The Avengers: Endgame Trailer Has Us Obsessing Over Everyone's Hair

The Avengers: Endgame Trailer Has Us Obsessing Over Everyone's Hair

The final trailer for Avengers: Endgame has arrived, and it definitely didn't disappoint. While most of the film's plot remains a mystery, Marvel Studios revealed new glimpses of the surviving heroes, and the world Thanos left behind after he snapped his fingers and wiped out half the galaxy's population. The final trailer actually answered a few long standing questions, while inspiring countless others. But it's various characters' hairstyles that I'm obsessing with, as they seem to be teasing a variety of exciting plot points. Let's break down all the biggest coiffures in Endgame.

Black Widow's hair is an extremely fascinating aspect of the the Avengers: Endgame marketing, and one that has puzzled the fandom since the first trailer arrived. Widow had a short cut in Infinity War, dyed blonde presumably to keep her under the radar as she traveled the world with Captain America and Falcon. But with Thanos winning and half of all life eradicated, the Endgame trailer reveals that Widow doesn't appear to be worrying much about her appearance.

The passage of time from Infinity War to Endgame can be seen through Natasha's hair, as it grows quite a few inches since the last time we saw her. What's more, her natural red hair is growing out, leaving only the tips of her hair remaining blonde. There was already some debate about whether or not her hair was CGI'd in the last trailer, so it should be interesting to see how the timeline(s) all shakes out when Endgame finally hits theaters.

Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton is rocking his own unique look, as he's seemingly left Hawkeye behind him, and taken on the new mantle of Ronin. Clint was noticeably missing during the events of Infinity War, as he and Scott Lang were put on house arrest after the events of Captain America: Civil War. It's currently unclear what happened to him to make him the far more deadly Ronin, but smart money says at least part of his family faded to dust.

It looks like Black Widow will be the one to track her old S.H.I.E.L.D. buddy down, and hopefully help him return to the light side of the force. The trailers for Endgame show him dispatching enemies with a sword, rather than Hawkeye's trick arrows. But he ultimately appears with a new suit along with the rest of the Avengers, so hopefully his crazy hair cut and murderous alter ego don't stick around for long.

Captain Marvel is the most recent addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with her solo movie currently raking in the money at the box office. Fans have been eager to see how Carol Danvers will interact with the rest of The Avengers, and explain where TF she's been for the past few decades. Because Earth's Mightiest Heroes could have used the help during Infinity War, as well as conflicts in New York and Sokovia.

Brie Larson's character seems to have grown her hair out in the many years since she became Captain Marvel. While Carol Danvers hasn't aged a day, she seems to be rocking a new do and possibly some highlights. Her longer cut debuted in the Captain Marvel mid-credits scene, which was shot by the Russo Brothers and should appear in the final cut of Endgame.

As a reminder, you can check out the final Avengers: Endgame trailer below.

Does anyone else have chills? Moviegoers have been waiting a year since Avengers: Infinity War arrived in theaters, and shattered expectations and hearts with its devastating twist ending. Smart money says that the surviving characters will find a way to reverse Thanos' snap, although they might not all make it out of the conflict alive.

All will be revealed when Avengers: Endgame hits theaters April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Tim Allen Warned Tom Hanks About Toy Story 4's Emotional Ending

Tim Allen Warned Tom Hanks About Toy Story 4's Emotional Ending

At this point, it is basically a given that Pixar movies are going to make you cry. The tear-jerking nature of these films is so well established that a box of tissues could replace Luxo Jr. as the company’s mascot. This holds especially true for Pixar’s Toy Story franchise, and I think most of us expected this summer’s Toy Story 4 to continue this trend, but it may be even worse than we feared.

Toy Story 4’s voice actors didn’t record their dialogue together at the same time, so some actors got to the end before their co-stars. That resulted in Buzz Lightyear actor Tim Allen actually warning Tom Hanks about the film’s emotional ending, as the Woody actor explained:

This is the end of the series and I had gotten some texts from Tim Allen. These texts that say, ‘Have you recorded yet? Have you been in? Have you had a session yet?’ I said, 'No, not yet.’ [Allen says] ‘Wait until you see those last pages. Tough one, tough one.’

