Messages

1

The Dirty Harry Films / Re: RC Car Chase in The Dead Pool

« on: July 05, 2016, 06:40:22 PM »

It's no longer unanimous!

I hate this scene, but at the same time, I like it. It belongs in a parody film, and we can't have the Dirty Harry series ending with a parody of itself. Think about how this entry in the series degenerated, if you compare it to the original Dirty Harry. You went from a realistic story, bone-chilling psycho killer, gritty scenes, a cop who's had it with life and the system - who can stand in front of a killer with a gun and dare them to shoot him, to running from a toy car. You have an impossible situation -- the driver of the toy car managing to steer the car through streets before he can even see them, and also steer the RC car while steering his own car, when Harry can barely manage to navigate his own car through those same streets.

Yes, it's funny -- if it were a parody film. But, not for the Dirty Harry series, and that's how I cast my vote.

But I wanted to see what others thought, because I know a lot of people really like this scene. So, if you want to defend why it's the best scene in the movie, let's hear it! 

I agree.

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The Dirty Harry Films / Re: Time between Dirty Harry and Magnum Force?

« on: February 15, 2016, 12:49:55 PM »

Didn't Harry throw his badge in the sea at the end of Dirty Harry? With my old man trick memory I am not too sure of anything any more. That gesture indicated to me that Harry had some really important issue about continuing to be a cop. An issue of such gravity that it would not be settled in just one day and 98 minutes.

I can easily imagine that it would have taken Harry every bit of two years to resolve the issue and get back into the groove of being a righteously aggressive cop, as he was in Magnum Force.


Man

True.  There are so many possibilities, but nothing for certain. 

3

The Dirty Harry Films / Re: Time between Dirty Harry and Magnum Force?

« on: February 14, 2016, 09:23:07 PM »

It's been a long time since I watched the two back to back, but I don't recall there is any indication of a difference in "story time" and "actual time." Is there something in the storyline that makes you think it might have taken place immediately after the events of Dirty Harry, or less than two years later?

It's tough to tell.  i always assumed that two years had passed, but I know that some sequels pick up immediately after the last, such as the early Rocky movies.  Harry answers to a new Lt. and Harry is not working Homicide in the beginning thanks to Briggs.  Perhaps Harry has had time to have an incident that caused Briggs to put him on stakeout, unless he has been on it for two years, which could also be possible. 

The thing that leads me to believe a shorter time period has passed is when the uniform police are taking bets on how long Smith will stay alive being Harry's partner.   It appears Smith is a new partner, which means Harry has been without a partner for two years if it's in real time, which seems unusual. 

4

The Dirty Harry Films / Time between Dirty Harry and Magnum Force?

« on: February 14, 2016, 11:56:01 AM »

I believe there was two years between the release of Dirty Harry and Magnum Force.  Was there an indication of how much time was supposed to have elapsed in the story?  Was it assumed two years or sooner. 

5

Off-Topic Discussion / How long to reach theaters

« on: January 25, 2016, 01:48:20 PM »

I'm looking to the movie experts for the answers to a few questions:

On average, how long does it take from the first day of shooting for a movie to reach theaters?  This is assuming the movie has no special effects. 

Once it is decided that a movie will be made, how long does the planning process take before shooting can even begin? 

I realize all movies are different, but I'm just looking for ballpark figures, and again, for movies with no major special effects.

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Clint Eastwood Westerns / Re: Pale Rider 30th Anniversary

« on: January 22, 2016, 03:39:35 PM »

I remember sitting in the theater when the trailer came on.  I couldn't wait to see it.  I loved it from the first watch.  I won't even try to explain why, but I loved it.  I'll bet I've seen it 100 times over the years.

7

Off-Topic Discussion / Re: How do some movies make money?

« on: January 20, 2016, 02:26:00 PM »

Many don't make money. But a movie can earn back its costs in DVD sales and rentals. 

The movie you're referring to is actually called Bone Tomahawk and it will probably earn back its money on the strength of Kurt Russell. They may have bypassed the theatrical release to try to cash in on The Hateful Eight, which also stars Kurt Russell. (That's just a guess.) I wouldn't be surprised if this movie becomes a bit of a cult classic down the road. How did you hear about it?

 I watched it on VUDU.  I hadn't heard anything about it until I looked there.  I like westerns, so I decided to give it a shot.  It was listed as western/horror.  I thought it was pure western until near the end.  Some of the cannibal activities at the end were a little too yucky for my taste, but otherwise, I really enjoyed it. 

I assume Kurt Russell must have done this for a very small salary.

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Off-Topic Discussion / How do some movies make money?

