Musical Movie Review: **** Jersey Boys (2014)

 Jersey Boys is a film based on the musical of the same name.  It is directed and produced by Clint Eastwood.  It tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  John Lloyd Young portrays Franki Valli.  Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza) and his brother Nick (Johnny Cannizzaro) and a friend Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda) have a trio singing at local clubs.  Sometimes Valli would sing a song or two with them.  As a group the attempt to steal a safe, and get caught.  Tommy goes to prison for six months.  However Valli gets off thanks in art to mobster Gyp DeCarlo (Christopher Walken) who has taken an interest in him.  When Tommy gets out of prison they start their group, The Four Lovers.  They have a hard time getting traction, but are signed to sing back up for others.  

They change their name to the Four Seasons.  Nicky DeVito leaves the group and they are joined by Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen) who is a song writer.  The convince their producer to record the song "Sherry," which becomes a hit.  The follow with "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man."  All is going well until they discover the owe $150,000 plus to the mob.  Tommy has been borrowing money to keep the group going.  Tommy leaves the group, but they have to continue laying to pay off the debts, which they finally do.  

Franki Valli has issues at home with his daughter who runs off with an older man.  Valli intervenes, and promises to be more involved with his daughter.  However she dies from an overdose.  Valli seems to walk away from performing, but Guadio encourages him to go solo.  He resists but eventually records the song Guadio wrote for him, "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You."  20 years later they get back together for induction into the rock and roll hall of fame.  They sing together after many years, and long for the days they sang as a quartet under a street lamp.

I enjoyed this movie.  The music is terrific.  The story is not as well done as the music.

Clint Eastwood Movie Review: Unforgiven

 This is an "R" rated movie.  I don't usually watch movies rated "R" but made an exception as this movie won best picture andv and Clint Eastwood won for best director.  Gene Hackman won for best supporting actor.  Eastwood was nominated for best actor.

Two customers at a brothel become upset and cut a whore on the face, scarring her badly.  When the sheriff intervenes he fines the two horses to recompense the proprietor of the brothel.  Nothing for the young woman.  

So the women of the brothel raise some money, and hire some bounty hunters with $1000 award.  So Bill Munny (Eastwood) comes out of retirement at the request of a new bounty hunter, The Schofield Kid (Jaimz Wolvett).  He reluctantly agrees to do so as he is failing as a widowed farmer raising two children.  He in turn recruits his old friend,  Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman).  

Together they ride for Big Whiskey, Wyoming.  Munny takes sick and has a fever and is half conscious of things.  When they get there Munny goes to the bar while the two others head to the whore house.  Sheriff Dagget (Gene Hackman) confronts Munny.  He has heard about the hiring of bounty men by the prostitutes and wants to discourage this.  He beats up Munny.  They hear this upstairs and the two escape out the window.  The catch up with Munny and get him to a barn on the outskirts of town where they, with the help of the prostitutes nurse him back to health.  So next they extract revenge on the men who abused the prostitutes.  However Logan quits on the enterprise and heads back to Kansas where they are from.  Things do not go well for him as he is captured by some of the sheriff's men.  He is beaten severely in an attempt to get him to tell the location of Munny.  When Munny hears of this he goes to town in a sour mood to confront the sheriff.  Things turn out poorly for the sheriff and his minions.

I think the theme of this movie is that sometimes your past catches up with you.  Richard Harris plays a cameo role as English Bob who is also a bounty hunter.  However the sheriff caught him, took his gun, and whipped him before sending him out of town.

Movie Review: ****Trouble with the Curve (2012)

****Trouble With the Curve  Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams portray a father and daughter combo which is very fascinating.  Mickey (Adams) has grown  up around baseball, as her father, Gus, is a scout.  However at a young age Gus sent her away, and Mickey has struggled with the rejection.  This year Mickey goes on a scouting trip with him because of his failing health.  On the road the run into a player previously scouted by Gus, Johnny (Justin Timberlake) with whom Gus rekindles his friendship and Mickey starts a relationship.  They are scouting a player who is a great high school player.  However, a good batting average with lots of homeruns is not always what it seems.  Mickey meanwhile scouts out a prospective pitcher on their trips.  John Goodman portrays Gus’ boss.