That, folks, is not a good sign if you were hoping to leave the theater dry-eyed come this June. As Tom Hanks told Ellen on The Ellen Show, Tim Allen actually texted him to see if he had recorded yet, presumably to gauge his reaction. When he found out that he hadn’t, he warned Tom Hanks about the script’s last pages, to help prepare his co-star for the film’s emotional ending.

The fact that the ending was so emotional that Tim Allen felt compelled to see what his co-star thought and then warned him about it means that it must be a doozy. I also like how Tim Allen’s warning of the ending amounts to “Tough one.” The terse response is fitting for the actor, and although I expect his diction wildly undersells it, this is probably Tim Allen’s way of saying that the ending is heart wrenching.

Tom Hanks went on to concur with Tim Allen’s sentiment once he reached those last pages. Those final recording sessions were particularly emotional, as the actor went on to say:

We’re saying goodbye to Woody and Buzz and Bonnie’s room and Andy and everybody. It was emotional.

Come on, Tom, let us at least go into the theater without tears in our eyes. The way Tom Hanks describes the experience of finishing up the film definitely makes it seem like this could be the final Toy Story movie and the end of the series. That would mean saying goodbye to a series and characters that many of us grew up with and have known for over two decades.

We once thought that Toy Story 3 was the end, and as such that ending was like a punch to the face. If Toy Story 4 is indeed the end or at least feels like it, as it apparently did for Tom Hanks, I expect its ending to be just as brutal.

Of course, as I said, we once thought that Toy Story 3 was the end of the series, even if those at Pixar didn’t. We’ve heard that the ending of Toy Story 4 would be a satisfying conclusion if it is the final Toy Story film. And given that Toy Story 4 will be Pixar’s last sequel for a while, it could still feel like the end, even if we find out years from now that it’s not.

Join the rest of the masochists when Toy Story 4 opens in theaters on June 21. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the big movies headed your way this summer.

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IT: Chapter 2 Just Showed Its First Footage, And It Was Chilling

IT: Chapter 2 Just Showed Its First Footage, And It Was Chilling

We’ve seen a surprising number of record-breaking horror movies come out in recent months, including David Gordon Green’s Halloween and Jordan Peele’s Us, but later this year we will finally get to see the release of what is arguably one of the most anticipated titles we’ve ever seen from the genre. Director Andres Muschietti absolutely blew audiences away in 2017 when he unleashed his adaptation of Stephen King’s IT, and soon he will be ready to take us back to Derry, Maine for IT: Chapter 2.

The film is still a few months away from release, arriving in theaters this fall, but this afternoon we were lucky enough to experience an early dose of its creepy magic. Warner Bros. hosted its annual presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas today, and the big showstopper they saved for the very end was our first look at the upcoming IT sequel. And based on what was shown, there are going to be millions of chills going down millions of spines when audiences everywhere get to see the finished blockbuster later this year.

Rather than being cut as a typical trailer, the IT: Chapter 2 footage instead began with an extended sequence from the film – specifically a moment that any fan of the book will definitely remember. Having returned to her hometown after spending years away, adult Beverly Marsh (now Beverly Rogan and played by Jessica Chastain) makes the decision to return to her childhood home – albeit while filled with intense dread about the possibility of seeing her father again. At first she thinks it’s a real possibility, as the name “Marsh” is still written on the door, but when an elderly woman greets her she realizes that she was mistaken, and that the label actually reads “Kersh.”

After Beverly notices this, she asks about her father, and Mrs. Kersh dourly explains that he passed away – but then kindly invites her to come in, look around, and have a cup of team. After some initial hesitance the lone female member of The Losers Club agrees, and while walking around the place notes that the house is a lot cleaner than when she lived there. While the woman goes to the kitchen to put the kettle on, Bev goes to the bathroom and uncovers a hole in the baseboard, from which she pulls out a familiar postcard. As she turns it over in her hands, she reads it aloud – “Your hair is winter fire; January embers. My heart burns there, too”- and we see a quick flashback to her as a kid (Sophia Lillis) reading the poem while sitting in the bathtub.

