I watched True Grit by OPPYH

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

I watched True Grit

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POSTED BY: OPPYH
UPDATED: Friday, January 7, 2011 19:31
SHORT URL: http://goo.gl/HpoLW
VIEWED: 6812
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Wednesday, December 22, 2010 3:09 PM

Just got back from seeing this. Words can't express my admiration for this movie. Just when I'm giving up on Hollywood movies, and think a well crafted film is harder to find than a needle in a haystack, I watch this gem, and all is forgiven. Seriously, I thought That the Coen brothers would entertain me for a couple hours but I had no Idea what a great film this was going to turn out to be. Hands down the best Western I have seen, and now one of my favorite movies of all time.

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70's TV FOREVER

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Wednesday, December 22, 2010 3:33 PM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

When I first heard True Grit was being remade I thought they were crazy. Then I found out Jeff Bridges would be Rooster. Then that the Coens were writing and directing. That sold me.

I wanted to see it today but I worked late and was too tired. Maybe tomorrow.

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Wednesday, December 22, 2010 4:25 PM

TOADSMOOTHY

I haven't seen it yet but we're going to see it Xmas eve.

Love the Coens. Love Bridges. It's gotta be good. I think Bridges should do more Westerns after Wild Bill and Crazy Heart, and now this. The only question I have is: is the girl as cute as Kim Darby was? I was in school when the original movie came out and I was quite taken with her. ;)

Oh god, and Matt Damon *has* to be better than Glen Campbell! geesh!

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Wednesday, December 22, 2010 8:24 PM

GREENKA61

I can't wait to see this. I was listening to a review of it on NPR today. They played some of the dialog. It sounded so Whedonesque. Gosh I love westerns.

Wouldn't Jeff Bridges be a great actor to play Malcom Reynold's father?

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Thursday, December 23, 2010 12:12 AM

TOADSMOOTHY

Quote:
Originally posted by greenka61:...Wouldn't Jeff Bridges be a great actor to play Malcom Reynold's father?

OMG! YES!

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Thursday, December 23, 2010 1:24 PM

FLORALBUNNY

I've been seeing Bridges and the girl on talk shows, and I think the girl can probably hold her own against Bridges.
At first I was appalled that Hollywood would remake the John Wayne film and not even mention him during publicity appearances, but then I read that the new film was intended to stick way closer to the original book than the Wayne film, so decided it would be okay to watch it.
The more I hear about it the more interested I am.
ETA Yes, definitely Mal's father!
bun

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Thursday, December 23, 2010 1:50 PM

CHRISISALL

I will buy it!

The laughing Chrisisall

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Thursday, December 23, 2010 8:05 PM

OPPYH

Quote:
Originally posted by greenka61:

Wouldn't Jeff Bridges be a great actor to play Malcom Reynold's father?

Oh man. You're killing me with that thought.
That would be just too awesome to comprehend. Especially after seeing Bridge's performance.

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70's TV FOREVER

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Friday, December 24, 2010 1:11 AM

LWAVES

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
I will buy it!

The laughing Chrisisall

It's the Coens so I've already bought it, I just need reality to catch up with me.

"The greatest invention ever is not the wheel. It's the second wheel." - Rich Hall

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Friday, December 24, 2010 4:16 PM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

I saw it today. Great film, much better than the original. As good as Bridges is, Hailee Steinfeld very nearly steals the film from him.

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Saturday, December 25, 2010 3:20 PM

BORIS

Wo! a few years ago some firends and i were talking about who could play Mal's dad or substitute dad as he seemed to be raised by his mother and ranch hands. it was a tossup between Jeff Bridges, Sam Elliot or James Garner.

Rose S

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Saturday, December 25, 2010 5:31 PM

TOADSMOOTHY

Quote:
Originally posted by boris:
Wo! a few years ago some firends and i were talking about who could play Mal's dad or substitute dad as he seemed to be raised by his mother and ranch hands. it was a tossup between Jeff Bridges, Sam Elliot or James Garner.

Rose S

I could see Sam Elliot too. What about Tom Selleck?

Have you seen Appaloosa? I thought that was a great Western and both Ed Harris (who also directed it) and Viggo Mortensen made some damned fine cowboys, well town marshal and deputy.

