A desert full of "Grit"

The word “grit” has two definitions in “The American Heritage Dictionary”: “tiny rough granules, as of sand or stone,” and “indomitable spirit.” Both definitions apply in the Coen brothers newest film, “True Grit,” the former to describe what may be stuck in leading man Jeff Bridges throat during the film, the latter as an apt assessment of what many of the characters in this classic western film possess.
“They tell me you’re a man with true grit,” the 14-year-old Mattie Ross, played by Hailee Steinfeld, says to Bridges’ Rooster Cogburn character, not so much to flatter but as a frank assessment of the fictional legendary U.S. Marshal she hopes to recruit on a mission to avenge her father’s death.
Cogburn also likes to “pop the cork off of bottles” (wink, wink), but our young heroine is determined to find the best tracker to help her find Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the man who killed her father, leaving Mattie, her mother and siblings destitute.
Tasked with picking up her father’s body from a small Arkansas town in the late 19th century, Mattie shows some true grit herself, disobeying her mother and scouring the town for a lawman to help her take down Chaney. She proves herself in a great scene where she haggles a man over the price of some ponies, threatening, as she does throughout the film, that she has a very good lawyer. Mattie’s persistence prevails again when she convinces Cogburn to allow her to accompany him through Indian country to find Chaney, even fording a raging river on the back of a horse to follow the man.
Texas Ranger (a title that seems to please him greatly) LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) joins the unlikely duo. Originally sent to bring Mattie back to her mother, LaBeuf joins the crew to bring Chaney in for a sizable bounty. LaBoeuf and Cogburn seem at each other’s throats from the beginning, squabbling away over things only lawmen from different agencies can, leaving Mattie as the youngest, but most mature, of the group.
This latest film from Ethan and Joel Coen is their first attempt at a remake, taking on an ambitious project in remaking the 1969 “True Grit” that starred the Duke himself, John Wayne (who won a Best Actor Oscar for his role), but of course the filmmakers are up to the task. While not my favorite of their movies, this one has a lot going for it, beginning with the cast and the impressive, assertive performance of Hailee Steinfeld, who was 13-years-old during the filming of this movie.
The landscape is beautiful as well, evoking memories of the rolling hills in “No Country for Old Men” and the snowy terrain in “Fargo.” The characters, and of course, the dialogue, is excellent, with funny one-liners (script written by the Coens) and well-developed personalities of the three main characters. It’s not exactly action-packed, but what there is for action is worthwhile and exciting. The film picks up at the end and while I have yet to see the original (I plan to), I believe it must do it justice.
I’d give it 8 out of 10 stars. “True Grit” is rated PG-13 and is playing in Ronan today but will move to Polson beginning tomorrow, Jan. 14.

Here's the trailer:

New movie Tuesday

Bunch of good ones today, so I had a hard time choosing. Biggest one is probably "The Blind Side" for which Sandra Bullock nabbed the best actress Oscar. It looks pretty good and is a true story about a guy currently playing in the NFL on the Baltimore Ravens. Also out is "The Men Who Stare At Goats" starring George Clooney and Ewan McGregor and which looked pretty good as well. "Fantastic Mr. Fox", an animated film which got pretty good reviews and that I'd be interested to see is out today.

I went with "Brothers" which looks pretty intense. It stars Jake Gyllenhal and Tobey McGuire as brothers fighting over one woman (Natalie Portman). I'll get it watched and have a review up soon. Enjoy all the great new releases!

Some 'Serious' Problems

Much like I enjoy most Tarantino movies, I also really like movies that Joel and Ethan, the Coen brothers, make. The list is long, and has a similar formula: somebody, or numerous people, get in way over their heads in a situation that may have been avoidable, leading to chaos and unhappiness for all involved. Their most famous film, "Fargo", follows this plotline to a T, so if you don't get what I'm saying, think "Fargo." Their latest, "A Serious Man", takes a similar idea, but tweaks some aspects to turn in one of their more unique and odd films to date.

Officially labeled as a black comedy, the film follows a snippet of the life of Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg, looking somewhat like Joaquin Phoenix) and his family in 1967. The Gopnik's are Jews living in a heavily Jewish area in the mid-west, my guess being Minnesota, where the Coen brothers are from. Larry seems to have a good life: a wife, two kids, suburban household and a good job as a college professor on the brink of being tenured. That is, until his wife drops divorce talk on him out of left field so she can be with a widowed family friend ("Sy Abelman?!"). And the South Korean student that tries to bribe him for a better mid-term grade. And those damn annoying calls from the Columbia Record Club. From these exchanges, it's obvious Larry is quite the pushover, and doesn't seem to have much "backbone." As many do in times of crisis, he turns to what should be the one steady thing in life: religion. Even here Larry can't seem to find answers to his complex, ever-changing life questions. Like most characters in Coen brothers films, Larry is confused and yes, in over his head.

Larry's son, Danny, soon to be bar mitzvahed, and daughter, Sarah, a precocious 16-year-old, are also shown and included. Danny gets more of the attention, from listening to head phones during class to smoking pot in the bathroom. Their lives only add to Larry's confusion, as he can't seem to even keep himself together, much less parent his children, and their attitudes and actions reflect that. He wants to be a good father, but has issues.

Issues are a central tenet to this film. The Coen brothers recognize that everyone has them, but they explore how they react to them, and the different outcomes each path may lead to. It's a good movie, and makes you think, but it's difficult to fully digest. There are a lot of layers to it, and if you just look at the surface layer, you won't get as much out of it. Life, death, family and love are all important aspects of the film. It can be confusing, and one might think, "What's the point?" but that in itself may, in fact, be the point.

6 out of 10 stars

"A Serious Man" is one of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture. Also, the DVD has a "Yiddish for Goys" special feature, which goes through all the Yiddish so people understand what they were talking about. Here's the trailer:

New movie Tuesday

Pretty good day of DVD releases. "The Time Traveler's Wife" and "Couples Retreat" are the two big ones. I've seen neither, but they both sort of look like generic rom-com's. We'll see though, I give a lot of movies a chance.

I went with "A Serious Man", the latest film from Joel and Ethan Coen (yes, the Coen brothers). They are best known for "The Big Lebowski", but "A Serious Man" has gotten some serious buzz too. It is one of the 10 films nominated for best picture, so it must be halfway decent, right? Plus its a dark comedy, which I always like. I'll have a review up soon. Enjoy .99 DVDs!