Clint ambushes the Oscar derby with a new, truly dark horse

Mystery continues to surround the plot of the new Clint Eastwood movie to be released this December just weeks after his next awards contender, "Changeling," a drama about child abduction, starring Angelina Jolie, that's due out in early November. All that's known for sure is that he's ambushing the derby with a second film titled "Gran Torino" to be released in December. And that he'll star in it, too, not just direct (like "Changeling"). The last time he acted in a film that he directed, it won the Oscar for best picture ("Million Dollar Baby," of course). The last time he directed two films in one derby season was two years ago with "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima." The latter scored noms for best pic and helmer.

FilmStew.com reported that "Torino" would be a sixth installment of the "Dirty Harry" franchise. However, FilmJerk.com offers a take that sounds much more like awards fare, describing it as "a simple, quiet and compelling drama about Walt (Eastwood), a rural bigot who finds his outlook on life changed after a family of Hmong immigrants move into the home next to his own, striking up a friendship with the family's teenage son Tao over the older man's now-classic car."

Read Variety's initial report about the film's release, CLICK HERE