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Massawyrm can't root for INVICTUS
Hola all. Massawyrm here.
In the arena of overrated directors, Clint Eastwood reigns king. One of our greatest living icons, Eastwood enjoys a certain level of hero worship that ensures that every year, about this time, some group of critics somewhere will begin singing the praises for whatever film he’s put out that year. Sometimes those films are, in fact, quite good – if not great. Other times they are festering heaps, piled high enough to be declared mountains by a press eager to be the first to plant their flag. Sadly, INVICTUS is not one of Clint’s greats. Instead it is a complete head-scratcher; a film that seems the work of an inept filmmaker completely asleep at the wheel.
It would appear that this is a classic example of an actor’s passion project run amok. We saw this last year with the terrible mess of a film CHE in which Benicio del Toro’s desire to tell an authentic story overrode storytelling convention, delivering a 4 hour epic about a guy walking around in the woods shaking hands with people. While coughing. A lot. This time it was Morgan Freeman’s passion project to play a man he was seemingly born to play: Nelson Mandela. And what better story to tell about him than that of him coming into power and inspiring a Rugby team to win the World Cup in order to capture the imagination of a nation?
I don’t know. Maybe the story of his incarceration? Maybe one about the tumultuous election? Maybe about his crazy family life and the pressures of reconnecting with your family after a quarter century of separation? Maybe even one about the last days of his administration? Anything, ANYTHING, but a clichéd sports story directed by someone who feels like they could give a shit about the sport in question. And this is coming from me, a guy who loves himself a good old fashioned clichéd sports story. This should have been MIRACLE, that heartwarming, true story of how a nation can be healed with inspiration. Instead it feels patently artificial; staged and inauthentic the whole way through.
The film’s biggest problem is its complete and utter lack of story. There are no character arcs. There are great impressions of character, but no actual characters to be found. Who is Nelson Mandela? Hope you brought your history books to plumb for details, because this film will be more than happy to allude to what is going on in his life but never bother to tell you. What’s the story with this Rugby captain played so well by Matt Damon? Hell if I know. I know there’s a woman in his life – whether she’s a girlfriend or a wife is anyone’s guess – and that he spends a lot of time over at his parent’s house…where he could live, I guess. For an important character in the film, they sure don’t tell you anything about him. And if you think they’ve spared the details on their main characters, just wait until you even try to catch the names of the supporting characters. Best of luck there.
No, there isn’t a character arc, subplot or story element to be found outside of the grand, sweeping storyline that couldn’t have any other outcome than the one that is obvious from the first frame. This is an inspirational sports movie completely lacking any sense of character outside of the portrayal of Mandela. While Freeman is brilliant in his performance as the legendary head of state, the film expects you to know about the various crises surrounding his release and election. They hint and cajole, but never give you the details or even so much as a single revelatory scene to illuminate the source of background tension. And while one could argue that the film wanted to avoid retelling what they believe should be public knowledge, every character in the film is treated with this level of neglect.
Making matters worse, this is a sports film about a sport few Americans understand, let alone have ever seen played. Not only is there no effort made to actually let the audience know what the point of the game is, it doesn’t seem like Clint cares at all. The few scenes of matches we see don’t let on nearly anything about the game and only serve to…to…well they don’t really serve anything, now do they? I mean it’s a film about a team that helped heal a nation, so I guess they felt obligated enough to show the sport occasionally, but felt that since we don’t care about it now, maybe we never will. The tension is weak and since we have no real attachment to the characters outside of Mandela, it’s very hard to care about an outcome.
But the final nail in the coffin is the startling lack of score, occasionally broken up by a tinkling piano tune that eventually grates on the nerves but is almost a welcome guest amid the sea of unnecessary quiet. If the film has one element that sticks out as detestably bad, it is the music. There’s just something about it that leaves the whole film feeling hollow while clearly accentuating everything wrong with it every step of the way.
This honestly feels like a film that Clint just didn’t care about, a gig he took because his good friend Freeman asked him to. There’s nothing organic about this film, not a single element that really works. All of the great acting here is wasted and what could have been a really great story gets a very movie of the week treatment. While it certainly isn’t the worst thing I’ve seen recently, it certainly isn’t close to being mentioned among the best. A misfire through and through, this goes squarely in the BAD Clint file.
