Well it opened in Seattle last night (at one theater!) so I'm going to go get to see it here in about 2 hours. I will definately let y'all know how it is when I get back (although I'm dropping grading scales this year, I made a personal resolution to stop trivializing art by applying grades to it... I figure if I can't write out an opinion on something then it's not worth commenting).

I know Libs was gonna go see it too.

My expectations at this point are in check. I hope it will be better than Mystic River, which shouldn't be hard for me. I loved the performances but the cooincidences and Shakespearesque overtones in the story took me out of it too much and too often. I'm not a huge Eastwood fan either, so I think there is a possibility for it to surprise me a bit.

Will let you know

I think high expectations are going to disappoint alot of people going to see this movie.

I saw the day after it came out and it was a mnuch different movie than I thought it would be.

Towards the last 30 minutes or so, it starts to REALLY slow down and for some it might be boring.

The genius and brilliance of the movie for me is in retrospect. As I think back about the story and especially the characters, each one... it continues to amaze me.

It's on a more subtle level and that's why the greatness might not be so visible for some mainstream audiences (not that I'm saying any of you are mainstream)

I just recently switched it with Aviator on my list, from #6 to #5.

Forget 2004. Million Dollar Baby is one of the greatest films of the decade.

For me that's like Lord of the Rings, Moulin Rouge! territory.

Yeah, no shit. More later, I'm hungry, I need pizza.

Awesome.

So... no more Eternal Sunshine #1?

I need pizza, too.

Argh! You made me want pizza now.

Well... if I am forced to rank them... well you can see the rankings in the other thread

Million Dollar Baby, Sideways and Eternal Sunshine all offer different but very satisfying emotional experiences.

But I only cried like a little bitch at one of them. That one was Million Dollar Baby. It also has the brilliant lighting, cinematography and mood that are missing in Sideways and Sunshine.

"Million Dollar Baby" just won Best Picture from the National Society of Film Critics and Hilary Swank won Best Actress. In addition, Morgan Freeman was runner-up for Best Supporting Actor and Clint Eastwood came in third for both Best Director and Best Actor.

I saw it today, as well.

Reposted review:
Million Dollar Baby is a magnificent piece of cinema. It's as simple as that, really. It came very close to eclipsing Sideways as my choice for #1 film of the year, but I thought it had a few very slight flaws that prevented that from happening. Baby is one of those movies that (literally, in this particular case) seems to punch you in the gut. Clint Eastwood's last picture, the also magnificent Mystic River, left me with the same powerful, haunted feeling that this film does. I'm still reflecting and contemplating ideals of the movie despite it ending an hour ago. A lion's share of Million Dollar Baby's success must go to lead actress Hilary Swank, who completely immerses herself in the role and gives the best acting by a lead actress this year. Clint Eastwood himself is also very strong, and Morgan Freeman gives the movie his usual dose of quiet dignity. The one thing in Million Dollar Baby that I could've perhaps done without is the portrayl of a mentally retarded wannabe boxer played by Jay Baruchel, who comes off as perhaps too cartoonish. However, it's only a small section of the film. Baby taxes an unexpected twist in it's final 1/4, and it's easily one of the most emotional and truly sincere sections of a film in a very long time. Very highly recommended. A.

Yay! Libs liked it

It really is a magnificent film. And Libs, I disagree with you in that the "boxer in training" was actually a very nice piece in the story. His character offered alot of insight into Freeman's and Eastwood's character and I think was an essential part of the film. I can't imagine the film without him... it wouldn't be the same.

But, yes, excellent film. Very worthy of the raves it has been getting in this thread and I'm glad alot of people are checking it out. Clint Eastwood has come to be one of the most interesting artists of late. It's too bad I haven't seen much of anything he has done before this decade because now I'm spoiled off his golden streak.

I ranked it 5th on my list for best of the year and I hgihly regard my top 7 films more than just best of the year, but really better than most all films I have seen period (that could also be due to the fact that I haven't seen alot of great films as I have been into cinema for the past 4 years only).

Kill Bill and Before Sunset are maserpieces of cinema. I truly feel sorry for those who can't love them like I do, because they are such rich pictures.
Dogville as well is just an amazing cinematic masterpiece. I think you can only judge the film after you go beyond the director's intentions and just view it as a study on human nature. I don't have respect for his means, but I have respect for his expression.
The Passion of the Christ I have pegged at #4. While it may be the most superficial film in my top ten and by that I mean you get everything at face value, everyone knows what it is and takes it their own way. There are no deeper levels than there are in the Bible. But I do thin it is one of the most powerful (not religiously powerful), emotional, and beautiful movies ever made. It is visually stunning and quite frankly defines passion for the art of cinema.

