Year of Eastwood #12

Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Starring: Eastwood, Chief Dan George
Directed by Eastwood

The first question that needs to be answered … so who is this Josey Wales and why is he an outlaw? Well, let me tell you, the film begins with Clint minding his own business when a group of ne‘er-do-wellers ride up and are fixin‘ for trouble (this seems to be a theme in many of these Westerns) - this time Clint is working the land on his small plot of dirt in Mizzoura. From what I can tell, the gang is from the Union Army going around the country at the end of the Civil War to restore a sense of order to the nation. By this I mean they burn up Clint’s nice little shack and kill his wife and son. In some scenes that I’m sure were cut out of the final edit, Clint’s wife must have been some kind of rebel mixing up a bunch of trouble - so I’m sure she got what she had coming to her. Clint disagrees.

Clint joins up with a bunch of Confederate separatists seeking revenge against the Union. The men are tricked into surrendering and pledging their allegiance to the Union - Clint, of course, declines this offer - and the men get more than they bargained for - namely a bunch of bullets about the head, neck, and body region. Clint rides in and starts shooting up as many Army men as he can. Now, Clint is an outlaw and the most wanted man in all the Southwest.

Outlaw Josey Wales is really a road picture (back when there weren‘t any roads). Clint, who likes to spit on anything that moves, teams up with a wise-cracking old Enjun who wouldn't surrender to the Union either, but they did take his horse and the horse surrendered. Later a feisty young Squaw joins the fun as they ride south thru Texas to get to Mexico where they hear lots of like-minded folks have gathered. Along the way they run into bounty hunters and law officials but Clint shoots them all. In one of the films funniest scenes, Clint tries to ditch the Enjun telling him that when he gets to likin’ someone they ain’t around long - Enjun replies that he noticed that when Clint gets to dislikin’ someone they ain’t around long neither.

Clint and his tribe come across a family of settlers and rescues them from a pack of thieves. Grandpa is dead, but the old granny and a pretty young thing join Brother Clint’s traveling salvation show. The young gal who has her eyes set on Clint is played by none other than Sondra Locke. Josey marks the first pairing of Clint and Sondra, so now everyone out there who's had to listen to her sing in Every Which Way But Loose can blame this movie. Clint and the gang finally make it down to a ranch in Texas, and after a night of whiskey and banjo playing in front of an open fire, everyone decides that this is a nice place for settlin. Clint, of course, still has a few loose ends to wrap up.

Outlaw Josey Wales is one of those films that I’ve come across during this year of Eastwood movies that I wasn’t really aware of before hand but I was impressed at how entertaining the movie was. Clint’s life is destroyed in the beginning of the film and he is a dangerous man because he has nothing left to live for, but during his journey he unexpectedly begins to find new people that he starts to care for and he discovers new meaning in his life. Josey was a big step in Clint’s skill as a director as he refined his talent at Westerns - a journey that would eventually lead to multiple Oscars of his own.

Prince

Planet Earth
Prince

Ah, Prince - where did it all go wrong? Back in the day, Prince was always my favorite artist. Sure there were others that would come and go, but the latest Prince album would always get the most time on my record player. The first Prince album I bought was 1999 (it’s essential that any geek feels like they got in on their favorite before the masses) - then came the Purple Rain explosion and the whole Minneapolis Sound. I bought them all - Sheila E, Morris Day and the Time, Vanity/Apollonia 6. There were a couple of terrible movies along the way, but there was also Sign o’ the Times - which I still consider my favorite all-time album. There was even a Batman soundtrack, which I always considered kinda disposable, but it was a huge seller.

The decline really started with Diamonds and Pearls released in the early 90’s. Listening to the CD, you could almost feel that Prince was trying to make a hit record. The funky tunes started to lose their edge and Mr. Nelson began a long string of sappy, almost intolerable slow jams. Those might work getting the ladies between his purple satin sheets, but who wants to listen to it? That was followed by over a decade of record label fighting, name changes, and inconsistent music. I continued to buy new releases, usually expecting only a couple of enjoyable tunes on each CD - then I quit buying his new stuff all together.

Prince pretty much fell off the map. A few years ago, Prince performed at the Grammy’s as a celebration of the 20th anniversary (yikes) of Purple Rain. Prince started to get some attention again. He released a couple of CD’s that got pretty good reviews and decent sales. He performed at the Super Bowl half-time - it was no Nipplegate, but still pretty entertaining. With each release, I’m hoping that Prince will once again be inspired to create a set of classic songs.

