Clint Eastwood stars in and directed BLOOD WORK.
© 2002 Warner Bros.

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Much Ado About Nothing, Maniacs!

I have to confess to something and it seems the perfect opportunity to do so. Right here, Maniacs! Are you listening? The past few weeks, I’ve had what normal people call “writer’s block” but it goes beyond that. You see, every week by midnight on any given Saturday, I’m expected to send something in on a given writer, producer, composer, director, actor/actress, or someone else involved in the movie industry. 

I have to say, I love the Hollywood scene. I love a lot of directing legends and a hell of lot more iconic cultural figureheads which have shaped the industry scene to the point where we now know it. I could ramble onward on a lot of people in the scene I love and hate as to why I have the feelings I have for them. 

In fact, I’ll explain why I’ve had that “writer’s block” the past few weeks. 

Did you read last week’s column on Sam Raimi? 

If you did, you would have noticed I thought about doing a feature on Clint Eastwood. 

That same effect has held true this week. I’ve continued onward on him but I’m having what I some people (or rather what *I*) would call the “Eastwood Effect”. 

Truth be told, I’m intimidated by the man. 

The very same with Harrison Ford.  

I’m not sure what to honestly say about those two heroes of mine. I normally try to keep my Star Spotlights to 5-8 pages of a Word Document and even then it’s too damn long for most commentaries I see today around the web. There’s one small….or very large snag with this. 

Clint Eastwood…Harrison Ford? 

I could keep writing till the cows come home, I still couldn’t summarize what they did to me or how they affected my love for the industry but how long would that be? They seem deserving of a narrative book in my eyes.  

When Clint Eastwood or Harrison Ford dies, I’ll probably shed a few tears, turn into a reckless recluse and watch all their movies in continuous order. That’s the truth and I’m not shy about admitting such self-exposing truths about myself. I understand that some of you may either insult me over such an opinion or you may even keep silent about such matters. Hell, you may do the same exact thing when your favorites leave our planet. 

I know we have fellow Maniacs here who feel as strong as they do about certain people inside the industry by the fact that we have a certain amount of readers. I’m only seeing only 15-20 opinions on a subject for every given column I do but I know we have a lot more silent readers who feel strongly on the subject matter. I realize that today, you will be reading my Star Spotlight column and my Box Office Report column and yet I’m only going to hear from a small sect of you but I’d like to know what all of you think here on any given matter I talk about. 

What’s more important is the fact that I’d like to hear what given actor, producer, writer, director; etc influences you enough to be a true “Maniac”. 

Yes, that’s right.  

A “Maniac”. 

There’s a reason why Cinescape has been owned by Mania for half a dozen years. There’s a reason why Cinescape has been as popular for twice as long. It’s who we are. We’re major fans of a very important sect of the Hollywood scene. The genre scene. 

I’ve been part of the “Cinescape” scene since it opened up over a decade ago. 

Strike that. 

I came here to “Cinescape.com” two months after it opened up. I’ve been here for almost 11 years now and I know what it takes to be a true maniac in this scene. I know a lot of you are either with me, against me, or outside the build of influence for or against. I find this whole experience both hilarious and fascinating. 

My 3 columns (Star Spotlight, Box Office Report & Superficial Slobber) are all done on the weekends. For those of you whom don’t know, the weekend is like the death nail for most websites. I’m really speaking fact when most “industry” related websites don’t say “anything” on weekends. Some very popular news content driven sites don’t even give an update over Saturday and Sundays. It’s a fact of the industry that this happens. Most content and news sites get their sources from two very large resources over Hollywood, Variety & Hollywood Reporter during the weekdays. Since those two sites take the weekends off, a lot of other sites also take the weekends off. 

It’s small irony that some sites (such as Mania) continue to pay people such as myself to fill in those gaps to keep content going.  

Those gaps include the Superficial Slobber and Star Spotlight columns you’ve been continuing to read right here and now. Do I have a problem with this? Does anyone? 

No. 

