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Posts Tagged ‘Clint Eastwood’
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
Click the title below to read the individual reviews of the films:
A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS
FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
“This short cigar belongs to a man with no name. This long gun belongs to a man with no name. This poncho belongs to a man with no name. He’s going to trigger a whole new style in adventure.”
This was a tagline created by some uncredited advertiser for FISTFUL OF DOLLARS after it had already been wrapped. Thus starting a legendary character and bringing attention to a great filmmaker in Italian Director Sergio Leone and his infamous Spaghetti Westerns.
Ironically, The Man With No Name actually has a few names. In FISTFUL OF DOLLARS he is referred to as “Joe” however, it was never stated officially. In FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE his name is “Monco,” which is deleted out in the American cut to uphold the mystery. And in THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY he is referred to as “Blondie” throughout the picture. All three films combined are hugely successful for three powerful reasons: Actor Clint Eastwood, Composer Ennio Morricone and Director Sergio Leone
I’m gonna start with “The Man” himself, Clint Eastwood, who took the job strictly for a free trip to Italy and Spain. The film had hardly any budget so Clint brought his own costume for his character, which was used for all three films. He took his wardrobe to his motel in the evening because there were no duplicates. If one ever went missing there would be one major continuity problem. Clint also fought to have lines taken away to make his character more mysterious. His wise instinct at an early age into filmmaking and likeable quiet strength as the least bad guy in a bad guy world, helped propel him to stardom and his character into one of the most iconic of all time.
Ennio Morricone’s music in all three films is exquisite. Each film has it’s own anthem that I challenge you not to hum after watching any of them. They are fun and catchy while pushing the gunslinging action and intensity. The upgrade in audio brings the gun fights and music to life. THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY still has one of the most recognizable scores in the history of film.
Sergio Leone is definitely one of the most influential directors. He was very creative and deliberate with every shot and angle. His style, while may not be loved by everyone, can be used as a valuable learning tool. Any aspiring filmmaker would be wise to pick up this set and watch the features. The use of camera and editing with minimal dialogue and heavy score is undeniably unique. It is no wonder that many directors today respect and cherish many scenes from these pictures.
The Blu-Ray transfer is simply amazing. The low budget pictures only got bigger and better with each one due to the originality and talent in Sergio Leone and the charismatic tough man in Clint Eastwood. This is one of the most complete compilations that have graced Blu-Ray. If you are not familiar with the movies you’re introduction to them should be here. The new format vastly improves the film from its original poor production quality. If you are a fan of these films in any way you will immediately want to purchase this set. There is not a single item missing and every feature adds insight that is worthwhile. THE MAN WITH NO NAME TRILOGY goes beyond anything you could possibly want to know about the film.
Tags: Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volonte, Lee Van Cleef, sergio leone
Posted in Reviews |
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
The third and final installment Sergio Leone’s Man With No Name trilogy is by far and away the best. You can really see why other great filmmakers love this picture. We have three main protagonists and while they are labeled The Ugly- Tuco (Eli Wallach), The Bad- Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) and The Good- Blondie (Clint Eastwood), I assure you they are all bad. In fact, we get the most back-story on The Ugly so while he might be the dirtiest, we find ourselves rooting for him at times. It’s an interesting perspective to give the audience three men to root for when none of them are good. Yes, Eastwood’s mysterious collected strength wins our hearts but really we are put in the position to root for the lesser of three evils.
Tuco, a wanted man with a bounty on his head, has teamed up with Blondi, a drifting gunslinger, to make a few dollars cheating the system off Tuco’s bounty. Blondie cuts the bond and Tuco makes it his mission to cause Blondie to suffer. Angel Eyes, a bounty hunter who always finishes a job that he’s paid for, is looking for a man that knows the whereabouts of a hidden treasure. That same man is killed but before he dies gives Tuco the location of a gravesite and Blondie the name of the tomb the money is buried under. The two once again make an untrusting partnership to find the gold. Angel Eyes discovers their knowledge and forces the two men to lead him to the gold as well. The three nemeses find themselves needing each other but looking for the right time to betray one another. Set against the Civil War backdrop their journey crosses paths with many interesting characters and scenarios.
