"Million Dollar Baby" throwing some fierce punches and jabs my way
Oh man, Joe and I had been hemming and hawing about this ever since it came out, but after reading Frank Rich's Wednesday piece about the media's "usual gang of ayatollahs" trying to ruin it for everybody by spoiling the ending and turning it into a big snark-fest over euthanasia, that cinched everything - I decided this would be the weekend we'd go see it. Whew! And yes, this is definitely something you’ll need a few Kleenex for, because it's totally visceral and ultimately draining, but in the best possible way - and definitely not for the faint-hearted or for those hoping to take in a candy-coated, “Rocky”-type, feel-good flick. Because yeah, with the turn the film takes, you bet your ass it’s not all tied up nicely in the end, kind of like life itself, so beyond my speechlessness, I don’t understand what people like Michael Medved and Rush Limbaugh and their listeners have such a big fucking problem with, especially if they’re as compassionate as they always brag they are or have any sense of human decency whatsoever.
Anyway, before I go off on a long harangue about those people, who aren't even worth the breath it takes to say or write their names - I’d be totally remiss not to give a big "right fucking on" to Clint Eastwood, too, so here we go: Clint Eastwood, you are the man. Thank you for putting your vision out there, for all the world to see. And baby, everything about this one screams Oscar - the way it's written, the way the story unfolds, and how everyone in it – right down to the kid who played the “Danger” character – was fan-bloody-tastic. Speaking of which, was that the same actor who played the Led Zeppelin freak in “Almost Famous?”
I wouldn't be totally shocked if Hilary Swank walks away with the Best Actress trophy again, just like she did with “Boys Don’t Cry.” Clint Eastwood is up for Best Actor and I’d love to see him get that, but I have a feeling that this year, all the love will be going to Jamie Foxx for “Ray,” which we'll be watching tonight. And maybe Morgan Freeman has that shot at Best Supporting Actor, too. That man always brings so much to whatever he’s in; I swear, it could be the silliest, shittiest, most inane movie in the world, but if Morgan Freeman’s in it, the equation changes completely.
“Million Dollar Baby’s” chances for Best Picture or Best Director I think are pretty good, too, but it’s difficult to tell. Martin Scorsese’s in the hat, and that’s a hard one – Eastwood or Scorsese? “The Aviator” was just bombastic, totally out there. I’m hoping it’ll get Best Art Direction, if nothing else. I must admit, though, I’d be tickled pink if Mike Leigh upset the apple cart and took Best Director for “Vera Drake.” That’s another one I really, really want to see, along with "Sideways," which will probably be the one that ends up taking the Best Picture title, leaving the rest of 'em in the dust.
I just gots me a feelin'...
Also, having Johnny Depp and Leonardo Di Caprio both in the running for Best Actor has put a bee in my bonnet about renting “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” – I was never huge on Di Caprio, but that was the very first thing I ever saw him in and since then, I’ve not been able to dismiss him as easily as some people I’ve talked with who are like, “Oh, he’s just a little teen idol” or whatever. Maybe so, but he’s fucking great in “This Boy’s Life,” that Tobias Wolff bio-pic with Robert De Niro, for one thing. And Tobias Wolff was Mary Karr’s writing instructor up at Syracuse, I believe. So it all works out nicely – for me, anyway. There might be some purpose to this, after all.
Speaking of flicks, I’ve been on a tear to track down a DVD copy of “The Misfits” since hearing about Arthur Miller’s death yesterday. You’ve seen “The Misfits,” right? If not, get your ass to the video store or order it from Netflix tout suite – because it’s written by Miller, directed by John “Let’s Go Film Something in Africa So I Can Shoot an Elephant” Huston, and stars Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Montgomery Clift, and Eli Wallach. Miller wrote it for Monroe when she was in a super-bad way and they were at the end of their rope marriage-wise. Christ on a bicycle, it’s the best thing I’ve ever seen her in. Supposedly, her behavior was so erratic on set that when Clark Gable died almost as soon as the filming wrapped, his wife blamed Marilyn Monroe, who’d dreamed as a child that Clark Gable was her real father when she didn’t know her own. Freaky. Anyway, it turned out to be her last completed film, too.