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Sunday, December 26, 2010 2:47 AM

BORIS

I loved Apaloosa and Hidalgo

Rose S

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Sunday, December 26, 2010 4:33 AM

TWO

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

Quote:
Originally posted by OPPYH:
Just got back from seeing this. Words can't express my admiration for this movie. Just when I'm giving up on Hollywood movies, and think a well crafted film is harder to find than a needle in a haystack, I watch this gem, and all is forgiven. Seriously, I thought That the Coen brothers would entertain me for a couple hours but I had no Idea what a great film this was going to turn out to be. Hands down the best Western I have seen, and now one of my favorite movies of all time.

Could be you liked True Grit because Malcolm Reynolds and Rooster Cogburn have much in common. They were both on the losing side of a Wars of Independence. When they want to, they make friends easily. They are frequently in gun battles and often wounded. They treat property-rights similarly.

From the book, True Grit, one of Rooster's stories: "I found myself one pretty spring day in Las Vegas, New Mexico, in need of a road stake and I robbed one of them little high-interest banks there. Thought I was doing a good service. You can't rob a thief, can you? I never robbed no citizens. I never taken a man's watch."
"They never did get you for stealing that money?" asked Mattie.
"I didn't look on it as stealing."
"That was what it was. It didn't belong to you."
"It never troubled me in that way. I sleep like a baby. Have for years."

Or another story from the book:
"Rooster commandeered a wagon and a team of mules from a party of hunters at gunpoint. I do not mean to suggest the hunters were reluctant to lend their team in such an emergency but Rooster was impatient of explanation and he simply took the rig."

These could be Malcolm Reynolds stories. And that makes Mattie into Rooster's River Tam, the pain-in-the-ass, supergirl character. Jayne is Mal's LaBoeuf, the not much liked gunman with the twitchy name.

The Joss Whedon script for "Serenity", where Wash lives, is
Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/two

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Sunday, December 26, 2010 7:10 PM

TOADSMOOTHY

Quote:
Originally posted by boris:
I loved Apaloosa and Hidalgo

Rose S

Yep, Viggo does a fine job in Westerns. I hope he does more before he gets too old. I see he's a year older than me!

The man has led an interesting life.

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Sunday, December 26, 2010 7:56 PM

BORIS

nothing wrong with fellas doing westerns when they're older. The duke ws pretty grey when he did his last one and i believe Jimmy Stewart, and Warren Oates weren't young bucks when they did they're last ones either. The older and craggier they get the better. I'd love to see an epic western with some of the older guys like Garner and Elliot, and Morgan Freeman mixing it up with guys like Viggo and Denzel Washington, Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin and some younger guys like Ryan Reynolds, Joaquin Phoenix or Casey Affleck. I would love to see Phoenix do an either an evil ranch owner. or the put upon sheriff.

Rose S

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Monday, December 27, 2010 9:47 AM

TOADSMOOTHY

Quote:
Originally posted by boris:
...The older and craggier they get the better. I'd love to see an epic western with some of the older guys like Garner and Elliot, and Morgan Freeman mixing it up with guys like Viggo and Denzel Washington, Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin and some younger guys like Ryan Reynolds, Joaquin Phoenix or Casey Affleck...Rose S

Wow! That's quite a cast! I would have to add Ed Harris re. Appaloosa and Riders of the Purple Sage. He has a tightly wound, slightly scary vibe like Clint. For that matter Clint is still kickin'. What about Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duval? haha We could have some kind of freaky Lonesome Dove remake! haha Lonesome and Lonesomer. X))

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Saturday, January 1, 2011 6:23 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

That would be something to see.

SGG

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Saturday, January 1, 2011 6:31 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

I can't say that I loved it, but I do appreciate what the Coen brothers did with it. Both True Grits have that western thing down pat. The Duke's was more H'wood version and catered to his star power.

The Coen's True Grit had a different flavor alltogether which told the story quite well. Rooster was a lot like Mal where he's no H'wood version of a hero, just someone who did whatever he could to survive.
The bond between Mattie and Rooster was more defined in the first one, but the new version was more subdued in storyline.

So each film had something different to offer. But the imagery, storytelling, acting and script were a touch better this time around.
If it were only true that westerns indeed were back.

SGG

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Thursday, January 6, 2011 12:46 AM

TOADSMOOTHY

Yeah. We went to see it the other day.

