Dazed from Oscar Thoughts
I am still dazed from dwelling on Oscar Night, which you might have noticed from the lack of new reviews. If I can’t focus on a movie I’ve just seen, I can’t write about it. So the LEMONY SNICKET flick will have to wait a while, as Clint Eastwood’s MILLION DOLLAR BABY still has my attention.
And what a night it was for the Academy’s golden boy, taking four of the most important awards it was nominated for. Though Mr. Eastwood will not admit it, his Oscar triumph must be sweet vindication towards the studio that helped produce it. Warner Bros. balked at financing MILLION DOLLAR BABY noting the dismal popularity of boxing movies. He had to raise half of the money to finance his “baby” through producer Tom Rosenberg, before Warner Bros. would pick up the rest.
In an interview with Roger Ebert, Eastwood notes, “I just wanted to make it. I don't want publicists hanging about. We stayed under the radar. With all the big $150, $200 million films out there, they thought this film was at a different importance level. I had about $25 million to make it with. They had their 'Alexanders' and 'Polar Expresses' they were working on, and I figured my movie was going to have to live or die on its own terms.
"So, we went and made it, they didn't know anything about it, and after we showed it to them," Eastwood recalled, "they said, 'Jesus, it's not too bad.' Some people in the organization started getting enthusiastic. Eddie Feldman, the distribution guy, says, 'How shall we open it?'
"'Why don't we just put it out sometime after Thanksgiving,' I said. He said we had to mount a campaign. 'No mounting a campaign, no mounting anything,' I said. 'Just see where it goes.’”
Clint Eastwood once said that, "My father used to say to me, 'Show 'em what you can do, and don't worry about what you're gonna get. Say you'll work for free and make yourself invaluable.'"
Well, that’s exactly what he’s done. And he is invaluable.
Note: Roger Ebert's said interview with Clint Eastwood can be found at http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041219/ESSAYS/412190301/1008
Posted by FLIPCRITIC at March 2, 2005 10:04 AMsus!!! ung mga review mo naman halatang halata na nakikisali ka lang sa uso sa US, porque bat madaming napanalunan ung million dollar baby eh dapat 4 stars, tpos ung mga oscar movies, un ang mga 4 stars, ang boring boring naman nun sideways, magreview ka ng pangbuong status ng mga tao, based dun sa gusto ng mga nkakadami, kung magreview ka feeling mo magaling ka, hahahaha, nabasa mo na ba ung the emperor's new clothes, no comment, hahahaha, tpos ung mga filipino movies zero pra sa iyo hahahaha, racist bullshit
Posted by: rina at March 21, 2005 02:09 PMang problema sa mga sine na sinasabi mong pang buong status ng mga tao ang ko-korny. kung may talagog word sa 'mediocre' mas masama pa sa mediocre ang mga sine na tinutukoy mo.
let the love begin? di man lang maka isip ng matinong title. kinuha na lang sa kanta. wala nang originality iyon. tsaka isipin mo, nagse-settle sa ganitong klaseng mga sine ang pilipino film industry. wala silang ginagawang effort para i-improve ang acting skills ng amga artista. skills ang hawak nila. hindi talent. tsaka two people from opposite sides of the track kuno fall in love. ilang beses nang ginamit ang ideyang iyan. di ba makaisip ng bago o magnakaw ng ibang love story concept ang mga writer?
additional effort and creativity lang ang kailan.
Posted by: jason at March 21, 2005 04:26 PMFor Rina, First of all:
1. I thought million dollar baby was the right winner for this year's Oscars, and
2. I also enjoyed the movie Sideways, since it featured the California wine country and I thought
the performances of the actors/actresses were exeptional.
Not everyone will have the same opinion as you do with regards to the movies you mentioned. So just because you didn't enjoy the movie and while almost everyone else liked it, you don't have to be personal about it. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, so instead of saying all this 'racist' comments regarding the critic, just comment on the movie.
And BTW, the flipcritic has also given some good Filipino movies high ratings, if you would like to read some of them, check out his reviews for American Adobo and Kung Ako Na Lang Sana, both of which had a rating of ***, while Bagong Buwan which he gave a ***˝ rating, or you can check the archives of Manila Standard, since he has
written reviews for them too.