Next come Million Dollar Baby and Sideways. I have now completely bumped Aviator out of the top 6 because I do feel the only films left that go far beyond the year itself are these two.

I just came from Bad Education, just now, and am still trying to make something of it. But for now I'm tired and not in the mood to think!!

Most deserved.

Raffiki and Libs... there were some things that bothered me up until the final act, namely the Morgan Freeman narration and the retarded boxer, but those two issues, in the end were so woven into the final few minutes of the film and explained that it made me love the picture that much more.

I don't know if many are mentioning how funny this film could be at times, there is a lot of laughter and audience participation, and it's genuine, even in the more dramatic parts of the film.

The conversation about socks would make Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld proud.

To follow up on andaroo's post...

Ya, there actually is alot of humor in the script and that's also what makes it sharper, more relatable, and thus, more involved.

Thats one of the things that seperates it from Mystic River, MDB has comic relief in it. It's not just a moody depression piece throughout.

It was a good picture, no doubt, yet I am just a little confused as to why so many are hailing it as great cinema. I really enjoyed the intimate nature of the film and how we got a glimpse into the lives of the people that worked out of that small gym. I found myself chuckling here and there and genuinely interested in where the story was going to take me. But the movie never ended up going anywhere that I hadn't already been and the cliches really began to stack up, as did the frequency of my eye-rolls. The fighting scenes held no excitement and continued the trend of unrealistic portrayals of boxing on the big-screen. Now, I realize if filmmakers were to show a fight the way fights usually unfold, then it wouldn't be 'rousing' enough, so they cut to the chase and give us a few haymakers and BAM, instant KO. It's kind of hard to believe that after taking a hard shot in the nose, that Maggie could come back in the next round and knock the other girl out in 20 seconds. Or that the key to beating the one girl who Frankie admitted was better than her, was to come out the next round throwing haymakers and BAM, instant KO. As a big fan of boxing, these types of things bothered me.

The ending is where the real emotion lies in the film, yet it comes a little too late in the game and by then, there just wasn't enough of me invested in the characters for it to have a huge effect. Not to mention the fact that the way these events are set in motion was completely unrealistic and would never happen in a million years.

A nice understated score, some great acting, though I wasn't that impressed with Swank, and some nice lighting round out the package.

I would give Million Dollar Baby a B-, and can honestly say that I don't think I will ever watch it again.

Hope to see this one this weekend, and I hope it lives up to it's billing. [-o<

I'll be seeing it whenever it comes to Cincinnati, which I hope is soon. I'm really excited about this, and I haven't been spoiled on the ending, although I think I know was it is.

Finally saw it tonight. Great film. Similar to the feeling I had with Leo when watching The Aviator, Hilary Swank indeed blew me away in this film and gave the best female performance I saw this year. Clint Eastwood deserves a nomination as well. Morgan Freeman gave a "been there, done that" type of performance. It didn't strike me as anything special, even though it was still quite good. I'd put him below Clive Owen in the supporting category.

After some reflections over night, I'm dropping the grade from A to A- and switch places with The Aviator. Before Sunset is just a perfect movie, and there are still a few flaws in Million Dollar Baby that prevents it from being at the same level.

SPOILERS!!!







First the boxing matches aren't very realistic. You don't get your nose broken and come back to KO your opponent in 10 seconds the next round, and you don't KO another opponent immediately after you admit she is younger and better. There should be some strategy involved and longer matches for the last couple of fights. Also even though there are dirty players in reality, they normally use subtle techniques than blatently elbowing the opponent or hitting them in the temple when they weren't looking. That would cause fines and then ban from professional boxing. The film over-dramatized the dirtyness that the reigning champion was using. She wouldn't last that long if she kept using those tricks in every match, and apparently she wasn't very good without relying on those. The match would've been reviewed, and her title would've been taken away long time ago.

Another problem I have is sometimes Freeman's voice-over becomes too preachy, and also during the last portion of the film, the characters become one-dimensional: her family is typical villain, heartless and only concerns about money, and Eastwood's character is the saint. It gets a little hollywoodish. Also the retarded character isn't quite necessary either. His only purpose seems to be so that Freeman could showcase his KO combination in his so called "110th" fight. You could see that coming.

I think Eastwood showed in Million Dollar Baby that he is really an actor's director. He completely elevated Swank and his own performances and made this a memorable film despites certain structural flaws.