clint's most interesting character is "Unforgiven's" William Munny.  At times caring and human and then a brutal savage.  Not many films present a character as wide-ranging as this.  Clint was able to make both ends of Munny's spectrum crystal clear.  A fantastic character done justice with an excellent potrayal.
P.S. Matt, thanks for the tip to the "Dollars" vs. "Yojimbo" board.


tag to...

Matt:  Hollywood's current way is sequels, remakes, or comic books.
a. Which Clint film that wasn't should have been "sequelized"?
b. Which Clint film would stand up for a remake?
c. Which Clint character could be the star of a daily newspaper comic strip?

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Previous Film Discussions / Re:A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS: The Story: 1. A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS vs. YOJIMBO

« on: June 21, 2003, 04:03:26 PM »

I'll try to be as brief as possible.

As others posts have noted, the similarities between "Dollars" and "Yojimbo" are shocking if you were to think that they were two separate films.  (I think there might have been a lawsuit between the two camps rightfully won by Kurosawa's camp.)  It would be pointless then to discuss the numerous similarities other
than by asking which would you prefer to see -- an original or a Xerox copy?  I can take my guitar and with my friends play Beatle songs note for note.  If I were to ask you which you would rather hear, my approximation or the Beatles, your answer would be obvious.  Leone has lifted entire scenes, dialogue, plot, characters from "Yojimbo" and any change is negligible.  It begs the question: Why not just watch the original?  Do you want to hear my Beatle songs?  I'm not opposed to remakes. "The Thing," "Heaven Can Wait," "Ben-Hur" are remakes that have added more to the original.  Leone simply refilmed "Yojimbo."  Heck, you or I can do that.  If I'm paying my eight dollars, giving you two hours of my time, give me something more than a rehash.

Secondly, Mifune's performance is one for the ages.  His Yojimbo has a just-something-to-do aura about it.  He is an aimless, unkempt, unshaven wanderer who begins his mayhem on this town because, well, it's just something to do.  On top of that, he seems to enjoy doing it.  There's a fantastic scene when Mifune sits high above the two gangs that he has set upon each other and he is just grinning and laughing.  He laughs at this masterpiece of folly and destruction that he has created.  A rogue who brings fear, terror, and mayhem to a town of grotesque fools for essentially no reason.
Just something to do.  I've never seen a character like this in film before.  Mifune has created a true original.  Clint seems to be an unmotivated force.  I really can't recall any sense of joy coming from Clint because of what he does in this film.  He's somewhat like the High Plains Drifter here, but at least in "Drifter" we get a motivation for the character's unleashing of Hell.  Greed seems to be the motivating force in the other Leone/Clint westerns, but in "Dollars" Clint just comes across as a device to unleash the action -- much like a hurricane or tornado.  Maybe I should watch "Dollars" again, but Clint's character, however cool he may look and act, is really nothing too special.

One final point.  Although Leone seems to have lifted everything from "Yojimbo," for some inexplicable reason he has left off that which is "Yojimbo's" true treasure -- its opening.  Kurosawa opens his action film with Mifune wandering aimlessly until he comes upon a fork in a road. Mifune scratches his face, picks up a nearby branch, tosses it into the air, and when it lands, he lets it decide which path in the fork to follow.  It is this scene that takes "Yojimbo" to the level of, dare I say it, an artistic masterpiece.  Fate, destiny, choice, free will.  Which is the way to go?  One is reminded of Frost's famous poem of the road not taken and therein lies all the difference in one's life.  Viewers of "Yojimbo" can ask themselves "Suppose that branch pointed to the other path? What would have happened to these people's lives? Do we have choices or are our fates and destinies as capricious as a stick falling to the ground?"  Serious questions from a serious (yet at the same time fun and action filled) film.  I can't recall Clint's arrival into town, and the fact that I can't recall it seems to prove that he is used more as a device to further the action in an entertaining action film. He is certainly not used to raise questions of life's choices or fate.

There are other little treats in Kurosawa's film (the dog carrying the severed hand in his mouth, the knife vs. gun, the music) that are sadly absent from Leone's film.  Look, I have nothing against Leone.  His "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly" is far better than many Kurosawa films.  I guess it took Leone and Clint a few films together before they finally really clicked -- much in the same way it took Kurosawa and Mifune.  It seems Leone and Clint did much better when they weren't trying to imitate the enormous talents of Kurosawa and Mifune.

