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Mr. Beaks Puts Clint's GRAN TORINO Up On Blocks...
GRAN TORINO's crucial scene arrives somewhere in the second act, when Clint Eastwood's defiantly prejudiced Walt Kowalski brings his unlikely Hmong protege, Thao (Bee Vang), down to neighborhood barbershop for a lesson in the good-natured hurling of racial epithets. We've already seen Walt throw it around with Martin (John Carroll Lynch), the Italian proprietor ("wop", "polack" and "dago" are uttered with brusque impunity), but it's uncertain as to whether Thao can hang with these titans of vituperation; he's much more sensitive, and, most importantly, of a generation that views the use of such language as an invitation to fisticuffs or worse.
It's a brilliant scene in theory, but a forced refutation of political correctness in execution. Though Eastwood and Lynch are a pleasure, the non-pro Vang is painfully miscast; he's probably a nice kid in real life, but he just has no business standing in front of a movie camera. Worse, there's no imagination in the banter; it's mostly the kind of stock invective bellowed out in working class bars all over the midwest. One could argue that this is the point of Nick Schenk's bare-bones screenplay, but Eastwood isn't after naturalism or docudrama. GRAN TORINO is a metaphor-laden eulogy for a way of life and a make of man; as such, it should be special, not common. It should also, like the titular auto, have a little muscle under the hood.
The film opens at the funeral for Walt's wife. While Walt literally growls at the disrespectful dress and behavior of his grandkids (piercings and BlackBerrys are flaunted; three decades ago, they'd be long-haired and glassy-eyed), his sons fret over their old man's welfare. It's woefully obvious where this is going: now that the civilizing influence in Walt's life is gone, best to consign the curmudgeon to a retirement community rather than leave him stranded in what has become a predominantly Vietnamese neighborhood. But the sons are patronizing and chubby; they're as instantly unlikable as the Black Widows in Clint's Philoe Beddoe cycle (that is, before they became good guys in the splendid third act of ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN). So the audience has an instant rooting interest in Walt's staying put.
There is not, however, a rooting interest in Walt's abhorrence of his Hmong neighbors; though they participate in bizarre, vaguely spiritual ceremonies, they seem a decent enough people. Sure, some of the teenagers are reprobates (i.e. gun-toting kids who prowl the boulevard spoiling for a fight), but others, like the forthright Sue (Ahney Her), are simply, uncomplicatedly kids. As for Sue's younger brother Thao, he doesn't exactly land on Walt's good side when he gets caught trying to boost the retired auto worker's vintage 1972 Gran Torino as part of a gang initiation. But when said gang kicks Thao's ass onto Walt's lawn, the cranky Korean War veteran and his trusty service rifle are helplessly drawn into the young man's life. According to Hmong custom, Thao owes Walt. And while Walt would just as soon ignore the whole obligation, Sue reaches out because she sees compassion in the man who freely calls her and her people "gooks".
"Idealized" doesn't begin to cover the circumstances of GRAN TORINO. Without the worldly-wise Sue, Walt keeps to himself on his stoop, knocking back Pabst Blue Ribbon while the gang recruitment of Thao proceeds unabated. But Sue takes a liking to Walt because Schenk needs to get the character off the porch, and so begins the cultural exchange of ideas and lessons: Thao learns self-reliance, while Walt learns that gooks are people, too. It all goes according to MLK's dream until that pesky gang ramps up their recruitment methods. This is where Walt and his impressive assortment of firearms comes in. Kind of.
Walt may be good about finishing things, but he's haunted by all the killing he did in the war. It weighs on him. When Thao asks what it's like to take another man's life, he says, "We all got it comin', kid." Sorry, that's too eloquent for this script. He just bluntly states,"You don't want to know." In other words, he didn't like it. Feels he did too much of it. Intimates that he may be open to a kind of penance (though not the spiritual kind being offered by the Catholic priest charged by Walt's wife with keeping her husband out of trouble and/or despair). Telegraphs by a country freakin' mile that he probably won't go bullet-for-bullet with the Hmong gang that did not-nice things to Thao's family.
