Valentorino

Heather and I spent Valentine's Day watching an old racist wax his vintage muscle car. Yes, we saw Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino. Apparently, by the size of the audience, a lot of couples thought watching GT was a good way to spend a romantic evening. Actually, we celebrate both of our birthdays and Valentine's Day between February 8 and 14th and by the time Valentine's arrives our constant expressions of love and appreciation begin to fall on numb ears.

I love movies. I love talking about movies. But I've resisted writing about movies because let's face it, no one really wants to read what I think about movies. That ends today. Clint Eastwood is one of the finest, limited range, one-note actors in American history. He's not alone either. Many actors strike the same note over and over again with great appeal. Ever watch a Cary Grant movie? Clint's movies are usually good (not great) but after watching GT, I'm recategorizing some of his past work as mediocre. The use of the same plot devices and delivery are becoming a little hackneyed.

Our post-movie wrap-up (the ride home) was spent criticizing the movie rather than philosophizing about its content. GTs greatest flaw is in the casting. Heather accurately described the supporting actor's ("Toad") performance as "worse than community theater." There was an almost audible clunk as Toad's lines came out of his mouth and hit the floor. I speculate that Clint and his crew have bought the hype that surrounds his movies so much so that they said "Nah, we don't need to review the dailies this time."

If you want to see a good movie, see Doubt. My fears that it would be anti-Catholic or a gutwrenching tale about child molestation never materialized. Instead, it was a perfect script, with perfect performances, perfect staging, and perfect photography. It also led to many interesting discussions about compassion vs. the rule of law, the importance of faith, and the importance of doubt. Yes, doubt is very important - you have five minutes to discuss amongst yourselves.