Friday, July 15, 2022
Unforgiven
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: My mother used to be a Clint Eastwood fan with her sister, once they began living close to each other in their latter years. They saw all of Eastwood's stuff, the old and the new. I never figured out if my mother was truly an Eastwood fan or her sister's fan and thus willing to do anything that would bring them closer.
At any rate, although I've seen very few Eastwood movies, I saw this one, I can't remember where or why, when it first came out, and was surprisingly impressed. So, when, one evening, some years ago, my mother suggested that we "rent a Clint Eastwood movie", this is the one I picked. Good choice. Along with Morgan Freeman being in it, she loved the idea that a gunslinger could get old and have trouble reestablishing his former skills in a stab at morality. Since I bought the movie about a year ago, we've seen it a couple of times. Every time she sees it, she either says, "Your Dad would have liked this," or, "You know, I'll bet Jean would like this one, we should have her over sometime to see it. Wouldn't that be fun!"
Once again, I got lucky and found a screenplay online for this movie.
Gerardo Vallero, a site companion critic, also weighs in on this movie, putting it in a modified historical context of Eastwood's work.
Last but not least, an online journalist, a woman named Pam who only reviews westerns, has written a review of this movie that will make you smile and, if you've shied away from this movie, will make you want to see it. See it!
Update 7/15/2022: This post was originally published on November 11, 2006, but but wouldn't pull as a "clint-eastwood" movie. By changing the publishing date, I hope to have fixed the problem.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Clint Eastwood William Munny Gene Hackman Sheriff Bill Daggett Morgan Freeman Ned Logan Richard Harris English Bob Jaimz Woolvett The Schofield Kid Saul Rubinek W. W. Beauchamp Frances Fisher Strawberry Alice Anna Thomson Delilah Fitzgerald
One of Roger Ebert's Great Movies.
If you want to read the Wikipedia info about this movie, though, here is the link.
Release Date: 1992
Directed by Clint Eastwood.
Labels: action3, adventure3, clint-eastwood, drama8, morgan-freeman, popcorn-and-soda3, revenge1, revisionist-western, violence3
The Mule
- Commentary:
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Clint Eastwood Earl Stone Bradley Cooper Colin Bates Laurence Fishburne Warren Lewis Michael Peña Bates Dianne Wiest Mary Stone Ignacio Serricchio Julio Gutierrez Andy García Latón Taissa Farmiga Ginny Alison Eastwood Iris Richard Herd Tim Kennedy Lobo Sebastian Bug Clifton Collins Jr. Gustavo
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2018
Directed by Clint Eastwood.
Labels: andy-garcía, clint-eastwood, laurence-fishburne
The Terminator
- Commentary: Well, people, I looked, and looked, and looked and couldn't find a review of this movie by Roger Ebert anywhere (although the reviews from Three Movie Buffs, to which I linked to the title of this post, more than suffice). I was sure I was, somehow, just missing it. Then, I chanced upon this admission, courtesy of IMDb and a dead link to "ReelzChannel", although Reelz certainly does exist, but searches there for "Roger Ebert" and "Terminator", came up with no results. In case you don't want to wander over to the link, it says that Roger Ebert admitted in 2009 that he'd never seen this movie.
That just didn't seem plausible, and I'm nothing if not dogged, so, of course, I continued to look and discovered this clip from Siskel & Ebert's television show At the Movies in which Ebert not only admitted to liking the movie, but particularly liked the peculiar angle of the love story. Although the clip is not dated, it is clear from the conversation that Siskel & Ebert were reviewing it during the movie's first theater run, which was in 1984.
Why is all this important? Well, through the many years since its release, this movie has gone up and up in audience and critical appraisal. The following two links to articles about the movie at Roger Ebert.com [30 Minutes on the Terminator] and the first two movies of the Terminator series [James Cameron's great double feature] underline this growing enthusiasm. In addition, the movie is certainly memorable. Not only did I remember it well, as I described to MFS a few days ago, "There's nothing like watching Arnold Terminator unfold into earthly existence."
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Arnold Schwarzenegger The Terminator Michael Biehn Kyle Reese Linda Hamilton Sarah Conner Paul Winfield Ed Traxler Lance Henriksen Vukovich Bess Motta Ginger Rick Rossovich Matt Earl Boen Dr. Silberman
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1984
Directed by James Cameron.