A quick note: before addressing my statements in the first paragraph please note that you will be quizzed on the following Eastwood films: Blood Work, True Crime, Space Cowboys, Flags of Our Fathers, Absolute Power, The Rookie, Firefox and maybe, just maybe, Bronco Billy. And that’s before we begin debating the merits of Changeling, Million Dollar Baby or Mystic River.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
Got something for the Wyrm? Mail it here.
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You're all queens.
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Nearly every review I've seen for Invictus has been so apologetic and forgiving, despite the HUUUGE flaws (um, like the entire film). I really agree with you on just about every point (http://bit.ly/6tBlge). My friend and I walked out of the screening feeling like we watched a rough cut. Clint totally missed the ball here, and most critics have given him a pass, because well, he's Clint.
So thanks for giving 'em hell. -
A great film, and one completely necessary in a discussion of Eastwood's directorial ability.
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Based on his track record, this probably is great film.
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...mhe....should have been in 3-D
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Unforgiven is one of the greatest films ever made in the entire history of film. I have no interest in seeing Invictus (a rental for me) but Clint is one director I'd never bad mouth to his face...even if he is 80, he could probably still kick my ass
:- ) And you know what? I think Play Misty For Me is a pretty great movie. Underrated hard-core. -
Now you know what the rest of the world feels about all those shit American football films
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I haven't seen this yet, but I'm right there with you on that opening. I don't get this "new American master" label that Eastwood has been knighted with in the last decade or so (remember that while "Unforgiven" was a huge success, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" was a flop and he didn't really start racking it up until "Million Dollar Baby"). His movies usually have the feel of highly competent TV productions to me.
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Nuff said.
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Opium for the masses.
Governments love sport! All leading politicians are sports pundits when they think it will appeal to the plebs. When enough people come together (and get distracted just enough) to be “healed” by an “inspirational” win, governments can rest easy that an uprising (ie: riot) is off the cards for another while at least!
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Cool! Do we get to see this elitist trying to convince the Soviets to nuke New York? Do we get to see him butcher a contractor in Cuba to take his home? Do we get to see the mass executions and firing squads outside his window? Do we get to see his incompetence and cowardice? And PLEASE include Bolivia!
Maybe I WILL watch it after all... -
Dec 11, 2009 9:05:57 AM CST
I loved Taken too. What'cha tryin' to say?
by isleptwithkathybatesandallthatigotwasthi
Get those fists up in da air.
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There wasn't time during the four hour movie to include Che's "transgressions."
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That was one boring melodramatic mess. "Invictus" was...okay. I agree with Massawyrm: there really wasn't much to it, and there really should have been. A watchable film, probably moreso if you know the ins and outs of Rugby, but not very memorable.
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The man had some classics, no doubt. Unforgiven may be one of my top 10 or 20 films ever, and High Plains Drifter was, along with Taxi Driver, one of the seminal films of my early teens. But I'm tired of critics elevating him to the pantheon of Great American Directors. The man has directed a lot of shit movies. A LOT of them, as you so rightfully pointed out, Massa.
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That was a great movie! Eastwood is better with the breezy films than the heavy-handed ones. Million Dollar Baby was a movie without worth. Just because something makes people cry does NOT mean it's a good movie.
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Geoffrey Lewis, Scatman Crothers; please.
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C'mon. Just off the top of my head, let's see: Michael Mann, Judd Apatow, Kevin Smith, Darren Aronovsky, the guy who did The Royal Tennanbaums, Spike Jonez--there's plenty to go around. I'd hardly put Clint atop that list of overrateds.
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The best ones seem to be ones that either reveal a person from history that we don't know much about (William Wallace; as historically iffy as the story was, it connected well), or reveals a person different from the popular image (...I'm at a loss for an example of this one; perhaps Shakespeare in Love would be an example; even though it's a fictional story, it captured what life was like, the struggles the Bard probably went through, the inspirations he drew from for his plays). The ones that fall flat are those that don't offer a compelling story arc, a goal or endpoint that the person aimed for. Wallace aimed at freeing Scotland; what does Mandela aim for here? Conquering racism? Uniting his country? These are nebulous goals that can't be measured and reached very well, if at all. And that's kind of what Public Enemies suffered from. What was the goal? To see Dillinger caught or die. So the plot of the movie depends on the main character being defeated and/or destroyed? Audiences can't root for that.
