anticipate TRUE GRIT by the Coen brothers

This was fun (Matt Damon was the surprise), but about ten minutes too long.

I could watch those two kids get kicked off that porch stoop over and over and over.

OTM.

hahaha I forgot about that part, so classic

I gotta say: Bridges was the weakest of the three leads, in that Damon and Steinfeld consistently surprised me and did the most with that wonderful dialogue.

Bridges became MVP briefly, though, during the cornbread shootoff.

I was not feeling the denouement much until the last line, which is so beautifully terse. The Coens can end their movies with the best of them these days. Four in a row now.

Okay, but not great. I just felt disconnected from the whole thing, like I was watching a well-acted and shot film made by people who didn't really feel like giving me anything to explore or care about. (nb: only Coen Bros. films I really like are Blood Simple and Hudsucker Proxy, and I haven't seen the latter in 10+ years)

;_;

I do not remember the last line of Spinster Mattie's v/o, just Cogburn's.

"Time just slips away from us."

well see, "I've grown old" does that better.

this was a kids movie, but v gory and raw, maybe how kids movies would be if parents werent such pussies - coens played it v straight, reminded me of when lynch went G rated - the whole thing was a lil wtf to me i must admit, well done but wtf

i think by kids movie you mean "not smirky."

it's a really beautifully photographed Disney western w/ nastier violence

― kind of shrill and very self-righteous (Dr Morbius), Sunday, December 12, 2010 3:07 AM (2 weeks ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

idk morbs u tell me

Loved this but I unfortunately saw it on an Oscar-screener DVD, would like to ~rescreen~ in the theater or on a proper DVD with subs.

This was fun (Matt Damon was the surprise), but about ten minutes too long.

I could watch those two kids get kicked off that porch stoop over and over and over.

OTM.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ plus the guy in the bear suit.

kids /= Disney, joe

WAHT! outrageous

btw smirky is prob the most common quality of contempo kids movies, unfortunately

this one doesnt have a partic 'contemporary' feel given the debt to Portis's tone (tho I'm thinking they added the hush the hanging Indian joke?).

i guess it felt 'childrens' or ya fictiony to me cause of the lack of subtlety

god that dude in the bear suit was so great.

this was a kids movie, but v gory and raw, maybe how kids movies would be if parents werent such pussies - coens played it v straight, reminded me of when lynch went G rated - the whole thing was a lil wtf to me i must admit, well done but wtf

― ice cr?m, Thursday, December 30, 2010 11:29 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

heh i actually had a convo w/my friend yesterday where he declared that this was the Coens' Straight Story, i totally agreed - love it for that reason too

i guess it felt 'childrens' or ya fictiony to me cause of the lack of subtlety

you missed the adult, Rohmeresque nuances of Barton Fink and Fargo, huh

this didnt feel a lil more spelled out than those to you

im nto trying to be clever here, it really played like a kids movie to me, did anyone else feel this way

why is 'straightforward' = 'kids movie'

the deep complexities of a serious man, only to be comprehended as ~deep~ by adults

like if someone had said to me 'the coen bros made a kids film here watch this' i wouldve been like 'o ok p cool sort of violent for kids but thats rad in its own way'

i guess its a more universally comprehensible movie, which could translate to 'kids movie'

or: starring a kid = kids movie?

its not particularly a lack of depth, i feel like true grit had some depth, im obvs having a hard time putting my finger on it but something abt how all the plot and character elements are discrete and obvious - no ambiguity or complexity of meaning anywhere - also having a bad ass kid in the lead

there are a lot of movies that lack ambiguity and complexity that aren't kids movies though.

admittedly Barton Fink was incomprehensible crap

Which movie can you picture some sixth-grade class watching in the second week of May, True Grit or Fargo?

Not eager to lose my job, we'll probably stick with School of Rock or something.

ha was gonna say, neither?

this was a fun, nice-looking movie but i'm not sure i'll be eager to see it again. really liked the three lead performances - especially damon - even if i sort of felt like bridges was laying it on a bit thick at times. someone upthread said this was the least coenesque coens movie which i agree with for a reason i can't really put my finger on, which is not really a great thing for me per se since i love the coens

otm via the damon thread:

yeah he's wonderful in TG, tho in retrospect I think he was doing his McConaughey impression the whole time

― ೋ*¨*ೋALWAYz A F4RT3R ♥ 24/7/365ೋ*¨*ೋ (Princess TamTam), Tuesday, December 28, 2010 9:36 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

for those who havent been blessed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuYD2cwMbpw

It's just so great

ha!

I guess I could see this as a kids movie in the sense that it seems to function as a simple old-testament allegory. Pretty sure if the bible was written in the 1800's this story would def have been in there. Except for the part with the bearskin man.

admittedly Barton Fink was incomprehensible crap

This is one of my favorite Coen films :(

BEARSKIN WAS AMAZING

it seems to function as a simple old-testament allegory

hmmm, surely it's a little more skeptical that that? which is why we get to see Older Mattie as a miserable, lone c**t?

felt like young mattie had more going on than old mattie, didnt quite buy the transition

fit like a glove I thought.

also re JB "laying it on thick," Rooster Cogburn is not a role where you wanna be low-key w/ Bressonian subtlety.

(btw the Quantrill dialogue indicates he's likely a war criminal)

Ugh Morbs, really.

saw this last night, unfortunately fell asleep for about 20 minutes of it though (late showing in a too-warm theater); I think it was probably good.

young mattie is actively brilliant, old mattie didnt seem possessed of that genius

admittedly Barton Fink was incomprehensible crap

yeah this is my favorite one too

Old Mattie looked like Alice Roosevelt Longworth.