Whuuuut.
I thought Gran Torino was the best picture I’d seen in theaters in a long time. Granted, it is cliche, but damn it, it was enjoyable, emotional, and compared to everything else in the cinema right now, human,
Saw it twice, and I’m getting the DVD.
“Click-Clack, Ding Dong, and Charlie Chan.” That line made me laugh harder than I had in a good few months.
The lines were all it had going for it I felt, but even then it got a bit tiresome, too forced. It seemed like Clint tried to fit in as much slang terms for Asians as he possibly could. Yes, it was funny at times. I laughed on a number of occasions, esp. the joke about the Mexican, the Asian and the black (or whatever the ethnic examples were) walk in to a bar, the barman looks up and says “get the fuck out!”.
But I still think the film is riddled with problems: Clint’s dialogues to himself = far too excessive and unrealistic, it smacks of feeling not competent enough of showing his distaste for whatever he sees by relying on his physical reaction (which is bizarre because he can do this really well) Some of the other actors were weak, though probably just inexperienced. The score, particularly whenever Clint picks up a gun, was so obvious and simplistic eg. he picks up a gun cue military drum roll. The film goes off in little vignettes, spends too long on them then remembers it has to get back to the point. And what was the real point? The regret of an old army vet? the crossable bridge between an old dog like Clint and a different race? Just as he may have set out to undermine racist stereotypes and xenophobia (eg. between him and the hmong) he just reinforces them (the sleazy black guys). Now this being said a film that would attempt to paint a rosy picture of all ethnicities would probably be terrible preachy crap altogether but I’ve a feeling some people will take up this film as somewhat reinforcing their own prejudices. I can’t see how black people could take kindly to it for example but then again you cant please everyone so maybe my point isn’t really valid.
[SPOILERS] The film’s Christian ‘sacrifice complex’ nailed itself to its own crucifix, so to speak. The need to try and involve the priest and then Clint sacrificing himself at the end and falling into the crucified Jesus position… this stuff is just so boring at this stage. I feel this whole thing is outdated and it undermines any value a film could have. But this Christian theme will of course garner favour among Christians, so it’ll make its money and all that.
Anyway, I guess I’m just a fussy cunt when it comes to films so dont mind me.
I saw the trailer for the new X Men/Wolverine film and I have to say I liked it. The trailer alone was better than the other X Men films! I like the (eventual) inclusion of Gambit in an X Men film. He was one cool sonofabitch in the cartoon. One thing I will miss though is Halle Berry as she is the most delicious girl ever to be on the big screen.
I havent seen Gran Torino, the previews looked corny as shit… Clints old ass. That said i might see it today, he gives off a nice racist vibe which should make me lauph at all the wiggers possibly sitting next to me.
Saw Coraline in 3-D last week. It was pretty good.
Fan Boys was ok
Late,
grmpysmrf
In Burge. I thought it was going to be a chick flick, I was very wrong. Great violence !
Oh yeah, I also liked death at a funeral. Been out for awhile. Could be because Im a funeral councilor and Im pretty sure there are a few graves with the wrong bodies in them in my cemetery.
[reply]
[SPOILERS] The film’s Christian ‘sacrifice complex’ nailed itself to its own crucifix, so to speak. The need to try and involve the priest and then Clint sacrificing himself at the end and falling into the crucified Jesus position… this stuff is just so boring at this stage. I feel this whole thing is outdated and it undermines any value a film could have. But this Christian theme will of course garner favour among Christians, so it’ll make its money and all that.
reply]
the only reason he fell into that psoition was so that they could show the lighter fall out of his hand instead of a gun. Which is ironic because the cancer from smoking was just about to kill him anyway.
He hated himself and in turn asians because he was this big accredited war hero and as he said all he did was shoot a “bunch of confused gook kids” that’s where his anger I think towards the people/race came from. He felt like he was rewarded unjustly, and finally got redemption by saving the kids’ life from the gang.
The priest’s involvement was only because the wife of clints that just passed had made a request to him that in her dying she get him to open up and confess his sins.
little things like picking up a gun and hearing drum rolls is a way to show the audience that in clints’ characters mind that he is having memories of his time in war without a thuoght balloon coming out of his head saying “remembering vietnam”
that’s what i got out of it anyway… i may be wrong though.
I saw slumdog millionnaire today… or whatever it’s called… it was a good bootleg… anyway… so it’s a nice story… i don’t know if it deserved best picture, but good nonetheless… i think the best part was after this nice drama wait around for the credits and it’s like some jackie chan movie but in leuie of the goof reel, we get every charecter to come out to the train traccks to do some boogie down grease style dancing… strange how cultures are just different sometimes…
[replythe only reason he fell into that psoition was so that they could show the lighter fall out of his hand instead of a gun. Which is ironic because the cancer from smoking was just about to kill him anyway.
