True Grit

Okay, let me first say that I did not see the first incarnation of Charles Portis' novel basically because I am not a John Wayne fan. I say that to say I have nothing to compare Jeff Bridges portrayal of Federal Marshal Rooster Cogburn to but in my opinion he did a pretty good job. It would have been better though had he put more time between this role and his Oscar award winning performance in "Crazy Heart" as Bad Blake. Bad and Rooster are pretty much the same character, drunken bafoons initially but finding redemption in the end so there wasn't much of a stretch for Jeff. That being said, Rooster is bad ass and Jeff plays him with some serious subtle nuances. Like how Rooster can go from being a scruffy drunken idiot one minute to cold blooded killer the next and everything in him changes. His stance changes, his glare changes, and his demeanor changes. It's impressive to watch.

Whats even more impressive than Jeff's portrayal though is the debut of Hailee Steinfeld playing the precocious and frighteningly intelligent Mattie Ross. This your lady definitely has the ability to have a great career because she can really act and she makes this movie all hers. Mattie is determined to find the man that killed her father and that's a difficult task for anyone but how Mattie goes about doing it is just flat out impressive and for a first time actor, Hailee was exceptional. She goes to collect her fathers body to bring him home, settle up his accounts, and to find his killer. For a fourteen year old girl she is hardly taken serious by anyone and in fact everyone tells her to go back home and be a good girl. To say Mattie is underestimated is putting it lightly but she forges on, gets her fathers accounts settled, hires the one federal marshal that everyone is seemingly scared of and agrees to set out in indian territory to find her man. Matt Damon shows up as Texas Ranger LeBoeuf (pronounced LaBeef which I found oddly funny) and plays it by the book and with all the hero stardom being a Texas Ranger comes with. He brings the humor to a movie that could have easily avoided it but it was welcomed. LeBoeuf is also chasing the same man Mattie is after because he shot a Senator in Texas and that makes things kind of sticky as far as the arrangements and agreements go. The banter that goes back and forth between Cogburn, Mattie, and LeBoeuf is sharp. If you know the Coen brothers past works to say the writing is well done and witty is like saying water is wet, it's a given.

The one man they are all after is Tom Chaney played by Josh Brolin and to say I was let down by Tom Chaney and the way it was played is legitimate. Maybe I need to read the book but in this movie they build Tom Chaney up to be the biggest villian this side of Jesse James and a bigger badass than Rooster. Even Texas Ranger LeBoeuf stated that taking Chaney is at least a two man job so you're looking forward to these men going to war when they eventually meet. It's a let down when you realize that Tom Chaney is a complete idiot and isn't even the leader of his gang. That falls to Barry Pepper (remember Barry Pepper?) who plays coincidentally Lucky Ned Pepper. Now Pepper and Cogburns clash was impressive but that's not what you wanted and what happens to Chaney is anticlimactic at best.

To me the best part of the film was the end when Rooster does all he can to save Mattie's life. You come to realize that he actually loves this little girl and would do anything for her. Somewhere along the way he and you the viewer realizes that she's actually the one with true grit. While I enjoyed the movie I think it's missing something in the story. The acting was great, the direction was competent, and the cinematography by Roger Deakins was in my opinion Oscar worthy but overall the film felt like something was off. Maybe I need to see it again or maybe it will always seem this way, I don't know but what truly disappointed me was the score. Carter Burwell who has worked with the Coen brothers before brings you a completely forgettable score which is regrettable considering the wonderful opportunity this movie genre brings to create something really moving and stirring, just ask Ennio Morricone.

Would I recommend this movie? I don't know. Let me see it again and then I'll let you know for sure. See you at the theater!

The Tourist

While watching Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp work their charming ways through the streets of Venice in "The Tourist" I couldn't help but be struck by the fact that this film was a nod to the past. This movie actually felt like it could have been a vehicle for Cary Grant and Grace Kelly because it had that look, that feel, and it even had that kind of story line. You could imagine Cary Grant sitting in the cell with the crazy prisoner and Grace Kelly piloting the getaway boat after rescuing Cary from impending doom. If director Florian Henckle von Donnersmarck did this on purpose then for a fledgling filmmaker directing just his second full length feature film, he is a very talented man.

