Flags of our Fathers

Being a former Marine, I CAN'T WAIT for this movie to come out.

IwoJima.jpg


I live about 5 miles from the Iwo Jima memorial too.
 
I just got back from seeing Flags of Our Fathers. Phenomenal film. The war scenes were done phenomenally, and the tour they go through to raise money for the war is very interesting. The story was great. During the credits they show actual pictures of the brave men that were on Iwo Jima that day. Go out and see it. Hands down the best picture this year. It should win Best Picture at the Oscar, and I think Clint is taking home another directing Oscar as well.
 
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Well, I'm going to be the thread killer I think. I saw a press pre-screening of this, and was so bored out of my mind, I almost left early. I'm not a huge fan of Eastwood films anyway, as I think they are all pretty contrived and clunky, but my friend Dave is. He even teaches an Eastwood class at Columbia, and even he was sitting there with drool running down his chin, wondering what the hell we were looking at.

I just felt that none of the characters or story was engaging enough to make me give a crap about what I was watching. Plus the movie doesn't really go anywhere. It just sort of meanders from battle flashback to current scene showing that the flag raising was a sham. And back and forth, repeating the same stuff over and over, but never really leading anywhere, I thought.

And if you're into big battle scenes, these were absolutely nothing compared to the gut-wrenching power of the bookend Ryan scenes. Much of these scenes was clearly digital. And again, they never really went anywhere. For instance, the great thing about the opening scene in Ryan, is that it goes through all of this stuff, and then there's this slow track up until you close in on one of the Ryan sons dead on the beach. A great way to tie Tom Hanks' story into this other story with one perfect image. That is very poetic and efficient filmmaking.

I thought the Eastwood film had nothing like that kind of poetry and just downright coherence.
 
I agree about Eastwood. He is a seriously overrated filmmaker and benefits from three things. His age (people give him the benefit of the doubt). His time in the industry (been around this long - he must know what he's doing). And his films have such an intense uber-dramatic serious feel to them and are marketed as "intelligent thoughtful" films, that people are afraid to say that they dislike them in fear that *they* will not be looked at as intelligent.

Eastwood admits that he uses first drafts on all of his scripts and you can totally tell. Characters and storylines seem to go nowehre and/or are never resolved (that small white retarded boxer in Million Dollar Baby comes to mind). I'm all for feeling "unpolished" but I think if he just took some time to get rid of the fat here or focus a character's storyline there, that his films would be a lot better.
 
Wow, some negative stuff here... I am planning on seeing it, and I am sure it'll exceed my expectations... unlike The Prestige.
 
Thistlebop said:
The article was interesting. And if it turns out to be as good as Unforgiven, then I'm even more interested.

However, Clint is either dead, or should sue that publication for that horrible picture of him. OMG, Night of the living Clint. :o


--Bop
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lol night of the living clint, i think i just woke my entire house reading that lol.!!!
i cant see the picture however, too bad. id laugh even harder.
 
where there is a positive there is a negative, THAT'S LIFE! if we all like the same thing, it would be a boring world. i like hearing other peoples opinon, and sometimes they shine the light on stuff i didn't think about. some may call it negative but i see it as a positive, because it adds a another dimension in our sometimes narrow minded !@#$%^& little pee brained thoughts that SOME of us have! EXPAND YOUR MIND! uh....sorry i...i..i just had to say it........love peace kimko
 
I havnt seen this yet but I just watched Million Dollar Baby again yesterday and I'm going to have to disagree with anyone who doesnt think Eastwood is a highly skilled filmmaker.

I dont think he's just revered as great because of his age. Million Dollar Baby is truly a remarkable piece of work and I think it deserved all the rewards it recieved. You can't just be lucky or favored and have something turn out that well.

And he's a complete artist. His acting, directing, and music are all top notch in that film.
 
I totally agree with Weston here. If my first draft and or directorial efforts are ever anywhere near as good as...

Millioin Dollar Baby
Mystic River
True Crime
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Absolute Power
The Bridges of Madison County
A Perfect World
Unforgiven
White Hunter Black Heart
Bird
Heartbreak Ridge
Pale Rider
The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Eiger Sanction
High Plains Drifter
Play Misty for Me

and so forth, then... well, I simply don't know if I could contain myself. Clint Eastwood is a truely great talent and the body of his work stands on its own.

