Year of Eastwood #32

Mystic River (2003)

Starring: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins

Directed by Eastwood

Mystic River was supposed to be Clint’s return to Oscar glory. The intense, multi-layered drama had an all-star cast and Clint firing on all cylinders with a script about the mystery surrounding the murder of a young woman in middle-class Boston. Mystic River received multiple nominations (including Best Picture and Best Director) but when awards season rolled around, Clint ran into the buzz saw that was Lord of the Rings and the film walked away with only a couple of awards.

Sean Penn, the Kevin Bacon, and Tim Robbins were childhood buddies, playing street ball and other concrete-related activities. One day when one of the boys was abducted for a few days, the innocence of youth is lost and repercussions are still felt years later. As adults, Sean has (somewhat) put his thug past behind him and Kevin joined the force. Tim just kinda mopes around all day. Then one fateful evening, Sean’s teenage daughter disappears and the three friends are pulled back together once again.

Sean grieves and regresses back into his old ways. Kevin interviews suspects and talks to his estranged wife on his cell phone. Tim kinda mopes around all day. Old wounds are opened up again, secrets are revealed, and stories begin to unravel. Heavy stuff that don’t really make for an enjoyable film, but one that is certainly deserving of all the praise it received.

The truly disturbing performance in the film is from Marcia Gay Harden. As the wife of Tim, she becomes suspicious of her husband’s story about being bloodied and mugged on the night of the murder. As Tim struggles with his own demons, her eventual betrayal ends Tim up on the short end of a beat down at the docks. Sean has lost the only pure love he has known in his life, has killed the wrong man, and ends up the new kingpin on the block. Kevin gives him a good stare down though.

Clint has developed into a real actor’s director. In recent years, he has won Oscars for Gene Hackman, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman; and nominations for Meryl Streep, Marcia Gay Harden, and a couple for himself. This film won a Best Actor award for Sean and Supporting Actor for Tim. Now, Sean does a fine job and career-wise is probably deserving of an Oscar or two. But this particular year, Bill Murray gave a subtle performance in Lost in Translation that deserved recognition. Bill got robbed, and my enthusiasm for the Academy Awards has never been the same since.

Drake Bulldogs

It’s a monumental year for Drake Basketball. The Men’s Basketball team, which has not had a winning season in 20 years, has turned it all the way around in 2008. The Bulldogs have won the Missouri Valley Conference title for the first time since 1971, after winning 20 straight games and taking a commanding lead in the standings. The team has beaten every other major school in the state of Iowa and has been rewarded by being ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in 30 years. Drake finally seems destined to make it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time that I can remember (although, Drake did make it to the Final Four in 1969 … losing to eventual champ UCLA (with future Kareem). The team has struggled a bit down the stretch but did beat the #8 team on the road on Saturday - Drake’s first win over a Top 10 team since 1982. Next up, the conference tourney, then on to the NCAA’s … go Duckheads!

Year of Eastwood #31

Midnight in the Garden
of Good and Evil (1997)

Starring: Kevin Spacey, John Cusack
Directed by Eastwood

Midnight jumps right into the action as we are introduced to the high society of the deep south. Lavish parties, drunken gentlemen, shrimp etouffee, and painted up hussies - this joints going to be rockin' well past midnight ... or at least until somebody throws up in the driveway.

Cusack is a failed novelist visiting Savannah, Georgia to write a magazine piece about the high falootin’ party scene attended by upper crust of the old crusties. The leader of these shaky-doo’s is Spacey, a fancy lad who has a strange relationship with a trashy hustler played by Jude Law. Law has made his rounds pleasing all the guys and gals of the South and he and Spacey argue quite a bit and Law ruffles up his doilies in a huff. Like so many of his movies - Jude ends up dead and Spacey has to stand trial for his murder.

Meanwhile, Cusack runs around Dixie enjoying the nightlife … kicking back at piano bars drinking Mint Juleps and carousing around graveyards with an old high priestess who likes to throw around chicken’s feet and profusing wisdoms like “yes um, the spirits is angries.” There’s never a bad time for a love interest and this one feels really tacked on as Clint’s daughter Allison shows up for a few scenes just to flaunt around town with Cusack … uhh, I’m having a Sondra flashback.

Just for fun, there’s a transsexual, Lady Chablis - who wisecracks with Cusack, vamps it up at a Cotillion and then because it’s narratively convenient … has to provide wisecracking testimony at the murder trial. But it’s not really clear what she’s adding to the trial and her scene doesn’t really break the case wide open. So the trial continues on and Spacey lies about the events of that fateful night - Cusack finds out the truth and is surprisingly horrified by all the going ons - until the jury, lead by Clint-staple Geofferey Lewis who likes to keep horseflies on leashes, reaches their verdict.

Oh wait, then Spacey has a heart attack and Cusack and Allison go to the park to enjoy a picnic of Lady Chablis’ special chicken. Feels like Clint had quite a bit of material to squeeze into 2 ½ hours and he wanted to remain true to the material. The novel was a best seller and I’m sure the whole Lady Chablis angle made for some interest reading but by the late 90’s the nation had been Crying Gamed out and the reaction to this film was a big collective yawn.

Midnight is actually quite a misstep in Clint’s career. I’m not actually sure what drew Clint toward this story, but it doesn’t really feed into his strengths as a director and story-teller. Clint is a born and raised California golden boy - Midnight takes place in the deep South, rich in tradition … and apparently voodoo and transsexuals. None of this really equals a connection with the material. His straight-forward approach which has worked so effectively in other projects just kind of falls flat with this courtroom drama.

Oh yea, Clint doesn’t even appear in Midnight, unless he’s a gargoyle or something.

