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David McK (3219 KP) rated Back to the Future Part III (1990) in Movies
Dec 13, 2020
Final part of the Back to the Future trilogy, this is the 1880s set Western-in-all-but-name one, with Marty travelling back to that period of history to save the life of his friend 'Doc' Emmett Brown (who, here, gets a lot more character development than in any of the previous two movies).
Lots of knowing nods and winks in this one - most egregiously being Marty McFly's chosen name of 'Clint Eastwood' when he meets his ancestors - with the DeLorean time machine again incapacitated in the past, necessitating an ingenious solution (here, to get up the requisite 88 miles per hour).
Probably could have done without the 'flying train' coda at the very end, though!
Lots of knowing nods and winks in this one - most egregiously being Marty McFly's chosen name of 'Clint Eastwood' when he meets his ancestors - with the DeLorean time machine again incapacitated in the past, necessitating an ingenious solution (here, to get up the requisite 88 miles per hour).
Probably could have done without the 'flying train' coda at the very end, though!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Dirty Harry (1971) in Movies
Feb 17, 2018 (Updated Feb 17, 2018)
Supremely tough cop thriller that helped elevate Clint Eastwood to iconic status. Worthless hippie-scumbag Scorpio commences reign of terror in San Francisco, only laconic police detective Harry Callaghan has the spine to do what must be done in order to stop him.
Probably best not to think too hard about the morality and politics on display: they are at best deeply illiberal and at worst borderline fascist (antihero Harry doesn't give a fig about Scorpio's legal rights, tortures a wounded prisoner for information, etc). The film is playing with a stacked deck, anyway: Scorpio (nice performance from Andy Robinson - it almost ended his career, as he became so closely associated with the role) is an irredeemable monster, the embodiment of every concern respectable folks had about the 60s counterculture. Needless to say Harry (embodying traditional American values) shows no mercy as the story progresses. Story is very well-told, with just enough moments of ambiguity to keep it from being solely a piece of ultra-right-wing wish fulfilment. Essential Clint.
Probably best not to think too hard about the morality and politics on display: they are at best deeply illiberal and at worst borderline fascist (antihero Harry doesn't give a fig about Scorpio's legal rights, tortures a wounded prisoner for information, etc). The film is playing with a stacked deck, anyway: Scorpio (nice performance from Andy Robinson - it almost ended his career, as he became so closely associated with the role) is an irredeemable monster, the embodiment of every concern respectable folks had about the 60s counterculture. Needless to say Harry (embodying traditional American values) shows no mercy as the story progresses. Story is very well-told, with just enough moments of ambiguity to keep it from being solely a piece of ultra-right-wing wish fulfilment. Essential Clint.
Old School Johnny (30 KP) rated The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) in Movies
Apr 28, 2020
Great Western can watch over and over !!!
I had opportunity to watch this film recently. I am really impressed of how the storytelling, music, and cinematography all complement each other. I have enjoyed other classic westerns that star John Wayne. But Clint Eastwood does a great job as the central character in this western as does the supporting cast. The thing I love the most about the film is the fact is does not focus too much on dialogue. Instead the character's facial expressions combined with great music compositions tells the audience what is going on. If you enjoy movies I encourage you to check out this film you will not be disappointed.
Classic Movie Fight Scenes: 75 Years of Bare Knuckle Brawls, 1914-1989
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Both brawls and elaborate martial arts have kept movie audiences on the edges of their seats since...
The 15:17 To Paris (2018)
6.2
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From Clint Eastwood comes “The 15:17 to Paris,” which tells the real-life story of three men...
Movie Star Chronicles: A Visual History of the World's Greatest 320 Movie Stars
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Movie Star Chronicles is an in-depth, original and fascinating guide to 320 of the world's greatest...
Sean Stone recommended Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) in Movies (curated)
David McK (3219 KP) rated In the Line of Fire (1993) in Movies
Jan 16, 2022
Early 90s political thriller starring the ever-reliable Clint Eastwood (in, I feel, a rare non-Western role) as the lone still-in-service Secret Service Agent who was on duty when JFK got shot, and who gets pulled into a game of cat and mouse when the current President's life is threatened during his re-election campaign by a psychopath, brilliantly (and creepily) played by John Malkovich, despite and over the advice of that President's chief of staff (who doesn't believe there to be any danger).
This takes a while to get going, and there are more than a few cliches along the way - "I'm going to quit tomorrow' being the most egregious - with the film largely relying on the charisma of its leading actors. Thankfully, they are - mostly - up to the task.
