Eastwood returns to the big screen in "Gran Torino" - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Mr. Television · 10-23-2008, 07:50 PM

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/...rst-look_N.htm

First look: Eastwood puts his scowl in high gear for 'Gran Torino'

By Anthony Breznican, USA TODAY

Eastwood is back in your face.
Perhaps the most successful and prolific actor to turn director, Clint Eastwood's appearances on-screen have become increasingly sparse over the years as he has taken on projects that don't have roles for him.

The last one was four years ago as the boxing manager in Million Dollar Baby, which earned him an Oscar nomination for best actor. He didn't win, but the movie added best picture and best director to his Academy Award victories.

He's back again in Gran Torino, opening Dec. 17, and he hasn't looked this furious in a movie poster since 1976's The Outlaw Josey Wales.

"Well, I'm older now. It's easier to look angrier when you're an old guy," Eastwood, 78, says with a laugh.

Eastwood is still finishing the movie, but it already is regarded as a stealth Oscar contender given his recent track record of Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and Letters From Iwo Jima. The first trailer for Gran Torino can be seen this weekend before Eastwood's Changeling.

His Gran Torino character is Walt Kowalski, a racist Korean War veteran whose prized possession is a classic car that catches the eye of local gangs in his Detroit neighborhood. One of the troubled kids who covets the vehicle is from a family of Hmong immigrant neighbors, whom Kowalski has long resented.

The story comes down to two objects (three if you count the scowl): his 1972 Ford muscle car and his M-1 rifle.

"That's the weapon he has had left over since being in the service," Eastwood says. "And the same weapon I had when I was in the Army."

Eastwood also served during the Korean War, and though he wasn't in combat, he says: "I still know how to operate it. Field strip it …"

He chuckles.

Apart from that slight parallel, Eastwood has little in common with Kowalski. "He worked on the line in the Ford plant and retired and had this one car he bought himself. It's sort of a symbol of his days with the Ford plant. The M-1 is sort of a symbol of his days in the military. … He's clinging to the memory of the war. You'll find out when you see it, some of (the memories) are not as pleasant as others. That helps make him even tougher to get along with."

Newcomer Bee Vang, a 17-year-old Hmong American originally from the Minneapolis area, was cast as the neighbor boy who strikes up a mutually reluctant relationship with Walt.

"The young kid, as part of a gang initiation, tries to steal it, and the old guy gets him at the end of the M-1, which becomes kind of a big deal," Eastwood says. "The kid has to do penance because of the pride of the Asian group. They make him do penance. He has to come over, and the old guy doesn't want anything to do with him, doesn't want him anywhere around."

The fastest way to rid himself of the boy, Kowalski decides, is to cooperate.

"Walt helps him get a job and helps him toughen up a bit," Eastwood says. "(Walt) doesn't work construction. He's retired. But he gets the boy in through a buddy, an old crony. They take him in and try to show him how to handle himself in life."

"The old guy," as Eastwood calls his character, ends up confronting prejudices that have isolated him.

"It's got a lot of twists and turns in the story," indicating some darker moments. "It also has some good laughs."

Eastwood is producing, directing and even composing music for movies at an age when other filmmakers would be retired. Acting is the only area in which he has cut back.

"Yeah, it'll probably be my last," he says of Gran Torino. "I'll be drummed out of it after this one."

After more than 50 years and dozens of iconic characters, could he be serious?

That familiar dry voice on the phone turns into a chuckle. "Nah, I'm just kidding."

But Eastwood acknowledges that the thought crosses his mind. "Every time you do one you think, 'Aw, that's enough of that.' I always feel it's very comfortable to be behind the camera."

And then there's working with the director. "Yeah, I don't have to deal with him," Eastwood says, laughing again. (The last time he didn't direct himself was 15 years ago, in Wolfgang Petersen's In the Line of Fire.)

Turning serious, he acknowledges the obvious about acting in Gran Torino. "It was fun. But I'm not destined to do too many more. I've been happy doing the ones I haven't been in."

MrRetro_08 · 10-24-2008, 01:58 PM

I'll have to watch it then

HuntingtonM15 · 10-24-2008, 02:22 PM

That movie filmed in my city quite a bit. It would have been fun to try and visit the sets, but with all of the security, I'm sure they would have been difficult to get to.