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General Discussion / Re:TAG, you're it!

« on: June 20, 2003, 01:27:53 PM »

Answering two tags.

#1. Clyde - If you could choose any item in any Eastwood film to own, which would it be and why?

Of course it would have to be the poncho.  I know that film critic Gene Siskel owned Travolta's white suit from "Saturday Night Fever" and Dorothy's ruby slippers from Oz are a prized possession of someone, but Clint's poncho is more of an icon than these and most other film memorabilia.  It sure would be something to own.  Besides, on Halloween I've gone to parties as Groucho Marx, Napoleon, and assorted pirates, but I know I'd win first prize if that poncho was in my possession.
Other than the poncho, I wouldn't mind owning the Firefox -- traffic on the roads is hellish where I live.


#2. Clyde - What other Eastwood film do you think you have grown to like more after more than one viewing?

Probably "A Fistful Of Dollars" is a film that I've come to appreciate more upon further viewings.  I'm the biggest
Kurosawa fan there is and a fan of "Yojimbo" and I had a hard time separating Clint's remake from the original.
First time I watched "A Fistful of Dollars" I was constantly saying to myself, "Kurosawa pulled that off better...Mifune played that better."  Plus "Fistful" is the weaker of the Leone trilogy so I just dismissed it as a poor imitation of something better.  I think I've moved past those feelings, and I no longer have any distaste for it at all.  I still feel it's weak in comparison to "Yojimbo" and the other Leone westerns, but I do now feel it is a pretty good film.

two tags:

mgk: Here's a twist on one of your tags.  You're throwing a dinner party for three.  Which two characters from a Clint film do you invite over to have dinner with?

bcm: I'm curious.  For someone who said in a post that "westerns are not a part of my cultural background," I'd sure like to know what do you think of Clint's westerns?  Do you prefer them over other westerns?  Do you prefer Clint's non-westerns? The larger question, however, is how can westerns (with their basic themes of loyalty, courage, duty, honor, friendship, and love for freedom) not be a part of one's cultural background?  (I apologize in advance for this being a none too simple yes or no tag.)

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General Discussion / Re:TAG, you're it!

« on: June 08, 2003, 04:00:31 PM »

Clyde: which Eastwood movie would you like to watch in the theater/cinema (again)? Please explain your choice.


One of the most enjoyable Clint film going experiences for me was going to see IN THE LINE OF FIRE.  First reason being it's a very good film.  The second reason I
would like to revisit this film in the theater again was that I felt this movie attracted a different audience.  In the theater I noticed it wasn't filled out with just Clint Eastwood fans -- there were young people in the audience and you could almost sense that they didn't really know who that old guy on the screen was.  They were just there to see a movie that had great word of mouth and was very entertaining.  It was kind of nice for me to experience a Clint flick with a generation who
is unfamiliar with Clint. Many Clint films I've seen in the theater were mostly viewed by guys with their friends. IN THE LINE OF FIRE I felt crossed over to different segments in our society and it made going to the theater a little more magical. I'd like to experience that again.

tag to:

CalGal: If you could show one Clint movie to someone who has never seen a Clint movie before,  which would it be and why?

Mr. Pants: Many Clint fans groan at even the mention of Clint's two monkey movies.  What do you feel about  Clint's highly successful  "Which Way" films?

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Previous Film Discussions / Re:A PERFECT WORLD: Audience Reaction: 2. Does It Grow on You?

« on: May 30, 2003, 07:31:14 PM »

This is one of those Clint films that my friends had no interest in seeing, so off I went to the theater with a girlfriend to see "A Perfect World."  Sadly, we both left disappointed in the film.

I suppose the main reason for the letdown was the rave reviews this film had received.  There was quite a buzz about this new film so expectations were extremely high, but ultimately the film didn't deliver.

Why? This reason doesn't apply to viewing the film now, but it did back in 1993 - both Clint and Kevin Costner
were at the peaks of their careers.  When I sat down in the theater to view "A Perfect World", Clint was just coming off the masterpice "Unforgiven" and Costner was the actor of day. He was riding an unbelievable string of either critical or box office successes - "Dances With Wolves," 'Robin Hood," "JFK," "The Bodyguard"
all right in a row! I remember seeing "A Pefect World" more as a Kevin Costner film than a Clint film.  The way Tom Hanks is today, Kevin Costner was that ten years ago. (Maybe that's why my friends had no interest in seeing "A Perfect World" - it wasn't the new Clint film,
it was more Kevin Costner's new movie.)