As I said, I know a lot about past, present and future of Hollywood and if I teach even one or two people to become the next Edgar Wright, John Carpenter or Kevin Smith by inspiration or knowledge, then my job is done. The fact is I could continue to spill my guts on what I love and what I don’t about the cinema scene but I’d rather hear from all of YOU maniacs. 

Yes, you heard me. 

I say the same thing with my weekly Box Office Report which is due on the same day as this Star Spotlight column. 

Seriously, Maniacs, I want to hear which actors, producers, directors, films, composers which molded you into the maniac that you’ve become. Enough so that you’re reading this column on a sunny Sunday afternoon instead of any number of other things. 

I could give you the definition of “Mania” or “Maniac” but why bother? Instead I’ll say you fit right into the same mold as me and any number of other fellow people whom are reading this article by me.  

What the hell is the “Eastwood effect”? Did you mean really that you would shed a few tears??? 

Yes. 

I did. 

I’ve started a column on Clint Eastwood that I probably will never finish. I want you to sit back in that computer cushioned chair of yours, fellow Maniac, and think to yourself what is the source of inspiration for you loving movies and the film industry to the degree that you do. 

Enough that makes you a fellow Maniac. 

Now, I want you to talk about it. 

Sounds easy, right? Try again.   

I wrote my first Star Spotlight to be about George Lucas shortly after the Academy Awards ceremony where he, Francis Ford Coppola & Steven Spielberg gave the Oscar to Martin Scorsese. Watching these four Godfathers of Modern Cinema was something breathtaking to behold and then what’s more, talking about it after the fact was something even more invigorating afterwards. 

I’ve tried to follow up every Star Spotlight with something as important to me and I’m pretty sure I could do so for quite a while but there are certain people which intimidate even me in the process. One such man is Eastwood. 

Two weeks ago, I said…”Let’s do Clint Eastwood” and halfway through my many page document on the man, I got cold sweats. 

Cold effing sweats. I call it the “Eastwood Effect” 

There are certain men in the industry which awe me to a point where I can’t really say much about them until I get to the point where I go all “school-childish”.  I start stuttering and I remember that this one man whom influenced cinema to the point where I fell in love with it. 

Everyone has their influences. 

I’ll give you, Maniacs, some of mine: 

Sergie Leone

John Carpenter

Alfred Hitchcock

Robert Wise

Wes Craven

Dario Argento

George Lucas

George A. Romero

Steven Spielberg

Richard Donner

John Williams

Michael Kamen

James Horner

John Landis

John McTiernan

Stephen King 

….The List goes onward 

There are certain movies and certain directors which give inspiration to others and pay homage to legends or personal heroes of mine. I’ll give you an “artsy” film which came out last year but will remind you of Sergie Leone’s Good Bad & The Ugly trilogy. A source of inspiration. This is a film which is probably now ranked among my favorites of films of 2006 and which deserves a spot on your own DVD shelf. 

“The Proposition”. 

If you have not seen this film, I won’t tell you to rent it, I’m telling you to buy it!  

Yes, imagine that. Someone telling you to buy a DVD.  

Is that bold? Is that naïve? Is that intellectually promiscuous? All I know is I watched this film and there are certain scenes which reminded me of Sergie Leone’s spaghetti western trilogy based around that ever elusive Eastwood. 

“The Proposition” starring Guy Pierce and Ray Winstone will inspire you if you’re a fan of Sergie Leone or any number of other iconic directors. Directors whom deserve to have a Star Spotlight named after them... It may have not been massively distributed or produced but it will tell you about a past culture of movies which inspired those whom you love today.  

I know what you’re thinking. 

You’re reading this column and thinking….”What was the point of this column???” 

I’ll tell you the point. 

Other then “Much Ado About Nothing”, here’s the basis of this column. 

I want to know which films inspired you enough to become a fellow Maniac! I want to know which directors and acting legends inspired you. Feel free to create your own list of individuals and we can all see what our readership match up on some of these personal favorites I listed above. 
 

Are there actors or directors which would give you what I call the “Eastwood Effect”?!? 

People whom inspired you to the point where you start talking about them but they utterly awe you to a point where you can never finish any such article or column about them?