J. Edgar
Blu-ray l DVD
DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood
WRITER: Dustin Lance Black
STARRING: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Armie Hammer, Judi Dench
Warner Brothers
RELEASE DATE: February 21, 2012

When a historical drama directed by the one and only Clint Eastwood (who also produced and created the original score) starring Leonardo DiCaprio comes along, it fits quite perfectly into what has come to be known as “Oscar Bait”: a movie that looks made specifically for awards season.

But when the Academy Award nominees were announced back in January, not only did J. Edgar get passed over for the biggest category, Best Picture, but it was passed over for all categories. No nod for DiCaprio’s performance. Nothing for Eastwood’s directing or music. Not even a nomination for makeup.

So why was it that J. Edgar went with few award nominations and no Oscar nods whatsoever? Was it that the movie was just not so great, or was it snubbed? Well…that’s simply a matter of opinion, friends, and I shall give you mine.

J. Edgar
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench
Release Date: November 11, 2011

Submerged in sloppy sentiment, J. Edgar, Clint Eastwood‘s latest directorial effort, is unrelieved of its melodramatic characteristics, growing sappier as the film approaches its conclusion. Instead of getting an aggressively bold portrait of J. Edgar Hoover, a man undoubtedly built into the firmament of American history, we get a dreary and almost entirely lifeless (save for Leonardo DiCaprio‘s vigorous performance as Hoover) film that teeters on a precipitous cliff until it finally crumbles and dissolves into a pool of cheap melodrama.

Mr. Eastwood usually navigates keenly the narrow road that divides drama from melodrama. We have been accustomed, to the point of being spoiled, to witness him effortlessly depict his craft in top form in Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby, two films that could have easily mingled with cheap sappiness but instead were rescued by assured direction and consistently intelligent scripts.

The first trailer for Clint Eastwood‘s new awards season drama, J. Edgar, has been released by Warner Brothers Pictures.

The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio in the role of J. Edgar Hoover, the man who was the first director of the FBI and served in the position for almost five decades, taking down many notorious criminals and changing the way we find, charge, and convict people of crimes. He was often times considered to be the most powerful man on the planet.

J. Edgar also stars Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench, Josh Lucas, and Ken Howard. It will be released in theaters on November 9, 2011.

You can check out the trailer by heading on below now.