He hated himself and in turn asians because he was this big accredited war hero and as he said all he did was shoot a “bunch of confused gook kids” that’s where his anger I think towards the people/race came from. He felt like he was rewarded unjustly, and finally got redemption by saving the kids’ life from the gang.
The priest’s involvement was only because the wife of clints that just passed had made a request to him that in her dying she get him to open up and confess his sins.
little things like picking up a gun and hearing drum rolls is a way to show the audience that in clints’ characters mind that he is having memories of his time in war without a thuoght balloon coming out of his head saying “remembering vietnam”
that’s what i got out of it anyway… i may be wrong though.[/reply]
That’s another approach to the film alright, maybe a more direct or literal one and that’s fine. It’s just when it comes to symbolism in ‘Gran Torino’ I just thought it was so obvious that it undermines its symbolic strength. But I doubt anyone would really want a film like this to be a big riddle. After this film I felt there was not much to think about, unlike say something like ‘Mulholland Drive’ or ‘2001’ which are great talking points, but those kind of films are not to everyones liking.
Does anybody else get the impression and warning this a BIG spoiler
SO WARNING SPOILER AHEAD
that at the end of the wrestler mickey rourke’s character is implied as to die within moments of the end of the movie?
mick nance, I’ll give you that… but MAN, Clint singing the end credit theme made this the best flick ever.
[laugh]
mick nance, I’ll give you that… but MAN, Clint singing the end credit theme made this the best flick ever.
[laugh]
OMFG that song… lol… how is it that m knight smalahan can get all sorts of shit for acting in his own movies, which in general he’s a semi-competant to decent actor, while this flaming pile of shit get’s the it’s a wonderfulworld treatment via cover up and just keeps going and foing… i think we got like 4 remixes during the credits, rhianna and jay-z did a rap over a version of it… danger mouse did a mash up of “a little gran torino” with green rozetta offa joe’s garage by frank zappa. and nobody, nobody (except icepick) says a thing about it. I mean dogstar, 30 odd foot of grunt and all those marvelous celebrity bands have got NOTHING on clint. did he think he was like, channeling archie bunker and felt a song necessary?
Does anybody else get the impression and warning this a BIG spoiler
SO WARNING SPOILER AHEAD
that at the end of the wrestler mickey rourke’s character is implied as to die within moments of the end of the movie?
Yeah totally. He was on the way out.
mick nance, I’ll give you that… but MAN, Clint singing the end credit theme made this the best flick ever.
[laugh]
Damn, I missed that. I left when I saw the young lad driving the car at the beach front and the dog beside him.
I could be very wrong about this but I think Ed Harris did the song for the credits of his ‘Appaloosa’ film last year. But that film was a turkey, despite that cool motherfucker Mortensen being in it.
[reply]
mick nance, I’ll give you that… but MAN, Clint singing the end credit theme made this the best flick ever.
[laugh]
OMFG that song… lol… how is it that m knight smalahan can get all sorts of shit for acting in his own movies, which in general he’s a semi-competant to decent actor, while this flaming pile of shit get’s the it’s a wonderfulworld treatment via cover up and just keeps going and foing… i think we got like 4 remixes during the credits, rhianna and jay-z did a rap over a version of it… danger mouse did a mash up of “a little gran torino” with green rozetta offa joe’s garage by frank zappa. and nobody, nobody (except icepick) says a thing about it. I mean dogstar, 30 odd foot of grunt and all those marvelous celebrity bands have got NOTHING on clint. did he think he was like, channeling archie bunker and felt a song necessary?
[/reply]
I’m telling you. That song is absolute gold. Me and my buddy Tom were so awestruck that we actually sat through the credits. We were the only two privileged enough to bask in the glory of Eastwood’s musical stylings.
I gotta lay down the cash for the soundtrack.
clint eastwood DID hang around that morricone vibe for a while…
Trailer for ‘Pubic Enemies’, the new film by Michael Mann on Dillinger:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnDWja8gPFw
This one is shot in digital again. I would have preferred it shot on film but maybe I’m just too old fashioned thinking a film set in the 1920s/30s should be done on film.
Depp looks like he may have done a good job as Dillinger however and Eliot Goldenthal is on music duty again which is a plus.
On a different note has anyone seen ‘Watchmen’? Going to check it out tomorrow, looking forward to it.
Trailer for ‘Pubic Enemies’, the new film by Michael Mann on Dillinger:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnDWja8gPFw
that looked like it could be decent. music selection in the trailer was odd.
I fear going to see the watchmen… having read the comic ages ago and loved it I see things like fucking this
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001O2KSZA/ref=pe_30300_11432460_fe_txt_1/
and i just shudder and take console in knowing that alam moore at least has the decency to stay the fuck away from any sort of movie based on his work like the plague