Stephen King thinks this Clint Eastwood movie is one of the best of this century

The New York Times recently Run an opinion survey Asking famous filmmakers, actors and writers to name the best films of the century to date. From Pedro Almodóvar to Star “West Side Story” and “Snow White” Rachel Zegler. The opinion poll was very similar to the polls that Sight & Sound captures once every decade, only limited to release from the last 25 years and invites a different team of filmmakers, writers and executives to participate. (Sight & Sound also invites critics and writers.)

From this writing, many of the top 10 lists can be seen by participants, and, Boy Howdy, some of the choices are interesting. Alex Winter, star of the films “Bill & Ted” and director “Freaked,” “Zappa,” and “The YouTube Effect,” listed the recent comedy of Romania “Bad Luck Banging or Lony Porn” as one of the best of the century, while Almodóvar lists “Ida,” “Dogtooth,” and “Ten” Abbas Kiarostami. “To choose a little more randomly, Julianne Moore” Phantom Thread “and the” 40 -year -old Virgin, “while Karyn Kusama loved” arrived, “” Mandy, “” under the skin, “and the” social network. “

Luminary Star Horror Stephen King was also bolled, naturally, and his options may be slightly more mainstream than most, with several box office hits and Oscar broadcasts among them. King enjoyed “Black Hawk Down,” “Brokeback Mountain,” Ang Lee, “the Departed,” The Coen Bros. One two derivatives of “O brother, where are you?” and “No country for old men,” and “Oppenheimer” Christopher Nolan. The only horror films on his list were “Train to Busan” and the New Zealand 2025 “Rule Jenny Penn” (which includes one of John Lithgow’s biggest performances).

His list also included a film directed by – and starred – Clint Eastwood. No, not “space cowboys.”

The prolific instructional output of the 21st century Eastwood has increased in political strength and toner mellowness. His films tend to be very relaxed and emotionally disarmed. Eastwood often makes films that sympathize with a right -wing stance, having gathered several features about honest, active Americans being attacked and pillars by a “large government” system. Stunning, Eastwood has directed 19 features over the past 25 years, starting with “Space Cowboys” and remaining, most recently, “Juror #2.” Some have been great films, while others have been a complete stench. (Nobody Really Likes “J. Edgar” or “Jersey Boys”).

“Million Dollar Baby,” made King’s Top 10 List, darling prizes after releasing in 2004, winning the Oscars for best picture, best director, Best actress (Hilary Swank), and best support actor (Morgan Freeman). It was also very popular, winning $ 231.9 million at the box office against a $ 30 million budget. She tells the story of an ambitious boxer called Maggie (Swank) as she tries to Tutelage a burned boxing instructor out called Frankie (Eastwood). They acknowledge that a career is wise, she is on her way up while on his way down. Whether it is, he trains him so well that Maggie begins to cast out her various opponents with one punch. This is when the plot takes a dramatic turn, leaving Frankie to look after Maggie in a way that none of them expect or intend. There is also a very tragic finale for “Million Dollar Baby”, one that will leave audiences using many tissues on the way out.

This was a remarkable choice for King, which, if he looked at Eastwood filmography, could have chosen a film as “Mystic River,” “Letters from Iwo Jima,” “from now on,” or “Gran Torino” (some of the filmmaker’s best films). Instead, a large-scale Hollywood melodrama chose, something that feels like it could have come out in the 1930s (some bom-f despite that). King did not explain on his choice, and no essays are in conjunction with his list.

Of course, maybe the man behind “The Life of Chuck,” “Stand by Me,” and “The Shawshank Redemption” have only sentimental side.