Gran Torino
Oh my God. I can only hope to be half as bad ass as Clint Eastwood when Im pushing 80. Bleeding hell. I've never heard someone of that age group (in their right mind) drop nearly as many f-bombs as he did in that film. And each one was delivered perfectly. As were the plethora of racial slurs that only a crotchety old man could get away with. Eastwood says that this will be the last time he's in front of the camera instead of behind it (though apparently he said that for Million Dollar Baby as well). If it does turn out to be true, what a note to end on. Seriously, out with a \m/ bang.
Although, now Im less sure of who I wanna see in the best actor race. Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke, and Frank Langella are pretty much guaranteed spots. Clint Eastwood, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo Dicaprio seem to be fighting over the other two. As much as it kills me to say, I think Pitt should probably be the odd man out. But back to Gran Torino...
I thought it was really good. The whole "lets-get-over-our-differences-and-embrace-other-cultures" type of storyline is a bit overdone, but the characters in this one were so amazing. I've already declared my love for Eastwood's character. The other one I really liked was Sue, the Asian girl next door neighboor. She was pretty bad ass in her own way, talking back to the bad guys, slinging sarcasm at Eastwood.
I will admit, the story did drag a bit. And the end results were kinda predictable, just from the trailers. But the details of it were brilliant. I was so close to tears at the end. (Close. Didnt actually happen) And along the way we did get to learn a bit about a different culture. IMDB trivia tells me that they had open casting calls in various Hmong communities, and only one of those actors (the gang leader) had ever acted before. I wouldnt have guessed that it was Ahney Her's (the chick playing Sue) debut.
So yes, definitely recommend this one. Other than Oscar movies slowly expanding into more theaters, there really isn't too much out there this month, so you should definitely consider this if you're planning any movie outings soon.
Although, now Im less sure of who I wanna see in the best actor race. Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke, and Frank Langella are pretty much guaranteed spots. Clint Eastwood, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo Dicaprio seem to be fighting over the other two. As much as it kills me to say, I think Pitt should probably be the odd man out. But back to Gran Torino...
I thought it was really good. The whole "lets-get-over-our-differences-and-embrace-other-cultures" type of storyline is a bit overdone, but the characters in this one were so amazing. I've already declared my love for Eastwood's character. The other one I really liked was Sue, the Asian girl next door neighboor. She was pretty bad ass in her own way, talking back to the bad guys, slinging sarcasm at Eastwood.
I will admit, the story did drag a bit. And the end results were kinda predictable, just from the trailers. But the details of it were brilliant. I was so close to tears at the end. (Close. Didnt actually happen) And along the way we did get to learn a bit about a different culture. IMDB trivia tells me that they had open casting calls in various Hmong communities, and only one of those actors (the gang leader) had ever acted before. I wouldnt have guessed that it was Ahney Her's (the chick playing Sue) debut.
So yes, definitely recommend this one. Other than Oscar movies slowly expanding into more theaters, there really isn't too much out there this month, so you should definitely consider this if you're planning any movie outings soon.