Zebra 3 · 12-20-2008, 01:48 AM

Check out the trailer at the official site.

isiahthomas · 02-07-2009, 02:48 PM

I saw Gran Torino and i liked it. I was arguing with some ignorant guys at rap group Wu Tang Clan's website about the scene that shows a white guy walking a asian girl home and 3 ignorant black guys approach them and mess with them. The guys i was arguing with said the white guy was a pus*y because he didn't do anything to those guys for messing with him and the asian girl. I said what was he supposed to do? It was 3 of them against him. How is he gonna win that fight? I swear i can't stand ignorant people. I hate them. The white guy did the right thing by not doing nothing. When Clint approached the black guys and he pulled a gun on them, they got scared and left the white guy and asian girl alone. Clint called the white guy a pus*y which i think Clint was wrong for saying that because there's no way that white guy should've tried to be a tough guy to fight those 3 dudes and get his ass whipped over some stupid sh*t. I felt bad for that asian boy who was getting harrassed by those asian gangbangers because he was a good kid.

HuntingtonM15 · 02-07-2009, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by isiahthomas

I saw Gran Torino and i liked it. I was arguing with some ignorant guys at rap group Wu Tang Clan's website about the scene that shows a white guy walking a asian girl home and 3 ignorant black guys approach them and mess with them. The guys i was arguing with said the white guy was a pus*y because he didn't do anything to those guys for messing with him and the asian girl. I said what was he supposed to do? It was 3 of them against him. How is he gonna win that fight? I swear i can't stand ignorant people. I hate them. The white guy did the right thing by not doing nothing. When Clint approached the black guys and he pulled a gun on them, they got scared and left the white guy and asian girl alone. Clint called the white guy a pus*y which i think Clint was wrong for saying that because there's no way that white guy should've tried to be a tough guy to fight those 3 dudes and get his ass whipped over some stupid sh*t. I felt bad for that asian boy who was getting harrassed by those asian gangbangers because he was a good kid.

I really loved the movie. I can't believe how completely snubbed by the Oscars it was. The "white boy" in that scene you are referring to is Clint's son, Scott, in real life.

isiahthomas · 02-07-2009, 02:56 PM

That's his son? I didn't know that. So the movie really was filmed in Detroit? I liked that cute asian girl that lived next door to Clint. I felt bad for her when she got beat up real bad by those gangbangers. I didn't like the way the movie ended. Clint should've killed those gangbangers. I can't believe he showed up to their house with no guns.

HuntingtonM15 · 02-07-2009, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by isiahthomas

That's his son? I didn't know that. So the movie really was filmed in Detroit? I liked that cute asian girl that lived next door to Clint. I felt bad for her when she got beat up real bad by those gangbangers. I didn't like the way the movie ended. Clint should've killed those gangbangers. I can't believe he showed up to their house with no guns.

Yeah, it was filmed in Detroit and in the surrounding suburbs.

