Day 6: Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Day 6: Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Welcome back for Day 6 of the Clint Eastwood Spotlight Series, where we'll be talking about one of the actor/director's biggest modern triumphs: Million Dollar Baby (2004). First of all, this is an amazing movie. It's the kind that elicits a physical reaction at the core of your being, like the chambers of your heart might legitimately be torn asunder. Think I'm being dramatic? Watch the movie. You'll see. As far as plot goes, Baby seems relatively straight-forward on the surface. Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) is an aging, emotionally hardened boxing trainer who is going through a painful estrangement from his daughter, Katie. We never…
Day 4: Unforgiven (1992)

Day 4: Unforgiven (1992)

Welcome back for Day 4 of our Clint Eastwood Spotlight Series! Today I have the privilege of discussing with you (what I consider to be) the greatest modern western made to date: Unforgiven (1992). According to Eastwood at the time, Unforgiven would be the last western he made, because he did not want to risk repeating himself or imitating someone else's work. Boy, did he go out of the genre in style. Not only did the film win Best Picture that year, but it also earned Eastwood his first win for Best Director. He wasn't exactly working with untested unknowns--when a…