Movie Review: Joe Kidd (1972)

This is a classic Clint Eastwood Western.  He portrays Joe Kidd, an ex bounty hunter who is convinced to come out of retirement by Frank Harlan (Robert Duvall) and because Luis Chama (John Saxon) and his men attacked his estate, stole or killed his horse, and tied up his man with barbed wire.  Chama is a local hero to the Mexican residents who are trying to fight for their property rights against Harlan.  Harlan is determined to kill Chama, and anyone else who gets in his way.  Kidd helps him to a point, but realized quickly he is with the wrong wide.  There are some scenes here I remember from my youth, like opening the hatch and the bad guy falling to his death.  A classic bit of action is taking the locomotive into town and smashing into the bar, so as to get a drop on Harlan's men.  Another classic scene is when he tells the sheriff (Gregory Walcott) to "Get out of here."  And later when he punches him in the nose and says, Next time I'll knock your head off."  This refers back to the sheriff having punched Kidd early, and using the same line.

Book Review: Clint Eastwood: Icon

Clint Eastwood Icon: The Essential Film Art Collection, David Frangioni, essays by Thomas Schatz, Insight Editions, San Rafael, CA, 2009.

This is a book of an individual showing off his collection of Clint Eastwood movie posters and handbills.  It is a coffee table book.  It is interesting to see the progression of Eastwood’s career over time.  Some of the movie posters have some very good art.  The posters have a progression, from Eastwood being in shadow or not fully developed in the pictures of his early movies.  However over time he becomes very clear and the focus of the posters.  Then his career takes another turn and he shares the poster with other actors, such as with Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman and Richard Harris in “Unforgiven.”  Of course Eastwood also has a very significant career as a director,  Clint Eastwood’s career has spanned over five decades, and during that time he has help create many good movies.  I have not seen them all.  I do not see R rated shows, but many of the other shows I have seen, from “Paint Your Wagon” to “Outlaw Josie Wales” to “Million Dollar Baby.”  This book was fun; I like to look at pictures.  However the writing was not very entertaining unless you might are really into collecting this stuff.

Movie Review: ****The Outlaw Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood, 1976)

The Outlaw Josey Wales
This is one of my favorite Clint Eastwood pictures.  It combines that old spaghetti western style with something more exciting and new.  Wales is heading West, escaping the Civil War as Confederate soldier, without surrendering.  Most of his unit was murdered when they surrendered.  He is labeled an outlaw and people are looking for him.  Heading west he meets an Indian chief, (Chief Dan George) and his squaw.  He later rescues a family who also joins his entourage.  They head for the family’s ranch in the West, and finally get there.  However they still have to fight off Native American’s as well as those who would capture Wales.  This movie is about moving on.

Movie Review: 1966 ****The Good the Bad and the Ugly

This movie is a classic Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood spaghetti Western.  This bits three con-men style bandits against each other and thus the title has three characters.  The Good is portrayed by Clint Eastwood; the Bad by Lee Van Cleef and the Ugly by Eli Wallach.  It is set against the back drop the Civil War in the West, with desert and battles and prison camp all mixed in.  Blondie (Eastwood) has come by a piece of information yo find a stash of goldl which is shared with Tuco (Wallach).  However Angel Eyes (Van Cleef) is also intent on finding the gold, and willing to kill to get it.  This meets for one of the classic three-way gun fights.  Seems like Tuco is always yelling for Blondie, and this is how the movie ends.  Great fun.  This movie is confusing, as there is an R rated  version.  However no inappropriate sex,  but there is violence.

Actor: Clint Eastwood

1959 Rawhide: Incident of the Tumbleweed

There are eight seasons and at least 216 episodes of Rawhide  This is the first.  We are presented to trail hand Rowdy (Clint Eastwood) and Trail Boss Gil Favor (Eric Fleming.)  In this episode, tumbleweed refers to a prison wagon that they run into along the trail.  There are seven prisoners inside, one of them being the girlfriend of a notorious outlaw, and also a couple of his gang. 
This episode was entertaining.  I didn't watch Rawhide as a youth. However this film had plenty of action, and the prison wagon was very interesting the way it was portrayed.  Very enjoyable.