As she reads, however, the audiences’ eye is drawn down the hallway behind her, where we see a silhouetted Mrs. Kersh standing still before starting to walk out of sight with her arms flailing wildly.

We see a handful of flies on the glass window as Mrs. Kersh walks into the living room, and she gives Beverly a cup of tea as they sit opposite one another. The polite, grey-haired woman then apologizes to her guest about the heat, saying that you could just die. However, she follows it up with an old saying about Derry: “No one who ever dies here ever really dies.” Her face then basically freezes, as she neither moves nor says anything for a few creep-tastic seconds.

Breaking the silence, Mrs. Kersh asks what it’s like being back in town, and Bev replies that it’s strange – suddenly noticing the nasty chest wound that her host is sporting when the collar of her blouse shifts. Before she can ask a real follow-up, there is a ding from the kitchen that indicates that cookies are done. As she leaves, her guests starts looking at and asking about the photos on the wall. As it turns out, Kersh’s father was an immigrant who came to America to start a new life for himself… and did so by joining the local circus.

As Beverly stares at one particularly creepy photo, things escalate when it’s revealed that Mrs. Kersh is now standing naked – though obscured – in the kitchen. She calls from the room, “I was always daddy’s little girl. What about you? Are you still his little girl, Beverly? ARE YOU?” Hearing the horrifying words of her father come out of the elderly woman’s mouth, Bev quickly becomes frightened, and the situation further escalates as Mrs. Kersh begins an all-out naked sprint towards her.

From there the footage cut to a montage of various clips from IT: Chapter 2, showing off both the members of the young cast we already know (Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Wyatt Oleff), as well as the adult members of The Losers Club to whom we’ll be introduced (James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Jay Ryan, Isaiah Mustafa, James Ransone, and Andy Bean). Pennywise’s giggle accentuates particular moments up until the very end, when a black screen is cut through my the murderous clown, who lets out a friendly yet sinister, “Hello!”

This was obviously just a taste of what IT: Chapter 2 has to offer, but boy was it wonderfully satisfying. “When you see it” scares are infinitely more powerful and effective than jump scares, and the footage was chock full of them – filling the sequence with tremendous dread. One can only imagine at this point the horrors that will be contained within the full feature.

Hopefully it won’t be too long before we finally get an official trailer for IT: Chapter 2 – one that we can watch over and over again in hopes that it makes our waiting time for the full thing dissolve faster. Right now, though, our anticipation for the blockbuster horror film is somehow even higher than where it was this morning. It probably goes without saying at this point, but September 6, 2019 cannot get here soon enough.

In the meantime, stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for not only more IT: Chapter 2 stories and features, but also plenty more of our coverage out of CinemaCon 2019.

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Vanessa Hudgens Is Doing Another Netflix Christmas Movie And This One Has Time Travel

Vanessa Hudgens Is Doing Another Netflix Christmas Movie And This One Has Time Travel

While it's true that most people think of the Hallmark Channel when it comes time to binge brand new Christmas movies every year, Netflix has slowly been stepping things up in that warm-feeling inducing genre for the past few holiday seasons. Last year, in fact, the streamer brought us the Vanessa Hudgens (and Vanessa Hudgens) led The Princess Switch, which featured the Hudges playing a duchess and a baker from Chicago who realize they look identical and decide to switch places during the Christmas season. Well, it would seem that Hudgens and Netlfix enjoyed being in business together, because she's just boarded another holiday film for the company, The Knight Before Christmas. And, this time, there's time travel.