Labels: apocalyptic, dramaF, horror2, popcorn-and-soda7, science-fiction2, spectacle2, super-hero2, suspense3, thriller3, tragedy2, violence4
Two Mules for Sister Sara
- Commentary: I've seen this movie before, probably under the auspices of my Aunt Jean, although I can't quite remember what the circumstances were. I remember being surprised by several aspects, including Shirley MacClaine's participation in it, which upped its game, in my estimation, and her top billing, above Clint Eastwood's. I also remember enjoying the hell out of it, especially the interplay between MacClaine and Eastwood. So, there. That's why I wanted to own this movie. It's a definite watch-again-production.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Clint Eastwood Hogan Shirley MacClaine Sister Sara Manolo Fábregas Colonel Beltrán Alberto Morin General LeClaire Armando Silvestre First American John Kelly Second American Enrique Lucero Third American David Estuardo Juan Ada Carrasco Juan's Mother Pancho Córdova Juan's Father José Ángel Espinosa French Officer Rosa Furman Sara's Friend
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1970
Directed by Don Siegel.
Labels: clint-eastwood, shirley-maclaine, violence4, western
Sicario
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Emily Blunt Kate Macer Josh Brolin Matt Graver Benicio del Toro Alejandro Gillick Daniel Kaluuya Reggie Wayne Victor Garber Dave Jennings Jon Bernthal Ted Jeffrey Donovan Steve Forsing Raoul Trujillo Rafael Julio Cesar Cedillo Fausto Alarcón Hank Rogerson Phil Coopers Bernardo Saracino Manuel Díaz Maximiliano Hernández Silvio
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2015
Directed by Denis Villeneuve.
Labels: §4, action4, emily-blunt, thriller3, violence4, war3
The Thorn Birds
- Commentary: I haven't watched this series, yet. I'm expecting to receive it today (7/15/22). I have to mention, though, despite its continued popularity, no film critics considered "accomplished" by film media reviewed this series; not then (back in the 1980's) and not now, despite the high caliber talent engaged, the fact that it continues to be lauded as the second most popular mini-series in history (the first one being Roots) and, besides these, it won several major awards. Even its Wikipedia write-up dispensed with its usual "Reception" section on this movie, although it did include a stocked Awards section, of which, might I add, this production was nominated for and won several. Despite this, I had to scrounge to find two reviews, one attached to the title of this post and the other here, written on the occasion of the release of the DVD of the series in 2004. Both are excellent and informative. If you read reviews of video media, you'll appreciate both. In addition, the DVD version I'll be receiving includes a "Commemorative Documentary" that I can barely wait to watch.
The above linked reviews, despite the fact that I'll be receiving a few more DVDs/Blu-Rays in the same package, guarantee that this series will be the first into which I dive. I find it so incredibly curious that no "critic of prominence" wanted to weigh in on this series. I suspect I will discover why top tier critics were afraid to review this series (even though I'd put good money on the proposition that all of them saw it) and that it will have something to do with being afraid of somehow getting their minds dirty. I mean, a mini-series about a priest falling in love with a woman ... starring the likes of Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Christopher Plummer, the list goes on and on ... somehow, I can imagine lots of critics cringing, shaking their hands frantically and squealing, "Eew!"
So, Dear Reader, stay tuned. Although this post remains "Under construction", I'll be completing and polishing it soon.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Richard Chamberlain Ralph de Bricassart Rachel Ward Adult Meggie Cleary Sydney Penny Child Meggie Cleary Barbara Stanwyck Mary Carson Richard Kiley Paddy Cleary Jean Simmons Fee Cleary Bryan Brown Luke O'Neill Mare Winningham Justine O'Neill Philip Anglim Dane O'Neill Ken Howard Rainer Hartheim John Friedrich Frank Cleary Dwier Brown Adult Stuart Cleary Vidal Peterson Child Stuart Cleary Piper Laurie Anne Mueller Earl Holliman Luddie Mueller Christopher Plummer Archbishop Vittorio di Contini-Verchese Brett Cullen Bob Cleary Stephen W. Burns Jack Cleary Barry Corbin Pete Holly Palance Miss Carmichael John de Lancie Alastair MacQueen Allyn Ann McLerie Mrs. Smith Richard Venture Harry Gough Antoinette Bower Sarah MacQueen
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1983
Directed by Daryl Duke.
Labels: §4, barbara-stanwyck, coming-of-age2, erotic, jean-simmons, period7, religion2, spiritual2, TV3
Black Widow
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Scarlett Johansson Black Widow Natasha Romanoff Florence Pugh Black Widow Yelena Belova David Harbour Red Guardian Alexei Shostakov O-T Fagbenle Rick Mason Olga Kurylenko Taskmaster Antonia Dreykov William Hurt Thaddeus Ross Ray Winstone Dreykov Rachel Weisz Black Widow Melina Vostokoff Michelle Lee Red Room Assassin Oksana Jade Xu Black Widow Helen Julia Louis-Dreyfus Valentina Allegra de Fontaine Jeremy Renner Voice of Clint Barton
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2021
Directed by Cate Shortland.
Labels: §4, rachel-weisz, ray-winstone, super-hero2, thriller3, tragedy2, violence4, william-hurt
