Monday, June 6, 2011

TRUE GRIT A TRUE MASTERPIECE

December is my favorite movie watching month. Usually all the best films are released for the holiday season, a way to get Oscar minded folks to keep these films fresh in their minds. More than likely, True Grit didn't receive the accolades they deserved because the Coen brothers restyled the 1969 John Wayne True Grit. It's not a remake. The dialogue is fresh and snappy, what the Coen's are best at and the plot, while still following the original, has twists and turns that are brilliant. This was the ONLY movie this season that I both laughed and cried at; mind you, gut busting laughter. It's basically a story set in the wild old west where a young woman (a phenomenal Hailee Steinfeld) has "hired" a bounty hunter (an outstanding Jeff Bridges)  to find the man who killed her father; classic tale of revenge. What isn't classic, is the bond formed between this "colorful" character and this wise-beyond-her-years young girl. Sprinkle a little Matt Damon and Josh Brolin in and call it a party! There is comedy, drama, suspense and touching human interaction. What more could anyone want in a film?Watch the end credits where Buster Coen, Ethan Coen's son, is listed as "Mr. Damon's abs double". In reality, he was an on-set assistant to the script supervisor.