Review: True Grit (2010)

The Coen Brothers' adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 novel-True Grit- stars Jeff Bridges as the infamous U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn. Known for his recklessness, yet also for his grit and consistent persistence, Cogburn seems a worthy candidate to help the young, autonomous Mattie Ross (the new and encouraging Hailee Steinfeld) find and kill her father's murderer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). Chaney, being a wanted man by more than simply the daughter of his most recent victim, attracts a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) to his trail of hunters. Determined to not only pay the man who will avenge her father's death, but ride with him on this dangerous path to redemption, there is no shaking Mattie off the path. Will the heroic drunk and ranger have the guts and grit to eliminate Chaney and protect Ross? True Grit is a fine example of the Coen brothers ability to tell a compelling story. Having a passion for the west, Joel and Ethan had no trouble creating an atmosphere that engulfs it's audience in the 1860's. Reacquainting themselves with Bridges of The Big Labowski and Brolin of No Country for Old Men, and introducing their first collaboration with Damon- the brothers could not have crafted a better, more inspiring cast. It is hard to understand any issue with the film, other than The Dude vs. The Duke. Sure, Jeff Bridges "is no Duke", because the Duke has been gone for years. In comparison, Heath Ledger was no Jack Nicholson in the role of The Joker-- he was better. Additionally, fans of Fargo, Raising Arizona, The Big Labowski, etc. may notice a loss of overall absurdity in the brothers' translation of True Grit. This stronger sense of normalcy can only be described by the fact that they are displaying someone else's story and surely did not want to distort it too severely. Containing all of the original characters and personalities, a few precise horseback duels from the original, and the same plot, climax, and dramatic question- Grit still certainly maintains a Coen Signature. The dark humor is gut busting, and the few scenes of tension are enough to make any audience grind their teeth. It is hard to find a solid child actor, but the new aspiring Hailee Steinfeld proves that diamonds do exist in the rough. A fine display of leading and secondary performances, and film making at its finest, True Grit earns 31/2 stars.

Review of an Attempted Viewing: Battlefield Earth (2000)

Is that a terrible movie in your pants or are you just happy to see me Travolta?

Hoooly sh*t. So I was recently dared to endure the pain of the infamously awful Battlefield Earth. I was strolling through F.Y.E. today and saw a copy for $1.97. "What the hell?", I thought. Let me begin with a Synopsis. Battlefield Earth was a science fiction novel written by L. Ron Hubbard in 1982. Hubbard also composed a soundtrack to the novel and literally named it Space Jazz, no joke. The novel takes place on earth in the year 3000, a time in which earth is run by an alien race that has virtually enslaved and almost completely exterminated the entire human race. Humans are ready to fight back. The novel brought about much controversy due to the fact that the church of scientology reportedly bought a ridiculous amount of copies of the book, resulting in it earning 1.5 million dollars by 1983. John Travolta, a scientologist himself, decided immediately upon reading the book that he wanted to make a movie adaptation. This brings us to the year 2000 in which Travolta produced, starred, and obtained a director (Roger Christian) for the film. I wish that I could give the film zero stars, but that would require I finish watching the film. I did not. In the first 20 minutes of the film (which is all I could endure), I witnessed an impressively dreadful performance from the not-so-dreadful Barry Pepper. I was in awe at the scene transactions resembling a Power-Point presentation. Additionally, I simply cannot comprehend the thought process of the costume department issuing costumes equivalent to an eight year-olds halloween wear. And finally, Travolta's god-awful acting was no shock, but I may never view the once promising Forest Whitaker the same ever again. I'm pretty sure this film was an attempt to brainwash the human race into buying into Travolta's fantasy, but those crazy aliens will never get this guy. Battlefield Earth is to the film industry what Hitler is to Germany's reputation. I watched 20 minutes of this film so that you don't have to watch any of it. You're Welcome.