As if a pleasant Christmas movie where two beautiful people fall quickly in love weren't enough, The Knight Before Christmas will add in the oh-so-familiar magic component which is common to many holiday films. The movie will focus on, you guessed it, a brave English knight who is forced to seek out his true quest when a sorceress accidentally sends him to the modern day from their medieval era. In our time, he, of course, discovers that he's falling into deep romantic love with a kind high school science teacher, who just so happens to be disenchanted by the whole idea of falling in love.

I don't know about you, but to me this already sounds like a curl up with a cozy blanket and a warm (possibly spiked) beverage holiday movie home run. For real, can I add this to my queue right now?

Hudgens isn't content to just act in The Knight Before Christmas, either. According to Deadline she will also executive produce the movie, alongside Brad Krevoy (who also served as executive producer on The Princess Switch and has a resume filled with Christmas movies), Amanda Phillips Atkins, Lorenzo Nardini, Jimmy Townsend and Eric Jarboe. The feature will be directed by Monika Mitchell (Lifetime's The Christmas Contract), written by Cara Russell and will also star Josh Whitehouse (Poldark, the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel).

Aside from the fact that The Knight Before Christmas has some holiday movie pedigree working for it behind and in front of the camera, it's hard not to be excited about having yet another Netflix-based Christmas film to dive into in the holiday season ahead. And, any lover of these movies who also enjoys the fact that they frequently deal in magical coincidences / real life Santa Claus / other hints or outright evidence that the holidays are a special time of year, should be especially excited about the time travel aspect.

I can already see how some of this will play out. Our medieval hero will be shocked that Vanessa Hudgens' teacher is allowed to work and wasn't married off by the age of 13. He will be incredibly surprised by any building larger than four stories, flummoxed by cars, confused by cell phones and possibly daunted by the sheer amount of everything that is everywhere. But, and this will be a very important but, he'll be a steadfast believer in love and capable, even in all his modern day mystification, of leading our heroine to a place where she can let her guard down and fall into his hunky loving arms. The big question will be whether she goes back in time with him (bad idea) or he stays put in our time.

Seriously, you guys, if you're not convinced that Vanessa Hudgens, she of the High School Musical legacy, has made a perfect choice in deciding to tackle The Knight Before Christmas I'm convinced that your holiday season might just be a mostly joyless affair. While there's no debut date set for The Knight Before Christmas right now, it's set to begin filming this April and will likely be ready to stream on Netflix before you put your holiday decorations up.

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Bond 25’s Ralph Fiennes Still Doesn’t Know Anything About The Movie

Bond 25’s Ralph Fiennes Still Doesn’t Know Anything About The Movie

We’re almost a year out from the release of the film still known as Bond 25. What's even scarier is the fact that the film is starting to get ready to shoot within the next couple of weeks, and it sounds like some key actors still haven’t been brought up to speed on what the film will be about. At least, that’s what Ralph Fiennes is saying, as he was recently asked about what his newly installed M might be doing in the next adventure.

How or why Fiennes could be left in the dark on Bond 25’s goings on might feel like an interesting turn of events, but we know exactly why the Academy Award winning actor is absolutely clueless on what he’s doing. In his own words, Ralph Fiennes provided his reasoning:

I don't know the name of the film, I haven't had access to a screenplay yet... Honestly, I'm not being coy. I don't know when it starts or what the story is.)

So a couple weeks before this would-be blockbuster of 2020 is set to get serious about giving fans what they’d want out of Daniel Craig’s final round as James Bond, his spymaster boss doesn’t know what orders he’ll be giving out in Bond 25. This might sound like a rather troubling turn of events, but thinking things over a little longer, it's not much of a surprise.

While The Telegraph is reporting that Bond 25’s script, which has recently undergone some retooling by writer Scott Z. Burns, still hasn’t made its way into Ralph Fiennes’ hands, it might be because he’s not on the earlier side of the shooting schedule. And besides this script revision, one of the many changes triggered by previous director Danny Boyle’s departure from the project, there’s more reasons why he might Fiennes might not be in the loop quite yet.