Planet Earth definitely is a step in the wrong direction. Released a few months ago and then completely ignored shortly after that. The title song received some attention as Prince returning to form - eh, it’s not a bad song but nothing I find myself wanting to listen to over and over again. The second song Guitar is more of a return to the guitar funk that made me such a Prince fan to begin with. Somewhere Here On Earth is the obligatory slow jam - not as bad as Arms of Orion. The One U Wanna C feels like a Sheryl Crow song. Future Baby Momma - the title says it all. Mr. Goodnight has the smooth rap style that Prince was criticized for in the 90’s, but I liked those songs. Like other recent Prince efforts, the final songs on Planet Earth really drop off. Chelsea Rodgers is kind of a funky disco song that feels sterile compared to the funk on 1999. Lion of Judah feels like Prince is working on some kind of crappy rock opera. And Resolution falls flat. Well, the good news is Prince usually releases a new CD every year, so only 9 months to go…

Year of Eastwood #11

Hang ‘em High (1968)

Starring: Eastwood
Directed by Ted Post

Clint is at the other end of the noose at the beginning of Hang ‘em High. Clint is just minding his own business, helping out some calf stuck in the mud - when a posse jumps him and strings him up for cattle thieving. Clint tries to explain that he bought the cows fair and square with the money his gammy sent him for Christmas. But the posse came all this way and they want to do some hanging, so they put the noose around his neck and mosey on down the dusty trail. Not sure why they didn’t stick around to make sure Clint was dead ... maybe they had a tight schedule to keep and they were already late for a good tar and feathering.

Of course, Clint isn’t going to die in the first scene in any movie (it‘s in his contract). Luckily, a deputy just happens to be traveling by and he cuts Clint down from the hanging tree. But Clint can’t seem to catch a break and the deputy puts him in a paddy wagon and hauls him off to jail. He ends up in a small town in the Oklahoma Territory that enjoys a good public hanging like it’s the annual Tulip Festival. Judge Wapner checks out Clint’s story and offers him a job as a deputy. The pay is pretty good and offers some good benefits, mainly that Clint can chase down the guys in the posse and show them his shiny new badge.

Hang ‘em High was the first Western that Clint starred in following his success with the Spaghetti Westerns. It’s clear to see why American Westerns had become somewhat stale and the welcome edginess that the European film-makers brought to the genre. This effort is a by-the-numbers Western, the action lacks in suspense, and the music is plain lousy - although few soundtracks can compare with Morricone’s work in the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The film was directed by a director that had worked with Clint during his Rawhide days and the movie actually feels more like a TV production. There’s even a scene where Clint is riding across the open plains and the shadow of film crew can be seen riding alongside.

Whenever you go back and watch some older films it’s always interesting to see who might show up in some bit parts that went on to greater fame. Hang ‘em High has a few. First off, there’s the Skipper from Gilligan’s Island as a member of the posse. Bruce Dern is a cattle rustler who comes up on the short end of the stick when he messes with Deputy Clint. But the real find is a young Dennis Hopper chewing up just a few seconds of screen time as the Charlie Manson of the Old West. He gets shot. The film also features a couple of scenes of Ben Johnson as another deputy. Johnson is a staple of classic Westerns and went on to win an Oscar for his portrayal of Sam the Lion in one of my favorite films, Last Picture Show.

Hang ‘em High is pretty standard stuff and has not gone on to become one of Clint’s better known films. The film begins to touch on an interesting topic of revenge and justice. Clint questions the logic of bringing men to justice only to hang ‘em the same way of the posse mentality. Judge Wapner responds that if you think someone has done you wrong don't take the law into your own hands: you take 'em to court.

Adv Studio 01

Finally, the home stretch. Advanced Studio 01 was the first of the last two studios needed for graduation. This studio was definitely the best experience of the many studios I had to navigate my way thru. The atmosphere was more relaxed and we were able to spend the entire semester concentrating on one project.

The program for this project was the Denver News Agency headquarters in downtwon Denver. The project was interesting because the actual building was being built at the same time we were creating designs on the same site. This allowed us to really examine the site and observe the construction being done.

The location of the site is at the intersection of Colfax and Broadway. Across from the Civic Center Park which sits between the Capitol Building and the Denver City and County Building. The north end of the site anchors the 16th St. Mall which is a high-traffic pedestrian street.

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The challenge was to design a project which addresses the many adjacent forces. The concept for my design was to create a pedestrian-friendly street front and civic minded presence that fits in well with the other buildings surrounding the Civic Center Park.

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Year of Eastwood #10

il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966)

Starring: Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef,
Eli Wallach
Directed by Sergio Leone

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is the classic Spaghetti western that made Clint a movie star. Produced by an Italian film-maker and filmed in Spain, the film was an unlikely follow-up to the success of the TV series Rawhide, but Clint wasn’t offered many other roles. Unsure at the time whether to accept the part - the Man with No Name has become iconic with the image that is Clint Eastwood.