GRAN TORINO is tolerable for the first two acts when it's just Eastwood behaving like a physically intimidating Don Rickles. Actually, much of what Eastwood is trying to accomplish in terms of race relations can probably be gleaned from MR. WARMTH, John Landis's ode to the famed insult comedian. It's a kind of "What makes us different, makes us funny" philosophy. And because Walt accepts that he's an "ofay", there's no malice in his calling Martin the barber a "dago". Same goes for the "spooks" who try to rape Sue. Or maybe he really means that. In any event, he's reformed by the end, right? No, he still gets off a "zipperhead" remark at Thao's expense before the closing credits.
Accepting Walt for what he is, and knowing that he's a) morally on the side of right, and b) emblematic of a dying breed seems to be the main thrust of GRAN TORINO. Fair enough. But Schenk's screenplay is so clumsy with the foreshadowing that the outcome and its intended "resonance" are clear from the outset - and it only gets more insultingly obvious as Walt prepares for his final gesture. With anyone else in the lead, this wouldn't be worth anyone's time. But with Eastwood up there on the big screen, verily screaming that this is his swan song, it's something more. It's a legend's last tweak of his onscreen image.
Sadly, it's one tweak too many. There may be clanging echoes of the Dirty Harry movies in GRAN TORINO, but, tonally, it works best as an homage to his rowdier, redneck-y work, like the Beddoe pictures or HEARTBREAK RIDGE (performance-wise, Walt Kowalski is a close cousin to the gruff Gunnery Sergeant Tom Highway). While I love those films for what they are, next time I want to honor them, I'll pick up a case of Schlitz and watch them at home. Or go to a honkytonk and get my teeth knocked out. Either would be preferable to sitting through GRAN TORINO again.
Faithfully submitted,
Mr. Beaks
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THE FRIGGIN' MAN!!!
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Perhaps Clint gleaned that Rickles wisdom, when the two were stealing gold from a Nazi-occupied. "Burning bridges lost forever more." Still, "Flags of Our Fathers"/"Letters From Iwo Jima" was the great cinematic achievement of 2006. Oh, and first. Big fucking deal.
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Second.
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Hmmm...
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It's the first one, but The Enforcer will always hold a special place in my heart because that movie is hilarious and contains one of my favorite lines in movie history when Clint grabs the phone and yells out: "I'm coming down there in five minute, you better have those files open, you pencil pushing son of a bitch!"
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for still going at it, but I think his movies are almost all vastly overrated. I seriously don't understand the New American Master label that's been bestowed in recent years. I've yet to see anything by him, including his Oscar-winners, that merited any response other than "I guess that was OK. I didn't hate it and I don't want my money back, but I have no interest in ever seeing it again."
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but not all of his movies are home runs, and even the best strike out routinely. This film may only be a base hit, but what is impressive about Eastwood is that he is still swinging.
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Correct sir. Correct. Good old William Smith.
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And I love A PERFECT WORLD. There's also a lot to admire in, no joke, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY. I'm a Clint fan, but he's been off for me lately (this includes the two war movies).
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People will still go and watch it simply because it's Eastwood, and because it's potentially his final movie. In fact, I'll bet that most other reviewers won't be as brave as Beaks here. If the movie truly ain't that great, you won't find many people saying so.
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I agree that Flags of our fathers was heavy handed trash, but I found letters of Iwo Jima to be surprisingly compelling. Any reasons in particular why you didn't like it?
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Really? I never would've seen that coming. Not after the subtle nuances of Million Dollar Baby.
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Everybody seems to think that Clint will call it a day after this, but I don't think so. Time will tell.
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King of an Octagenarian Fight Club. Relatives of the participants are concerned their loved ones are being mistreated by the staff, when in fact they are all playing squash after slurping up their cream corn. Martin Mull can be the head of the old folk’s home, trying to get the old fighters to take it easy for a while (but not quit, since he gets a percentage of the action). Beddoe refuses, so Mull brings in a heavy hitter (rumored to be in his 60s – a wink to the amazing short film Birch Street Gym) to take the man down.
Box office GOLD, I tell you!
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A perfect film.
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Good for you Senior Beaks! DOnt' worry - I got your back
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There are shitheads out there who said similar things about Million Dollar Baby.