I hate to say it but, I was a bit disappointed. The sets, costume and dialogue seemed spot on. I liked the music. I don't know about the story since I haven't read the book. I liked the girl. Rooster seemed one dimensional. I didn't buy Matt Damon as a Texas Ranger at all.

I may be displaying my ignorance here but, why would a Texan have a problem with the idea that Rooster rode with Quantrill? Texas was a Confederate state after all, so arguably they would have been on the same team.

I can't believe I'm saying this but, I found Damon as annoying as Glen Campbell in that role...perhaps more so. And I usually like Matt Damon. So, I am doubly perplexed.

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Thursday, January 6, 2011 2:08 AM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

Quantrill was pro-Confederate, but was considered a renegade guerilla rather than an official part of the Confederate military. If he and his men had only attacked Union military convoys and depots his reputation would not be as negative as it was, but they did raid several towns and civilians were killed.

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Thursday, January 6, 2011 10:44 AM

BYTEMITE

I myself was trying to figure out why LeBoeuf was calling Rooster a marauder, and I figured it was something like that.

As for Matt Damon playing LeBoeuf, I kinda thought it was set up in the story that he was just a cocky dandy with not as much experience as he was claiming and not overly believable as a Texas Ranger. And in that sense, pretty boy Damon is actually spot on for the role.

Two: the first Rooster anecdote you quoted actually made it into this version.

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Thursday, January 6, 2011 11:26 AM

TWO

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

There are two opinions about Quantrill:
"Quantrill's actions remain controversial to this day. Some historians view him as an opportunistic, bloodthirsty outlaw; James M. McPherson, one of America's most prominent experts on the Civil War today, calls him and Anderson "pathological killers" who "murdered and burned out Missouri Unionists." Others, such as Missouri biographer Paul R. Petersen, continue to regard him as a daring horse soldier and a local folk hero. Some of Quantrill's celebrity later rubbed off on other ex-Raiders – Jesse and Frank James, and Cole and Jim Younger – who went on after the war to apply Quantrill's hit-and-run tactics to bank and train robbery." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Quantrill

The day he died, Rooster was still traveling with Frank James and Cole Younger from Rooster's days with Quantrill's Raiders. There will be controversy about Mal Reynolds long after he is dead.

The Joss Whedon script for "Serenity", where Wash lives, is
Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/two

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Thursday, January 6, 2011 3:27 PM

TOADSMOOTHY

Quote:
Originally posted by ecgordon:
Quantrill was pro-Confederate, but was considered a renegade guerilla rather than an official part of the Confederate military. If he and his men had only attacked Union military convoys and depots his reputation would not be as negative as it was, but they did raid several towns and civilians were killed.

Gee, sounds like the pro-Union Jayhawkers and their depredations against their Confederate sympathizing neighbors.

The guerilla units of Missouri didn't create themselves out of nothing. There are reasons why they came to be and why they did the things they did. It might not pass moral muster today but it fit with their times.

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Thursday, January 6, 2011 3:35 PM

TOADSMOOTHY

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
I myself was trying to figure out why LeBoeuf was calling Rooster a marauder, and I figured it was something like that...

To see the other side of the story do searches on "Jayhawkers" and "Redlegs".

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Thursday, January 6, 2011 3:38 PM

TOADSMOOTHY

Quote:
Originally posted by two:
There are two opinions about Quantrill:
"Quantrill's actions remain controversial to this day...

As I suggested to someone else, do searches on "Jayhawkers" and "Redlegs."

It seems clear to me that the ugliness was mutual between Northern and Southern sympathizers.

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Friday, January 7, 2011 7:31 PM

KANEMAN

Quote:
Originally posted by OPPYH:
Just got back from seeing this. Words can't express my admiration for this movie. Just when I'm giving up on Hollywood movies, and think a well crafted film is harder to find than a needle in a haystack, I watch this gem, and all is forgiven. Seriously, I thought That the Coen brothers would entertain me for a couple hours but I had no Idea what a great film this was going to turn out to be. Hands down the best Western I have seen, and now one of my favorite movies of all time.

----------------------------------------------------------------

70's TV FOREVER

I'll get in this line. I just finished watching True Grit and it was fantastic. The acting, the pace, the character development were all extraordinary. The best movie I have seen in a long long time. The girl that plays Maddie Ross has to get an oscar. I will say when we first meet Rooster he comes off as a bit annoying but somehow I got used to Bridges voice....It actually made the movie for me by the end...

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