Movie Review: 1966 ****The Good the Bad and the Ugly

This movie is a classic Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood spaghetti Western.  This pits three con-men style bandits against each other and thus the title has three characters.  This provides a vehicle for one of the classic three-way gun fights.  Seems like Tuco (Ugly) is always yelling for Blondie (Eastwood), and this is how the movie ends.  Great fun.  There is an R rated  version.  However no inappropriate sex,  but there is violence.

1976 ****The Outlaw Josey Wales  This film again is Eastwood at his best.  It isa post Civil War film, and pits Eastwood against Indians and against the federal government as they try to bring him in after the war.  Chief Dan George plays a special part in this film.

1969  Musical Movie Review: ***Paint Your Wagon 

This is not your blockbuster musical, but it does have its interesting parts.  This is a Lerner and Loewe musical (Alan Jay Lerner book and Frederick Loewe music).   Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood star as partners (Ben Rumson and Pardner) in the gold business, and then they take on a third partner, as Rumson buys a wife (Jean Seberg) from a Mormon polygamist. 

1970  ***^Two Mules for Sister Sara:
Maclaine stars as Sister Sara and Clint Eastwood as Hogan.  This is set around the French invasion of Mexico, and the repulse by the Mexicans.  (See Cinco de Mayo which was in 1862.)  It is a Sergio Leone film and has that feel.  MacLaine starts as a nun, but in reality is much different.  They face the French with a group of Mexican soldiers.

1972 ***^Joe Kidd
Classic Clint Eastwood in his roll as the competent cowboy.  He is hired to go after a man, but in the end sees things differently and goes after the man who hired him.

1992 Unforgiven  One of only a few R rated movies I have watched.

2012 ****Trouble with the Curve. This is a baseball movie.  Eastwood plays the roll of a scout.

TV Review: ***^Rawhide: Pilot 1959: Incident of the Tumbleweed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YrRx3GMXzQ
There are eight seasons and at least 216 episodes of Rawhide  This is the first.  We are presented to trail hand Rowdy (Clint Eastwood) and Trail Boss Gil Favor (Eric Fleming.)  In this episode, tumbleweed refers to a prison wagon that they run into along the trail.  There are seven prisoners inside, one of them being the girlfriend of a notorious outlaw, and also a couple of his gang. 
They make their escape, and the cattlemen intervene.  However one of the gang escapes, supposedly to go get the leader of the gang.  The deputy is killed, and the sheriff is wounded.  Favor chooses Rowdy to come with him as they handle the prisoners.  The other men will drive the herd.
Eventually the gang catches up with them, as they are crossing a river.  This episode has a different ending than might be expected, as some of the prisoners seek redemption.
There is some gun play and fist fighting, and even violence towards the woman--although she gives back her own.  Terry Moore guest stars as the woman prisoner.
This episode was entertaining.  I didn't watch Rawhide as a youth. However this film had plenty of action, and the prison wagon was very interesting the way it was portrayed.  Very enjoyable.

Musical Movie Review: ***Paint Your Wagon (1969)

This is not your blockbuster musical, but it does have its interesting parts.  This is an Lerner and Loewe musical (Alan Jay Lerner book and Frederick Loewe music).   Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood star as partners (Ben Rumson and Pardner) in the gold business, and then they take on a third partner, as Rumson buys a wife from a Mormon polygamist Jean Seberg as Elizabeth.  This is not a flattering portrayal of a Mormon polygamist but uses the stereotypic portrayal.  Eventual the partnership also become polygamous with two husbands and one wife.  This suits everyone until civilization comes to town, and Elizabeth wants a proper family.  Both men decide to leave, but when Pardner learns Rumson is leaving town, he stays.  Noted music includes “They Call the Wind Maria” and “I talk to the Trees.”  This show is cast as characters, not for singing ability.  However the saloon, Rotten Luck Willie (Harve Presnell)  who sings “Maria” does a good job.  Cast also includes Ray Walston as Mad Jack Duncan