Clint Eastwood

[Madame Adequate]

I just watched Letters from Iwo Jima (I watched Flags of our Fathers awhile back) and so ITT we discuss the illustrious and superb Mr. Eastwood's career.

I'm not entirely convinced there is a better director alive today.

[Cuchulainn]

I can only hope & presume you're kidding.

[Shiny]

I like him better as an actor. Dirty Harry and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly are some of the best films ever. In terms of actor/directors, I prefer Mel Gibson even though he is an anti-semitic prick.

[Madame Adequate]

Nah, he's a superb actor, but his directing is almost peerless. Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Flags and Iwo Jima...

I have absolutely no clue how someone could rate Mel Gibson higher than Clint Eastwood. The only good thing he ever directed was Apocalypto.

[Meat Puppet]

I wouldn’t go as far as to say he’s the best actor or director of today, but that isn’t to say his stuff is bad. While I am fond of many of the movies he directed, I think his most important contributions are his iconic portrayals of Dirty Harry and more so, the Man With No Name. His acting style is limited but effective.

EDIT: I would die before I put Mel Gibson over Clint Eastwood as an actor or director!

[Bunny]

I can honestly say that I have never seen a movie directed by Clint Eastwood. I have never been interested in a movie directed by Clint Eastwood because I prefer him in an acting capacity and none of the movies he has directed have captured my interest or attention.

[Madame Adequate]

At first it seemd like my praise was too strong but I tried to think of directors I love more consistently, and they're not many in number. Kurosawa, Ridley Scott before the 2000s (though American Gangster was pretty sweet), Hitchcock, Tarantino (sans Jackie Brown)...

Note that I'm not saying Eastwood is the most influential or anything, god no, he's no Bergman or Kubrick or whatever. Just that of the people making movies today, his stuff seems to be what I enjoy the most, most reliably.

[Goldenboko]

I loved Gran Torino. Especially because you expect a huge firefight at the end and you don't get it at all.

[Meat Puppet]

At first it seemd like my praise was too strong but I tried to think of directors I love more consistently, and they're not many in number.

I certainly wouldn’t say your praise was too strong, unless you think it is. There is a very personal and subjective side to art, of which movies are a part of, so when people say they find one director or actor or whatever to be the most greatest thing in the world I generally don’t argue with them.

That’s not to say that I don’t think critical and/or popular response is unimportant, but it should always be aggregated carefully, and rarely used against someone’s opinion, as I guess you already know.

HOWEVER, I can only go so far as this... like if somebody said that movies by the Seltzberg monstrosity were the best in the world, or it was in their opinion that say, since I’m feeling uninspired I will say, Pauly Shore, is the greatest actor alive today, I will be inclined to give them a smack. I can only stomach opinion for so long, it would seem.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I think your praise for Clint Eastwood is warranted, even if my original response was lackadaisical.

[TheAbominatrix]

Tarantino (sans Jackie Brown)....

You didn't like Jackie Brown? That's one of my favorites! And as far as good directors go, I suggest Wes Anderson if you haven't already gotten into his stuff.

I have yet to see a movie Eastwood has directed, but I loved him as an actor. Two Mules for Sister Sara, Fistful of Dollars and all those other great westerns, plus his funnier stuff like Any Which Way but Loose and so on.

I've wanted to check out his directorial work but I've yet to have anything come my way or been too interested when renting films. Ah well.

[Del Murder]

He directs some weird movies, like that one where he is a racist old man trying to keep kids off his lawn. I much prefer him as an actor.

[Chris]

Those specific movies are great, and I enjoy watching them. And yes, Clint "Make-My-Day" Eastwood is a fine director. :D