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I mean, people throw that word around more than a Thai whore without ever bothering to add an "I think..." clause. Because beyond all else, it's only an opinion and everyone's got one. And as long as long as there's another person on Earth, an opinion is bound to be wrong.
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...is to set up a goal and not see the character reach it. Like Valkyrie. The goal is to kill Hitler, the characters fail and are executed, and the band plays on. And audiences know the end, they know that Hitler didn't die by assassination, so not only does the plot fail to deliver, but the audience knows it beforehand. There are exceptions, of course. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid come to mind. Their goal was to avoid capture and death, and they ulimately failed. But that movie succeeded on the chemistry of Redford and Newman alone. So I guess if Damon and Freeman both hit grandslams, the movie might do well.
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All my thoughts about this movie were related to Morgan Freeman being one hell of a stunt casting - Mandela should be played by an unknown, or someone who can disappear in the role, like Forest Whitaker did.
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I've never understood why people say that. It's saying that you COULD care about something, not that you couldn't. Seems to be an American thing - here it's 'couldn't give a shit', which actually makes sense. Weird.
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Morgan Freeman plays a black guy who needs to enlist the help of a white guy to unite a nation, help the black people who can't help themselves, and make white audiences feel better about crossing the street when they see a black man walking their way. It worked for Quantum Leap.
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Number one, I don't see why they chose a rugby tournament as the backdrop for a film about South Africa. Why not a film about Mandela's group when they were murdering those who opposed them? Why not a film about the ANC's bombing campaign? Why not a film showing how Mandela ran his country into the ground and turned it into a nation overrun by HIV, rape, and homicide? Why not a film that explores why South Africa became the murder capital of the industrialized world after Mandela and the ANC got the reins of power? Why not a film about Mandela's days as a communist who supported the Soviets?I also agree that Eastwood films are notoriously overrated. I'm still trying to figure out what made people so orgasmic about Gran Torino, and Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby are two of the worst movies I've ever seen. Mystic River was probably the worst movie I've ever seen in the theater; it was so bad I contemplated walking out; I was even able to make it through Hudson Hawk for crying out loud.
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I guess the answer is the same as the reasons they avoided the truth with Che. Hollywood is filled with backslapping liars and sociopaths who stomp their feet like little children when they don't get their way--in other words, the same types of elitists who defend communists and murdering facists as "liberators" and "revolutionaries"...
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I wouldn't go so far as to call it one of the worst movies I've ever seen, but there was definitely some stuff in there that made me wonder if I was seeing the same thing that the critics were jerking off all over. First, Sean Penn's performance wasn't SO great that we needed to laud it incessantly; his scenery-chewing stuggle with the cops was really almost comical. And it's not like Robbins was all that, either. The plot point with Kevin Bacon's wife making her silent phone calls was klutzily filmed and felt phony, and the big scene between Penn and Bacon at the end was essentially juiceless. As I'm thinking back on that movie, it's definitely the one that really started me scratching my head at Clint's "greatness." Not that good of a movie at all.
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They take great pains in the movie to explain the game, according to this very websites other review.
Methinks either you weren't paying attention, or the other guy is just making shit up.
What do YOU think it is? -
Changeling was just as banal as could be, Grand Torino was lazy in parts and above all, a disposable film experience, and Million Dollar Baby hasn't aged well. I'll probably see Invictus today, but I'm not holding my breath.
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Anyone who knows anything about boxing would find that movie laughable. The idea that the other girl fighter would be able to sucker punch Swank blatantly after the bell, resulting in a catastrophic injury, and get no punishment because "you have to keep your guard up at all times" is utterly and completely laughable. That chick would have been cuffed and arrested on the spot, thrown in jail, and Swank would have been able to sue her for every penny she had. For the movie to turn on a plot twist so completely and totally ludicrous devalues the entire movie, to say nothing of the utter melodrama of the last 45 minutes post-sucker punch.
