Topic: The Movies
It seems during the holidays my family ends up going to the movies more and this year is no exception. Thought I'd give my two cents for two films I saw this week.
True Grit - Jeff Bridges does his best to revise the Duke's Rooster Cogburn, but comes up a tad short. This version is truer to the book and indeed has more grit than the original, but lacks the heartof its predecessor . Matt Damon and Josh Brolin are pretty much wasted in their roles and the real star of the film is newcomer Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross. I'm thinkin' Oscar'll be knocking on her and Jeff Bridges door soon. Anything the Coen brothers do is always interesting and their Grit won't disappoint. Three stars (outta four).
The Fighter - I really like Mark Wahlberg as an actor. He was real good in Shooter and here gives another bravura performance. In fact all the actors in this gem are perfectly cast. This film is based on a true story and is lovingly retold with the best fight scenes I've ever seen on the silver screen. Wahlberg is very convincing in his part and had to train big time to pull off his role. As a co-producer I wonder if he regrets letting Christian Bale portray his brother. In a role with as much edginess as Dustin Hoffman's Ratso Rizzo, Bale doesn't steal the show, he owns it. He's always been a good actor, even as a child in that Speilburg movie, but The Fighter will win him a best actor Oscar. Don't take the kiddies to this one cause there's more than a few f-bombs. Three and a half stars.
