Well, its the end of a relatively short week...at least workwise. Yesterday was Kellie's 12th birthday, and short of the national holiday that she had hoped for, we had a nice day, including cake with our neighbors Jimmy & Mary and their kids. Kellie is estatic that she now is the proud owner of her own phoneline, which was the gift that Kim and I gave her. She also got a couple of CD's from her brother, so she was one happy camper to say the least.
The other night Kim had one of those special "mother & daughter" moments with Kellie in that she took her in the bathroom and showed her how to shave her legs and under her arms. I can't practically hear the drama coming in the distance. Kellie was slightly embarassed that Kim had told me about it, but I told her that there wasn't much that her mother was going to keep from me. She's really starting to become the young lady. Sometimes she does something, or makes a facial expression....and I'll think to myself...'how is she not my natural child?' She has somethings that she does that is just like me and then she has certain things that are so far removed from me its ridiculous. Ah, the joys of parenting.
Hey, I didn't forget about my top 10 list....just to refresh your memory, I'm examing my top 10 movies of alltime--one at a time---here's the list so far:
10) The Shawshank Redemption
9) Rear Window
8) Outlaw Josey Wales
7) The Godfather 1 & 2
6) Lord of the Rings trilogy
and now...returning to the list.....we find my next choice:
5) Unforgiven....John Wayne made more great westerns than you can shake a stick at. Movies like Red River, The Searchers, Rio Bravo, True Grit, Stagecoach and others are part of the american filmgoers lexicon. But none of these great movies is my favorite western of alltime. Clint Eastwood had helped popularize the "spaghetti western" in the late 60's & early 70's with director Sergio Leone when he made such films as The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, For a Few Dollars More, High Plains Drifter, Hang Em High & Fist Full of Dollars when he decided to move on and take on the more modern role of the iconic police detective Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry series. Oh, he returned occasionally to the western genre, and on a few occasions (Outlaw Josey Wales) he would hit the ball right out of the park, but Eastwood felt he had one final statement to make on the western movie & the old west in general. This one wasn't just a home run, it was a grandslam in the bottom of the ninth with two outs in game 7 of the world series (is that symbolic enough for ya?) Unforgiven is a movie about revenge, about friendship, about the way that power can corrupt, about a man attempting to redeem himself for a past that he's ashamed of (in that way its similar to my # 10 selection--The Shawshank Redemption), about misconceptions about they mythlogy of the old west....its all those things and so many more. Just as a minor aside, it presents a portrayal of what a prostitute's life was like in probably more of an accurate way than any western that you'll ever see. There are no drop dead gorgeous whores here. These are women eeking out an existence as best they can and suffering with the consequences of a mistake on the job. Clint Eastwood plays William Muny, a notorious former killer who is hired by a group of prostitutes to take revenge for a vicious attack on one of their own. Gene Hackman plays the sheriff of the town, trying to meet out his own brand of justice and keep the town under his iron fist. The two characters are drawn closer & closer as a series of events unfold until the gripping conclusion. Eastwood, looking worn out, weatherbeaten is perfect as the old killer who finds that returning to the ways of his past aren't quite as easy as he thought. He is joined by Morgan Freeman as Ned, who rode with Eastwood's character in the past and is drawn away from his farm for the chance at one last opportunity to make money quickly.
The movie has several other outstanding performances, including Frances Farmer, Richard Harris, Saul Rubinchek & others. Like a lot of Eastwood movies, there are tons of great lines that are thrown out, and no doubt you'll find yourself repeating them in the weeks after you see the film. There is also tons of symbolism for you to watch for....I won't ruin it all for you, but pay particular attention to the role that alcohol has on one of the main characters and what finally causes them to take a drink. Its a great scene and you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it.
An absolute must see and my choice as the greatest western ever made. *****
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