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"And the screenplay from Anthony Peckham (from the book Playing the Enemy by John Carlin) is smart in making sure every nuance of Mandela's thinking and the team's playing is examined and made clear. For example, Peckham understands that most Americans don't know a thing about the rules of rugby, so he includes a sequence in which the almost entirely white South African team goes to an all-black township to teach the children the game. And guess who else gets to learn the basic rules of the game as a result of this makeshift rugby camp?"
And the answer? Clearly not Massawyrm. -
What exactly was the point? Life sucks? Thanks, Clint. Unforgiven makes that point as well, but in the confines of a identifiable story arc, with memorable characters and scenes. As opposed to meandering, endless scenes of misery and tedium.
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However, I'm now worried for both of us, as at certain times it has been the practice of those in power in South Africa to put a tire doused in gasoline around the dissenter and set him afire. Oh, and plop you very close to Winnie Mandela's home. In this instance then, I would be very careful with the phrase 'smoke 'em if you got 'em'.
In a startling display of sycophancy, I say 'very good review, M; contextually true in the work of Eastwood and daring because everybody has to love everything that has anything to say positively about Mandela.'
Exile or jail = automatic sainthood. -
I've only seen Che Part 1, but I thought it was absolutely brilliant. Best historical drama I've seen since The Assassination of Jesse James. As for Clint... Yes, he's made a lot of shit. But he also made Unforgiven. And he's been on a role the past 5 years. Not much can be done if you didn't like Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and Iwo Jima, though.
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freeman is in fuckin everything...and matt damon...that lump. i'm tired of him. and one more thing...clint eastwood is a shitty director. the only good one he's made as director is unforgiven, but he's such a name in hollywood he keeps making movies.
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I stopped at overrated. What a load of horseshit. Million Dollar Baby is probably the best boxing movie ever made. Mystic River is ridiculously good. Letters from Iwo Jima is art. Gran Turino is completely badass. And I'm not even going back very far. Worms have simple minds.
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during the spy stuff. It really fell apart once he gets in the super stealth jet though.
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Worm, do you know the story of his incarcaration? Mr Mandella, in his youth was involved in the tip of the spear organization. The fine line between freedom fighter and terrorist was walked. He himself admits that in his youth he violated human rights. Worm, you would not like a straight up story about Nelson Mandella. It would confuse you.
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Firefox was fucking sweet.
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Totally forgot about Unforgiven. WTF Worm?
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It was called Spear of the Nation, the armed wing of the ANC.
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But gourmet meals. Any review that complains that most Americans don't understand rugby tells me all I need to know.
Go get yourself a Burger King, Massawyrm. Aren't you hungry, for Burger King now?
Last one out turn out the lights. -
Knew it was something like that, thanks.
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The All-blacks were kind of pioneers in racial equality in rugby if I remember correctly. I think they're kind of cast as bad guys in the film (havent seen it yet).
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Unforgiven, Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby are very good movies, but Gran Torino absolutely blows. I don't buy for a second that Clint can kick ANYONE's ass at his advanced age, and that Jesus Christ pose at the end? Shit like that is for the mouthbreathers in the cheap seats.
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speaking of Clint, anyone remember that movie? I live an hour away from Savannah and I've seen that Jim Williams guy's house once
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Calling Eastwood overrated is a big misstep. For someone who seems to flaunt his Eastwood expertise in the final paragraph, Massa has somehow managed to reach even new heights of boneheadery in his attack on the beheamoth that is Eastwood's body of work. I just made up the word "boneheadery," but it applies.
Again, I will take pains to point out Massa's AWFUL review of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Do you really believe his analysis of any film after he so clearly displays his own incompetence? It seems that if a film doesn't meet certain expectations that he somehow forms in his feeble mind based on trailers or TV ads or whatever else, he automatically takes it to the woodshed and flogs it. HAPPY FEET tries to convey a message instead of just entertaining us with dancing penguins, it's evil propaganda. NCFOM denies us the violent climax to which it seems to build (even though it would subvert the all-important theme of the film), it's "a fucking tragedy" (direct quote). And now, Clint tries to give us a film about an important sports moment (I think we should avoid labelling this a "sports film") that transcends the significance of the moment itself.