The musical score is the strongest in this picture and Sergio wisely uses it often rather than the dialogue to push the picture along. It should be noted that THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY is nearly three hours long and most of it is Leone’s directing choice to let the camera linger on action or show many cuts of the same scene. While I thought the style was a bit much in FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE, it’s done to perfection here and actually more often. Many action directors today use slow motion on the action to draw out the final moment. Sergio Leone instead has his final action very quickly but draws out the moment leading up to it. You might say it’s his own version of slow motion. The final three-way shoot off at the end is intensely mesmerizing and a perfect example of Leone’s style. I guarantee anyone who comes across this moment on screen will be unable to look away and have to finish the picture.
I am truly fascinated with the depth and elaborate story telling of this picture compared to the rest. Sure some of it may be unnecessary but it all makes for an entertaining, heart-pounding great time. I see more and more of the influence this picture has on many of my favorite films.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: (Widescreen 2.35:1) A terrific Blu-ray transfer. I am giving leeway to the fact that the original does not look near as good and you will be able to see the difference.
Audio: (5.1 DTS-HD) Again, like all of Sergio’s spaghetti westerns, he films without sound then dubs it over. Obviously there will be problem with the spoken audio but the Blu-ray does everything possible to improve the issue. The sound affects and score are top notch.
Audio Commentary from Film Historian Richard Schickel: A detailed look into the film from the biographer for Clint Eastwood films. Schickel’s voice is a bit drone but he does get tickled at some of the scenes.
Audio Commentary from Christopher Frayling: A detailed look into the film from the biographer for Sergio Leone. Of the two I enjoy listening to Frayling more but both give excellent historical, technical and random information in their commentary as true fans of the film.
Leone’s West (19:55): Interviews with the cast and crew discussing the location and Sergio’s directing style. You get pieces of interviews from some of the features in the previous films but this is still interesting nonetheless.
The Leone Style (23:48): Many of the cast and crew are interviewed again about Sergio’s lengthy scenes and how they affected the feel for the film and have influence others filmmakers. They also discuss how he worked with the cast. I highly recommend this feature.
The Man Who Lost The Civil War (14:23): A short documentary that chronicles the true conflict during the Civil War battles, that provides the background during the treasure hunt of our three lead characters.
Reconstructing The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (11:08): This is extremely fascinating, explaining what the technical process was just to restore all the films, so they look and sound better. They found old footage and added or re-edited to help continuity. They even went so far as to having Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach redub some of their lines. Most Impressive.
Il Maestro: Ennio Morricone and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly- Part One (7:47): Jon Burlingame gives an in depth interview about how influential and important the score is to the film.
Il Maestro: Ennio Morricone and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly- Part Two (12:26): Music Scholar Jon Burlingame gives his analysis of Morricone’s brilliant score. This time it’s sort of a verbal essay over the music. This is strictly an audio feature but fascinating nonetheless giving a history of Morricone and Leone’s relationship.
Deleted Scenes (10:19): Two scenes the first is an extension of the Tucco Torture Scene, which goes on way too long. The second is a reconstruction of The Socorro Sequence, which is never seen in the film. They only have snippets so short cuts and images are put together as words are describing what would be happening. It’s like a book for the scene.
Trailer (6:48): Theatrical and French trailer. Both trailers mix up “The Bad” and “The Ugly” characters.
Tags: Blu-ray, Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Gian, Lee Van Cleef, movie reviews, sergio leone
Posted in Blu-Ray Reviews, Reviews |
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
In the second installment, director Sergio Leone is given more money, directly causing the quality to jump up quite a bit. He is beginning to feel more confident and therefore stretches out his scenes lingering on the exact look that he wants to achieve. While the length might seem unnecessary in some places, FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE is definitely beautiful and inspiring to many films and filmmakers who will follow.
The film opens with Col. Douglas Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef), a bounty hunter with an arsenal of weapons stored away on his horse. Dressed in black, his tall demeanor matches that of No Name but his cocky smirk contrasts Eastwood’s keen squint. Mortimer’s patience and accurate shots with his James Bond-ish gadgets make him a deadly bounty hunter. Then we are introduced to Manco (Clint Eastwood). Yes, he does have a name in this extended installment. His mysterious calm demeanor along with his familiar cigar and poncho walks into a saloon and quickly guns down four bad guys. He too is a dangerous bounty hunter. Finally, we are introduced to the evil that is Indio (Gian Maria Volonte). With his maniacal laugh, he is definitely meant to portray a psychotic, willing to kill anyone from his own gang to women and children. He eases his pain, by hallucinating from the affects of pot. Yes that is correct, smoking marijuana is thought to make him more evil and crazy. Our two bounty hunters go after Indio and his gang individually then decide to team up to prevent a spaghetti western OCEAN’S ELEVEN style bank heist. The two are hesitant to trust each other and one secretly has different motives other than the bounty.