Most importantly, this could be a side effect of Ralph Fiennes’ schedule taking yet another recent turn, as the untitled prequel to the Kingsman universe moved to the very Valentine’s day release date that Bond 25 vacated. So why give the poor man a script when he’s already busy working one out at the moment? Also, taking into account the events of the previous film, M’s role may still be firming up in the newer script.

When we last left him in Spectre, the man previously known as Gareth Mallory had been promoted to the post of M, head of MI6’s operations in British intelligence. And judging by what he went through in that film’s adventures, as well as the fact that his predecessor was removed from her post due to her untimely death, he’ll undoubtedly be vetting his co-workers a little harder. So the return of Fiennes’ fellow franchise co-stars Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris should help narrow down the list of people who can be trusted, and those who he needs to talk to.

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga is undoubtedly working very hard on Bond 25, which is scheduled to head to theaters on April 8, 2020. It’s definitely going to keep him busy for the next couple of months, but we’d like to assume that at some point soon, he’ll be able to pop that script into the mailbox in order for Ralph Fiennes to start learning his lines.

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Is Avengers: Endgame Opening Early In China?

Is Avengers: Endgame Opening Early In China?

Audiences are a month away from Avengers: Endgame, and anticipation has reached a fever pitch. With Captain Marvel in the rear view, all eyes are on what The Russo Brothers will bring to the table when Endgame finally arrives in theaters, and catches us up on the world after Thanos' finger snap of death. Luckily, some brief trailers and epic posters have been provided to help satiate the hunger of the rabid fanbase.

After a series of character posters were released (and revealed the fate of certain characters), the next bit of marketing material to drop was the poster for Endgame's Chinese release. Aside from how epic the poster was and its inclusion of the dusted characters, there's one thing that fans noticed: an earlier release date. You can check out the poster below, which indicates the blockbuster will arrive in theaters on April 24th, two days before its set to arrive in the US.

Does anyone else have chills? This poster is an epic way to represent the full cast of Infinity War and Endgame, while also highlighting the focus on the surviving heroes. After all, they'll have to unite in order to fight Thanos and hopefully reverse the affects of The Decimation. But that release date is new, which may indicate that international audiences will get access to the Marvel blockbuster before domestic moviegoers.

The Chinese poster for Avengers: Endgame arrived on the internet today, and quickly became viral on social media. While fans' first reaction was to enjoy the epic visuals of the art and the inclusion of new characters, the truth bomb about the film's release date had fans in the US going through some serious FOMO. After all, two days is just too long to wait for the epic conclusion of Marvel's Phase Three.

Alas, cinephiles in the states will just have to grin and bear it, as Endgame is set to arrive in just a month's time. Until then, fans will have to continue debating and theorizing what might come when The Russos final Marvel blockbuster is finally here. And this poster might tease some new developments, as supporting characters from various franchises pop up that are new.

Marvel fans will immediately spot Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie, who made her debut in Thor: Ragnarok. Valkyrie made a serious splash in her first appearance, but was noticeably absent from Avengers: Infinity War. And considering that the blockbuster opened on the Asgardian ship, her absence was suspect But Val finally popped up in the new character posters, confirming she survived The Snap. And now it looks like she'll have a role in the upcoming battle against Thanos.

Doctor Strange's Wong is also in this new poster, after also being left out of the first round of marketing material. Wong managed to make out Infinity War without turning to dust, and it likely guarding the Sanctum Sanctorum. And with Doctor Strange no longer with us, Wong's role in the mystical world of the MCU may be all the more important.

Despite being mostly blacked out, the fallen heroes are arguably the star of the new Avengers: Endgame poster. The upcoming blockbuster is focused on the heroes who made it out of Infinity War alive, but the dusted characters are still very much apart of the film's blood. The latest trailer for Endgame paid tribute to the dusted characters, and the countless fatalities that Thanos took throughout the course of his mission for galaxy-wide genocide.

The dusted characters' silhouettes are shown at the bottom of the poster, including characters who weren't featured much throughout the course of Infinity War. For instance, Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury is center stage, even though he didn't pop up until his iconic mid-credits scene. Joining him in the front row are Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Star-Lord, and Vision.

