tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post2465528840782444785..comments2024-03-25T17:38:55.490-07:00Comments on Dar Kush: Gran Torino (2008)Steven Barneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-34423993129786772372010-05-15T20:45:20.854-07:002010-05-15T20:45:20.854-07:00I agree about Gran Torino, provisionally; it'...I agree about Gran Torino, provisionally; it's not quite his best film <b>now</b> but give me a few years to experience it with a fresh eye a couple times, and I might change my mind!<br /><br />With respect to the "white guy saves the people of color", I don't think that was particularly what it was about. I think it was about race, or more specifically culture, but in the opposite direction. One of the better reviews/commentaries that I read about Gran Torino was about how Walt represented an archetype that contemporary american society has forgotten, but that the hmong (especially in the film, obviously) haven't: the cranky grandfather figure who takes upon himself the responsibility to care for and protect his community.<br /><br />I have a thought of my own to add to that, quoting a line from another movie, Way of the Gun, where James Caan, aging bag man for a mob boss is meeting with a young turk. As he turns to leave, he stops and says:<br /><br />"There's something you need to learn about this business, little fella."<br /><br />"What's that?"<br /><br />"The only thing you <b>can</b> assume<br />about a broken-down old man... is that he's a survivor."<br /><br />I wonder if we're losing that archetype because, for much of human history, you could assume that the old man, by definition, had seen a lot of trial tribulation. He's a survivor, which means he has some quality worth learning.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01579830553478911331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-76541389951421458782009-01-16T15:07:00.000-08:002009-01-16T15:07:00.000-08:00Gran Torino looks like a potentially good flick fo...Gran Torino looks like a potentially good flick for gun enthusiastsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-41626220764425183222009-01-15T07:29:00.000-08:002009-01-15T07:29:00.000-08:00I saw it last night. Excellent! I thought Walt was...I saw it last night. Excellent! I thought Walt was a realistic character - lots of flaws but basically good, just like most real people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-51319991394546347792009-01-11T13:42:00.000-08:002009-01-11T13:42:00.000-08:00Gran Torino had MANY absolutely HILARIOUS moments....Gran Torino had MANY absolutely HILARIOUS moments. He was DEFINITELY an equal opportunity racist.<BR/><BR/>STILL, I DID find the "white guy" saving the People of Color a bit trite, predictable, and problemmatic... BUT, I guess it was nice that somebody OTHER than Black folk was gettin saved, as is often the case in Hollywood....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-15653337666618403112009-01-11T08:07:00.000-08:002009-01-11T08:07:00.000-08:00I think the racists who commit atrocities are sick...I think the racists who commit atrocities are sick. Racism is just a differentiation based on visual sets, and attributing average characteristics thereby. People with racial prejudices often don't want you marrying their daughters, but treat individual human beings with courtesy. There is NEVER any excuse for the acts of violence and hatred, and Walt Kowalski wouldn't have been, say, a Klansman. He might have been the sheriff who VERY reluctantly prosecuted the Klan, choosing the maintenance of law over personal comfort zone. I have 100% respect for the "Guardian" position...but recognize that it, like all human states, has limitations and leaves scars.<BR/>##<BR/>Two hundred years ago, racism in the U.S. was perfectly reasonable. I don't fault Jefferson for his attitudes...but would expect those same attitudes to be totally different today: they were based on ignorance. Today, a real "racist" isn't rational. I consider it a form of OCD. Good people can and do have negative attitudes toward people of other groups. So long as they they can see beyond those attitudes to the human being beneath, they are limited, perhaps, but not sick.Steven Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-71576493328419954902009-01-10T17:44:00.000-08:002009-01-10T17:44:00.000-08:00My wife and I are not movie buffs and we rarely re...My wife and I are not movie buffs and we rarely recommend movies to others, but since we saw Gran Turino my wife has been recommending it to everyone. Definitely the best Clint Eastwood movie we ever saw.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-43170054935459098832009-01-10T16:56:00.000-08:002009-01-10T16:56:00.000-08:00Are the racists who commit atrocities reliably som...Are the racists who commit atrocities reliably some type other than the hyper-alpha Guardians?Nancy Lebovitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07068537632391466902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-53299840607951714232009-01-10T14:41:00.000-08:002009-01-10T14:41:00.000-08:00"No, it isn't Eastwood's best film, "Speak for you..."No, it isn't Eastwood's best film, "<BR/><BR/>Speak for yourself. It's in his Top Three for me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-39695803071883377452009-01-10T11:12:00.000-08:002009-01-10T11:12:00.000-08:00I'm curious....Have you seen the alternate ending ...I'm curious....<BR/><BR/>Have you seen the alternate ending version of I am Legend?<BR/><BR/>What did you think of that?Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423046783112809392noreply@blogger.com