The story centers around a man you never meet named Alexander Pearce who you come to realize has stolen an ungodly amount of money from a ruthless gangster. Remember Victor Maitland from "Beverly Hills Cop"? Yes, Steven Berkoff is still acting and is still as intimidating on screen as he ever was playing Reginald Shaw, the gangster that will stop at nothing to get his money back from his once personal banker Pearce. Shaw however isn't the only one after Pearce, Interpol's Financial Crimes Unit is also hot on his tail and heading up this motely crew is Inspector John Acheson played by Paul Bettany. He has his keystone cops trailing Elise Clifton-Ward played by the incomparably beautiful Angelina Jolie in the hopes that she will lead them to Alexender. The man she is hopelessly in love with. Sounds like Grace, right?

To throw everyone off the scent Elise connects with tourist Frank Tupelo played by Depp on a train to Venice. A math professor from Wisconsin who is in Europe to get over the loss of his deceased wife Depp at first appears to be miscast. He looks uncomfortable and seems like he's more at home playing Captain Jack Sparrow then he is playing the straight and narrow Frank. Sitting on the train, minding his own business and reading his spy novel he encounters Elise and that's when things start to really cook. Sounds like something Cary could have pulled off perfectly.

Elise, under the surveillance of both the good guys and the bad guys gets Frank who everyone now thinks is Pearce so far in over his head that she begins to actually feel sorry for doing this to him. Frank, much like any man begins to fall head over heels in love with Elise that he refuses to leave and go back to Wisconsin. All the while, one of my favorite actors, Rufus Sewell who can play both the nicest of nice guys and the baddest of bad guys keeps popping up and dropping off letters of instruction for Elise from Pearce. Now Elise and everyone else is in their element except Frank. Frank is the classic fish out of water character and doing his best to survive and his phone call to the concierge at the front desk of his hotel and subsequesnt rooftop run in his pajamas to escape the gangsters henchmen is hilarious.

Scored by the very talented James Newton Howard, the music is lush, moving, and very 1950's feeling at times which again is perfect for this movie. Angelina and Depp are dressed in clothes that could have come out of that time period easily so in my opinion this movie was a throwback. A nod to those movies that are rarely made anymore these days. It's funny, charming, and the perfect movie to see after see Tron :-) I recommend it and I'll see you at the theater.

TRON: Legacy

To call TRON: Legacy visually arresting would be like calling the Grand Canyon a mere hole in the ground. It's so much more than that. Now I will admit that I was nervous going in for a few reasons. One was the limited color scheme that appeared everywhere in the commercials and trailers for the movie. Second was every commercial and trailer I saw made the film look cornier and lamer. Add to that this film being directed by a first time director and admittedly my expectations going into the movie were pretty low. I am happy to say that even if they were high, Legacy would have met or surpassed them. The only real thing I did have high hopes for was hearing how the music created by Daft Punk was going to be used and for first time film scorers they did an epic job.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski, Legacy is a story about Kevin Flynn's son Sam being digitized and sucked into the same mainframe his father was some twenty years ago. The story line this time around much like the first one required you to suspend all rational thinking and just enjoy the ride. For those that didn't, they will pick apart this movie until they can't see straight and there is a lot they can pick at. For those that sat back and did indeed enjoy the ride, to say that they saw a highly entertaining movie would again be like calling the Grand Canyon just a hole in the ground. Kevin Flynn is again played by the Oscar award winning actor Jeff Bridges, his son Sam is played by Garrett Hedlund, and the female lead Quorra is played by Olivia Wilde fresh off her turn as Dr Remy Hadley from "House".

In my opinion the story line could have used some serious tweaking, tightening, or even a few more rewrites but i'm letting that go. This movie catches you up on what's been happening on "the grid" since the first movie and why Kevin Flynn never returned home. When Kevins old business partner Alan Bradley played by Bruce Boxleitner get's a page on his pager (yes his pager) from Kevins old number he reports this news to the hard headed, truculent, and rebellious/slacker Sam. Sam decides to go check it out and activates the same computer that got his father. Once Sam is there Kosinski wastes no time giving audiences what they've been waiting for. The disc wars and light bikes action sequences are a blast and absolutely breathtaking.

The special effects and CG work is exceptional and that even goes for making Jeff Bridges look twenty years younger in both the real world and on "the grid" in his evil alter eog known as "CLU". Much in the way they made Brad Pitt appear to age backwards in "Benjamin Button" the same was done with Jeff. It didn't always look natural but it sufficed. Remember, just go with it. Sam once reunited with his father wants to get him back home but CLU has other ideas and so the drama ensues.

TRON: Legacy will undoubtedly do better at the box office than it's predecessor ever could have hoped to do. It's a cinematic feast for the eyes and one hell of a wild ride. Can't forget the ears too thanks to Daft Punk. I recommend this movie if you want a good time and I highly recommend it in IMAX if you want a kick ass time.

See you at the theater!