Let's try and decide what's more likely...Either Massawyrm doesn't get the point of the movie or Eastwood helmed a film without "a single element that really works." Hmmm...I know which side I'm taking. -
that I've seen any old voodoo women, but I did go to the spot where Forrest Gump sat on his bench and said "life is like a box of chocolates"
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strangely enough
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Felt like the story was written by a 12 year-old. Walter sees two black guys harassing a Hmong girl. He acts all cool and shit and pulls out a gun. The black guys get scared and run away. So yeah it must be December, time for Clint to release an Oscar hopeful.
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You devalue the word sucked. If you didn't like it, fine. But as a film, it didn't suck. Average flick, maybe. Overrated, possible. But Transformers 2 sucks. Mystic River didn't suck. Neither does Million Dollar Baby. These are movies with a discernible plot and capable acting. They tell stories with a beginning, middle and end. That doesn't suck. It might be average, or not appeal to your own tastes. But Christ Almighty, it really takes the zing away from movies that really do suck.
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I'll go watch it today or tommorow.Massa's taste for films are almost diametrically opposed to mine, so this might be worth it.
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I remember joking with a co-worker at the time about how the only good part of the movie was when the boat sunk, and some woman overheard us and very seriously voiced "Thanks for spoiling the end of the movie, Aholes!!!!". We both did not have words at that point, because honestly ignorance like that is a case for "no comment".
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Was that uncomfortable?
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"Che" was no hagiography. It was about the process of mounting a successful guerilla campaign. Process has always been Soderbergh's thing. It was not a biopic. Also, Winnie Mandella violated human rights and endorsed the practice of necklacing. Nelson, on the other hand, went to prison for his beliefs and stood up against apartheid. How about a biopic about a popular US president who provided aid to Saddam Hussein, while selling weapons to Iranian terrorists and funding terror in Central America? My point? The right has long operated in defense of bloodthirsty regimes, even likening some to "the moral equivalent of our founding fathers", and they have the nerve to whine about evil so-called "Hollywood elitists" who make movies you fellas have not actually seen? "George Clooney made a film demonizing Joe McCarthy! Boo-hoo!" "Global Warming! Darn Liar Scientists and their emails! Consensus Conshmensus! It's a plot!" "Oliver Stone just doesn't like Bush! WAAA!!!" "They hate the military! They make war ugly! They hate America!" "Brokeback Mountain! It's a gay agenda!" "Munich? They want us not to fight terrorists! Antiamerican commies!" "Run for your lives, here comes an endorsement of socialized medicine disguised in the form of medical drama! AHHHHHHH!!!!!"
You guys are pathetic. How long before I hear another impotent reference to that nefarious entity known as the dreaded "MSM". You guys are losers. "You people voted for Agnew, and you murdered Jesus!" Now, go save us in a culture war from dreaded non-denominational holiday greetings.
And by the way, "Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil", was quite underrated. But it did not reach the dizzying heights of, say, a "Pale Rider". -
I remember that NCFOM review. Worm, I'm not sure you can separate the merit of the film itself from your preconceived expectations of said film. Maybe if you stopped watching previews that would help.
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And for the record, I think MILLION DOLLAR BABY is a great film, but I'm not sure I can place it above RAGING BULL or even ROCKY. Not sure what it is, but boxing films seems to lend themselves to greatness...
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Kind of bored me. High Plains Drifter is the western for the discerning gentleman.
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"Our resort to the armed struggle in 1960 with the formation of the military wing of the ANC (Umkhonto we Sizwe) was a purely defensive action against the violence of apartheid. The factors which necessitated the armed struggle still exist today. We have no option but to continue. We express the hope that a climate conducive to a negotiated settlement would be created soon, so that there may no longer be the need for the armed struggle." Oh yeah. Definitely the words of a violent sociopathic criminal. You jackasses.
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I like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, but I'm not getting your point.
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Ok, I get what you're saying steiner. But Nelson isn't MLK Jr. He was a member of Spear of the Nation and he did kill people. Granted I think it was a just cause. But if you made a factual biopic about Mandella; it would probably offend alot his 'fans' (?) or at least people like Wyrm.
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Fuck him. No, really, fuck you, Massa. Grow the fuck up, will you? Start growing some brains and stop being such a slave to conventional filmmaking. You do not deserve a movie like CHE. Unbelievable!
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Raging bull was fucking sweet...
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"High Plains Drifter" is classic. And "The Outlaw Josey Wales" still holds up quite well.
