Unforgiven
I realize this is my third time posting today, and I'm sorry but it's because I love you. Also because I'm afraid that if I stop moving my fingers, they will actually just freeze.
As part of my 101 in 1001 I'm trying to watch all of AFI's Top 100 American Movies (the 2007 version). For whatever reason, I decided to start with Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1992. Normally, I don't say anything meaningful about movies that I see (for instance, my extremely insightful comments about Transformers 2), but I figured I should do... something since this is one of my goals.
Morgan Freeman was fantastic as Ned Logan; this may just reflect a bias on my part for his other roles and his amazing voice. Clint Eastwood as the main character Will Munny was also quite good - I've not seen a whole lot of movies featuring him in any way. As I was watching, I felt like a number of the characters were superfluous and even downright annoying (I'm sure someone has criticized the Kid before me), but the more I think about it the more I think that they are all integral pieces of a very fragile and intricate puzzle.
Unlike most movies that I watch and enjoy, it's hard to glean any one particular meaning or worldview from the film. Removing characters removes part of the multitude of questions and positions raised in the film. As with other movies I've enjoyed, such as No Country for Old Men, the film has a very subdued quality. Dialogue and character development beats around the bush. In fact, I hesitate to say that there is character development, only character revealing. The final scene is quite powerful, and I like the clean storytelling combined with complex story.
I thought it was a good film, and one that I will probably be thinking about for some time, and maybe even recommend to others. However, I'm still a bit old-fashioned - my preferred Western is still The Magnificent Seven.
1 down, 99 to go! After I finish my Sex and Money exercise, I think I will move on to Ben-Hur, which has "Jesus Christ" as a key subject in the library search. Should be good.
As part of my 101 in 1001 I'm trying to watch all of AFI's Top 100 American Movies (the 2007 version). For whatever reason, I decided to start with Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1992. Normally, I don't say anything meaningful about movies that I see (for instance, my extremely insightful comments about Transformers 2), but I figured I should do... something since this is one of my goals.
Morgan Freeman was fantastic as Ned Logan; this may just reflect a bias on my part for his other roles and his amazing voice. Clint Eastwood as the main character Will Munny was also quite good - I've not seen a whole lot of movies featuring him in any way. As I was watching, I felt like a number of the characters were superfluous and even downright annoying (I'm sure someone has criticized the Kid before me), but the more I think about it the more I think that they are all integral pieces of a very fragile and intricate puzzle.
Unlike most movies that I watch and enjoy, it's hard to glean any one particular meaning or worldview from the film. Removing characters removes part of the multitude of questions and positions raised in the film. As with other movies I've enjoyed, such as No Country for Old Men, the film has a very subdued quality. Dialogue and character development beats around the bush. In fact, I hesitate to say that there is character development, only character revealing. The final scene is quite powerful, and I like the clean storytelling combined with complex story.
I thought it was a good film, and one that I will probably be thinking about for some time, and maybe even recommend to others. However, I'm still a bit old-fashioned - my preferred Western is still The Magnificent Seven.
1 down, 99 to go! After I finish my Sex and Money exercise, I think I will move on to Ben-Hur, which has "Jesus Christ" as a key subject in the library search. Should be good.