This takes a while to get going, and there are more than a few cliches along the way - "I'm going to quit tomorrow' being the most egregious - with the film largely relying on the charisma of its leading actors. Thankfully, they are - mostly - up to the task.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Richard Jewell (2019) in Movies
Feb 2, 2020
Mellow paced - nothing special
89 year old Director/Actor Clint Eastwood has mellowed with age. He seems at peace with himself and prefers to work at a pace that he sets. His latest Directing effort - RICHARD JEWELL - has that sort of mellowness. It takes it time to tell it's story with no real urgency to it.
It could have used some life to be injected in it.
Based on the true events of the pipe bombing in Centennial Park in Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympics, RICHARD JEWELL tells the story of...well...Richard Jewell - the Security Guard who was hailed as a hero for warning people about the bomb, saving many lives, while also being listed as the #1 suspect in the bombing.
Director Eastwood and Writer Billy Ray do not spend much time making the audience guess at to whether or not they think that Jewell committed the crime (he did not - the real bomber was caught in 2006), rather they spend their time showing a person who's being railroaded by the FBI and who's life is caught up in the scramble by the press to "get the story." Again...this would be more interesting if Director Eastwood would show some sort of urgency to the proceedings, but this film is paced on an even keel from start to finish, and I never got caught up, emotionally, in the events that were transpiring in front of me.
Paul Walter Hauser (Shawn Eckhardt in I, TONYA) does a "fine enough" job as the titular character - but it isn't anything special and since the viewer is spending almost every scene with him "fine enough" isn't good enough. Adding to my disappointment are the portrayals by John Hamm (as an FBI Agent) and Olivia Wilde (as a Newspaper Reporter). Both of these performances border on caricature (especially Wilde's performance). I'm disappointed in Eastwood for letting this happen.
Injecting "some" life into this film is Kathy Bates - who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Richard Jewell's mother - and she delivers better than the others...but not "Oscar Worthy". She does nail her "Oscar moment", but I don't think the script gives her much else to do.
The brightest spot in this film - by far - is the portrayal of Richard Jewell's lawyer, Watson Bryant, by Sam Rockwell and the performance of Nina Ariande as Bryant's Secretary/Girlfriend. If anyone should have been nominated for an Oscar for their performance in this film, it is Rockwell - his is the best one in the film and Ariande plays off him wonderfully well. I sat up a little taller in my seat whenever these two had a scene together.
But that's about it. It's a pretty "meh" movie - professionally made and paced deliberately and mellowly - like Clint Eastwood. But not like an Oscar contending film.
Letter Grade: B-
6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
It could have used some life to be injected in it.
Based on the true events of the pipe bombing in Centennial Park in Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympics, RICHARD JEWELL tells the story of...well...Richard Jewell - the Security Guard who was hailed as a hero for warning people about the bomb, saving many lives, while also being listed as the #1 suspect in the bombing.
Director Eastwood and Writer Billy Ray do not spend much time making the audience guess at to whether or not they think that Jewell committed the crime (he did not - the real bomber was caught in 2006), rather they spend their time showing a person who's being railroaded by the FBI and who's life is caught up in the scramble by the press to "get the story." Again...this would be more interesting if Director Eastwood would show some sort of urgency to the proceedings, but this film is paced on an even keel from start to finish, and I never got caught up, emotionally, in the events that were transpiring in front of me.
Paul Walter Hauser (Shawn Eckhardt in I, TONYA) does a "fine enough" job as the titular character - but it isn't anything special and since the viewer is spending almost every scene with him "fine enough" isn't good enough. Adding to my disappointment are the portrayals by John Hamm (as an FBI Agent) and Olivia Wilde (as a Newspaper Reporter). Both of these performances border on caricature (especially Wilde's performance). I'm disappointed in Eastwood for letting this happen.
Injecting "some" life into this film is Kathy Bates - who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Richard Jewell's mother - and she delivers better than the others...but not "Oscar Worthy". She does nail her "Oscar moment", but I don't think the script gives her much else to do.
The brightest spot in this film - by far - is the portrayal of Richard Jewell's lawyer, Watson Bryant, by Sam Rockwell and the performance of Nina Ariande as Bryant's Secretary/Girlfriend. If anyone should have been nominated for an Oscar for their performance in this film, it is Rockwell - his is the best one in the film and Ariande plays off him wonderfully well. I sat up a little taller in my seat whenever these two had a scene together.
But that's about it. It's a pretty "meh" movie - professionally made and paced deliberately and mellowly - like Clint Eastwood. But not like an Oscar contending film.
Letter Grade: B-
6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Clint: A Retrospective
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Over the course of a celebrated and spellbinding career - both on screen and behind the camera -...