Escape to the Movies: True Grit

[Quiet Stranger]

Every time I see Mat Damon, I still think of him as that punk from God Will Hunting (Bourne movies are the exception obviously). How the hell is that guy a forty year old father of four already?
Also, did I see a bear riding a horse?

That's exactly what I thought when I saw that part.

My favourite character in the movie was The Chickenman, what the FUCK was up with that guy???

And why didn't the movie explain it at all? Funny stuff

 

[Gentleman_Reptile]

Honestly, I didnt think the movie was that great. It has all the pieces of a good film, like decent actors and story and cinematography, but it just kinda dragged on and bored me.

 

[SelectivelyEvil13]

Well, from the little bit reviewed, True Grit at least sounds like an interesting picture to see.

Count me in the "Where's Inception?!?" camp; that was simply an incredible film.

I can't say about his top movie pick The Social Network as I refuse to see that white-"nerd"-uprising glorification parade[footnote]From what I understand, those "half-truths" are actually in favor of Zuckerberg and make him look like a champion.[/footnote] that I do not care about regardless (amongst many, many other reasons).

Kick-ass was a pretty good film, but far from the best. I found that the focus on, again, white-"nerd"-uprising, but with the amatory relationship to be stretched too long and quite asinine. I'm rather bored with these trite "nerd gets the insanely out of his league girl" plots for the obligatory love story, and the movie dragged on a little too long because of that in my opinion.

Scott Pilgrim was a pleasant surprise and I did find it enjoyable... once, and maybe another second viewing tops. I would see it before The Expendables just because that film suffered from one glaring detraction: the omission of any plot, which is unfortunate.

And Splice? That movie had promise... until it went all... ~weird~ Ughhhhh, that movie was just wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. WRONG!!! Go clockwork orange with Transformers 2 any day before that torment again!

 

[beema]

What I was mostly wondering about this film is whether or not the Coen bros. influence sets it apart from other modern western remakes (say 3:10 to Yuma or Appaloosa). My problem with westerns is always that I want to like them, but they are either too cornball or take themselves entirely too seriously. There's never any middle ground. I figure this one is more towards the serious end, but I'm hoping the Coen bros. trademark dark humor gives it some edge that other films didn't have. Or are my hopes misguided?

Also, where's this top 10 list people are mentioning? Inception wasn't on it? Are you f'ing kidding me? MovieBob's review was like 80% of the reason I went to see it! Easily in the top 3 movies of the past year (or several years).

 

[Frankfurter4444]

The thing about True Grit that had me a little nervous was who wrote it, more specifically, the Coen Brothers didn't write it. Most of their best works, especially The Big Lebowski and Raising Arizona, were written, directed, and so on all by them. When they took their hand out of one of the main elements of the film's making, I was a little apprehensive.

No, they did write it... where did you hear otherwise?

"True Grit was a 1968 novel by Charles Portis."
-Moviebob

There.

I was a little nervous because they didn't do the entire thing by themselves. That isn't a bad thing; Shakespeare only wrote the basic foundation for one of his plays, The Tempest, and it ended up being his worst one. The Coen brothers adapting someone else's novel and inserting it with their own style and flair isn't a bad thing, it is just something I've never seen them do before (in any of the movies of theirs I've seen. They very well could have done it before and I didn't know it) I've yet to see True Grit, but I'm hoping this adaptation works well.

 

[RickRoll]

Moviebob, why the hell did you apologize to Michael Bay? You were completely right in calling him a douchebag. Seriously, I had a personal trainer once who had the misfortune of having to go to one of Mr. Bay's parties with one of her clients and yes, he is just as if not more of a douchebag than the idiots that his crap movies are targeted for. Please, I beg of you to take back your unnecessary apology. Though I do respect your kind intentions, that asshole deserves to be ripped on in any way you can possibly conceive of ripping on him.

 

[Space Spoons]

Solid review, but I have to say, the "LOOK HOW DRUNK I AM ISN'T THAT FUNNY" bit at the beginning really killed it for me. Don't fall into stupid skits like most review shows do, Bob, you're better than that.

 

[Scyla]

I thought that the Transformers review was awesome, but I guess you have to iron out the sins of youth if you want to be a professional movie critic .

Looking forward to the 2011 reviews

 

[jackiebrown22222]

The thing about True Grit that had me a little nervous was who wrote it, more specifically, the Coen Brothers didn't write it. Most of their best works, especially The Big Lebowski and Raising Arizona, were written, directed, and so on all by them. When they took their hand out of one of the main elements of the film's making, I was a little apprehensive.

