DVD: I should have seen this one on the big screen. I would love to see a print of this. Most of Clint's films should have been at least nominated for Best Cinematography. This film is no exception.
How did it not get nominated for Best Picture? Did you see the nominations? It was better than MIDNIGHT IN PARIS and WAR HORSE (two films I did see) - and I'm sure it's better than EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE and TREE OF LIFE (two films I did NOT see).
The reviews were mixed-to-bad. Rotten Tomatoes score was rotten, at 44%. You are the only person I know, outside of myself, that really liked the movie. It is better than WAR HORSE, and TREE OF LIFE. Sure, the film has flaws (DiCaprio's ADR work was not as strong as his on-set work), yet I thought he was excellent overall, enjoyed the way Eastwood treated this biopic like a thriller. Believe it or not, my Grandparents spent part of their honeymoon with J. Edgar Hoover...
I didn't like it. The cast was great, Clint's direction was assured, but the script completely ruined everything. It felt liked they rushed a biopic script, forgot to focus on what they were trying to tell, and just put it out there.
John, I'm totally surprised you liked this film. I saw it on a DVD a few months ago and thought it wasn't too good. I'm not sure which is better, this or WAR HORSE.
Jared - wait - you didn't like WAR HORSE? I liked it. Saw a print of it Xmas night. Looked gorgeous. And I have a feeling if I saw J. EDGAR on the big screen, I would have liked it even more. ANd I don't always love everything Eastwood does. I didn't like MYSTIC RIVER.
I did not like WAR HORSE. I was really looking forward to it. Look, I'm a Spielberg fan. There's no doubting that. I just felt it was overly sentimental, more so than even E.T. For a long time I didn't like E.T., but over the last couple of years I've come to realize what a truly great film it is. Maybe in another 30 years I'll really love WAR HORSE. I didn't like the over-stylized, John Ford, Technicolor look. There are also some moments where I just thought the lighting was flat-out poor, but that's for another review. I'm a Janusz Kaminski fan as well.
Dig this: I think it's going to be difficult to judge lighting in the age of digital projection. I wasn't impressed with the TRUE GRIT remake - it looked like crap projected digitally on the Dome. WAR HORSE, a print of that, looked amazing. You didn't like E.T.? Even as a kid?
I saw a print of WAR HORSE. There are some very specific lighting techniques I didn't think were handled very well. Not just the overall picture. But, for example, bouncing light onto certain people didn't work. Things like that.
I don't remember whether or not if I liked E.T. as a very little kid, but as a teenager I remember not caring for it too much.
I saw the print at the AMC Town Center in Burbank. I have no idea if they're stilling projecting film since that was back in January. I did notice that the Arclight was doing digitial.
I think you and I are the only people who really liked this movie. I think its one of Clint's best.
How did it not get nominated for Best Picture? Did you see the nominations? It was better than MIDNIGHT IN PARIS and WAR HORSE (two films I did see) - and I'm sure it's better than EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE and TREE OF LIFE (two films I did NOT see).
The reviews were mixed-to-bad. Rotten Tomatoes score was rotten, at 44%. You are the only person I know, outside of myself, that really liked the movie. It is better than WAR HORSE, and TREE OF LIFE. Sure, the film has flaws (DiCaprio's ADR work was not as strong as his on-set work), yet I thought he was excellent overall, enjoyed the way Eastwood treated this biopic like a thriller. Believe it or not, my Grandparents spent part of their honeymoon with J. Edgar Hoover...
I didn't like it. The cast was great, Clint's direction was assured, but the script completely ruined everything. It felt liked they rushed a biopic script, forgot to focus on what they were trying to tell, and just put it out there.
John, I'm totally surprised you liked this film. I saw it on a DVD a few months ago and thought it wasn't too good. I'm not sure which is better, this or WAR HORSE.
Jared - wait - you didn't like WAR HORSE? I liked it. Saw a print of it Xmas night. Looked gorgeous. And I have a feeling if I saw J. EDGAR on the big screen, I would have liked it even more.
ANd I don't always love everything Eastwood does. I didn't like MYSTIC RIVER.
I did not like WAR HORSE. I was really looking forward to it. Look, I'm a Spielberg fan. There's no doubting that. I just felt it was overly sentimental, more so than even E.T. For a long time I didn't like E.T., but over the last couple of years I've come to realize what a truly great film it is. Maybe in another 30 years I'll really love WAR HORSE. I didn't like the over-stylized, John Ford, Technicolor look. There are also some moments where I just thought the lighting was flat-out poor, but that's for another review. I'm a Janusz Kaminski fan as well.
Dig this: I think it's going to be difficult to judge lighting in the age of digital projection. I wasn't impressed with the TRUE GRIT remake - it looked like crap projected digitally on the Dome.
WAR HORSE, a print of that, looked amazing. You didn't like E.T.? Even as a kid?
I saw a print of WAR HORSE. There are some very specific lighting techniques I didn't think were handled very well. Not just the overall picture. But, for example, bouncing light onto certain people didn't work. Things like that.
I don't remember whether or not if I liked E.T. as a very little kid, but as a teenager I remember not caring for it too much.
Please tell me what theater in town is screening prints. This digital projection is sickening me. Did you hear that the Arclight is all digital now?
I saw the print at the AMC Town Center in Burbank. I have no idea if they're stilling projecting film since that was back in January. I did notice that the Arclight was doing digitial.
I was just at that theater over the weekend, yet I am 95 % certain my showing of ABRAHAM LINCOLN VAMPIRE HUNTER was digital
Makes sense. I believe the movie was shot digitally on the Arri Alexa.
Yes - AMC 8 and the old Mann 4 Glendale are the last theaters projecting film in my part of town it seems.