One funny thing did happen as we were looking for “The Misfits” at a couple of places in the mall. The manager guy at Suncoast Pictures thought we were talking about a DVD of the band The Misfits, not the film, which cracked my ass up. I wanted to scream, “Do I look like some Goth hillbilly to you, sir?” Christ! If anything, I’m actually trying for something a little more specialized, like “Lucinda Williams Dresses Up as Anita Pallenberg Going to Joshua Tree and Taking Psilocybin With Gram Parsons” look, but don’t think I’m quite there yet.
Anyway, before I go off on a long harangue about those people, who aren't even worth the breath it takes to say or write their names - I’d be totally remiss not to give a big "right fucking on" to Clint Eastwood, too, so here we go: Clint Eastwood, you are the man. Thank you for putting your vision out there, for all the world to see. And baby, everything about this one screams Oscar - the way it's written, the way the story unfolds, and how everyone in it – right down to the kid who played the “Danger” character – was fan-bloody-tastic. Speaking of which, was that the same actor who played the Led Zeppelin freak in “Almost Famous?”
I wouldn't be totally shocked if Hilary Swank walks away with the Best Actress trophy again, just like she did with “Boys Don’t Cry.” Clint Eastwood is up for Best Actor and I’d love to see him get that, but I have a feeling that this year, all the love will be going to Jamie Foxx for “Ray,” which we'll be watching tonight. And maybe Morgan Freeman has that shot at Best Supporting Actor, too. That man always brings so much to whatever he’s in; I swear, it could be the silliest, shittiest, most inane movie in the world, but if Morgan Freeman’s in it, the equation changes completely.
“Million Dollar Baby’s” chances for Best Picture or Best Director I think are pretty good, too, but it’s difficult to tell. Martin Scorsese’s in the hat, and that’s a hard one – Eastwood or Scorsese? “The Aviator” was just bombastic, totally out there. I’m hoping it’ll get Best Art Direction, if nothing else. I must admit, though, I’d be tickled pink if Mike Leigh upset the apple cart and took Best Director for “Vera Drake.” That’s another one I really, really want to see, along with "Sideways," which will probably be the one that ends up taking the Best Picture title, leaving the rest of 'em in the dust.
I just gots me a feelin'...
Also, having Johnny Depp and Leonardo Di Caprio both in the running for Best Actor has put a bee in my bonnet about renting “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” – I was never huge on Di Caprio, but that was the very first thing I ever saw him in and since then, I’ve not been able to dismiss him as easily as some people I’ve talked with who are like, “Oh, he’s just a little teen idol” or whatever. Maybe so, but he’s fucking great in “This Boy’s Life,” that Tobias Wolff bio-pic with Robert De Niro, for one thing. And Tobias Wolff was Mary Karr’s writing instructor up at Syracuse, I believe. So it all works out nicely – for me, anyway. There might be some purpose to this, after all.
Speaking of flicks, I’ve been on a tear to track down a DVD copy of “The Misfits” since hearing about Arthur Miller’s death yesterday. You’ve seen “The Misfits,” right? If not, get your ass to the video store or order it from Netflix tout suite – because it’s written by Miller, directed by John “Let’s Go Film Something in Africa So I Can Shoot an Elephant” Huston, and stars Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Montgomery Clift, and Eli Wallach. Miller wrote it for Monroe when she was in a super-bad way and they were at the end of their rope marriage-wise. Christ on a bicycle, it’s the best thing I’ve ever seen her in. Supposedly, her behavior was so erratic on set that when Clark Gable died almost as soon as the filming wrapped, his wife blamed Marilyn Monroe, who’d dreamed as a child that Clark Gable was her real father when she didn’t know her own. Freaky. Anyway, it turned out to be her last completed film, too.
One funny thing did happen as we were looking for “The Misfits” at a couple of places in the mall. The manager guy at Suncoast Pictures thought we were talking about a DVD of the band The Misfits, not the film, which cracked my ass up. I wanted to scream, “Do I look like some Goth hillbilly to you, sir?” Christ! If anything, I’m actually trying for something a little more specialized, like “Lucinda Williams Dresses Up as Anita Pallenberg Going to Joshua Tree and Taking Psilocybin With Gram Parsons” look, but don’t think I’m quite there yet.
posted by No, You Can't Watch at 8:28 PM
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