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Agreed. Forgot about Josey. Even though I shouldn't have. Josey Wales rocks.
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was Clint's score. You may not be able to hum it like a John Carpenter synth classic, but it lingers, sort of the difference between James Horner's score for "Star Trek II"(hummable) versus Michael Giacchino's score for "Star Trek"(not really hummable, but memorable).
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The ANC was violent, and committed criminal atrocities against unarmed civilians, including "necklacing". Mandela's wife was actually brought up on charges for it, and Spear of the Nation, the ANC's armed wing, made the grisly punishment famous.Mandela was put in prison because he was planning a bombing campaign that would've made September 11th look like a firecracker, among other violent activities (google the Church Street Massacre in 1983). I daresay that the violence committed by Mandela's ANC probably lengthened apartheid's reign. Why?A lot of South Africans wanted apartheid to end, but they did NOT want the ANC to take over as the political power in the country in the aftermath for fear of what their rule would do to the country. Unfortunately, they've been proven right. Mandela ran the country into the ground.20 years later, South Africa is the murder and rape capital of the world, with one of the most corrupt governments on the planet.
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Not a chance in hell I'd see this. Looks like another 'White Boy saves Black Man' movie.
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TIA right?
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Dec 11, 2009 1:28:49 PM CST
That'd be right UBERMAN IF IT WASN'T A FILM ABOUT RUGBY AND NOT
by chadiwack
well done numbnuts.
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Don't waste em with average films please.
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Why do so many people kiss Nelson Mandela's ass when he was part of an armed military wing of the ANC known as the MK... who worked in conjunction with the African Communist Party. They car-bombed numerous targets and killed numerous civilians.... for example the Church Street Bombing of '83. Torture and executions were routine in ANC detention camps... I mean come on. What about Winnie Mandela? She tortured and executed so many people... she became synonymous with "necklacing."
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Had one of the most asinine movie endings EVER.
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That extremism breeds extremism. ANC extremists were a response to the one of the most oppressive regimes of the modern era. The point of the movie is that he could have indulged in that extremism after becoming President. He could have reversed the traditional roles, placed whites in pseudo bondage, and made them subhuman beasts. He could have taken revenge for a century of some of the most backward and racist rule in the history of the world. But he didn't. That's the point of the movie. That's why the movie isn't about the ANC, an uprising or terrorism.
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"He could have taken revenge for a century of some of the most backward and racist rule in the history of the world."Robert Mugabe IS doing that in Zimbabwe, and South Africa is not far behind him. The wholesale slaughter of Afrikaner farmers is accelerating, and the country has the highest murder rate in the world, and Mandela's ANC is turning a blind eye to it.
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JoeD! South Africa and Rhodesia were both ruthless, reactionary, and racist in their governing. But in the history of the world? Sorry, no that's not true. They just had better technology.
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Make a sequel Clint, even if there's no book to base it on. You know you want to.
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But I would past couple centuries, absolutely. Point taken.
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Clint scores his movies himself. Who else does that? Not a great many folks.
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*But I would say past couple centuries.
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Here I am getting caught up in a political discussion. The movie looks interesting, if a little hokey. A.O. Scott gave this one a favorable review, and I usually trust his judgment. I like Clint and love Million Dollar Baby and Letters from Iwo Jima. I'll wait till DVD.
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Or both? Either way, looks pretty lame...
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Massa you forgot "A Perfect World"
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thats a matter of opinion. Personally, I found it to be 1/2 a grest movie (the first half, obviously). However, the greatest boxing movie ever? ROFL only the greatest Eastwood apologists would claim that. Go google "James Butler Otis Grant" to see what would ACTUALLY happen in a sucker-punch situation like that. IT ends with a guy being dragged out of the ring in handcuffs to face assault charges.
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Agreed! Firefox is great fun. I haven't met a person in my life who at least admitted it was good 1980s action/adventure.
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meant "who saw the film and at least admitted..."
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Saying that rugby is the same sport as soccer, is like saying baseball is the same sport as basketball.What fucking planet do you live on?Retard World?
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You mean RICHARD Grant, right?
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I personally find Eastwood an ok director but I will never questioned his acting!
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Clint should go back to making movies with Orangutans who punch people in the face, cause that shit is hilarious.
