Clint Eastwood

CHICAGO – With all due respect to Damián Bichir, George Clooney, Jean Dujardin, Gary Oldman and Brad Pitt, I believe that the three best lead performances by an actor in 2011 were entirely overlooked by the Academy. None of the five Oscar nominees quite managed to top Michael Shannon in “Take Shelter,” Michael Fassbender in “Shame” or Leonardo DiCaprio in “J. Edgar.”

CHICAGO – Clint Eastwood’s “Unforgiven” is one of the most influential movies on my decision to become a film critic. And yet, as most people are, I was concerned that perhaps I viewed the film through the rose-colored glasses of perspective. Was it as good as I remembered? Does it hold up? Hell yes it does and it’s never looked better than it does on the stunning new transfer from Warner Brothers for its 20th anniversary Blu-ray.

CHICAGO – Much of history is determined by the petty quirks and strange psychosis of “great leaders.” J. Edgar Hoover, FBI director for 48 years, worked hard to hide his very nature by squelching the nature of others – enemies, friends and perceived enemies. Leonardo DiCaprio is Hoover in “J. Edgar.”

CHICAGO – Westerns are regularly “called up” to HD Blu-ray at two times during the year — Father’s Day and Christmas. It’s logical in a marketing sense that Clint Eastwood would dominate new release shelves during the seasons where dear old dad is likely to get a gift, but it leaves the rest of the year as barren as a ghost town. MGM has a little summer gift for fans of alpha males going through withdrawal — four classics of the genre hitting Blu-ray this month — “A Fistful of Dollars,” “For a Few Dollars More,” “The Magnificent Seven,” and “Return of the Magnificent Seven.”

CHICAGO – Every once in awhile the question arises as to which films that were reviewed poorly today will be reappraised in future years as much-better than their first reviews suggested. We always read about movies now considered classics that were underappreciated when they were released and wonder what the equivalent movies will be from today. Let me submit Clint Eastwood’s “Hereafter,” recently on DVD and Blu-ray, as a likely candidate.

CHICAGO – James MacArthur, a stage and screen actor best known for playing the booking agent Danno in the 1960s version of the TV show “Hawaii Five-0,” died on October 28th, 2010, of natural causes. He was 72. HollywoodChicago.com interviewed MacArthur last March at the Hollywood Celebrities and Memorabilia Show.

CHICAGO – Clint Eastwood’s “Hereafter” is a dramatic examination of a subject rarely dealt with in American cinema with even an ounce of honest emotion: What happens after we die.

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Clint Eastwood

CHICAGO – This 20-image slideshow contains a selection of the official press images for the highly anticipated “Hereafter,” starring Matt Damon, Cecile De France, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Jay Mohr. The film was written by Peter Morgan and directed by Clint Eastwood. It was released on October 15th, 2010 in some markets, opens on October 20th, 2010 in Chicago, and expands nationwide on October 22nd, 2010.

CHICAGO – Clint Eastwood’s twilight career might become his greatest period as his latest film, “Hereafter,” hits theaters.

CHICAGO – It’s difficult to imagine an awards season without Clint Eastwood. Ever since 2003’s “Mystic River,” he’s released all of his directorial efforts during the last months of the year. Sometimes his films deserve to be contenders (“Million Dollar Baby,” “Letters From Iwo Jima”), and sometimes they don’t. “Invictus” is Eastwood’s most unimaginative Oscar bait yet.