EPISODE 9: I LOVE TO SING-A!
Welcome back to… JESUS, I HAVEN’T WRITTEN AN ARTICLE SINCE APRIL OF 2016?!?!?!
Yes dear readers, I’m afraid I was away for a while. But I have a good explanation …
You see, after the last article I decided to take a journey to a big city, one with many bridges. I just needed to get away. Well no sooner did I arrive in that big city that I went to one of their many banks to cash a travelers check when a gang of masked clowns burst through the door and robbed it, with one of them escaping on a school bus after killing all his fellow clown robbers and revealing under his mask that he was an even scarier clown. Well I got out of there quickly and got to my hotel and after a few days of watching more Clint movies for this series, I decided to take a barge ride to another part of the city. Wouldn’t you know it though, that same scary clown came over the boat intercom and revealed that if we didn’t turn a switch and blow up another boat, we would be blown up. Thankfully, A big giant bat suited man stopped him and I was whisked off to the police station to write a statement. As I left though I was shaken as I learned that the “Bat” man that saved us was then outlawed. I decided to not rest until he was vindicated… so I started a grassroots campaign to clear his name. Turns out he didn’t need my help, cause he vindicated himself a few months later by stopping a guy in a breathing mask and carrying away a nuclear bomb to a safe distance. The body was never found near the wreckage of his inexplicably high tech plane, so who knows. Maybe he got to safety and is hanging out in a outdoor cafe with the girl from The Princess Diaries…
With that, I packed my bags and came back home, forever changed by this “Bat” man….
Sigh….
Anyway…… CLINT GOES MUSICAL!
Clint though has been very vocal in his appreciation for music. His scores for his own films have been an important part of his legacy. The Warner Brothers even named one of their musical studio buildings after him.
Music themed films take a small yet important 4 film portion of his career. Two are only true musicals, the others are music centric.
So join me once again as we explore a legendary jazz musician, a uncle/nephew tale in the Great Depression, Lee Marvin singing, and THE FOUR SEASONS!!!
BIRD
3.5 outta 4 Saxaphones
When it comes to Jazz biopics, Clint certainly delivers one of the most interesting and compelling. BIRD recounts the story of saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker as he runs through the tragic mills of obscurity and drug addiction to make a name for himself in the world of Jazz. The films seemingly lowest quality is in its basic construction. The structure here is loose, even too loose for a film about jazz. As it jumps from moment to moment, it can be seen as directionless. I would challenge one however to view it as more of a exercise on the script and clients part to play the story with style and mood to draw out the right reactions. Its a gamble and it may not work for anyone who detests artsy fare. As usual, this films beautiful cinematography lines up with Clints established style of mood and noir, which gives Bird’s story a proper telling.
PAINT YOUR WAGON
2.5 outta 4 Wagons
Look… if you are like me, you first heard about this films existence from a hilarious bit on an episode of The Simpsons. And while I won’t say the film is as dreadful as Homer and Bart felt it was, I cannot say it holds up very well. Not even an adaptation from the legendary Paddy Chayefsky can make it as timeless as it aspires to be. Set in the Gold Rush days of California, and the hijinks that ensue, the film’s primary set piece of a mining camp has a tone of tongue in cheek that frankly was done better 5 years later by the town of Rock Ridge in Blazing Saddles. The humor sadly falls flat, leaving a plot that while time honored from melodrama, cannot compel. In terms of our hero (in co bill with Lee Marvin), Clint tries his very best in the role of Pardner, and delivers well on the song “I Still See Elisa” in the first moments of the film, but overall, you can tell he is not yet used to stretching beyond his gritty roots. While elaborately staged and technically spot on, it winds up a drag in time.
JERSEY BOYS
3.5 outta 4 References to Martin Scorsese
Now hear me out: this film is not the disappointment it was reported to be upon release in 2014. More to the point, it is actually a entertaining affair more than worth your time as you glide down the dark and strangely humorous slide that is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Lifting primarily from the hit stage show for it’s script, it falls on Clint to visually guide the audience. His choice is familiar in as much as his camera moves nearly point for point as an homage to Goodfellas. While this seems blasphemous, I will remind you that this is ultimately a story about A) a tragic spiral and B) gangsters (albeit somewhat ancillary). This choice does service in comparison to any alternative flat staging that a musical surrounded by pop songs could feasibly be. Added on to that, he grabs wonderful performances from the original broadway cast and a expertly casted Christopher Walkin. Is it perfect? No, but given that Clint stepped into this almost last minute (at least that how it seems given Jon Favreau was attached forever), I’d say, “job well done.”
HONKYTONK MAN
4 outta 4 People in a car headed for Nashville
What on the One Sheet Poster surface seems like shameless nepotism is actually a tender old fashioned melodrama centered around the dream to make it big. The story concerns Clint as a singer invited to audition for the Grand Ole Opry in the 1930’s. He drags along his young nephew (Played by Clint’s son Kyle Eastwood) and the film recounts their journey to reach Nashville. From the set up to the end, we are actually given a sadder story to contend with. Clint’s character is broken, both figuratively and literally as he pines and comes to terms with his life of bad decisions, surrounded mainly by his nephew who must come to terms with these awkward truths about a man he admires and adores. In a way, it’s one of the greatest performances Clint has ever given, one that easily could’ve snatched an Oscar were it not for the nepotism stigma. Said stigma, as it happens, is not warranted, as Kyle holds his own just as fine as any child actor in the late 70’s/ early 80’s. It is frankly a decent film that, while not necessarily aging well in terms of it’s content, surpasses the hurdle with a captivating performance.
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So there you have it folks, the Eastwood has awaken from it’s slumber, and will continue now once a month until the very end.
Next month, we are gonna dive into films in Clint’s filmography that are on the more bizarre and unexpected side. Ones that make you simply say, “He did what now?”
Stay Tuned. Same Clint Time, Same Clint Channel.