And so the day of the Academy Awards has arrived. In about four hours they are going to start showing before the show specials, including the very famous red carpet coverage. It's a very nice day! I am looking forward to it! And at 5pm the show starts. It will be a glorious evening that I am really looking forward to celebrating.
The big thing is that I actually watched all ten best picture nominees! I did it. I saw "True Grit" on Friday. After watching it I felt such a sense of accomplishment. It was a cool feeling! I have completed one of my projects and boy do I feel happy about it!
Now to the review. "True Grit" was good. It was adapted and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and (I don't care if they call her 'supporting' she's a star) Hailee Steinfeld. It is a remake of the old John Wayne classic. Hailee Steinfeld plays Mattie Ross a 14-year-old girl who's father was shot by a man named Tom Chaney, played by Josh Brolin. She decides that she is going to do whatever it takes to avenge her father's death and bring his killer to justice. This leads her to Rooster Cogburn, played by the nominated Jeff Bridges, a one eyed, tough talking, quick to shoot U.S. Marshall. She hires him to find Chaney who has crossed the river into Indian territory. Reluctantly he agrees. Part of their agreement is that she will get to go with him to get Chaney. But thinking she is a tad too young to go hunting fugitives he ditches her, for lack of a better word, and teams up with a Texas ranger named LaBoeuf, played by Matt Damon. Not to be thwarted Mattie runs after them.
What then occurs is really just an old fashioned western. There are shoot outs, threats, snakes, horses. There wasn't a whole lot to it. Other then the acting. Hailee Steinfeld was a real splash! She blew me away. I truly believe that she stole the show. Even from Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, both very good vetren actors. And this is her first movie! I was shocked. Honestly and pleasantly surprised. That doesn't happen that often when it comes to new actors. I am glad that she got the oscar nod. I think she deserves the nod. I think that she should have been considered as a lead actress seeing as it is her story and her purpose that makes the movie.
I thought that Jeff Bridges did a good job, Matt Damon was good as well. Neither of them blew me away, neither of them did anything that was spectacular. And there were times when I couldn't even understand what Jeff Bridges was saying. His accent was so thick and then he was also a drunk so he had the slurry thing going on as well. Now I will admit that I haven't sat down to watch the original "True Grit" so I can't compare it. But when I heard about this film and heard that the Coen brothers were taking it under their wing I was excited. I figured that it was going to be as good as other Coen brother movies, not that I have seen all that many of them, but they do have a reputation. One that I have heard about over and over again, one that I have come to trust. I also heard how good this movie was going to be. I just didn't find it all that impressive. I don't really know why. Maybe I missed something but it wasn't best picture material. I seem to be the only one saying that though. I've heard people say that they think if it wasn't for "The King's Speech" "True Grit" would win. It was a good western. But nothing that I could see made it any different from any other western.
Well there it is. My final review for the best picture nominee list. I am very excited that I did this project and am looking forward to seeing the awards tonight. I hope that my ballot makes me the $50 I get if I get all five catagories right. But even if I only get some of them right I know that I made informed decisions and the ones that I think really should win. Happy Academy Awards day everyone! Have a great one!
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