No, they did write it... where did you hear otherwise?

"True Grit was a 1968 novel by Charles Portis."
-Moviebob

There.

I was a little nervous because they didn't do the entire thing by themselves. That isn't a bad thing; Shakespeare only wrote the basic foundation for one of his plays, The Tempest, and it ended up being his worst one. The Coen brothers adapting someone else's novel and inserting it with their own style and flair isn't a bad thing, it is just something I've never seen them do before (in any of the movies of theirs I've seen. They very well could have done it before and I didn't know it) I've yet to see True Grit, but I'm hoping this adaptation works well.

Well you should be more specific about what you mean when saying ''They didn't write it.'' Obviously one will assume from reading what you wrote that you mean they didn't write the screenplay, which they did.

And No Country For Old Men was adapted from a novel

 

[CrazT]

Toy Story 3 not in your best movies? I'm sorry, Bob, but that's just wrong

 

[RvLeshrac]

Anyone else cringe as hard as I do when somebody pretends to be drunk? Even if it's in an ironic way?

Yes. Ugh, I couldn't stand that first part.

This. I was looking forward to getting to sit down and watch the review, and I nearly couldn't make it through the first two minutes.

I enjoy EttM, but that was terrible.

 

[Random berk]

What brought on this apology?
Personally, I don't understand people's rage against Michael Bay. So he has lots of explosions in his films, and unnecessary touches, like the Transformer wrecking balls, but is that really enough to condemn him? On the subject of whether he is a douchebag in person, I don't know him either of course, but when Uwe Boll got it into his head that beating the shit out of his critics and competitors would make him look like a better film maker, Bay refused to humour him by taking part in a boxing match against him. That he had enough self control to do that suggests to me that he isn't too bad. Eithe that or he's a coward, but I'd give him the benefit of doubt.

 

[theevilsanta]

In response to the "Snow" comment at the end.

Just stop. East coast people I'm tired of it. You have bad weather sometimes and it shuts down some of your roads and airports. So does everyone else. I just hate turning on cable news and hearing all about the TERRIBLE BLIZZARD that left TEN INCHES of snow in NYC when I'm back inside after plowing the two feet in my driveway. I mean I could be hearing about whether or not the DOW is up and how that directly relates to the news events that happened that day!

 

[MrJoyless]

i like escape to the movies but.....the first minute and a half was annoying not funny....but great review you have never led me wrong movie bob!!

plus 2 movies in a row with jeff bridges in back to back weeks that are great! good for him!

 

[CarlMin]

When he said that chick was the hottest thing on two legs i was just like "wtf, why arent they mentioning Bolt, the dog from the 2008 animated feature. He is way hotter" Then i remembered that he has four legs and thus the situation was explained!

 

[Tormuse]

Well, I saw the movie yesterday and it's pretty much as Bob described it, a well-acted, old style western with lots of good old fashioned gun-slinging. I have to say I really liked fourteen-year-old Mattie's "take no shit from anyone" attitude as she continually fights to keep everyone on track to help her catch her father's killer.

I found the ending a bit anticlimactic, though. I mean

Spoiler

why have an extra scene putting Mattie in peril after all the bad guys are dead and she has already gotten her revenge? I suppose they're trying to be faithful to the source material, but, from a story-telling perspective, it's kind of a weird way to drag out the denouement, and makes the fact that she lost her arm pretty pointless... unless it's meant as some kind of symbolism for the cost of pursuing revenge or something like that. I dunno, it just didn't seem to fit with the rest of the movie for me.

 

[Antacid]

1) The King's Speech isn't overrated, The Social Network is.

2) Do you literally have no balls whatsoever? What's with the apology to Michael Bay.

3) Glad you remembered Kick-ass. Pity both of the other movies in your top three are the definition of insipid 18-34 target marketing.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Yes people that enjoy bad media are douche bags.... but at least they are not snobbish own poo smoking black sheep like us right Bob?? ^_~

 

[xSuperMeatBoyx]

The intro was horrid....First the game anti-thinker and now this.Whats with the randomness lately?

 

[xenos60]

I'm gonna dispute the result for the hottest thing on two legs. It is my personal and sincere opinion that Gemma Ward is similar, but hotter, therefore beating Amanda Seyfried. However, this entire thing is down to personal taste and is probably affected by my rascism towards yanks, which Ms.Ward is definitely not.