| Author |
Message |
Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Wednesday, December 22, 2010 - 5:20 pm 
We're going to see it tomorrow, it has received terrific reviews. I love the Coen brothers and Jeff Bridges and I have no attachment to the original with John Wayne, so it's all systems go as far as I'm concerned. They may get a tougher audience with Colossus.
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Ketchuplover
Member
08-30-2000
| Thursday, December 23, 2010 - 7:52 am
Hope you like it 
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Lakecat
Member
10-01-2006
| Thursday, December 23, 2010 - 6:59 pm
I liked it! Great acting but the ending could have been better.
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Friend
Member
05-21-2008
| Saturday, December 25, 2010 - 12:20 pm
Well, I never would have guessed that the Coen brothers, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin could all get together and make a movie I disliked but they pulled it off against all odds.
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Ketchuplover
Member
08-30-2000
| Saturday, December 25, 2010 - 9:03 pm
Can you elaborate? tia
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Babyruth
Member
07-19-2001
| Saturday, December 25, 2010 - 9:04 pm
I liked it. Jeff was great, as was the girl. She was excellent. Matt Damon's character could have been played by anyone, really. Not much of a role. Same for Brolin.
I liked the fact that although the western had many of the classic elements, the movie wasn't formulaic and neat like most of the genre. Makes me want to read the book now, since this film was supposedly quite true to the book. Yee haw.
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Friend
Member
05-21-2008
| Saturday, December 25, 2010 - 10:14 pm
Sure, KL. It lacks the usual uniqueness of characters that I'm used to in a Coen Brothers film. Also, most of the dialogue is pretty sparse except when Jeff Bridges is drunkenly grunting something out. The stand out performance is Hailee Steinfeld, especially in the scene where she is negotiating for her father's horses and saddle. Other than that, the story moves about as quickly as rising fog. It picks up in the last half hour but I thought about asking for a refund half a dozen times by then. There is also one scene in particular where Jeff Bridges does something not so nice in an effort to keep a horse moving.
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Lakecat
Member
10-01-2006
| Sunday, December 26, 2010 - 6:46 am
You must have never seen the first "True Grit" Friend. I got up and went to the bathroom during that scene cause I knew it was coming. I liked the movie but I expected to love it.
The girl and Jeff Bridges were on The View yesterday she was very poised and very cute. They need Oscar Nominations.Did either one get any noms from the Golden Globes or anything?
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Sunday, December 26, 2010 - 10:50 pm
Except for the ending, I thought it was really good. It's true that Brolin was underused, but....them's the breaks, I guess.
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Ketchuplover
Member
08-30-2000
| Tuesday, December 28, 2010 - 6:41 am
coming soon...Gordon Ramsay in...True Grits
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Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Tuesday, December 28, 2010 - 9:54 am
It was good, not great. Liked it, didn't love it. A few LOL moments, but not nearly enough. I expected more from the Coen brothers and Spielberg.
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-16-2003
| Monday, January 17, 2011 - 4:26 am
so, did anyone here even LIKE the original? it was a movie i remember seeing in replays as a child. John Wayne was classic as Rooster.
THis remake left me incredibly disappointed. I wasnt surprised to hear Bridges was going to do the John Wayne part. This movie would have FLOPPED brutally if damon and bridges werent cast.
i thot the ending was rushed and left me feeling flat. and that Song was inappropriate considering what was happening in the movie. NOthing in the movie is the least bit christian and the use of the hymn is trite.
ya ya ya Leaning on the everlasting arms.... rooster carrying her in his arms.... she loses an arm. Corny cheeze factor and scarily, i'm sure this will win awards since it hits each of the main 'hits' to be oscar nominated.
mind you, at least it is more of a decent movie then Green Hornet... which has ZERO to do with the real green hornet of old.
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Rissa
Member
03-19-2006
| Monday, January 17, 2011 - 5:06 am
I liked the original, liked the remake and appreciated that the Coen brothers stayed more loyal to the original source material. I read an article that said that Wayne refused to commit 100% to the Rooster character because of his personal vanity. Not sure how much of that was accurate but was one of the things i was thinking about while watching. Thought Bridges could have been reading a phone book for most of the film and I wouldn't have known 'cause I couldn't make out the vast majority of what he was mumbling. Also thought the carrying the girl for miles was a bit over the top. Loved the girl much more than the original, this one was spunky and smart. Thought the original just came off as annoying.