Clint is the Good … squinty-eyed bounty hunter in pursuit of money above all else. Van Cleef is the Bad … fellow bounty hunter competing with Clint at every turn. Wallach is the Ugly … Tuco Benedito Pacifico Juan Maria Ramirez, a comical, fast talking bandit who is wanted by the authorities. Good and Ugly form an unusual bond - Clint turns in Wallach (wanted for murder, armed robbery of citizens, state banks, and post offices, theft of sacred objects, arson in a state prison, perjury, bigamy, deserting his wife and children, inciting prostitution, kidnapping, extortion, receiving stolen goods, selling stolen goods, passing counterfeit money, using marked cards and loaded dice, assaulting a justice of the peace, and derailing a train in order to rob the passengers) to collect the reward - only to stick around to save him from hanging by shooting the noose and then shoots off a few hats for fun.

Meanwhile, Bad is trying to find a fortune in Confederate gold buried in an army cemetery amid the chaos of the Civil War. Ugly learns the location of the cemetery and Good finds out the name of the grave where it’s buried. The climax finds the three gunslingers face to face to face for a final showdown for the buried treasure.

Spaghetti Western is a nickname for a sub-genre of Western film that emerged in the mid-1960's, so named because most were produced by Italian studios. Dismissed by critics at the time for its ultra-violent nature and cheap production values, these European Westerns developed a cult following and reached mainstream audiences with director Leone’s trio of “Dollar” films released in the late 60’s. Leone’s gritty style and use of sweeping widescreen cinematography and extreme close ups presented a skewed view of the West, making his films different from any Western that had come before. Spaghetti Westerns demythologized the conventions of American Westerns. The U.S. frontier was dirty and bloody, even the heroes were flawed, and justice didn’t always prevail in the end. The films redefined the entire idea of the Western up to that point.

Spaghetti westerns are known as Macaroni Westerns in Japan and have led to other Western sub-genres such as Burrito Westerns, Pad Thai Westerns, and Sake Westerns.

The film has a hip, cool style and the humor creates a good balance with the serious, intense gunbattles. Perhaps what best defines this film is the outstanding musical score by legend Ennio Morricone. His hoofbeat rhythms, whistling themes, and the use of the human voice as an instrument became the standard for the scores to follow. The main theme, resembling the howling of a coyote, is a two-note melody that is a frequent motif, and is used for the three main characters, with a different instrument used for each one: flute for Good, ocarina for Bad, and human voices for Ugly. Morricone's theme is so recognizable, it has been used numerous times to underscore showdowns of one kind or another on many TV shows, with those scenes mimicking Leone's visual style.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is the quintessential Spaghetti Western. The combination of a cutting edge director, distinctive score, and the image of Clint Eastwood mixed together perfectly to create film history. Quentin Tarantino has called it "the best-directed film of all time.”

Year of Eastwood #9

Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

Starring: Eastwood
Directed by Eastwood

Ughh, this is not one of Eastwood’s finest couple of hours. Heartbreak Ridge plays more like a rip-off of some of the 80’s blockbusters than the distinctive films of Clint’s career. There’s some Top Gun, some Officer and a Gentleman, and some really lame, lame music video like crap thrown in for good measure. Never before in my life have I wanted to hear some Danger Zone, dammit Maverick.

Clint is the grizzled Gunnery Sgt. Highway. He’s a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars and now he spends most of his spare time drunk or detoxing in jail cells. He’s about to be forced out from military service when he gets his last shot to whip a group of rowdy Marines into shape for duty. There’s the usual head-butting, pranks, and fisticuffs - before (big surprise) the guys come around to respect and admire the old battleaxe.

“I've drank more beer, pissed more blood, and banged more quiff than all you numb-nuts put together,” Clint introduces himself to his new recruits. Never mind the medical concerns from Clint's urinary problems ... what the hell is a quiff? I mean, I know what a quiff is, but I think one way to make sure you’ll never see any more quiff is to use words like quiff. I wasn’t even sure how to spell quiff. The movie is full of classics just like that one. Hard to believe that it didn’t become part of the American lexicon like “Go ahead, make my day.”

The big finale culminates with Clint’s recon platoon being called into duty to kick some ass in a real-life military action … in Grenada. Grenada? Is that the best they could come up with? Our country sure was desperate for some kind of real combat back in the 1980’s. I could be wrong but I think the actual maneuvers took less time than the two hours it took to watch this movie. For dramatic effect, some guy dies but the rest of the squad seems so unaffected by it that I’m pretty sure they just left him there cuz hey there was some celebrating to do … we just kicked Grenada’s ass.

