2008. Dir: Clint Eastwood. Starring: Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang, Ahney Her and Brian Haley. ●●○○○
Way back when the AMPAS used to give three awards for writers, for Screenplay, Motion Picture Story, and Story and Screenplay. I'm not sure how these match up with the current original and adapted screenplay awards, but I like to think that Motion Picture story is an award for a film with a great idea that somehow doesn't come to fruition. This year it would easily go to Gran Torino.
The film concerns an elderly Korean War Vet (Eastwood) who slowly befriends his Hmong neighbours, or at least the younger generation (Vang and Her) and seeks redemption from his past by protecting them from the local gangs. Indeed the payoff, a final shootout in front of the gangbanger house, is nicely set up echoing themes and actions that take place in the rest of the film and subverting the audiences expectations.
The problem is that whilst the idea, from a story by Dave Johannson and Nick Schnenk is bothced in the adaptation, and the strength of the acting just isn't up to the task of rescuing the film. For instance when in doubt they give Eastwood's Walt Kowalski and low grunt, like a abbreviated form of Victor Meldrew's "I don't believe it". However it get used so much and so flatly it's difficult to ascertain what the grunts actually mean to Walt, if indeed he means anything beyond breathing out.
The use of racial slurs by Walt is necessary, and sometimes strangely affecting (such as his nickname for Choua Kue's Youa), but the point is hammered home rather too much so that I personally began to feel offence.
Many of the supporting characters are underwritten or one dimensional. Walt's family, for instance, come across as distant and unwilling to bridge the emotional gap with their father, however they were demonised in almost every scene, perhaps if they were seen to be trying to connect but fail we would have ultimately felt more for Walt's throughline.
Bee Vang and Abney Her as the brother and sister Walt gets to know are competent actors but nothing special, especially when sharing the screen with Clint, who lets face it is almost always the centre of attention. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the film more if it was all about the Lor family. Vang and Her offered enough in their scenes without Clint to make me feel the siblings had more dimensions (Thau's reaction to the Mexican insults, Sue's attitude to her date), and I would have like to have seen more of the way they ilived their daily lives.
Good work by the Gary Fettis on Set Docroation, both the Kowalski and Lor households had a lived in and believable feel to them. The rest of the technical team were solid but not spectacular.
Overall the film just wasn't good enough for it's interesting and original concept.
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Gran Torino
Saturday, 21 February 2009
Out this week (20/02/2009)
A draw at the top, but I'll have to go for Gran Torino. I won't be able to see it for a week, but I've already had Che: Part 1 as the recommendation earlier this year and it's only fair to give someone else a go.
Cadillac Records
Strange that a subject like the history of a record label has two films in a very short time period. In this version of the "Chess" story adrien Brody plays Leanard Chess and Beyonce, Jeffrey Wright and Mos Def all pop up. I'm still waiting on Who do You Love?
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Che: Part 2
In the second part of Soderbergh's epic retelling of the life of Che Guevera we follow Del Toro through the jungles of Bolivia to his ultimate defeat. Bleak but worthwhile film.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●●○○
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Is this the right time to release a film about a compulsive spender? Who cares, the perky Isla Fisher will guarantee this will go straight to the top of the box office.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Dehli 6
American-born Indian, Roshan (Abhishek Bachchan - looking a little like Alfred Molina in some shots) brings his ailing grandmother back to India. Om Puri turns up again.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Gran Torino
Bizarre release pattern aside (opening in Manchester, Bristol and Leeds this week - next week everywhere else, huh?) Clint's swansong to acting will be incredibly watchable even if it's regurgitated rubbish.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●●○○
Jag Jeondeyan De Mele
The film reflects a journey of a young man Abahijot (Harbhajan Mann) which holds so much excitement, dreams, sadness, happiness, hate and love.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○
Push
If Chris Evans would only release a film where he took a shower and then spent 2 hours drip drying I'd be super excited about seeing it. In the meantime there's only this sort of superhero lite stuff to see. Or not.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
20th Century Boys
Live action version of popular Manga series following a group of meet who meet at a school reunion, talk about their imaginery fights and then it gets weird. For diehard fans only.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Trailer - Gran Torino
It's ridiculously quiet on the birthday front, I've kind of stopped running for a bit (it's snowy here in the UK) and I can't thinki of anything original to write about so here's a wee trailer for a little film, just opened in the US (opening here on the 20th) about an old man struggling to come to terms with a multicultural society.