The second row features more dusting characters, and the far left of the poster features Letitia Wright's Shuri. Shuri made her debut in Black Panther, and quickly became a fan favorite character. She had a tertiary role in Avengers: Infinity War, attempting to free Vision's consciousness from the Mind Stone. She eventually took arms against Corvus Glaive, but Thanos' child remained completely focused on the android. Seeing her use her signature gauntlets was the last time Shuri was seen onscreen, and her fate was left unclear in the wake of Thanos' snap. But it was sadly revealed last week that Shuri also faded to dust, putting Wakanda's future in more jeopardy.

From looking at the dusted characters in a row, it's highlighted just how hard the Guardians of the Galaxy were hit by Thanos' assault. In the end of Avengers: Infinity War, only Rocket and Nebula were left alive. Gamora was killed by her adopted father in the movie's second act, so he could acquire the Soul Stone from Red Skull. And when the Mad Titan eventually collected all the Infinity Stones, audiences were left to watch in horror as Mantis, Drax, Star-Lord, and Groot all faded to dust before our eyes. As such, something big is going to need to happen in order for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to go forward.

Of course, most moviegoers assume that the surviving Avengers will find a way to reverse the affects of Thanos' snap. With the OG Avengers coming to the end of their contracts, the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe presumably lies in the new class, including the likes of Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange. But that trio of characters are dust, as are other fan favorites like Falcon, Scarlet Witch, and Bucky. So unless Phase Four will be set in alternate dimension (not out of the question), the dusted characters will need to be revived somehow. But the question is: how?

All will be revealed when Avengers: Endgame finally arrives in theaters on April 26th. Or if you're in China, you get lucky and can see the blockbuster on the 24th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Clint Eastwood's Best Movies, Both As An Actor And As A Director

Clint Eastwood's Best Movies, Both As An Actor And As A Director

Clint Eastwood’s incredible career as an actor and director goes back almost seven decades, spanning from his early days in the spaghetti westerns directed by Sergio Leone to the modern-day masterpieces that he has directed. While many Hollywood stars have been both actors and directors, Clint Eastwood shines alone in his incredible success at both.

As a director, his movies have won multiple Academy Awards and he was won four individually, two for directing and two for Best Picture. He’s been nominated for another seven, including twice for his acting. Plus, he was once considered for the role of James Bond, despite being American.

A list of Clint Eastwood's best movies could stretch for miles, but I’ve picked out what I think are five of his best performances as an actor in movies he did not direct and five of his directing jobs, some of which he also acted in. Take a look.

Clint Eastwood As A Director

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966)

You can’t talk about Clint Eastwood without starting with the Sergio Leone-directed “Man With No Name” trilogy, starting with A Fistful Of Dollars, followed by For A Few Dollars More, and wrapping up with the most famous, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. All three were released between 1964 and 1966 in Italy, but were all released in sequential order in the United States in 1967. The trilogy launched Eastwood into superstardom after his gritty, tough-guy performances as “The Man With No Name.”

Kelly’s Heroes (1970)

Kelly’s Heroes is a great heist/World War II flick that is often overlooked in Clint Eastwood’s stellar career, but looking back on it, it exemplifies just how big he had become by the time it was released in 1970. Eastwood stars as Private Kelly who leads an all-star cast on a hunt for Nazi gold, a cast that includes Telly Savalas, Carroll O’Connor, Donald Sutherland, and Don Rickles. The movie is full of military satire and it brilliantly walks a fine line between serious and ridiculous brilliantly. The tank scene as they approach the Nazi gold sets that tone perfectly.

Dirty Harry (1971)

Just like the spaghetti westerns of the sixties, the five Dirty Harry pictures in which Clint Eastwood played the title character would be enough for any normal actor to enter the pantheon of greats. For Eastwood, they are definitely a huge part of his legacy. His delivery of some of the most classic lines in cinema history, like “Go ahead make my day” and “Do you feel lucky?” are as much a part of the lexicon as anything Shakespeare ever wrote!