10-23-2008, 07:50 PM	#1
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,132	Eastwood returns to the big screen in "Gran Torino" http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/...rst-look_N.htm First look: Eastwood puts his scowl in high gear for 'Gran Torino' By Anthony Breznican, USA TODAY Eastwood is back in your face. Perhaps the most successful and prolific actor to turn director, Clint Eastwood's appearances on-screen have become increasingly sparse over the years as he has taken on projects that don't have roles for him. The last one was four years ago as the boxing manager in Million Dollar Baby, which earned him an Oscar nomination for best actor. He didn't win, but the movie added best picture and best director to his Academy Award victories. He's back again in Gran Torino, opening Dec. 17, and he hasn't looked this furious in a movie poster since 1976's The Outlaw Josey Wales. "Well, I'm older now. It's easier to look angrier when you're an old guy," Eastwood, 78, says with a laugh. Eastwood is still finishing the movie, but it already is regarded as a stealth Oscar contender given his recent track record of Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and Letters From Iwo Jima. The first trailer for Gran Torino can be seen this weekend before Eastwood's Changeling. His Gran Torino character is Walt Kowalski, a racist Korean War veteran whose prized possession is a classic car that catches the eye of local gangs in his Detroit neighborhood. One of the troubled kids who covets the vehicle is from a family of Hmong immigrant neighbors, whom Kowalski has long resented. The story comes down to two objects (three if you count the scowl): his 1972 Ford muscle car and his M-1 rifle. "That's the weapon he has had left over since being in the service," Eastwood says. "And the same weapon I had when I was in the Army." Eastwood also served during the Korean War, and though he wasn't in combat, he says: "I still know how to operate it. Field strip it …" He chuckles. Apart from that slight parallel, Eastwood has little in common with Kowalski. "He worked on the line in the Ford plant and retired and had this one car he bought himself. It's sort of a symbol of his days with the Ford plant. The M-1 is sort of a symbol of his days in the military. … He's clinging to the memory of the war. You'll find out when you see it, some of (the memories) are not as pleasant as others. That helps make him even tougher to get along with." Newcomer Bee Vang, a 17-year-old Hmong American originally from the Minneapolis area, was cast as the neighbor boy who strikes up a mutually reluctant relationship with Walt. "The young kid, as part of a gang initiation, tries to steal it, and the old guy gets him at the end of the M-1, which becomes kind of a big deal," Eastwood says. "The kid has to do penance because of the pride of the Asian group. They make him do penance. He has to come over, and the old guy doesn't want anything to do with him, doesn't want him anywhere around." The fastest way to rid himself of the boy, Kowalski decides, is to cooperate. "Walt helps him get a job and helps him toughen up a bit," Eastwood says. "(Walt) doesn't work construction. He's retired. But he gets the boy in through a buddy, an old crony. They take him in and try to show him how to handle himself in life." "The old guy," as Eastwood calls his character, ends up confronting prejudices that have isolated him. "It's got a lot of twists and turns in the story," indicating some darker moments. "It also has some good laughs." Eastwood is producing, directing and even composing music for movies at an age when other filmmakers would be retired. Acting is the only area in which he has cut back. "Yeah, it'll probably be my last," he says of Gran Torino. "I'll be drummed out of it after this one." After more than 50 years and dozens of iconic characters, could he be serious? That familiar dry voice on the phone turns into a chuckle. "Nah, I'm just kidding." But Eastwood acknowledges that the thought crosses his mind. "Every time you do one you think, 'Aw, that's enough of that.' I always feel it's very comfortable to be behind the camera." And then there's working with the director. "Yeah, I don't have to deal with him," Eastwood says, laughing again. (The last time he didn't direct himself was 15 years ago, in Wolfgang Petersen's In the Line of Fire.) Turning serious, he acknowledges the obvious about acting in Gran Torino. "It was fun. But I'm not destined to do too many more. I've been happy doing the ones I haven't been in."
	__________________ Sonny

10-24-2008, 01:58 PM	#2
MrRetro_08 T'ank you veddy much! Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 19, 2007 Location: A Place Far Away Posts: 823	I'll have to watch it then
	__________________ It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!! Peanut Butter Jelly Time!!

12-20-2008, 01:48 AM	#4
Zebra 3 Striped Tomato Forum Veteran Join Date: Jun 26, 2002 Location: Bay City Posts: 5,811	Check out the trailer at the official site.
	__________________ Sitcoms Online STARSKY & HUTCH Message Board

10-24-2008, 02:22 PM	#3
HuntingtonM15 That Bothers Me Moderator Forum Star Join Date: Jun 20, 2003 Location: Metro Detroit Posts: 11,060	That movie filmed in my city quite a bit. It would have been fun to try and visit the sets, but with all of the security, I'm sure they would have been difficult to get to.

02-07-2009, 02:48 PM	#5
isiahthomas Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Aug 20, 2002 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 10,704	I saw Gran Torino and i liked it. I was arguing with some ignorant guys at rap group Wu Tang Clan's website about the scene that shows a white guy walking a asian girl home and 3 ignorant black guys approach them and mess with them. The guys i was arguing with said the white guy was a pusy because he didn't do anything to those guys for messing with him and the asian girl. I said what was he supposed to do? It was 3 of them against him. How is he gonna win that fight? I swear i can't stand ignorant people. I hate them. The white guy did the right thing by not doing nothing. When Clint approached the black guys and he pulled a gun on them, they got scared and left the white guy and asian girl alone. Clint called the white guy a pusy which i think Clint was wrong for saying that because there's no way that white guy should've tried to be a tough guy to fight those 3 dudes and get his ass whipped over some stupid sh*t. I felt bad for that asian boy who was getting harrassed by those asian gangbangers because he was a good kid.

02-07-2009, 02:56 PM	#7
isiahthomas Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Aug 20, 2002 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 10,704	That's his son? I didn't know that. So the movie really was filmed in Detroit? I liked that cute asian girl that lived next door to Clint. I felt bad for her when she got beat up real bad by those gangbangers. I didn't like the way the movie ended. Clint should've killed those gangbangers. I can't believe he showed up to their house with no guns.