Although FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE sounds like a sequel it’s more of another film in the same style as the first. It is a different storyline but has some of the same actors who are not necessarily the same character. I mean the actor who played the villain in the first is playing the villain here but obviously as a different character because he along with all the villains die. The film actually belongs to Eastwood and Van Cleef and I would argue in a lot of ways the film actually belongs to Van Cleef’s Mortimer. He seems to have more screen time and back-story, but then again what makes The Man With No Name so great is the less we know about him, which is due to Eastwood’s understated performance.
Once again the casting and camera work is phenomenal. This time around every character has a strong unique face that Sergio is unafraid to closely frame. Volonte is a little over-the-top as the villain but Eastwood and Van Cleef really seem to grasp the look of their character trusting the less is more attitude. The visual look of the film along with the score by Ennio Morrocone is once again magnificent.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: (2.35:1 Widescreen) Another decent transfer capturing the beautiful cinematography.
Audio: (5.1 DTS-HD) The gunshots and music are terrific, however, once again the dubbing of the voices is a little off but again, that was how the film was shot.
The Christopher Frayling Archives: For A Few Dollars More (19:02): An interesting look at the artwork and advertisements for the film through all nations.
Commentary by Noted Film Historian- Sir Christopher Frayling: Another highly detailed commentary covering everything from technique and production to symbolism and history in the making of the film.
A New Standard: Frayling on For A Few Dollars More (20:14): Frayling discusses Sergio’s intention “to make fairy tales movies for grown ups”- I would take that to mean over-the-top shoot-em-up westerns.
Back For More: Clint Eastwood Remembers For A Few Dollars More (7:08):
In 2003, Clint spoke about his work with each of Sergio’s films. This is particularly on FAFDM. Eastwood always gives a fascinating insight and believed the pictures were too long, which I tend to agree with.
Tre Voci: For A Few Dollars More (11:05): The same “Three Voices” from the first film, producer Alberto Grimaldi, screenwriter Sergio Donati and Actor Mickey Knox all discuss interesting aspects working with Sergio Leone
For A Few Dollars More: The Original American Release Version (5:18): Three scenes with trimmed cuts for the American version. Most notably, a scene is cut where The Man with No Name is given a name.
Location Comparisons (12:12): These show stills of the film then what that same place looks like now. Most of the places are just empty land but one of the saloons is now a tourist spot
12 Radio Spots (7:36)
Theatrical Trailer 1 (2:29)
Theatrical Trailer 2 (3:44)
Tags: Blu-ray, Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volonte, Lee Van Cleef, movie reviews, sergio leone
Posted in Blu-Ray Reviews, Reviews |
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
A drifter, later to be known as The Man With No Name (Clint Eastwood), is born in director Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Western, A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS. The stranger arrives in a small Mexican village that is over run by two competing gangs who control the guns and the liquor. The only legit business that seems to prosper is the old coffin maker. The anonymous drifter decides to make money by working both sides of the gang as a hired killer, adding more fuel to the hatred feud between the two families.
Clearly, this is a small budget film with a limited production. The dubbing is poor, story continuity is a little off and I hope this doesn’t sound racist but I had trouble, keeping track who was who. Eastwood’s character would jump between the gangster lord’s houses; I had no idea what henchmen belonged to whom. First he would be at Ramon Rojo’s camp then the next minute at John Baxter’s camp. Many of the night time scenes appeared to be filmed during the day and time and distance were inconsistent.
With that said, the important thing is we always knew who our anti-hero was and we always knew who the lead villains were. Leone makes up the lack of order and production with great camera work, music and casting. This is definitely the director’s film. Give the same story and money to someone else and this film would fail to be remembered. It’s not quite there yet but you see great brilliance and style in this early work of Sergio Leone. His extreme close ups and interesting angles from the feet and pistols creates a tension and brings a higher quality level of excitement for a film obviously thought to be forgettable on paper. It doesn’t hurt that he hired Ennio Morrocone to fill in the memorable energy-generating score.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the film is that our hero isn’t really a good guy. He watches evil happen and then only seems to kill the villains for his own profitable gain. Eastwood is the other key ingredient with the charismatic quiet strength that keeps you rooting regardless of his actions or motives.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: (2.35:1 Widescreen) This is a terrific transfer quality especially after seeing some of the original footage.