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Matt Damon is horribly miscast as Francois Pienaar. Pienaar was 6’ 3” and 28 years old when he won the world cup with South Africa. Damon is only 5’ 10” and pushing 40.
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It's about the same level as Gran Torino, not as menial as Changeling or as tedious as Flags of our Fathers, but not as involving as Mystic River either.
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Dec 11, 2009 7:30:44 PM CST
Oranguntas punching people in the nuts is FUNNIER!
by hollywoodhellraiser
But yeah Eastwood and that Orangutan was helluva funny!
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The Deaparted is one of the weakest best picture winners in history. And Aviator and Gangs of New York were overrated crap. People will deem no matter what he does as a masterpiece.
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He liked the film overall, but commented on how it sucked "This Story" was the one used to film a movie with Mandela in it. Why not a full-scale biopic of the man?
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It blows my mind that people would say Mystic River wasn't good. Not saying they're wrong, as it is an opinion, I just don't understand it.As for Million Dollar Baby, I can more understand someone not liking it, but I loved it.Also, Space Cowboys is great, and Unforgiven is brilliant.
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He plays it too safe and aims for the December release because he wants Academy Awards.
Make my day, Clint: try something a little bit daring. -
He's still got his 'Botha is Boss' T-shirt. I'm KIDDING. Anyways.
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FUCKFUCKFUCK...when is Eastwood going to let a REAL COMPOSER score one of his movies again? Back in the 60's and 70's, Eastwood movies used to have THE coolest scores, usually by Ennio Moricone, Lalo Schifrin or Jerry Fielding. But ever since he turned to Lennie Niehaus in the mid-80's, the music in his films has turned to absolute SHIT. It's gotten even worse since Eastwood started writing the music himself, or getting his son to do it. It's always this incredibly simplistic piano tune that sounds like something a first-timer would get assigned to play by a music teacher, repeated verbatim every 15 minutes. Okay, I *get* that melodic, orchestral film music is despised by today's directors who want their films to be "un-Hollywood", but if Eastwood wants music that doesn't ladle on the bombast while still working AS MUSIC instead of meanering piano noodling, then hire Thomas Newman or somebody, but STOP RUINING YOUR MOVIES WITH YOU OWN "MUSIC"!!!
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Its not great. Its pretty good (other than guys randomly taking their heads out of the scrum for some reason).
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There are sports that are not played by Americans!
AND he has the audacity to make a film that is true rather than changing it to make a cliched story!!! -
What would have actually happened if the fictional story was real is not really the point. The movie was an adaptation of a book about boxing by a trainer/cut who wrote under the psuodenem F.X. Toole. The book, Rope Burns, is a collection of short stories all about boxing in some way. Million Dollar Baby the movie is a combination of several of the short stories into one movie. The book the 2nd best boxing fiction I've ever read (Power of One is best) and the stories were brilliantly blended together. But if you don't like the nuts and bolts of the sport, the movie probably isn't for you. Just saying if the injury is your big problem with the movie, you missed the point.
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That all cheap shots get punished, you've never boxed in Texas.
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So everyone outside the US will understand it after being fed countless American Football and Baseball films that hey do not understand.
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True. Here comes a crickit movie. But all posturing aside, the film was pretty good.
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but true crime has it's moments just like space cowboys ( sutherland taking his teeth out for example )absolute power may be the worst of his eeeeever though... cowadingleberry that was bad. The rookie is a allegory for coming out as a homosexual actually, so kudos for Clint on that one.
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....is going to make seeing the Yanks being murdered in the next Rugby World Cup even sweeter. That is, if they can even qualify... And to the idiot who said he didn't want to see a soccer movie. You are a retard and then you lot wonder why the rest of the world (and yes, there is people living outside of the U.S of A) think Americans are as dumb as dirt. You really are a bunch of ignorant fucknuts...
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Midnight in the garden of good and evil... excellent reminder, liked that one quite a bit.
-Joe's rule number two: If you have to leave a party, you always take a traveler.- -
FYI ... outside of the US in many countries the word "Rooting" = "Shagging"
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I doubt not wanting to see a soccer movie constitutes being a fucknut. I saw the GOAL movies, I was a fucknut for spending the time watching them.
