Unforgiven 4K UHD (1992)

[Johnzilla2179]

Originally Posted by ThePreacher

Couldn't disagree more. Jeff "Marbles In my Mouth" Bridges ruins the remake for me.

I was just thinking about the "rambling cowpoke" accent he developed for this movie and how he's basically been using it ever since. Or was it Crazy Heart where he did it first? I can't remember. Either way, his "fill your hands" reading makes me cringe every single time I've ever watched the True Grit remake. Every. Single. Time. I don't care if anybody thinks Wayne was a national treasure or the worst thespian to ever call himself an "actor," there's no way that Bridges bettered his performance. Sure, the performance is different, but not better. The rest of the film, though, I find up for debate (as I already said).

[ThePreacher]

Originally Posted by Johnzilla2179

I was just thinking about the "rambling cowpoke" accent he developed for this movie and how he's basically been using it ever since. Or was it Crazy Heart where he did it first? I can't remember. Either way, his "fill your hands" reading makes me cringe every single time I've ever watched the True Grit remake. Every. Single. Time. I don't care if anybody thinks Wayne was a national treasure or the worst thespian to ever call himself an "actor," there's no way that Bridges bettered his performance. Sure, the performance is different, but not better. The rest of the film, though, I find up for debate (as I already said).

I think that's completely fair. I thought Hailee Steinfeld was much better in that her role than Kim Darby. As for Glen Campbell, I am not a huge fan, but Matt Damon didn't add anything amazing to it IMO. At the end of the day, the biggest issue I have is Bridges - and yeah, I don't know where that started either but it was the same in Crazy Heart and Hell or High Water as well.

[StingingVelvet]

How old are you guys? Just wondering.

[ThePreacher]

Originally Posted by stingingvelvet

how old are you guys? Just wondering.

36

[Johnzilla2179]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

How old are you guys? Just wondering.

Before I answer, how old are you thinking? Also, why?

[Scottishguy]

Originally Posted by stingingvelvet

how old are you guys? Just wondering.

33

[MosHighDef]

Originally Posted by ThePreacher

Unforgiven is ok. I prefer Open Range, the original Magnificent Seven, True Grit (Wayne), Tombstone, Wyatt Earp, and about a hundred others. I just honestly hate Clint Eastwood movies

This. Clint Easywood is beyond stale acting. They hosed Morgan Freeman in this also. He had more action as Robin Hood’s sidekick.

[Scottishguy]

I guess revisionist, introspective Westerns that look for the real man in myth and legend are just not everyone's cup of tea.

I will agree though that Eastwood is one of the most overally revered American directors. Most of his film's are bland.

But Unforgiven is one of the few gems he's got.

[Johnzilla2179]

Originally Posted by MosHighDef

This. Clint Easywood is beyond stale acting. They hosed Morgan Freeman in this also. He had more action as Robin Hood’s sidekick.

I've often found Clint Eastwood and John Wayne to be quite similar. They both personify the western, they both specialized in characters that were hard, spoke only when necessary, and generally had great one-liners. It's just that Clint has broken out and broadened his horizons in his later years whereas Wayne kept to his westerns for the majority of his career, feeling that's what people wanted to see him in.

I know you didn't mention Wayne, but he's somewhat relevant to this discussion about Eastwood and westerns (not to mention True Grit). Perhaps most importantly, both men have gotten criticism over the years for their stock personae and perceived lack of range in their films. I don't think that Eastwood (or Wayne) are stale at all, they just play particular kinds of characters. And I think the appeal speaks for itself. "Stale" or not, I can't picture anyone else as Harry Callahan, nor the Man With No Name.

And really, if we're opening the discussion up, there are plenty of performers that fall into the same categories as Eastwood and Wayne: Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Seagal, Van Damme, etc. The '80s action crop is really no different, they just specialized in a genre that's adjacent to the western as that's what was popular at the time. Same goes for every other era.

[Scottishguy]

Need to be careful not to stray into false equivalency between the Action and Western genre. The Action genre has never reached and, probably never will reach the objective culture vaule the Western has had on cinema. An Ox Bow Incident moment.

Still, while indeed you have your...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS0e...ature=youtu.be

The Western has attracted the best talents from direction to acting and everything in between. Again, the action genre has not.

[Johnzilla2179]

Originally Posted by Scottishguy

Need to be careful not to stray into false equivalency between the Action and Western genre. The Action genre has never reached and, probably never will reach the objective culture vaule the Western has had on cinema. An Ox Bow Incident moment.

Still, while indeed you have your...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS0e...ature=youtu.be

The Western has attracted the best talents from direction to acting and everything in between. Again, the action genre has not.

All of that is debatable. Plus, "action" is a much broader term than "western"; many of the greatest westerns are also action movies, I'd say. Sure, they're not quite to the level of dumb '80s action most of the time, but they're still what I'd call action. Open Range has one of the best shootouts in any film I've ever seen, regardless of genre. But it's an action sequence. Regardless, I was merely drawing parallels between Eastwood and other performers that are commonly considered to be "stale," as well as the films they are most known for. I simply settled on action films as quite a few posters around these parts are of an age that they have a fondness for cheesy Reagan-era actioners so I was trying to steer the conversation into a territory that made it relatable. I like Eastwood, I like Wayne, I like Schwarzenegger and I like Stallone; I like it all. I was just making a point.