Audio: (5.1 DTS-HD) As I said before the film is poorly dubbed. The sound of the words does not sync up with the movements of the mouths. But the music and sound affects come in nicely.
The Christopher Frayling Archives: Fistful of Dollars (18:40): An expert goes over all the different posters and marketing for the film covering all nations and explains how the film was based on Akira Kurosawa’s YOJIMBO. This is quite a fascinating piece. Some of the posters and artwork are excellent but don’t necessarily capture the movie nor even contain pre-superstar Clint Eastwood.
Commentary by Noted Film Historian- Sir Christopher Frayling: I wish all films had commentaries by film experts. Frayling discusses the film as an extremely intelligent fan giving many technical and historical tidbits.
A New Kind of Hero (22:54): This is also by film historian Christopher Frayling who was also the biographer for Sergio Leone. He talks about the influence of the character on action heroes and how the character came to be and what Eastwood brought to the table. He also speaks about the close up shots and why the movie was poorly dubbed or synched up. This is an extremely fascinating look at the film. Find out who originally was meant to be the man with no name.
A few weeks in Spain: Clint Eastwood On the Experience of Making the Film (8:42): An excellent 2003 interview with Eastwood discussing the low budget production of the film and his experience. .
Tre Voci: Fistful of Dollars (11:12): Translated to “Three Voices,” these are interviews with producer Alberto Grimaldi, screenwriter Sergio Donati and Actor Mickey Knox who all discuss working with Sergio Leone
Not Ready For Primetime: Renowned Filmmaker Monte Hellman Discusses the Television Broadcast of a Fistful Of Dollars (6:20): An explanation about the making of an additional scene to help create the illusion that the man with no name actually has a cause in what he is doing rather than being a villainous hero.
The Network Prologue – With Harry Dean Stanton (7:44): A short intro from the fan who owns this rare piece of footage that this added made for TV scene comes from. The scene is very poorly constructed with a stand in double far too short to be Eastwood. It is very funny yet interesting to see how the network forced this scene to be created which was only aired one time.
Location Comparison: Then to Now (5:22):
10 Radio Spots: All basically the same short variations of radio ads.
Double Bill Trailer: This is a trailer for both A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and A FEW DOLLARS MORE as a double-header movie experience.
Fistful of Dollars Trailer: Its always interesting to see how a film is advertised and what scenes they chose to show in the trailer.
Tags: Blu-ray, Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volonte, Marianne Koch, movie reviews, sergio leone
Posted in Blu-Ray Reviews, Reviews |
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
Almost all sports movies use their respective sport as a type of metaphor for the life experiences the lead character is going through. Not every movie succeeds at this, of course, but the idea of using sport to represent life is nothing new. The refreshing thing about INVICTUS is that it didn’t use rugby as a metaphor for any greater message, but rather it showed how a particular sporting event (rugby World Cup) played at a specific time (post-apartheid) in a particular place (South Africa) was a catalyst to unite a country that was wrought with bitter feelings on both ends. Throw in a couple of wonderful performances from Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, and a great directorial effort from Clint Eastwood and you have yourself a powerful sports film.
Matt Damon is Francois Pienaar, the captain of the nearly all-white South African rugby team that has grown accustomed to losing matches. Morgan Freeman is Nelson Mandela, the newly elected leader of South Africa that is faced with the unenviable task of uniting a nation of blacks and whites that still have fear, hatred and doubts about the other race. While trying to bring peace to his devastated country, Mandela takes an interest in the rugby team and puts hopes in them to help unite his country. He tasks Francois with the lofty task of winning the World Cup and uniting the blacks and whites in a common interest; rugby.