« on: January 20, 2016, 12:50:31 PM »

I recently watched "Tomahawk Bone," a western/horror with Kurt Russell from 2015.  I thought it was a good movie.  Kurt Russell did a great job, and it looked good; in other words, it didn't look like it was filmed in someone's back yard with a cheap camera.  I noticed, however,  that it has only made $24,231 with limited release.  How in the world does a movie like that even begin to make a profit, and why was it not released to a wider audience?  I've noticed there are other movies like this too.

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General Discussion / Re: Clint is 6'4 ?

« on: February 23, 2015, 09:08:13 AM »

I saw a picture from the Oscars of Clint standing by Bradley Cooper.  Clint looked slightly shorter than Cooper, and Cooper is listed as 6'1".

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Eastwood News / Re: American Sniper: Production Information and News (Includes Box Office News)

« on: January 25, 2015, 06:27:14 AM »

I decided last night that I would go see American Sniper.  I checked show times at my local theater which has 7 show-rooms, and I noticed that "American Sniper" was showing in two rooms at the same time.  I didn't give it much thought, so I drove to the theater, and the parking lot seemed unusually packed.  I entered from behind, so I didn't see the front door until I got out and walked around.  I was stunned to see a double line out the door.  After standing there a few minutes, someone walked out and said, "American Sniper is sold out."  The people groaned a little and walked away. 

I didn't experience that even when I saw the Avengers or Hunger games, so this movie must be on fire. 

11

General Discussion / Re: What was the last Eastwood film you watched?

« on: January 02, 2015, 08:49:07 AM »

Escape From Alcatraz.

I always loved this one when it was shown on tv a dozen times a year in the early 80s. 

12

General Discussion / Re: Million Dollar Baby 10th Anniversary

« on: January 02, 2015, 08:37:40 AM »

Wow, I didn't realize it had been ten years.  I saw it at theaters when it opened.  I recognize it as a good movie, but not one of my favorites.  This may be a weakness of mine, but I guess I prefer Clint kicking butt, I guess that's why Gran Torino is one of my favorites in his later films.

Someone else mentioned liking it more after watching it again.  This is something else I've noticed about me and Clint's later films.  It's as though I have to watch them multiple times to absorb everything and really appreciate them.  I don't know if it's due to how he make a film in later years, or just my aging brain.  Believe it or not, I wasn't a huge fan of "Unforgiven" the first time I saw it, but after seeing it a few more times, it's one of my favorites. 

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General Discussion / Re: Clint's acting ability

« on: December 30, 2014, 01:32:36 PM »

This is a fun tread to read. It got me thinking about Eastwoods best acting roles vs. my personal favorites of his roles. Clint's acting in Tightrope was great as it has been mentioned in this thread and his acting in Heartbreak Ridge is not near the talent that he performed in Tightrope. Ask me which film I can watch again and again. It is Heartbreak Ridge because I just love that film as over the top as it might be. We have seen him in dramas, thrillers and westerns and some dramas with elements of comedy. I will say this again that I would love to see Clint as a villain in a horror film. I think he would be great.

I agree.  I think with any kind of entertainment, technical ability and appeal aren't always the same thing, and who is to say which is most important.  For example, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan wouldn't win on American idol or The Voice, but they sure did have a lot of appeal that gave them a great, long career above others who may have actually had better singing ability. 

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Off-Topic Discussion / Re: How much is a decent box-office?

« on: December 27, 2014, 12:58:27 PM »

No ideas?  This is the only movie related forum I'm on, so I'm sure the other forums I'm on would be useless to ask this question.

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Off-Topic Discussion / How much is a decent box-office?

« on: December 25, 2014, 04:22:15 PM »

In this day and time, how much would you say a movie has to make at the box=office to at least be memorable and for it to be considered a decent take?  I realize that if a movie's budget is $300,000,000 and it grosses $100,000,000 it's not good, or if it's budget was $25,000,000, and it grosses $75,000,000, it was a success.  But, regardless of budget, isn't there an amount that one can say enough people saw it that it was a decent film?  After all, what average person keeps up with profit?

I have always wondered this, but I recently looked at a list on the MSN page titled, "15 Movies You Already Forgot About."  I have listed a few with domestic and world-wide gross in millions: "The Monuments Men" ($78, $155),  "Hercules," ($72, $243),  and "Into the Storm," ($47, $156).  I realize none of those are Titanics, and they may not have made back the budget, althought i believe "The Monuments men" did, isn't that decent?  How much does a movie have to make to be memorable? 

Except for the Ocean's movies, George Clooney, for example, rarely breaks $100 mil with his pictures,  and he is considered one of the biggest movie stars around.  So, how does all this work?

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General Discussion / Re: What was the last Eastwood film you watched?

« on: December 18, 2014, 08:11:18 PM »

LOL! Yes!

Lately I have watched, for the first time, several Clint films off of the dvd, but had only seen them before on broadcast tv. A lot of differences!