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Everyone will come to regard Unforgiven AS eastwoods masterpiece and bird. after that it was all down hill. I have seen nearly all of clint s movies since unforgiven and I dont like any of them sure he worked with the best people. But I dislike this fawning adulation that crept into reviews of Clints last four films. it is almost has if clint has become beyond critcism. Unforgiven is Eastwoods masterpiece.
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his new film and its a horror in the style of Sixth sense. I am lead to believe.
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. . . Dirty Harry: The Retirement Years. Oh well, maybe next time. It can't be nearly as bad as Space Cowboys.
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Too predictable, too conventional, and too unaffecting.
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It shows how diverse clint is becoming. His brand new movie is called the Human factor and its based on the book by john corbin. its all about the life of the inspirational captain of the South African rugby team aka the spring boks Francois Pienaar and the siezmic moment when South africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World cup. Which was capped off in that hair raising moment when Mandela wearing a baseball cap lifted the trophy. MAAAAAAAAAAT Damon stars as Francois Pineaar. and Morgan Freeman plays the role he has wanted to play for nearly to decades. Nelson Mandela.
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Oh yeah, glad to see some love for this often forgotten gem. It's one of Eastwood's better films and contains one of Costner's best performances.Sorry to hear not-so-good stuff about GRAN TORINO though.
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The book the human factor is written by John Carlin. I can tell you all that is the biggest risk eastwood has ever taken in making a film. why. its simple. In making a film about South african you cannot airbrush SARU shamefull history. for the sake of hollywoodisation. Eastwood has no idea about the dark past of SARU. Its something you cant ignore.
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film along the lines of The sixth sense.
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That's pretty much all I want to know...if he doesn't...the hell with it...
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damnit
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To be fair, just about anything is downhill from Unforgiven.
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Clint Fucking Eastwood. I mean, let's get real here. He makes an average movie and everyone gets on his back. You all even have given into this odd sport of getting cred by hating what movie of his. "I hated Changeling!" "Oh yea, well I hated that and Million Dollar Baby!" "well, well, I hated everything BUT Unforgiven! Epic Win!!" Man, geeks love to kill their idols.
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And buy the BLURAY, like Harry is recommending for The Day the Earth Stood Still. It makes sense right?! Man I wish I could pocket some of that Sony cash...
This post brought to you by HBO. -
I think part of the reason is that "geek" is "chic" right now, so all the "real" geeks in retaliation have become dismissive, flippant, cynical, and cruel--basically like the bullies that picked on them in school.
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Mr. Beaks will still be here to remind me that films *I* like are apparently shit.
I liked Million Dollar Baby. (And screw it...I liked Forrest Gump, too!) -
The amount of off-base reviews around here are becoming the norm. Gotta give Eastwood the benefit of the doubt.
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and the world needs more of him. God bless Clint Eastwood.
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Its Eastwood, people! Nuff said! The guy has been around long enough to do whatever he wants and he usually delivers so please stop listening to these damn critics who by law hate all movies, at least the good ones. (Who the fuck likes AWWUC without irony?)
Besides, consider the fucking source! A CHUD Kool-aid drinker and I think we all know what that site is like. If you dont hate your own mother, you dont get to post. I pity all those stumps over there, they hate everything! -
I believe I remember that you referenced the cracking open of a 6er of MGD the evening of David Foster Wallace's passing. Amen, brother. Schlitz is perhaps as appropriate for an evening of lesser Eastwood. (And I don't know what you were doing with the full name-check of PBR in the review, but well done nonetheless.)
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"An Internet movie reviewer has expressed views I don't agree with more often than a professional Hollywood legend has made movies that are praised by the establishment." That's one mind pretzel you're unwittingly laying on us there dude. Be careful. Someone might find the secrets of time travel and quantum physics buried within its depths.
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he kicked Conan's dad's ass.
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EIGER SANCTION: Clint Eastwood vs. Europeans and Homosexuality. Ahhh, the 70s.
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I would pay to see a Clint movie. I would not pay to read Mr Beaks.