On another note, next time you want to insult someone properly, work on your spelling. Think about it man... Next time you will get them good!!! Cue inspirational music and Grrr... working out rocky style -
Reaaaally? I like it! (The phrase and the act, but for this comment I am talking about just the phrase ) which English speaking countries are you referring to?
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Ouch.... Thinking rugby is soccer is retarded. Doos.
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Unforgiven. and still feel that is and will remain, eastwoods finest hour as a filmmaker. great cast, great script, the movie looks great. it contains the best finale eastwood has ever put on film.
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what I am to say is all true. Once upon a time there was young SA boy called Stompie. Stompie was always getting up to mischief. But he had a great future a head of him. he was a lovely young lad. Stompie annd his family lived near Winnie Mandela´s house. She surrounded herself with a bunch of thugs. Which were called Winnie Mandela´s football team. As there were 15 of them. They were notorious. Nobody ever said a band word about them. they were her security guards. her spies. One night stompie and his friend decided for a laugh to break into winnies home. on hearing about the disturbance, winnie ordered her football team to investigate. about 6 of her football team turned up. Saw stompie and his friend. Stompie´s friend got out of thier but not before seeing his friend beaten, stomped, kicked and punched to death. Word got back to Winnie. She got to her home and ordered her football team to tell her waht happened. She rang her husband. She and nelson Took stompies body put it in the boot of the car and dumped the body in an unmarked grave. Stompies family were distraught. But winnie had put her machine into operation. She lied about the events, denied any knowledge of her implication in this brutal and savage murder. the family made it a cause. When Winnie went to trial it was one of the many charges she faces. and as usual she brazened it out. One of her football team took to the witness stand and described in great detail the litany of crimes Winnie Mandela ordered her football team to carry out. and whn it came to talking about stompie he broke down and the court was stunned. nelson described her famously. Winne has been caught with her pants down again.
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Dec 12, 2009 7:23:25 AM CST
I "COULDN'T" give a shit about Massa's reviews
by sir nigel lengthington-smythe
You are a retard. "Couldn't" give a shit, you fucking nob-jockey. If you COULD give a shit, it means you do care for fuck's sake
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Clint has never made a bad movie. He has made movies that were only good, but not great. However, he's never made a bad movie.
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I've definitely heard it in Oz, NZ, UK. Another one that catches folks from the US out quite often is "Fanny" (= vagina).
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For some reason I always associated fanny with ass.
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Clint Eastwood hasn't made a good movie in years. I did sort of enjoy Gran Torino as a commentary on the violence in his earlier body of work but it's a mess all the same. I'm more interested in seeing just about any other movie this month.
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But Ebert also pointed out that attempts to film a full-scale biopic have stalled/gone down in flames. So while not the best choice, better this story than none at all.
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funny accents. Clint is a boring director(except unforgiven) Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3nzGdaDdg0 -
Dec 13, 2009 9:01:03 AM CST
Invictus wasn't very good, but Clint has made some excellent fil
by castor778
And yes, I consider Million Dollar Baby one of those great films along with Gran Torino, Unforgiven, Mystic River, and The Outlaw Josey Wales.
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That Eastwood dropped the ball on this one. I think Lee should do the definitive Mandela movie. Leave it to a whtie guy to tell a black man's story through a white guy.
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here in Australia! Please use it more in the titles of well anything...it makes me smile.
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Clint knows his way around classic tropes like a pro, but he needs the right script. Given a classic script, he delivers lovely photography and deliberately paced work. Given a bad script, he still delivers lovely photography and deliberately paced work but it doesn't matter because it just reminds you how lame the content is. His films tend to be stately and elegant, which elevates classic material to great heights but makes weaker stuff seem ponderous, daffy, and pretentious.
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Invictus was brilliant. Very sneaky film. Don't agree with this review at all.
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Letters from Iwo Jima? Gran Torino? Unforgiven? Every great director has some mediocre films under his belt. This site really sucks ass sometimes.
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Like Eastwood or not, we can all agree that worm is a terrible reviewer.
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I'm ready for your questions about those films you listed... Clint Eastwood is overrated? Please list 5 mainstream directors you consider NOT over-rated and I'll take the fucking Pepsi challenge with Clint any day of the week. You are a fool.
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