Comments on: Changeling (2008), Clint Eastwood, B http://jordanhoffman.com/2009/07/04/changeling-2008-clint-eastwood-b/ Sympathy For Lots-o-Huggin' Bear Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:07:15 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Gary H http://jordanhoffman.com/2009/07/04/changeling-2008-clint-eastwood-b/comment-page-1/#comment-443032 Gary H Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:44:10 +0000 http://jordanhoffman.com/2009/07/04/changeling-2008-clint-eastwood-b/#comment-443032 There are NO narrative problems in Changeling. The failure is YOUR inability to follow this kind of outstanding storytelling. Every narrative turn - no matter whether it's with the police, or the killer, all serve to express Christine's determination in the face of overwhelming odds. You seem quite unable to put the pieces together here & absurdly blame the script & Eastwood for your own ignorance. Can it really be that several decades of following poor storytellers like Altman & Scorsese - along with the marked drop in quality of most US output (Eastwood being one of the few honorable exceptions) over the last four decades has actually robbed you of the ability to follow this kind of exceptional storytelling? Changeling is gripping from the first frame to the last & I really do pity those of you who look aghast at the film, can't follow the story, don't like the performances, dismiss the movie with that meaningless word 'uneven' & condescend to a director you have shown not the slightest sign of understanding. R Roger Ebert recently wrote a post about the reaction of Transformers fans to his hostile review of the sequel & how important it is that viewers 'evolve' as they watch movies. In the context of your remarks about Changeling I'd recommend you read it. Several times. There are NO narrative problems in Changeling. The failure is YOUR inability to follow this kind of outstanding storytelling. Every narrative turn – no matter whether it’s with the police, or the killer, all serve to express Christine’s determination in the face of overwhelming odds. You seem quite unable to put the pieces together here & absurdly blame the script & Eastwood for your own ignorance. Can it really be that several decades of following poor storytellers like Altman & Scorsese – along with the marked drop in quality of most US output (Eastwood being one of the few honorable exceptions) over the last four decades has actually robbed you of the ability to follow this kind of exceptional storytelling?

Changeling is gripping from the first frame to the last & I really do pity those of you who look aghast at the film, can’t follow the story, don’t like the performances, dismiss the movie with that meaningless word ‘uneven’ & condescend to a director you have shown not the slightest sign of understanding. R

Roger Ebert recently wrote a post about the reaction of Transformers fans to his hostile review of the sequel & how important it is that viewers ‘evolve’ as they watch movies. In the context of your remarks about Changeling I’d recommend you read it. Several times.

]]> By: S.F. Hunger http://jordanhoffman.com/2009/07/04/changeling-2008-clint-eastwood-b/comment-page-1/#comment-443031 S.F. Hunger Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:16:10 +0000 http://jordanhoffman.com/2009/07/04/changeling-2008-clint-eastwood-b/#comment-443031 I liked this film a lot despite the obvious story problems (is this a story about a woman victimized by police corruption, or a true-crime saga about a serial killer...?), for which I would put the blame squarely on the script, and to a lesser degree on Eastwood for his infamous practice of filming scripts exactly as written. But man, I saw this in theaters, and it was the most beautifully shot film I saw last year - Tom Stern is the great unsung DP of contemporary cinema (look at everything he's done with Eastwood since Million Dollar Baby - all very baroque, expressive exercises in grayscale and chiaroscuro mood lighting.) During the first hour I thought I was watching something truly great - so compelling and assured and angry - and then the serial killer angle kicks in, and the movie loses focus completely. A shame, but still an underrated movie. I liked this film a lot despite the obvious story problems (is this a story about a woman victimized by police corruption, or a true-crime saga about a serial killer…?), for which I would put the blame squarely on the script, and to a lesser degree on Eastwood for his infamous practice of filming scripts exactly as written. But man, I saw this in theaters, and it was the most beautifully shot film I saw last year – Tom Stern is the great unsung DP of contemporary cinema (look at everything he’s done with Eastwood since Million Dollar Baby – all very baroque, expressive exercises in grayscale and chiaroscuro mood lighting.) During the first hour I thought I was watching something truly great – so compelling and assured and angry – and then the serial killer angle kicks in, and the movie loses focus completely. A shame, but still an underrated movie.

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