If someone like Michael Bay is more your speed, then I encourage you to embrace his entire filmography instead...

Transformers
Bad Boys II
Pearl Harbor
The Rock
Playboy Centerfold Special Edition Video: Kerri Kendall

I just wet my pants a little because I'm laughing so hard.

e
 
Weston said:
I havnt seen this yet but I just watched Million Dollar Baby again yesterday and I'm going to have to disagree with anyone who doesnt think Eastwood is a highly skilled filmmaker.

I dont think he's just revered as great because of his age. Million Dollar Baby is truly a remarkable piece of work and I think it deserved all the rewards it recieved. You can't just be lucky or favored and have something turn out that well.

And he's a complete artist. His acting, directing, and music are all top notch in that film.
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This is not a challenge, because I fully admit that I may be missing something (I must be if someone I think is so clearly overrated is loved by so many) but could you give me some examples of his skills. Because I think most of his choices (mainly to slow down the film) severly slow down the pace of his films. This from someone who can handle slow pace if done right (The Thin Red Line is on my top ten). I just think he lingers on boring stuff. Get the story moving already.

Overland, not a Bay fan either. Sorry.
 
I don't doubt his skill as a director. But I think all of his late movies suffer from the same problem. He is a very nuts and bolts filmmaker. He can certainly put a film together. But I get the feeling that he thinks all he has to do is put the pieces in place and call it a day. I never get any X-factor from him. His movies are all fine, but really why shouldn't they be with the budgets and team he has? They just never really take flight for me. To me, they never add up to more than the sum of their parts.
 
desperatecomfort said:
I don't doubt his skill as a director. But I think all of his late movies suffer from the same problem. He is a very nuts and bolts filmmaker. He can certainly put a film together. But I get the feeling that he thinks all he has to do is put the pieces in place and call it a day. I never get any X-factor from him. His movies are all fine, but really why shouldn't they be with the budgets and team he has? They just never really take flight for me. To me, they never add up to more than the sum of their parts.
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i like clint, i like what he does;BIRD.
BUT HE DOES ALSO GET THE ACTORS THAT MONEY CAN BUY! SO ONE TAKE CLINT CAN MOVE ON AT THE RATE HE'S ON CAUSE HE HAS THE BEST WORKING FOR HIM. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A CHALLENGE OF DIRECTORS(TOP NOTCH) WITH MINIMAL CREW AND AMATUER ACTORS WITH A GREAT SCRIPT COMPETE. THEN WE'LL SEE THE GREATNESS IN A DIRECTOR.
 
Kimko,

Why are you YELLING? :)

That's just it. When you get to the point where Mr. Eastwood is, and, unfortunately, even when you're not at the point he is, you get all the toys and the talent to back up your film.

I worked on The Rock, and I don't disagree that it was a fun ride. Nothing in Bay's filmography compares to Eastwood's work on any level - pacing, style, execution and so on are so disparate from anything the later has done, that they aren't really comparable.

Though Flags has plenty of effects, Eastwood still hasn't tackled subject matter that really lends itself to that SFX-laden summer blockbuster brand of filmmaking.

Who brought Bay into this discussion anyway? Oh, that would be me.

e
 
overlandfilms said:
Though Flags has plenty of effects, Eastwood still hasn't tackled subject matter that really lends itself to that SFX-laden summer blockbuster brand of filmmaking.
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But to be fair, that's not his style... Clint's version of a "summer blockbuster" would have to be Space Cowboys. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
overlandfilms said:
Kimko,

Why are you YELLING? :)

That's just it. When you get to the point where Mr. Eastwood is, and, unfortunately, even when you're not at the point he is, you get all the toys and the talent to back up your film.

I worked on The Rock, and I don't disagree that it was a fun ride. Nothing in Bay's filmography compares to Eastwood's work on any level - pacing, style, execution and so on are so disparate from anything the later has done, that they aren't really comparable.

Though Flags has plenty of effects, Eastwood still hasn't tackled subject matter that really lends itself to that SFX-laden summer blockbuster brand of filmmaking.

Who brought Bay into this discussion anyway? Oh, that would be me.

e
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CAUSE I'M DEAF! WELL i forget to turn off the caps becAUSE I'M NOT A GOOD TYPING WIZIRD LIKE SOME OF YOUS HERE ....OKAY! and i'm hitting the keys very HARD!
 
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