July 17, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II & IV • Page 19 Collection chronicles legendary career of Eastwood by Dennis Seuling “Clint Eastwood 20 Film Collection” (Warner Home Video) is a 22-disc Bluray set containing films both starring and directed by Eastwood. It is a more affordable, if abbreviated, version of the massive 40-film DVD collection tribute released in 2010. The 20 pictures in the set represent both early and later Eastwood. Eastwood began a relationship with Warner Brothers in 1975 with the signing of a long-term agreement. His Malpaso Productions moved onto the studio’s Burbank lot and he eventually went on to win four Oscars and 10 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director Academy Awards for “Unforgiven” (1993) and “Million Dollar Baby” (2005). He has also received five Golden Globes and numerous critics’ association and Lifetime Achievement awards. Standouts in the collection are “Dirty Harry,” “The Gauntlet,” “Firefox,” and “The Outlaw Josey Wales.” These roles illustrate the silent, no-nonsense, tough characters Eastwood specialized in before taking on roles as cantankerous curmudgeons. The set also showcases Eastwood’s ability to extract memorable performances from others in such films as “Mystic River” (Sean Penn), “Invictus” and “Hereafter” (Matt Damon), and “Space Cowboys” (Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland). There are lesser Eastwood efforts in the set. For example, “Trouble with the Curve” and “A Perfect World are not up to the actor’s standard. None of the spaghetti Westerns that established Eastwood as a big-screen star are included since they were not Warner productions. This is an unfortunate omission. Hilary Swank and Clint Eastwood in a scene from ‘Million Dollar Baby.’ Bonuses include two feature-length documentaries. “The Eastwood Factor” (2010), narrated by Morgan Freeman, profiles Eastwood’s career and contains an interview with Eastwood. “Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story” is a new documentary, available for the first time on Blu-ray. This film contains interviews with actors and producers who have worked with Eastwood discussing his body of work and his directing style. “42” (Warner Home Video) is the story of Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) who, in 1947, became the first African-American baseball player in the major leagues. The movie focuses mostly on Robinson’s rookie season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, a year after being signed by team executive Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford). The partnership between Rickey and Robinson is the most interesting aspect of this otherwise standard sports biopic. Rickey knew there was a wealth of untapped talent in the Negro Leagues and needed the right man to break the color barrier. Robinson would be a pioneer, having to endure insults, indignities, and racial slurs without losing his cool -- in other words, a model of calm and reserve whose prowess on the field would eventually earn him the respect of fellow players, fans, and the general public. Boseman resembles the young Robinson, but lacks the fire and resolve that drove Robinson to persevere. Ford is terrific as Rickey and sinks his teeth into the meaty role. The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack contains three bonus featurettes. “The Power of Few” (Vivendi Entertainment) is an offbeat story in which a crime scene draws five strangers together. Set in gritty New Orleans locations, the film features five parallel sets of characters. Doke (Christopher Walken) is a verbose homeless man obsessed with conspiracy theories who, accompanied by his homeless dwarf companion, spends most of the movie searching (continued on Crossword page)