I’ve heard the complaint that American audiences are lost because most Americans don’t understand the sport of rugby. I don’t know the rules of rugby, but it didn’t take away from the point of the film. Rugby is just a catalyst for the rest of the film. We understand the basics of all sports and Eastwood does a fine job of keeping it simple for us. The treasure in the film is watching the transformation of people and their prejudices as the rugby team starts winning. Americans see this in cities when their sports team starts doing well. If you were in a bar in New Orleans when they won the Super Bowl, then you saw people that may normally hate each other hugging in the streets. Sport is the common unifier of people and a team’s success can break down a lot of barriers. Nelson Mandela knew this and that’s one of the reasons he was so intent on supporting the national rugby team. The South African rugby team had a very unique opportunity to unite a country amidst turmoil and the results of their victories were felt by everyone in the country.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that you have two great actors carrying the two intertwining storylines. Freeman is great as Mandela, conveying the message of peace with every line and action. Damon’s interpretation of Pienaar was also wonderful as he had to carry the burden of a country with the pride of an athlete. It was great watching them teach each other various lessons and observing them grow, all with the watchful camera of the great Clint Eastwood. It’s rare that a sports movie successfully conveys a greater message, but INVICTUS managed to do just that.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: I’ve noticed that most of Clint Eastwood’s films seem to have a bit of a haziness to them as the director shies away from the crystal clear images that most directors go for. It adds to his style and this Blu-ray manages to stay true to the source material and the result is a wonderful transfer.
Audio: The DTS-HD track is crystal clear with all channels being used effectively. Although it didn’t tear the roof off, it was extremely smooth and clear, creating a great listening experience.
Vision, Courage and Honor: Every Blu-ray should have a picture-in-picture commentary track. Of all the benefits of Blu-ray, the PiP’s are one of the best. This one is no different as we get to watch several interviews with the legendary director that is enjoyable and informative. Anyone that enjoyed this film owes it to themselves to watch this.
The Eastwood Factor (21:52): This felt oddly familiar and extremely similar to one of the features found on GRAN-TORINO. But it’s a short overview of Eastwood’s life and career, which is nice for those that haven’t seen it before.
Damon Plays Rugby (6:51): Obviously, getting a Hollywood star into the toughest sport around is going to bring its own featurette. This is pretty much what it says it is and is a little more light-hearted compared to the other features.
Mandela Meets Morgan (28:03): This one actually isn’t what you think it is. This is more of a making-of featurette where everyone chimes in with how great the other cast members are and how much they love the story. It’s better than most making-of featurettes, but nothing earth shattering.
There are also some Previews
Tags: Blu-ray, Clint Eastwood, Matt Damon, morgan freeman, movie reviews, Tony Kgoroge
Posted in Blu-Ray Reviews, Reviews |
Monday, April 5th, 2010
Posted by: Kristy Sturdivant
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in partnership with MGM, will be releasing the MAN WITH NO NAME TRILOGY on Blu-ray June 1, 2010. The trilogy will consist of three Westerns starring Clint Eastwood and directed by Sergio Leone, the movies are: THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY, A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE. There are no release details right now but it is assumed that the extras found on the DVD special editions will make their way to the Blu-ray edition as well. This all comes as Hollywood celebrates Clint Eastwood this month and his success as actor, writer, director and composer.
Tags: Blu-ray, Clint Eastwood, movie news, sergio leone
Posted in Blu-Ray News, News |
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
The news that Leonardo DiCaprio is in early talks to star in Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar Hoover biopic falls under the category of “off course he is”. DiCaprio is everyone’s first choice for any high profile project that requires acting talent and Eastwood is known as an “actor’s director”. That, and Clint is now one of the most successful and decorated directors we have working today, so him teaming with DiCaprio just makes sense. If everything works out, this will be Leo’s second high-profile biography project after playing Howard Hughes for Martin Scorsese.
HOOVER is written by Dustin Lance Black and follows the life and rise of J. Edgar Hoover, the man generally credited with turning the FBI into what it is today. Of course, Hoover has become the butt of many jokes in the past few decades for his reported idiosyncrasies and his reported fetish of wearing womens clothes. It will definitely be a tough role for Leo, but with Clint at the helm, it might just get him his first Oscar.
Source: Deadline
Tags: Clint Eastwood, Leonardo DiCaprio, movie news
Posted in News |
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman and their accents are coming to your living room on May 18th in the form of INVICTUS on Blu-ray. Glancing at the special features, I’m surprised they didn’t include a “rugby for dummies” featurette that could explain a little bit about the game for us Yanks that aren’t familiar with it. In fact, I don’t see too many special features that get me too excited. Also, I’m not sure what an “Invictus music trailer” is, but if it’s a commercial for the soundtrack, WB should be ashamed of themselves for listing that as a special feature.