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Can you not read? Harry suggested a Blu-ray *RENTAL* of The Day The Earth Stood Still. You'd better not be going around in every talkback protesting this or you really will make yourself look like a ginormous idiot.
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At least as far as the script goes. I couldn't believe this didn't get laughed off the desks of all the underlings it takes a script to get passed before finding the eyes of Eastwood. It was horribly nail on the head, and just plain writted not goodly. Expect Spike Lee to pounce on this one hard... Ya know how some movies use racisism to show evil, or even get an occassional laugh? Well Gran Turino makes seemingly good natured attempt to kill two birds with one stone... but after a while, when the point has been hammered home that, yes Clint plays a deep down nice racisist, who has learned to like some brown people, it still lingers in the air like a bad Jerry Lewis asian impression. You really do wonder if the screenwriter was just using this story as a vehicle to use racisist humor.. And I'm surprised I had to wonder this, because I can't stand PC bullshit. - Beyond all this though, the story is weak and contrived, and Beaks nails things when he says it wouldn't have seen the light of day had the old man been played by anyone other than Eastwood. I think this is gonna make him look bad. I hope he's still got one western in him.
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is overlooked. Clint's recent stuff may be uneven, but many 78 year olds are sitting at home pissing in their diapers, so it could be worse.
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it sounds heavy handed and ridiculous, masquerading as meaningful. right up that idiot's alley.
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Give your proposed next movie the human factor to Gavin hood. You do not understand the History of South African Rugby Union Well enough to Direct this film. The movie is being written by Anthony peckham. At least gavin hood understands south africa and what an awful past it had. SARU has both links to the Nazis and was political arm of the Notorius and racist africana govt.
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okay,but I was reading this review, and his first paragraph goes something like "hey, about that second act." A little build up for the movie first, perhaps the third act, would have made this a better review. Honestly I don't care for Beaks' reviews that much, but there is alway room for improvement. I'm going to miss Moriarty. I don't think there's been a Neil Cumston review since Cloverfield. His reviews are always good for spraying your computer with milk streaming from your nose.
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"we're feared throughout the land."
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I'd buy that for a dollar.
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There goes aicn. then. holy crap. Why is he leaving. is he sick. I thought that would have been big news. but then this site has been going down the toilet for years. I wish him the very best in whatever he does.
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"Why me Lord? I ask for men, and you give me SHIT!"
John Quade is one in a million!!! -
Mori is doing the same thing somewhere else, Hititandquitit.com or some such. He'll slum here on the weekends with whatever his M-F editors reject.
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Clint playing a shoe salesman chucking it all to persue his dream of being a real life rootin tootin cowboy? It is one of Clint's well done middle period films and a sweet one at that.
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Play Misty For Me still holds up, and predated the "Roommate/nanny/temp/fan,etc-from-Hell" genre by about 15 years.
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I thought the movie was way better than he gives it credit for
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I'm there!!! Does that make me a bigoted, racist, homphobic, caucasian with hate in his heart?
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He mentioned it in a review a week or so ago. I forget the name of the site, but he's going to another entertainment website. He said he'll be going in 12 days. That was a week ago, so I hope he gets a decent send off.
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got into the top ten.
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talkback get ahead of Clint Eastwood. If this site keeps this devolving up then a lot of us are out of here.
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Mori leaving. I hope he does an appreciation or something.
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Here's the review where he announced it. He's been with this site for 12 years, but he'll be at the new job six weeks.
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39274 -
leaving. Two things, he either felt it was time to move on or there was another reason. I have been asking this question on and off for a while. Harry announced that he fought off buyers for this site. Know that his best reviwer is going, How long will this site last. Will it become souless. Mori will regret leaving this site. His new employer will almost certainly have thier own way of doing things. my way or the highway.
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Dec 11, 2008 1:05:20 PM CST
I am waiting for Dirty Harry Reimagined: Dirty Harriet
by darfurontherocks
Seriously, where is the Dirty Harry Videogame?
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Not his best, but I love seeing Clint do his thing.