Year of Eastwood #30

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Starring: Eastwood, Hilary Swank
Directed by Eastwood

Let’s take a moment to look back on the life that is Clint Eastwood … TV star that made his big break into movies with Spaghetti Westerns … biggest movie star in the world thanks in part to the Dirty Harry movies … quite the ladies’ man with the squint and the swagger … mayor of a small town in California … Academy Award winner with his triumphant return to the Western genre … everything else has to be gravy.

By the turn of the century, Clint had garnered as much acclaim as a director as he has as an actor. In 2004, Clint turned his attention to a collection of short stories written by a struggling cut-man and the result was a sleeper hit that cleaned up at the Oscars once again for Clint. In what was considered a bit of an upset at the time, Million $$$ Baby won Clint his second awards for Best Director and Best Picture.

Clint has said that this film is his final appearance in front of the camera - and what a way to go out, as the role earned Clint his second Oscar nomination as Best Actor (Unforgiven). Clint is a struggling boxing trainer always missing out on his break into the big time. The fighter he has spent years slowly preparing for a title fight jumps ship right before winning the title. All this strife is sure to leave any guy hardened. Dude’s so cranky, he could even lead a priest to curse.

So when spunky Hilary shows up at Clint’s gym, he don’t want nothing to do with no girl fighters. Hilary doesn’t give up so easy. She’s been munching on left-over steaks and dumpster fries just to save up enough money to pay for her gym membership. Clint needs the money cuz the 24 Hr. Fitness next door has challenged him to a winner-takes-all dodge ball competition. Slowly but surely, Hilary wins Clint over by showing up everyday and pounding on the bag until Clint agrees to take her under his tutelage.

Million $$$ Baby has more daddy issues than Lost … is there anybody on that island who has slapped, punched, or shot their dad? Hilary’s dad was the only caring person in her life, but daddy left early and momma was poor. Clint has lost touch with his daughter and despite his several attempts she has no interest in knowing him. Clint never seems to have any luck with the family life. Clint has always been the epitome of the swinging bachelor … never anyone back home to slow him down. A few times he’s been divorced or widowed, but so far in this Year of Eastwood, Clint’s only been married once … and even in that one he had to share his wife with Lee Marvin.

For skeptics, Hilary’s rise to the top of the women’s boxing world is unbelievable. She virtually steps into the ring and wins fight after fight without even taking a punch. When she quickly makes it to the title fight, the champ is such a blatant cheater that the referee must have had a lot of other things on his mind (like how to make his mortgage payment) instead of actually paying attention to the fight.

It’s probably not much of a spoiler by now to say that things don’t turn out too well for Hilary in the end. She won her first Oscar as a girl in boy’s clothing who gets beaten and killed by a couple of Nebraska good ol’ boys. This go-round she wins another Oscar having to spend the final third of the movie motionless in a hospital bed strapped to ventilators. The final scenes of Million $$$ Baby are agonizing, as Clint struggles with the decision to grant Hilary’s last wish.

Clint has spent his career building his macho screen presence, but this film - along with others such as Bridges of Madison County - have demonstrated his astute skill as a moving story teller.

The House ... before pictures

The ladder isn't included.

Living area.

.

That's one funky kitchen.

Bedroom.

Basement.

Downstairs bath.

Sun porch.

a place for my bunnies...

Year of Eastwood #29

The Dead Pool (1988)

Starring: Eastwood

Directed by Buddy Van Horn

The fifth Dirty Harry film finds our loveable McGruff the Crime Dog having to deal with the media getting in his face every time he breaks open a big case. Harry is now a celebrity and he can’t tell the difference between a mob hit and autograph hounds. That liberal media is always causing trouble.

The Dead Pool tries its best to be topical. The title is taken from a morbid game where players try to pick which celebrity is going to die next. McGruff ends up on some of the lists and he ain’t none too happy about being included with the Buddy Epsens and Shelley Winters. But that’s the price you pay for celebrity. Some people would do anything to get their face of the tube, even setting yourself on fire. All these sound like cutting edge stuff but the film just kinda clunks along.

There is some fun with one scene where McGruff is chased thru the streets of San Fran by a remote control car equipped with explosives. It’s got all the standard moves of any car chase, but it’s kinda amusing to watch McGruff speeding away from a miniature Vette. Until it blows up and nearly kills McGruff’s new partner … guess that’s no surprise by now.

Watching 20 years later, the fun in watching this movie is McGruff’s co-stars who went on to fame of their own. Patricia Clarkson takes over the Sondra Locke part as a driven tv reporter who hounds McGruff for a story but ends up falling for the old coot. Patricia went on to be an indie film favorite in The Station Agent and Pieces of April. Liam Neesen shows up as an egotistical horror film director who butts heads with McGruff. Liam, of course, went on to play a Master Jedi in some Star Wars movie.



The biggest surprise is Jim Carrey, mugging it up as junkie rock star Patches or Squares or something, who lip sync’s his way thru Welcome to the Jungle during the filming of a music video. The song was lifted from Guns N Roses before they hit it big time and it’s beyond over the top to watch Carrey pretending to be screetching like Axl. Slash even shows up in a cameo. Carrey follows it up by overdosing on some designer drug and drops dead five minutes into his big break. Clint must of taken a liking to Carrey as he also played an Elvis impersonator in Pink Cadillac before he went on to dumb and dumber things.

There’s been some pressure on Clint to make a “final” Dirty Harry film. Which of course would be a lousy idea, but hey the media has to bug the old guy about something. So far, Clint has resisted unlike some of the more desperate among us (Sharon Stone with Basic Instinct 2, Schwartzenegger with Terminator 3, and Stallone with Rocky VI and Rambo IV (I think). Clint has said he can’t imagine what Harry could do to make an interesting movie at this point … collect retirement checks? I think maybe we can put this one to rest…