- Matt Damon Plays Rugby
- Invictus music trailer
- Vision, Courage and Honor: Clint Eastwood and the Power of a True Story
- Mandela Meets Morgan
- The Eastwood Factor
Tags: Clint Eastwood, Matt Damon, morgan freeman, movie news
Posted in Blu-Ray News, News |
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
Clint Eastwood has tackled many, many difficult projects over his incredible career and he’s set to take on one more now that he’s chosen the biography of J. Edgar Hoover as his next project. Eastwood will reteam with producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, who he previously collaborated with on CHANGELING. MILK scribe Dustin Lance Black has already written the screenplay.
Billy Crudup just recently portrayed Hoover in the Michael Mann film PUBLIC ENEMIES and he’s appeared in many films over the years, albeit in very small parts. The problem I see for Eastwood is what stories does he tell and which ones does he omit? Hoover did a lot of great things for the country and how America fights crime, but towards the end of his career, he became a very controversial figure. It seems nowadays there are more rumors about the guy than there are facts.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Tags: Brian Grazer, Clint Eastwood, J. Edgar Hoover, movie news, Ron Howard
Posted in News |
Monday, December 14th, 2009
If I ever get a terminal disease I want the news to be broken to me by Morgan Freeman. The man has a voice that can be all things – commanding, soothing, intense, informative – whatever the occasion demands. In INVICTUS, he uses that voice, altered with a South African accent, to represent the venerated Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa after apartheid. And in this he succeeds to an incredible degree. But the film only glosses over the greatness of the man which leads to a missed opportunity for Freeman, and then uses the story of a rugby match (obscure to most Americans) to show his political and diplomatic savvy. And while the audience, once they decipher the rules of rugby, does root for the team and is uplifted through their victory, the true potential of Freeman’s performance is limited in this structure.
INVICTUS begins with a quick back-story of South Africa and Nelson Mandela, through news footage with Morgan Freeman pieced in. Then, as Mandela begins his presidency, he begins the process of holding his country together, as the whites fear retribution for their years of oppression of the black population. The first thing he does is keep the white members of his staff, including his security detail, which upsets his black head of security, played by Tony Kgoroge, as he doesn’t trust white security officers. The next thing he does is put his full support behind the South African rugby team, the Sprinboks, beloved by the whites in South Africa, hated by the blacks, including Mandela when he was imprisoned. He meets with the captain, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), and explains to him without ever saying it (very well written screenplay) the importance of winning the upcoming World Cup. The rugby team embraces its role, reaching out to the impoverished black community as the country and the security detail learn to come together in their support.
The few conversations Mandela has to bring people over to his way of thinking are written and performed perfectly. However, they are too few and far between and much of the movie gets bogged down in Eastwood’s slow pace, which has been an asset in films like MILLION DOLLAR BABY and UNFORGIVEN (both with Freeman) but here has people checking their watches. Matt Damon does well with the accent, but only has a few inspiring occasions as the team’s captain and in a sports movie, which this mostly is (sort of), those are important. Damon does have a thoughtful scene where he takes the team to Robben Island (where President Mandela was imprisoned) which was a touching scene. The fact that rugby is not the typical American sport also is something that works against the film, as stuff happens and sometimes it’s hard to figure out what. The crowd cheers, we guess something good happened, but it’s not like football or baseball, where scoring or defensive stops are easily defined. There are great moments in the film which take it up a notch, but as a whole, the pacing is too slow and the sport too obscure. But a great thing – and I want this sound byte played at my funeral – is Morgan Freeman’s recitation of the poem “Invictus.” That and he wears a Cosby sweater at one point…which is awesome.
Tags: Clint Eastwood, Matt Damon, morgan freeman, movie reviews, Tony Kgoroge
Posted in Reviews |
Sunday, December 13th, 2009
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
Disney’s THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG scored the top spot at the box office this weekend, bringing in over $25 million. It beat out last week’s #1 film, THE BLIND SIDE, which only managed $15 million. Perhaps the most disappointing was the less than $10 million INVICTUS managed to bring in. Apparently Matt Damon and Clint Eastwood don’t have the same amount of box office draw as they do for the Oscars. But even though Frog took the top spot, I can’t imagine Disney is happy with only $25 million…for a Disney cartoon…with zero competition as far as kids’ movies go.