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Nice review - I think I'll pass on this one. I want to like Clint Eastwood's movies in the 90s and 00s, but the ones I've seen all kind of strike me as middle brow - decent story, not especially cinematic*, well directed/acted, but not much more to it. This one sounds like no exception. No idea if anyone knows what I'm talking about (or if I do - this actually might be a little unfair.) But for whatever reason, when one of his films comes out I think, huh, that sounds nice enough, but then I see something else that's really good or bad, or do something entirely different with my time. I got convinced to see Mystic River in the theater and, right after, thought it was good, but now I honestly couldn't tell you much about it. *And by cinematic I mean scenes with a certain kind of mystery, grandeur, beauty, inspired nuttiness, and quiet penetrating truth that you can only get when you connect with a film.
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The showdown between Lil Bill and william Monay is the finest scene eastwood ever put on film. They way it was shot, the rain storm outside the bar. Two of the great actors of thier generation at that stage. In fact the movie was full of them. The ending and the beginning were some of the most beautifull images that I have ever scene. I was waiting for Monay to give the schofield kid thrashing. I believe that film was morgan freemans finest performance. In afct the movie had career great performances from everyone. he will never make a film as great as that again. or maybe I could be wrong. Clint did a horror already. its a film that caused a storm at the time. In the movie. The name of which I cant remember. He plays a man who raped a girl. His life is over. he enters this convent. The torture begins. The head nun knows more than she is letting. He becomes a prisoner in this convent and he pays a very heavy price for his actions. there is one scene where he gets amputated. In the film eastwood made sure that the audience saw this man suffer and we got to his legs get amputated.
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I think you're referring to The Beguiled. It's not a convent, and then Clint didn't rape anyone. He's a wounded reb Civil War soldier who takes refuge in a girls school. He sleeps with at least one of the girls, and actually plans to run off and marry the girl. His leg is amputated because it was "infected." Truth is the headmistress was a little jealous of the attention the young lady or ladies were getting. Granted I didn't see the whole thing, but I'm pretty sure he didn't rape anyone. I can't believe this talkback dropped off the top ten again.
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It definitely wasn't rape because in that time period they married the girls young. It wasn't a horror but more of a dark, psychological drama.
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that is never shown on tv. maybe, over in the US. but not here.
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They show it here, but not too often. Just like Play Misty for Me. We mostly see his bigger hits, the westerns and the Dirty Harry movies.
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over here. In fact there is a dirty harry film on Irish tv tonight. it thinks its Sudden impact.
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Walt should have gone "dirty harry" on those (Gangbanging) fuckers. Ok, so it's not an action revenge film anyway it's clint at his best since million dollar baby.Good tearjerker for the wifey.Sure to be a contender for the oscars.
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I dont know if I've ever seen a more overrated movie then Million Dollar Baby. Anyone who has ever watched a minute of boxing knows that movie was ludicrous from start to finish. The big twist/incident was a laugher of epic proportions.
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This was too slight. Any number of Solid B-List actors coulda played Walt. Thao and the kid playing "The Priest" were too wooden and inexperienced for these roles. This was probably a Payback Deal for a more personal project like the The Changeling or Iwo Jima.
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Dirty Harry 2009: A retired Harry Calahan is called back as a consultant in a mass murder case that has the police baffled. Calahan's partnered up with Dexter Styles (Will Smith), the jovial streetwise detective assigned to the case.
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Can't fault it.
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"THAN" not "then". Keep seeing this over and over and over, in AICN TB. Bad typists? Or illiterates? The world will never know, or care...
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Clint played a mean SOB. He looks good old. Not like Harrison Ford.
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long after the hype and that pound it down now spew some shit about it to show you intellegence first, while readying yourself to move onto the next one. I seen it. I liked it and I saw tears in the eyes of a few who saw it with me. He told the people with brains what he was doing when he bought the suit, made the confession, and dropped of the dog. If you didn't see it coming before he showed up on scene, than you are slower than most or you have brain damage. I think it gave a deep honest look at the life of an enlderly man and his relationships with those around him to seom extent. We ignore the old we push them away and we treat them like they are weak and incapable. I like Walt. He's got something to say about that.
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This movie sucked as a whole...not good when people in the audience start laughing at the bad acting, or Eastwood's singing.
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As in Paint your wagon red??
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