Clint doesn’t so much as act in Heartbreak Ridge as he grumbles his way through it. His performance is pretty much Brando quality compared to the rest of the actors. Stereotype doesn’t even begin describe the group of misfits that make up the Marines troop. There’s some muscle head that seems like he would make some easy target practice out on the battle field. There’s some dork in Aviators that might as well have Tom Cruise written on his t-shirt. And then there’s Mario Van Peebles as the ultra smooth, rocka-wannabe. I’m sure Mario was really disappointed that this movie didn’t make him into a superstar. He’s lucky he ever got another job. I found myself rooting for those Grenadines to pick off a few more of those lousy punks.

The ending of the movie kinda implies that this victory in Grenada is somehow supposed to make up for all the missteps in America’s recent wars. Grenada? I just don’t get it. When the troops bust in to rescue the students being held captive, they walked in on some young co-ed getting out of the shower. Rule #1 if you ever have the misfortune of being a prisoner of war - gotta keep that quiff clean. Same goes for spring break.

Turns out that the actual Grenada incident was handled by the Army - but they wanted nothing to do with this movie, so they just used the Marines instead. Smart move by the Army. I’m sure Clint won’t want Heartbreak Ridge listed in his profile of Who’s Who In Movie Superstars. Ughh, let’s just move on to next week…

Modern Art Museum of Ft Worth

Located near the Kimbell Art Museum, The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is an impressive response to Louis Kahn’s classic building. The museum was completed in 2002 and appears to be a modern variation of the Kimbell’s more traditional, elegant presentation.

The Modern Art Museum was designed by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Ando's design, which embodies the pure, unadorned elements of a modern work of art, is comprised of five volumes of glass, steel, and exposed concrete. These rectangular blocks are arranged in succession similar to the barrel vaults in Kahn’s design.

The massive planar walls are capped at the end by 40-foot-high transparent walls of glass framed in metal, providing magnificent public circulation areas from which to view the surrounding building and site, as well as creating tall display areas for dramatic items of Modern art.

Supporting the concrete roof slabs are five forty-foot-tall concrete Y-shaped columns, which allows visitors to appreciate the art of the building itself as well as the collection contained within. I wasn’t as familiar with this museum as the Kimbell when I was planning my trip. The collection of art was quite impressive. Usually when I'm walking around these museums, I'm focused on the architectural features, but there have been a few displays that have caught my eye as well. There were a few Warhols and definitely some intriguing sculptures. The building was an effective showcase for contemplation of these pieces.

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Year of Eastwood #8

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)

Starring: Eastwood, Jeff Bridges
Directed by Michael Cimino

Clint Eastwood is Thunderbolt in one of his few movies where Clint plays a criminal. In the tradition of other 70’s anti-hero flicks, Thunderbolt is a con-man and bank robber but he is also the hero of the movie. As the movie begins, Clint is a preacher in a small Montana church, interrupted mid-sermon by a gun toting assailant. On the run, Clint meets up with car-thief Lightfoot (Jeff Bridges, not of Madison County) and an unusual friendship begins. They do some crimes, but of course there’s a price to pay in the end…

The anti-hero genre grew out of the rebellion against the system of the 60’s. Politicians were corrupt, Vietnam was the first American war that brought out large protests at home, and hippies were told to cut their damn hair. Cinema became enamored with characters that would stand up to the Man (meaning whoever’s in authority). Some of the many classics include Cool Hand Luke, Dog Day Afternoon, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Taxi Driver. Audiences rooted for these underdogs as they battled to express their individuality - but in the end the lesson is always the same (dead, dead, dead, and dead). It wasn’t until the late 70’s that audiences cheered as plucky Rocky rose up from the dumpsters and won the title - wait - I guess Rocky actually lost that first fight. Umm, how about Star Wars then? Yea, those Rebels blew up that Death Star but good.

The first half of the film hits all the bases of 70’s standards - fast cars, loose women, Olympia beer, and a deranged fella with a trunk full of bunny rabbits. George Kennedy and Geoffrey Lewis (an Eastwood 70’s staple) provide comic relief for the film when they chase down Thunderbolt and Lightfoot in one of the movies funniest scenes in a riverside brawl. Unlike most movie fights (Clint included), this bust up has the guys worn out and in pain from beating the crap out of each other.

The foursome join forces to recreate a bank heist which involves ice cream trucks, drive-in movies, and Bridges in a dress. This film demonstrates Eastwood in his full 70’s swagger which made him the biggest star in America. During this time, Eastwood made several fluff entertainment films that featured lots of action and short on plot. The film was a hit during its day, but looking back on it now - the film falls squarely in the middle of Eastwood career highlights, but it’s got a catchy title, Thunderfoot and Lightningbolt.