Next week sees the release of a little film called AVATAR, which is already being hailed as a spectacular achievement in film-making. We’ll see. The blue aliens look funny to me, but I have extreme confidence in James Cameron, so it should be a good time.
1 The Princess and the Frog $25,000,000
2 The Blind Side $15,450,000
3 Invictus $9,085,000
4 The Twilight Saga: New Moon $8,000,000
5 A Christmas Carol (2009) $6,871,000
6 Brothers $5,000,000
7 2012 $4,400,000
8 Old Dogs $4,396,000
9 Armored $3,500,000
10 Ninja Assassin $2,710,000
Source: Box Office Mojo
Tags: Clint Eastwood, Disney, Matt Damon, movie news
Posted in News |
Friday, December 11th, 2009
Posted by: Kristy Sturdivant
Bryce Dallas Howard has signed on to star opposite Matt Damon in Clint Eastwood’s drama HEREAFTER. The story revolves around three people who are touched by death and has supernatural undertones. It was previously reported here, that Cecile de France would star opposite Damon in the film. No word on how how this new casting effects Ms. de France. The film is set to be released in December of 2010.
As I’ve said before I’m a fan of Matt Damon and Clint Eastwood, but I’m still on the fence with Bryce Dallas Howard. I think she has potential but I don’t feel I’ve seen any real range as an actress. Working with Mr. Eastwood will really showcase the talent she has and now I’m really excited to see this film.
Source: Variety
Tags: Bryce Dallas Howard, cecile de france, Clint Eastwood, Matt Damon, movie news
Posted in News |
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Posted by: Kristy Sturdivant
Matt Damon and Cecile de France have teamed up for the Clint Eastwood drama HEREAFTER. The story is about how three people are touched by death and has supernatural undertones. The screenplay was written by Peter Morgan and is set to be released in 2010.
I think Clint Eastwood is an excellent filmmaker and will watch anything he directs, especially if it has Matt Damon in it. Look for another Damon and Eastwood collaboration this December in the film INVICTUS.
Source: Variety
Tags: cecile de france, Clint Eastwood, hereafter, Matt Damon, movie news, peter morgan
Posted in News |
Friday, September 18th, 2009
Disgruntled Korean War vet, Walt Kowalski, sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who has tried to steal Kowalski’s prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino. Along the way he becomes friends with his immigrant neighbors and finds a place in their family instead of his own and helps them with a neighborhood gang issue that is threatening to tear their family apart.
Clint Eastwood is a great director. There is no need to cite examples, this is just a given. However, his acting has never really impressed me; I liked him in UNFORGIVEN but not really anything else. His performance in GRAN TORINO shocked me and made me love him a little bit. His character is extremely rough around the edges and very vocal to the point of making the audience uncomfortable but at the same time he is likeable and vulnerable. I found myself feeling sympathetic towards Walt, which made him so endearing to me that I didn’t care what he said or did. I think it’s because I have met people like him and when you hear their back story and understand where they are coming from it’s hard not to be receptive to their point of view.
Another enjoyable aspect of the film is the interaction of Eastwood’s character with his family. Without giving anything away, let’s just say that old adage of “you can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family” is very well illustrated in this film. It’s shown so well that even though the main character is sometimes a dislikable jerk, you almost feel sorry for him because of his family.
Overall I found this movie to be very enjoyable although it’s hard to put my finger on which aspects I liked. There is no specific scene or situation that comes to mind when I think of this film, I only see it as a whole. Of course I enjoyed the main character of Walt but that’s not the only reason to like this film. The story was really mesmerizing and well told and I found that each moment kept my attention. The characters were all so interesting that I found myself wondering what happened to them after the film was over. This is one of those films where I have found myself pondering weeks after I had seen it and that is tough to find in Hollywood these days.
I would highly recommend this film to anyone. Clint Eastwood has grown so much as a director it’s hard to not respect his films. He has an amazing gift at telling stories of any kind and this story is no exception. In my opinion, this is by far and away one of the best movies of 2008 and a must see for movie fans.
Tags: Bee Vang, Christopher Carley, Clint Eastwood, movie reviews
Posted in Reviews |
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