True Grit.T

[Jester]

True AWESOME!

[AdminAssistant]

Fiance and I are *finally* going to see it on Wednesday. So excited! During Christmas some family members (who are western fanatics) were raving about how much better it was than the original.

[Jester]

I've never seen the original, though now I very much want to. By all accounts, both the original and the new one are absolute masterpieces.

Pay attention to Hailee Steinfeld, folks. You'll be seeing more of her. And this is a good thing.

[BlaqueKatt]

I've never seen the original, though now I very much want to.

don't forget the original has a sequel-by the name of "rooster cogburn"

and it was also a novel.

I don't like remakes, and will not see it. Remember when John Wayne filmed the original he was 61 and had lost a lung to cancer just 4 years prior.

edited to add-the original is available at amazon on their video on demand(rental or purchase)

[AdminAssistant]

don't forget the original has a sequel-by the name of "rooster cogburn"

With Katharine Hepburn. Great movie, used to watch it a lot as a kid. Dad preferred Clint Eastwood, but we watched quite a few John Wayne movies as well.

[Immortal1982]

Its actually a remake in name only, Its more of an adaptation of the novel, which the original took a lot of liberties with. Good movie nontheless. Surprised it didnt score any Golden Globe nominations.

[AdminAssistant]

Surprised it didnt score any Golden Globe nominations.

As am I...I'm wondering if it wasn't released in time? Because there's a lot of Oscar buzz for the girl, at least. Honestly, I don't know what the Golden Globes folks were smoking....really? Burlesque? And The Tourist is a comedy? WTH.....

[RecoveringKinkoid]

And not just Katherine "The Great" Hepburn....we're talking Kate with a frigging Gatling gun.

[Jester]

I don't like remakes, and will not see it. Remember when John Wayne filmed the original he was 61 and had lost a lung to cancer just 4 years prior.

edited to add-the original is available at amazon on their video on demand(rental or purchase)

I watched the original On Demand from Comcast the other day, and while I am not a huge fan of movies from that era (with some notable exceptions), I thought it was pretty awesome.

And while it may be sacrilege to some people, I am going to say the 2010 version is actually superior to the 1969 version.

I don't think I'll get much argument about Hailee Steinfeld being far superior to Kim Darby in the role of Mattie Ross (John Wayne hated the casting of Darby in that role, and rumor has it he refused to talk to her on set between takes), but I dare say Jeff Bridges was did a slightly better turn at Rooster Cogburn than John Wayne did. Matt Damon seemed lost to me, but then in the same role, Glen Campbell didn't exactly set the world on fire. Robert Duvall in the original clearly outshone his 2010 counterpart as Lucky Ned Pepper, and I was highly amused by the portrayal of the horse trader in both versions. My only complaint with the 2010 version is that, except for Mattie Ross, everyone seems to mutter their lines, almost to an unintelligible level at some points. 1969 Tom Chaney was clearly a vile, despicable person who has given up on any attempts at making something of his life, whereas 2010 Chaney (played by Josh Brolin) seemed to be a much more conflicted guy with some darkness in him. Not sure which I prefer.

Even if you don't normally like remakes, I can't recommend True Grit any higher. With the notable exception of Tombstone, no Western story has been retold better than this one.

[AdminAssistant]

I'm interested to see Brolin as the bad guy. I think part of the brilliance of the casting is that these are people that the Coens have worked with before. Honestly, as soon as I saw that Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, and the Coen brothers were doing a film together...I knew I wanted to see it regardless of what it was about.

Also, Jester, the Val Kilmer Tombstone? Or is there another one that I'm not thinking of? I haven't seen it, but I've seen most of Costner's Wyatt Earp and wondered how the other compared. (Wyatt Earp being mostly notable for Dennis Quaid as Doc Holiday and Mark Harmon sporting a fine handlebar moustache.)

[Jester]

Yes, the Kurt Russell/Val Kilmer Tombstone. While the movie is not specifically a remake of another movie, it is a retelling of a story that has seen several versions over the decades.

And Tombstone is far superior to Wyatt Earp, though I enjoyed both movies, and thought Quaid did a brilliant and very dark turn as Doc. Kilmer got heaps of praise for his portrayal of Doc, and rightfully so, but Quaid should have gotten more accolades for his rendition. Kevin Costner was, sadly, Kevin Costner playing Wyatt Earp. Whereas, at least to me, Kurt Russell was Wyatt Earp.

And as an aside, if anyone here is interested in learning more about the story of Earp, I highly recommend the brilliant books by Casey Tefertiller ("Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the Legend") and Allen Barra ("Inventing Wyatt Earp: His Life and Many Legends").

[AdminAssistant]

Ah, thanks, Jester, I'll add that to the ol' Netflix queue. Ever since Death Proof I've regained an appreciation for Kurt Russell.

[TheSHAD0W]

Spoiler warning, don't click if you haven't seen the movie...

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1945368

But I LOL'd.

[AdminAssistant]

Just got back from seeing it.

It's one of the greatest westerns I've ever seen. Period. Fiance was surprised about the amount of humor...but, then I remembered, a lot of those old westerns had a lot of humor. Some of John Wayne's films are flat out hilarious! So, it's appropriate, I think. Plus, it's one of the few films set in the Arkansas/Oklahoma area that actually looks like Arkansas/Oklahoma, so major props for that.

Now that I think about it, I do remember seeing the original, at least bits of it. With all due respect to The Duke, this one just takes it in every possible way. The acting was wonderful, it was beautifully shot, and the music was perfect. I also loved all the historical references; both my hometown and current town were mentioned. Very cool!

Also, "Fill your hands, you sonuvabitch!!" is a great line.