Jersey Boys movie trailer

Hereafter

If you're a regular Stagenotes reader, you will know that I have become a certified Clint Eastwood fan. After Invictus, I wanted to see the latest Eastwood-Matt Damon film Hereafter, especially since it deals with the afterlife.

The film starts with a jolt: the devastating 2004 tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands of people. Vacationing journalist Marie LeLay's (Cecile de France) brush with death inevitably changes her life when she returns home to France. Across the Channel, we meet twin brothers Marcus and Jason (George and Frankie McLaren) whose special bond is ended by a totally senseless accident. Grief-stricken, the surviving twin sets off on a path to discover if there is life after death.

Across the pond, George Lonegan (Mr. Damon)---yes, he sees dead people---has given up doing readings and struggles to live a normal life in San Francisco. He even attends an Italian cooking class at night, where he meets Melanie ( a grating Bryce Dallas Howard). Meanwhile, his enterprising brother Billy (Jay Mohr) tries to convince him to return to working as a psychic, failing to see that his sibling's ability is "not a gift, but a curse".

All 3 main characters find their lives intersecting, a little too neatly, in the end. But the writer Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) and director take their time getting there. This is not a film for everyone. A few people walked out of the theater. The man sitting beside me kept complaining to his wife. But I thought a film about death and dying, and what's beyond, is inherently meditative. The characters have all become seekers, and we the audience members are on board for the journey. The whole time I was sitting there, the word "contemplative" kept popping up in my mind. Even Mr. Eastwood's music score seemed introspective. The filmmakers offered no real answers to the question of whether there is or isn't life after death. But they did leave room for hope.

The Best Damn Sports Movie Period

What does one do to alleviate Olympic coverage withdrawal symptoms? Watch Clint Eastwood's latest masterpiece, Invictus of course. In an era of philandering athletes, skyrocketing salaries, inflated egos, I love the Olympics because it is all about the sport and the honor of representing one's country in front of a global audience. The film about South Africa's stunning World Cup debut in 1995 is about that, and much more.

After the nation's first multi-racial democratic elections, President Nelson Mandela (played by the incomparable Morgan Freeman) has the herculean task of healing deep divisions in his post-apartheid country. Seen as a continuing symbol of government sanctioned racism, the national rugby team---the Springboks--- is reviled by the black populace. The newly elected leader extends his message of reconciliation and forgiveness to sports, and encourages his people to support the team. We see how the Nobel Prize laureate's morality and strength of character galvanizes team captain Francois Pienaar (the increasingly adroit Matt Damon). The movie's title comes from Mr. Mandela's favorite poem that sustained him during his 27 years of imprisonment, and he shares it with the embattled sportsman.

I want to see a full length biography of Mr. Mandela as we see only glimpses of his personal struggles and inspiring life. The visit to the prison cell evoked memories of fallen Philippine opposition leader Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino. The trials and tribulations of South Africa's first black president also draws comparisons to Barack Obama's dilemma of "balancing black aspirations and white fears". Athletic competitions and the movies about them always deliver uplifting messages and emotional highs, but this film goes beyond that. The stakes were higher. On the line: unity and nation-building.

It made my day

Mystic River. Million Dollar Baby. The remarkable Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima. The list of Clint Eastwood's filmmaking achievements keeps growing. I never saw Clint's old Dirty Harry movies or westerns, but I am increasingly impressed by his skills as a writer, director, producer, even composer. Though not quite up to par with the other films, Gran Torino still manages to make you think while being entertained and leave you feeling like you've been punched. Though not quite as hard as the other movies.

I've wanted to see his latest film since I saw its trailer. Mr. Eastwood had me at "Get off my lawn!" He plays Walt Kowalski, a racist, patriotic and grumpy old man living in a more culturally diverse but deteriorating neighborhood. This growling Korean war veteran alienated from his own children strikes up a friendship with the Hmong family next door, even mentoring and becoming a father figure to young Thao after saving him from a gang initiation. We all know that beneath that gravelly voice and gruff bigoted exterior lies a soft chewy center, searching for redemption and peace. Father Janovich (Christopher Carley) is the young priest who's trying to bring the cynical widower back into the fold of the Church. As things escalate between Walt and the gangbangers, you can almost guess the inexorable conclusion.

Forget political correctness: the film is peppered with bad language and racial invectives (some of which I hadn't even heard before), but the results are always funny though slightly discomfiting. (Mr. Eastwood has a real talent for delivering one-liners.) It is a glimpse into America's changing landscape, brought about by immigration, multiculturalism, tolerance or intolerance, even Detroit's failing auto industry. But he didn't make a heavy handed movie about racism and the film ends on a hopeful note. It was a pleasure to meet Mr. Kowalski: that somebody you shouldn't have messed with in the first place.