In a sense, Terri Schiavo is a million dollar baby -- Michael Schiavo won a million dollar judgement because of her and is using that money to kill her.
In an interview yesterday, Eastwood said he's only exploring the issue, not making a statement. He said his personal views are most closely expressed by the eloquent priest in the movie who stood foresquare against euthanasia.
For myself, I prefer the old Eastwood movies. They were definite good-vs-evil black-and-white morality plays where nobody doubted who the bad guys were, and could root for the good guys. They were always pick-me-ups and NOT downers. That's what I pay my money for anyway.
I do not think the Hillary Swank character is his lover, she is just someone he loves very much. But of course, regardless, the movie is tripe and propaganda and Micheal Medved, et al were correct to say the ads were grossly misleading. Thank heavens we don't go to the movies regularly or I might have seen this and caused a scene. Another anti-Catholic bit of cr*p, I'm very disappointed in Clint Eastwood as are so many others.
Unfortunately the flick will probably win best pic, fortunately I'll probably be in bed by then.
"But Million Dollar Baby is a Hollywood flick that is anti-Christian. Eastwood -- not as director -- but as star, kills his lover in this film."
First of all, let me state MY bias from the start: I'm sick of people piling on this film, especially Freepers, who are indeed an ornery lot, but should know better. Here you've gone and led off a gratutious post by saying the Eastwood character "kills his lover." She's not his lover. Not a whiff of that going on here, it's very much father-daughter.
It's also very clear you haven't seen the film. Eastwood's character is estranged from his real daughter, Swank's character misses her dead father...and they fill in those roles for each other. Kills his lover?
As for the sanctity of life hoo-ha I've been hearing here for weeks and weeks...the way it's portrayed in the film, Eastwood's character struggles mightily. It wasn't his idea, it was the now-paraplegic Swank character's idea. Maggie begs him, he refuses. She begs him, and gives all her reasons. Yes, her reasons.
He struggles. He sees his priest. He is clearly torn. It's also clear, moral issuewise, that either choice just sucks. It's clear that, no matter what he does, he's a lost man. Go see the movie, you'll see a masterpiece performance of a man struggling with a profound moral dilemma.
"How can Eastwood be a good guy and kill his lover? The plot is basically that he is a love with a brain injured woman [before the injury]. He feels the need to take her life. [Please note I have not seen the movie -- but that was the summary given]."
Horsecrap, if that was the "summary given," it has as much value as your observation--which is to say, it had to have been made by a brain-DEAD observer, or someone who hasn't seen the film.
Remember all the BRAYING on this forum about all the lefties who criticized The Passion WITHOUT EVEN SEEING IT!! Double-standards, people.
And another thing: I have literally lost count of the folks here who have signed onto the idea that "Hollywood" "misled" America by not telling us it was a..."euthenasia film." My God, if this idea weren't so intellectually feeble it would be hilarious. Every bit of marketing for this pic is so gloomy it makes you want to reach for an antidepressant. It's a downer from the opening frame...and only goes further down. It was never "stealth marketed." To say otherwise is to join in the hysteria. Freepers tend to read all sorts of things into mass market products, including and especially movies. Did the movie makers want "to change America's mind" about mercy killing? Please. The movie makers wanted to make a compelling movie. Its whole violent world is BOXING, where the participants can die, or get crippled, or...brain- or neurologically damaged. Secret message? What is it, boxing's dangerous?
"He is also portrayed as a Catholic who goes to Mass everyday -- supposedly a good Christian.
But direct killing of a loved one is never a Christian thing to do -- killing someone who is attacking your family or defending people is Christian."
Thank you for clearing that up. Do you really think someone who goes to mass every day could not one day, through unforseen circumstances, come up against an impossible moral dilemma?
"Given that about Million Dollar Baby winning an Oscar [or more than one], then how does Terri Schiavo fit in?"
She doesn't. It's a freaking movie, grow up.
"The media may play up Million Dollar Baby as a way to justify Michael Schiavo killing his wife -- to clear the way for his lover, and getting all of the money from judgements in the Terri Schiavo case."
Uh...is this another Schiavo thread?
"So is Clint Eastwood winning an Oscar a good time or a bad thing for the Terri Schiavo situation."
I'm sure, if she were cognizant, she'd be thrilled for Clint.
"In terms of the MSM, it is my belief that they will try to justify imposing the death sentence on Terri."
You really need to spend several years with a Webster's, so you can make your points, such as they are, with words that mean what you think they mean.
"But Christian preachers, from the pulpit, can use both stories to teach their flocks -- teach them that killing Terri Schiavo is wrong and teach them that what Hollywood put in a motion picture is not a good example for living our livings."
Yeah, okay. Is this for Christian preachers in a particulary region or country, or throughout the known world?
"The Christian preachers must get in the pulpit and clear the air -- tell people that the plot of Million Dollar Baby is all wrong."
Actually, the plot is dead-on-perfect, pardon the pun. It's a STORY. If you don't like this story, write your own.
"God bless and hopefully Chris Rock will not profane the American airways -- too much!"
Finally, something we agree on.
Keep saying, It's a movie, it's a movie, it's a movie. Keep saying, The First Amendment guarantees moviemakers' rights to tell any drama they want, even if a fraction of the population chooses to get all exercised about it without ever seeing it, or even making an honest effort to find out what goes on in a film. (And, yeah, the FA also gives you the right to speak out completely erroneausly, I know.)
Keep remembering: How pissed off we were when so, so many passed judgement on The Passion...without even seeing it.
In that movie -- as the Indians are about to close in on the stagecoach, and everyone is almost out of ammunition, one person is going to shoot a woman so that she is not violated by the savages or whatever.
As he is about to shoot her with his only bullet left, there is the sound of the bugle -- the cavalry arrives in the nick of time.
For someone with some injury begging someone to kill them, there might be a medical breakthrough to help that person -- if they just survive the hard times or try to.
I am opposed to Euthanasia for the same reason I am opposed to abortion -- human lives are valuable.
"Given that about Million Dollar Baby winning an Oscar [or more than one], then how does Terri Schiavo fit in?"
I think it fits in because Million Dollar Baby is about euthanasia and the screen play is by a Scientologist (Paul Haggis).
Scientology is for euthanasia and many Scientologists hold high positions of power in Florida. That is the reason so many laws have been broken in the Terri Schiavo case and nobody has done one thing about it.