part two in my current series of academy award "upsets"....
i kid of course, its just a funny coincidence that i saw "i've loved you so long" and "gran torino" back to back, but quite why clint eastwood was all but missing from this years oscars seems a tad odd to me, especially if you take into account the fact that this may well be the last time we see him up on the silver screen. let's just ponder that thought for a moment; clint eastwood, american icon, hell, american IDOL, may well have performed his final performance. its the end of an era, of that of the great american motion picture. a symbol of the old hollywood that no longer exists. what with newman passing last year, eastwood is one of the few familiar strands from yesterday.
"gran torino" originally existed as the final chapter in eastwood's "dirty harry" series, yet prior to hiiting the screen the character has seemingly become an amalgamation of several of eastwood's key roles. we see the obvious, be it harry callahan or ben shockley (courtesy of "the gauntlet"), and the not so obvious in the shape bronco billy (providing the light humour over the dark themes). the role certainly seems to be a celebration of eastwood's career, and the fact that the film exists in such a workmanlike and unglamourous fashion is a testament to eastwood's no-nonsense attitude. if "gran torino" does prove to be eastwood's final role then it will mark an outstanding era of american cinema in a suitably just fashion, although personally i dont see him quitting just yet...
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