Eastwood's Softer Side

The man. The Legend. Clint Eastwood. At 80 years old, he's become an institution. With 65 acting credits and 35 in the director's chair, and a Gorillaz song named after him, I think it's safe to say his legacy in hollywood is intact.

Which makes his seemingly endless energy for filmmaking all the more impressive. His latest, Hereafter, stars Matt Damon as a psychic with the blues. Oh, and he talks to dead people. I'm pretty sure Jason Bourne could do that to. I mean, hell, that guy can do anything.

"Scotty doesn't know."

 

 

 

 

 

For some reason I can't embed the trailer but you can watch it here.

It's strange to see Eastwood tackling the supernatural. I can't recall any Eastwood-directed title until this one that didn't take place in a pretty gritty reality. Based on the trailer it looks like we're gonna be dealing with an oscar-bait tearjerker. You know, like The Good, The Bad and The Ugly but with more crying and hugging.

The Final Finding on Fincher's Facebook Film

A couple weeks back I posted on my mixed feelings about the premise behind David Fincher's "The Social Network." While i was intrigued, I was skeptical as to whether Fincher, masterful as he is, could draw much drama from the story of Facebook and its dorky creator.

I finally saw the film, and for the life of me, I'm still not sure if I was right to be apprehensive. On one level, my fears were justified. On another level though, "The Social Network" is a magnificent film.

Basically, I'm still where I was a couple of weeks ago.

When it comes to the language of film, few can rival Fincher. His biopic on Mark Zuckerberg is beautifully shot and well-told. The performances are all top-notch, particularly Jesse Eisenberg's dork-douche hybrid interpretation of Zuckerberg.

While the screenplay is highly fictionalized, most of the major points match the public record. Zuckerberg is painted as a driven, sometimes arrogant but always brilliant entrepreneur. Supporting players Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake are worthy foils, and the combination of performances and efficient rhythm make "The Social Network" an engaging if not riveting experience.

I say engaging rather than riveting as confirmation of what I'd originally suspected about the film when i first heard about it several months ago. The flaw at the core of this film is a subjective one: I'm just not all that interested in the creator of Facebook and his story. What can you do?

Who knew a film with "Ribbon" in the title could be so great?

Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon" (Das Weisse Band) impressed critics last year (it won the Palm d'Or at Cannes) but failed to get much of a U.S. audience. I know it's shocking: black and white German dramas are not hot box office commodities here. Who knew?

It's a damn shame because "The White Ribbon" is an eerily effective study of oppression, repression, and violence. Taking place in a pre-WWI German village, the film presents an insular culture built on secrets, shame and abuse. The three pillars of the community, the pastor, the doctor, and the baron dictate the goings on in their small society. All three are corrupt or abusive in different ways, and the film masterfully stokes audience's resentment for these "respectable" monsters.

Things start to get strange when acts of sabotage and violence begin to occur around the village. To go into detail about them would spoil the shocking effect of the unfolding narrative. Suffice it to say Haneke manages to build a stifling atmosphere of paranoia and moral confusion.



While in many respects "The White Ribbon" resembles a mystery, one shouldn't approach it with the expectation of a tidy "the Butler did it!" kind of resolution. This is a story about uncertainty both physical and metaphysical. It is also a fantastic film that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.