Well, with the pairing of Oscar winning Clint and super hot Costner, I was awaiting the Second Coming.  This was going to be the movie of the decade.....With those great expectations is it any wonder I left the theater a tad disappointed? (I should also add that the theater was quite empty with an older crowd; no young people  to give a buzz throughout the audience like there was for "In The Line Of Fire.")

Having just watched the film again, this time without any expectations (I knew what I would be getting this time), I find the film plays better.  The pace is comfortable, Costner is particularly fine, and I can accept Clint in a small supporting role (I had a hard time doing that ten years ago. If a Clint film was released, and I was paying good money to see it,  I wanted Clint!!)  It is kind of nice to be able to revisit a film and find it more enjoyable.  

First time out, "A Perfect World" didn't deliver the goods due to very high expectations. The only other Clint films that I recall a strong buzz prior to their release were "Sudden Impact", due to the return of Dirty Harry, and Clint's return to westerns "Pale Rider."
Not many other Clint films as of late create a stir and maybe that's a good thing -- just see the movie unprejudiced and let the film work (or not work) its spell over you.

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General Discussion / Re:How did everyone come to like Clint Eastwood?

« on: May 22, 2003, 01:46:24 PM »

Eustressor said it best - growing up, Clint always seems to have been part of our culture.  The same applies to my experiences and how I came to be a fan of Clint Eastwood films - Clint and his films have always been there.

Two films seemed to always have been on television when I was young - "Where Eagles Dare" and "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." How can you watch these films and not think the star is one of the coolest actors?

But it was in the mid 70s when our neighborhood got
cable tv and HBO which really led to a love of Clint's films.  You've got to remember, when cable first started it was an unbelievable experience to get hooked up - -
we were now going to get uncensored films without
commercials in our living room. Remember those medieval days before DVDs and VHS?  Well now we
could see films that we didn't get to see in theaters
the way they were supposed to be seen; not the way ABC's Sunday Night Movie wanted us to see them.

Well HBO in those early days seemed to be showing
"Thundebolt And Lightfoot" twice a night every night of the week!  The novelty of cable drew me to this R-rated
film and it seemed every guy in my high school was watching this film as much as I was.  (Let's face it -
"Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" is the perfect movie for high school guys - cursing, guns, hot girls, fights, stolen cars -
it seemed my entire high school was in love with and swept up by this film.) We were snared. Me, my friends, hell it seemed my entire town, were qouting Clint, acting like Clint, and just loving Clint.

After that, it was only natural that my friends and I would venture out to see whatever Clint film was released in the theaters.  Whatever the film was, you'd
go and see the new Clint film with your friends - - and
I've got to say, we were rarely disappointed.  I realize now that Clint had true box office power -- Clint could get people into the theater just by having his name on a film.

There were a few Clint films we missed, but going to see the new Clint film truly became mind blowing when I plunked down my money for "Unforgiven."  I walked out of that theater stunned.
Clint put together one of cinema's greatest films.

A new Clint film is still something to look forward to,
however the last film I saw of his in the theater was
"Absolute Power" - I feel kind of sad that not all of his films as of late can grab me like those films of yesterday.

However DVD, like HBO in the 70s, is bringing back the joy of seeing Clint films.  I am so thrilled that anytime I want to I can sit down and watch a Clint Eastwood film.
Maybe I'll watch "Thunderbolt And Lightfoot" tonight -- I'm long out of high school, but I still love the cursing,
guns, hot girls, fights, and stolen cars from that film.  I
hope I always will.

20

General Discussion / Re: How complete is your Eastwood movie collection?

« on: May 21, 2003, 05:27:26 PM »

Nightwing, my distaste for "Madison County" basically
stems from a strong distaste for the oh-so-popular
book it is based on. I really can't give you any other reason, but I really thought that book set our best seller lists back a thousand years.  I see  nothing wrong with books that capture a mass audience, but do you remember how this book was held up as some sort of
feminist's  Magna Carta?  This book was given so much
weight and relevance by the people I know who read it,
and I saw it as a blight on my beloved NY Times best
seller list.  I'm half-joking with that last statement,
but I'm also half serious.  Anyway, when I heard Clint
was going to be the one to bring this to the screen, I
was deeply saddened. Please, not this one, Clint!!!
He did, and I suppose I really never gave the film any chance at all because of my feelings for the  novel.