Make my March, Clint

Get familiar with the works of this "national treasure"...no, not the gripping Nicholas Cage adventure flick, but American film hero Clint Eastwood. This aged director is still kickin' it - you may have heard about a little awards show called the Oscars, and he nabbed his 13th nomination this year with Letters From Iwo Jima.

The Vancouver International Film Centre is presenting a look back on the celebrated works of this former cowboy, showcasing works like Unforgiven, White Hunter, Black Heart, and A Perfect World (one of my favorites) from March 1-8th. And I know Sean just posted a great heads up on the FAP screenings at the VIFC - don't worry, they're not our corporate sponsors or anything, I guess they're just running some tight programming over there.

I didn't really want to go into the whole Academy Award coverage because we've seen enough of that on the "news" these days, but nominations are nothing new to Clint Eastwood. He picked up statues for Unforgiven and the "brilliant" but dull Million Dollar Baby.

I love westerns and with the recent popularity of the genre in shows like Deadwood it would be pretty cool to see Eastwood reinvent conventions once again by taking on another Western film before his career is over. He's been a bit all over the map within his very long career as an actor, director, and now composer, but I would peg his directing style as quiet and understated. I appreciate this, but at the same time found the acclaimed Million Dollar Baby a bore to watch and not exactly matching my media-biased expectations.

My opinion of Eastwood is a bit mixed right now - I felt a little deflated after watching MDB, but loved some of his former films. I'm curious about Letters from Iwo Jima but am saving myself for one of those nights where I need a good cry - here Clint subverts the American war-story expectations and gives the audience a Japanese point of view by focusing on the letters of soldiers who knew they were facing extinction.

The well-timed release of the sister film Flags of Our Fathers (same battle, American perspective) encouraged much coverage in pop media recently, and the Eastwood legacy is a bit hard to ignore. I figure instead of renting and contributing to the dent in my couch, I'll instead wear out the Vancity theatre seats and enjoy the big screen while educating myself of all things Eastwood!

For more info and a complete list of the films screening for Clint Eastwood Retro, head over to the VIFC website.

Tix are $9.50 or swing for the double-bill deal, $12 for two films back to back.
Vancity theatres are at 1181 Seymour St. at Davie.