' ' Cinema Romantico: When Patterns Aren't Sensed

Friday, April 23, 2010

When Patterns Aren't Sensed

In 2004, working as director, the venerable Clint Eastwood served up the striking "Mystic River" and, in the process, helped win Sean Penn and Tim Robbins their first Oscars. A year later came a little thing called "Million Dollar Baby" that just happened to be - in the opinion of this blogger - the best movie of the decade which, in the process, earned Morgan Freeman his first Oscar and Hilary Swank her second.

Then came the back-to-back takes on the Battle of Iwo Jima, first from the American perspective in "Flags Of Our Fathers" - which I found to be terribly underwhelming and by-the-numbers - and then from the Japanese perspective in "Letters From Iwo Jima" - a little better but still lacking. Then came the routine and boring escapade "Changeling". These three movies - while not straight biopics - were all based on fact.

Then came "Gran Torino", problematic in parts but overall a very well done movie with a fine, crackling leading performance from Clint himself. It was an original screenplay.

Then came the routine and boring escapade "Invictus". It was based on fact.

So....

Not based on fact...good. Based on fact...bad.

Not based on fact...good. Based on fact...bad.

NOT based on fact...good. BASED on fact...bad.

Now word comes that Eastwood's next project will be a biopic of J. Edgar Hoover.

I give up.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Way to go there, Nicholas, finding that pattern. I hadn't noticed it myself, but it makes loads of sense. It also explains why "Changeling" was less than thrilling.