Josey and Unforgiven are easy to put in high places in my book, too. It can really cheer me up to see Josey Wales overcome all of his enemies. Uhhh, Will Munny did it too, didn't he?

I have been noticing that your icon is Preacher in Pale Rider. What you think about that film?


Manwith   

Pale Rider is not only one of my favorite Eastwood films, it's one of my favorite films of all time.  When I wrote that Josey Wales was a close second, I almost erased and include Pale Rider; I believe I have praised it here before.  It's difficult to describe why I like it so much; I've probably seen it 100 times since it's release. 

I originally saw it as a teenager.  It had been a while since Clint had made a western.  Pale Rider was pure Clint.  He was kicking but, it had the feel of a great western, and he was kicking but. that did it for me.

Some may find it unusual that I like it so much.  It's not the masterpiece that Unforgiven is, but it was just smooth flowing, not too long or short, and pure Clint.  I love it.

17

General Discussion / Re: What was the last Eastwood film you watched?

« on: December 15, 2014, 03:34:49 PM »

Sounds like a guy that has got his hands to grab some good film enjoyment.

What did you think about them?


Manwith

Except for Thunderbolt, I've seen all of them many times.  Thunderbolt was good, but not a favorite.  I absolutely love Josey Wales and Dirty Harry.   I think that if Unforgiven was his best western, Josey Wales is a close second for me.    I got my first exposure to these when they were shown on tv all the time in the late 70s and early 80s.  It's interesting to see the scenes that were deleted and language that was edited for tv.   Some of the things the head biker said in EWWBL and AWWYC is hilarious unedited.

18

General Discussion / Re: What was the last Eastwood film you watched?

« on: December 14, 2014, 06:39:48 PM »

I've been on a roll lately.  In the last couple of weeks, I've watched, in order:

Dirty Harry
The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Enforcer
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
Every Which Way But Loose
Any Which Way You Can

Sounds like a guy with time on his hands doesn't it?

19

Clint Eastwood Westerns / Re: When did the Spaghettis become iconic?

« on: December 06, 2014, 02:01:28 PM »

Having lived in Europe as a teen when all 3 Leone Clint-westerns came out, I can distinctly remember that Clint was a huge star in Europe when those movies were seen.  I also remember like it was yesterday, that when I first saw Fistful of Dollars, Clint immediately became my movie hero.  I remember seeing all 3 of these movies multiple times at the theatre back then. As with most great classic movies, the 3 westerns became "classic" at some later time rather than when they first came out.  People knew however that they were seeing a star and a movie style that they had never seen before after watching these films.

Interesting.  Were you familiar with Clint from Rawhide, or were the trilogy films your first exposure to him?

20

Clint Eastwood Westerns / Re: When did the Spaghettis become iconic?

« on: December 01, 2014, 08:02:08 PM »

Well, the best I can reconstruct my young days many years ago today, ......When I saw Dirty Harry in its first-run in 'bout 71 or whenever, in the first few minutes, in the confrontation between Fallen Thug and Harry, I recognized remarkable acting ability and star quality in Clint Eastwood. I really enjoyed seeing him act. I suppose that you could say that made him a potential icon for me, although I never did, and, don't now, place too much stock in idolizing media personalities.

So, back in the day, I was not especially looking for any media personality to idolize. But when I did happen to see my first spag. wes., porbly Few Dollars More, I was subconsciously imprinted on appreciating Clint as an actor and appreciating his screen persona as a role model.

Harry and Manwith have a few common characteristics which appeal strongly to people who want to have lives that are free, peaceful, safe, not subjugated by the attacks of crooks. Harry and Manwith are defending heroes. They are meaner and more powerful than the crooks. BUT IN THE NAME OF HONEST PEOPLE HAVING PEACEFUL AND SAFE LIVES.

So, in summation, Dirty Harry, the hero,  set me up for my later seeing, out of time, the earlier spag. wes.s and recognizing the beloved heroic icons represented in both the Harry movies and the Trilogy.

Why not Hang Em High? Because, Jed Cooper was on a leash. He was not as MEAN in the pursuit  of righteous justice as was Harry or Manwith. The primal sense of just revenge runs strong in the blood of most humans who call themselves civilized. The Lion Of Judah and the Buddha and the old Paiyute Wovoka,  say "turn another cheek", but most of us want "an eye for an eye, and, a tooth for a tooth". So we respond strongly to the strong and ruthless meanness of Harry or Manwith to obtain "a tooth for a tooth". The strong righteousness meanness becomes iconic.

To say it again(?) the Trilogy became iconic for me when I first recognized the same righteous meanness in Manwith that I first saw in Harry.


Manwith

I appreciate the response and your personal experience.   Are you saying that your experience probably reflects when they became bigger to everyone; the popularity of Dirty Harry is what did it?