American Sniper: Reviews and Features in the Media (Includes Awards News and Features)

[AKA23]

From the Le Figaro article excerpted earlier:

[Chaillet:] What recent films have you enjoyed?

Eastwood: I enjoyed Whiplash. Because of the jazz music, obviously, but also for the young actor Miles Teller, excellent and credible.

I'm with Clint. I enjoyed "Whiplash" a lot. It was probably my favorite movie of 2014. I was rooting for it to win a whole bunch of awards, but I was pretty confident that it wouldn't, and, it didn't

[KC]

Whiplash was nominated for five Oscars, and won three. That's not enough for you?

[Gant]

Eastwood shoulda played Fletcher.... the abusive music teacher..

[Dan Dassow]

Eastwood shoulda played Fletcher.... the abusive music teacher..

Gant, I'm certain that Mr. Eastwood would have done a credible job playing Fletcher, since he's done an excellent job in similar roles. Unfortunately, since he has done such a great job in the past playing such roles the shock of him slapping the student would not have been as intense. J.K. Simmons is known to play nice guys who tend to be a bit cranky. I suspect that few people familiar with Mr. Simmons' career would have expected the intensity of his portrayal. J.K. Simmons was the right person for the part. I am happy that he has finally received they recognition that he so richly deserves.

[The Man With No Aim]

The movie as it was cast, turned out very well indeed.

But, the mind reels contemplating what our main man Clint would have done with the role! 

O to sleep and perchance dream!


Manwith

[exit00]

J.K. Simmons is known to play nice guys who tend to be a bit cranky. I suspect that few people familiar with Mr. Simmons' career would have expected the intensity of his portrayal.

If you haven't seen Simmons in the HBO series OZ, you will see one of the cruelest, meanest, intense, psychotic characters ever.  Not nice at all.  Oz was the first thing I ever saw Simmons in... and he's great on that show.

I don't know about Clint playing the instructor in Whiplash... one of his grimace looks at the kid drummer would have destroyed him! 

[Christopher]

Whiplash was nominated for five Oscars, and won three. That's not enough for you?

And if I'm not mistaken, the big winners, Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel, each won four. So no movie really dominated the awards, though Birdman won a couple of the so called bigger prizes.

[Gant]

I was kinda kidding about Clint in Whiplash but it was fun to contemplate it... Has Clint ever played psychotic before ?
j.K.Simmons was superb in the role tho I thought the kid was equally as good... Whiplash was my fave movie of the year. Jazz and drums, a sure fire winner

[AKA23]

Whiplash was nominated for five Oscars, and won three. That's not enough for you?

I was rooting for it to win Best Screenplay and Best Picture and it lost both of those, but like Christopher said, they kind of spread the awards around this year, so no film really dominated. I was happy Simmons won Best Supporting Actor. "Whiplash" did win editing, but I actually thought that Joel Cox and Gary Roach should have won editing for "American Sniper." It was a very well edited movie.

[exit00]

I was kinda kidding about Clint in Whiplash but it was fun to contemplate it... Has Clint ever played psychotic before ?

Maybe with Tightrope, Clint came the closest to playing psychotic to some degree. Or maybe when Warner Bros. thought Clint was psychotic when he wanted to star opposite an orangutan. 

[AKA23]

At the following link, there's a short audio interview (complete with transcript) with Eastwood. He mentions that he's started to read scripts again, and has a few good possibilities for his next project.

http://www.scpr.org/programs/the-frame/2015/03/10/41893/clint-eastwood-is-glad-american-sniper-is-an-alter/

[Gant]

Glad to hear this... More than ever Im keen to see what subject Clint tackles next..