EDIT: Randolph Scott was my grandfather's favorite actor and that gag is one of my absolute favorite film moments of all-time.

[Scottishguy]

I wasn't trying to put you on the defensive, or questioning the validity of what you are saying. It's just I like to make a point of warning aganist being to heavy with genre conflation. Film's as is art in general far from rigid. But we humans instincively apply order even where order is not possible. To categorise things for not so much our individual understanding, but collective.

Really we are just tossing semantic pancakes up in the air. Every pancake is diffrent, unique.

I think the most important thing is we can have these discussions, as circular as they may be. And without full agreement.

It's the people who try and shut them down that I worry about, and detest the most. As somehow they have the monopoly on art and film. Like Normac.

[fighthefutureofhd]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

How old are you guys? Just wondering.

46 and 1/2 years old.

Originally Posted by ThePreacher

Unforgiven is ok. I prefer Open Range, the original Magnificent Seven, True Grit (Wayne), Tombstone, Wyatt Earp, and about a hundred others. I just honestly hate Clint Eastwood movies

God, Tombstone is awful. I had to sit through it once and once was too much.

[ThePreacher]

Originally Posted by Johnzilla2179

I've often found Clint Eastwood and John Wayne to be quite similar. They both personify the western, they both specialized in characters that were hard, spoke only when necessary, and generally had great one-liners. It's just that Clint has broken out and broadened his horizons in his later years whereas Wayne kept to his westerns for the majority of his career, feeling that's what people wanted to see him in.

I know you didn't mention Wayne, but he's somewhat relevant to this discussion about Eastwood and westerns (not to mention True Grit). Perhaps most importantly, both men have gotten criticism over the years for their stock personae and perceived lack of range in their films. I don't think that Eastwood (or Wayne) are stale at all, they just play particular kinds of characters. And I think the appeal speaks for itself. "Stale" or not, I can't picture anyone else as Harry Callahan, nor the Man With No Name.

And really, if we're opening the discussion up, there are plenty of performers that fall into the same categories as Eastwood and Wayne: Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Seagal, Van Damme, etc. The '80s action crop is really no different, they just specialized in a genre that's adjacent to the western as that's what was popular at the time. Same goes for every other era.

I agree with all those names as being one dimensional except for Stallone. He can actually act.

I still say Eastwood is worse than all of em. Even...*gasp*...Seagal. Lol

[ThePreacher]

Originally Posted by fighthefutureofhd

46 and 1/2 years old.




God, Tombstone is awful. I had to sit through it once and once was too much.

I feel the same about every single Eastwood movie.

[Johnzilla2179]

Originally Posted by ThePreacher

I agree with all those names as being one dimensional except for Stallone. He can actually act.

I still say Eastwood is worse than all of em. Even...*gasp*...Seagal. Lol

I was merely playing devil's advocate with that list. Save for Seagal (who is comes across as smugly self-satisfied and little more), I think they've all had moments of pure greatness onscreen, the limiting factor for folks like Schwarzenegger and Van Damme being that their accents and obvious struggle with certain dialogue in English makes it seem as though they're "bad." Of course, Stallone is generally the "exception" because of Rocky, but I digress. As I said, I like them all.

[ThePreacher]

Originally Posted by Johnzilla2179

I was merely playing devil's advocate with that list. Save for Seagal (who is comes across as smugly self-satisfied and little more), I think they've all had moments of pure greatness onscreen, the limiting factor for folks like Schwarzenegger and Van Damme being that their accents and obvious struggle with certain dialogue in English makes it seem as though they're "bad." Of course, Stallone is generally the "exception" because of Rocky, but I digress. As I said, I like them all.

lol, I know you weren't.

I think Stallone is great. I like the others generally....except Eastwood. F that dude. lol

[Johnzilla2179]

Originally Posted by ThePreacher

lol, I know you weren't.

I think Stallone is great. I like the others generally....except Eastwood. F that dude. lol

I mean, I was, but whatever floats your boat.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

The original True Grit is dire IMO. The remake is a ten times better film, a whole different league of talent.

I don't think the remake is that much better than the original. I think they both have their merits. The one thing that does stand out in my mind as being dire is Glen Campbell's acting in the original. Apart from that, True Grit is really just another run of the mill late 60s western to me.

Originally Posted by MosHighDef

This. Clint Easywood is beyond stale acting. They hosed Morgan Freeman in this also. He had more action as Robin Hood’s sidekick.

Clint Eastwood is admittedly not a great "actor", but he's a good movie star and has great screen presence. At least in his heyday. I can't really say he brought much to Trouble With The Curve or The Mule. I agree with those who say that Unforgiven is a masterpiece though. For me it gets better every time I see it.

[ThePreacher]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

Eastwood is admittedly not a great "actor", but he's a good movie star and has great screen presence. At least in his heyday. I can't really say he brought much to Trouble With The Curve or The Mule. I agree with those who say that Unforgiven is a masterpiece though. For me it gets better every time I see it.

I forgot about 'Trouble with the Curve.' Poor Amy Adams. She had to deal with Eastwood playing the same character he played in Gran Torino/Million Dollar Baby/The Mule and a very poor performance by Timberlake. This might be the worst baseball themed movie that I have seen.