Escape From Alcatraz (1979)

For a certain generation, Escape From Alcatraz is one of those movies that seemed to always be on cable TV, like the Shawshank Redemption of the late '80s and early '90s. Based on a true story (though not very accurately), Clint Eastwood stars as Frank Morris, a prisoner at Alcatraz that organized the most infamous escape from the country’s most notorious prison. Was it successful? The film’s ending is somewhat ambiguous in answering that question because the truth is a mystery, Morris and the others were never seen again, nor were their bodies ever found.

In The Line Of Fire (1993)

In The Line Of Fire is a little bit of a rarity in that it is a later-era Clint Eastwood movie that he starred in, but didn’t direct. In it, Eastwood is washed-up Secret Service agent who was on the Presidential detail when Kennedy was assassinated and thirty years later finds himself working on another Presidential detail in light of information that a serious threat is being made on the President’s life. The antagonist, a would-be assassin played brilliantly by John Malkovich, taunts Eastwood with the past until it all leads to a climatic showdown between the two.

Clint Eastwood As A Director

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Clint Eastwood’s career as a director goes much further back than most people realize. While the Outlaw Josey Wales wasn’t the first film he directed, it was the one that really got his career as a director off the ground. It was a huge hit, wildly popular with the public and critics alike. Of course, Eastwood also stars in the movie as Josey Wales, a farmer hellbent on revenge for his wife’s killing by a Unionist during the Civil War.

Unforgiven (1992)

Unforgiven was a BIG deal. For starters, it marked Clint Eastwood’s return to the genre that first made him famous, both as an actor and as a director, the western. It was also a fantastic movie with top notch performances by Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Richard Harris. It is another revenge story with Eastwood, as Will Munny, going after a bounty set up by a group of prostitutes to avenge the beating of one of their own. For the film, Clint Eastwood won his first two Oscars, one for Best Picture and one for Best Director with this winner.

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

The second Oscar winner of Clint Eastwood’s directing career came for Million Dollar Baby. A deeply melancholy film, it tells the story of Eastwood as a washed up boxing trainer that gets one more shot with a gritty, down on her luck woman that wants to be a champion, played by Hilary Swank. It’s a tragic story and one that took years to make, as no studio initially wanted to make it. Eastwood proved them all wrong though, as the film pulled in four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress for Swank.

Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)

Letters From Iwo Jima is unique for a number of reasons. First, it’s an American movie that is almost entirely in Japanese. It is also the companion piece to Flags Of Our Fathers, which is the story of the Battle Of Iwo Jima from the America perspective while Letters From Io Jima is from the Japanese side. The two films were shot back to back in an incredibly ambitious project that you would expect from a younger, less accomplished director, not a 76-year-old will a huge bucketful of past laurels, like Eastwood. Sadly, neither movie did well at the box office, but no matter, just the ambitiousness and uniqueness of the two movies is worth seeking them out. Letters From Iwo Jima is definitely the better of the two, though both are excellent.

American Sniper (2014)

American Sniper is a movie that causes some division among viewers. In general, it has received rave reviews over the years and it was nominated for multiple awards, but it’s also pretty controversial, both for its subject matter and for Clint Eastwood’s filmmaking. The film stars Bradley Cooper as Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, a veteran of the Iraq War who was killed by a fellow soldier in 2013, just a year before the movie was released. The movie found a groundswell of support from veterans both for Cooper’s portrayal and Kyle’s story. Love it or hate it, it’s incredible to think that even at age 84, Eastwood was still putting out masterful films like this, just as he is today.

The word “icon” is thrown around a lot in Hollywood, often about people that while great, may not deserve the moniker. Clint Eastwood deserves it. Maybe moreso than anyone else. His incredible career has spanned multiple generations and multiple genres and even at age 88, he doesn’t appear to be slowing down. As long as he isn’t yelling at empty chairs.

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