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Brenda1966
Member
07-02-2002
| Monday, January 17, 2011 - 8:37 am
I tried to watch the original after seeing the new Coen Bros version, and it felt very Mayberry RFD to me -- just too light and happy and ultimately I fell asleep. So, I can't really judge the original yet, but first impression was that it felt very dated. I can't say I loved the new one, but I thought the tone was right and the girl was fabulous.
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Monday, January 17, 2011 - 9:28 am
I understand what you are saying, Brenda, but it is curious how a historical movie like that can feel dated. After all, both movies are covering a time period well before the movie was made.
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Brenda1966
Member
07-02-2002
| Monday, January 17, 2011 - 9:42 am
I won't be able to explain it well, but True Grit didn't seem timeless to me, unlike Butch Cassidy or Rebel without a cause. The music and the feel of the beginning of True Grit felt like I was watching an Andy Griffith episode. Now, maybe the tone changes? I didn't get very far into the film before dozing. But it didn't feel authentic to the time period to me. And maybe that's not how it was ever meant to be. One could argue that Butch Cassidy was not authentic -- it was more of a fantasy, fable. I would just expect True Grit to have some grit. I often have trouble going back and appreciating the "classics". They just feel amateur and dated to me.
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Monday, January 17, 2011 - 2:07 pm
DH and I went and saw it and liked it. The ending was rushed. We enjoy this type of movie though, dances with wolves, wyatt earp, braveheart, etc.
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Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Tuesday, January 18, 2011 - 3:53 pm
The whole technicolor thing with Wayne's version is jarring after seeing the Coen brothers' dark and bleak cinematography. Having said that, I like John Wayne's version better (watched it last weekend). It may seem a bit cartoonish by comparison, but I can understand every word he says. I was a big fan of Kim Darby when I was a kid, too, so it's always great to see her even if she was age-inappropriate for the part.
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Babyruth
Member
07-19-2001
| Tuesday, January 18, 2011 - 4:55 pm
It's weird that I didn't notice him mumbling, because that sort of thing drives me nuts. I had to watch Brokeback Mountain about 100 times (DVD) just to figure out half the stuff Heath Ledger said. But I heard Jeff's words just fine in True Grit. Maybe because the theater was practically empty the day I saw it.
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Lakecat
Member
10-01-2006
| Wednesday, January 19, 2011 - 6:41 am
Had a hard time understanding Rooster too.
True GAL-I think of the original version as having sort of a Disney Movie look to it, ala The Apple Dumpling Gang. I guess its that technicolor thing that was so popular and new back in the day.
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Ketchuplover
Member
08-30-2000
| Sunday, February 06, 2011 - 5:21 am
8.5/10
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Happymom
Member
01-20-2003
| Friday, February 18, 2011 - 2:34 pm
I really enjoyed it! I've never seen the original and didn't think I'd see this...didn't really want to. But I am glad I did. I loved the girl, the character and the actor. She completely made the movie for me. I had a hard time understanding Rooster sometimes.
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Lakecat
Member
10-01-2006
| Friday, February 18, 2011 - 5:46 pm
Did she get an Oscar nom?
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Brenda1966
Member
07-02-2002
| Friday, February 18, 2011 - 8:14 pm
Yes, for supporting actress. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if she won. Melissa Leo probably will, but maybe The Fighter votes will be split and she'll slip in.
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Lakecat
Member
10-01-2006
| Saturday, February 19, 2011 - 9:40 am
I saw both movies and thought both actresses did a great job, but the kid deserves it the most. She had so much dialog to learn and she did it well for such a young age.
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Sunday, February 20, 2011 - 5:14 pm
Melissa Leo is NOT going to win an Oscar IMO. She shot herself in the foot with the completely embarrassing ads she put in the Hollywood trades: Hollywood Reporter
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Brenda1966
Member
07-02-2002
| Sunday, February 20, 2011 - 5:55 pm
I heard about that. I wonder if the voters knew she put those ads in before they voted. If so, I think they will hurt her a lot.
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Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Monday, February 21, 2011 - 5:55 am
I have to admit I'd never heard of Melissa Leo until the kerfuffle over her self-promotion for the Oscar. Maybe she comes from the school of "there's no such thing as bad press."
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Monday, February 21, 2011 - 10:49 am
We watched it the other night. Loved it! The three leads were very good. It was hard to understand Jeff Bridges some of the time but he was a hoot. Matt Damon was almost unrecognizable.
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Scout
Member
01-19-2005
| Sunday, June 26, 2011 - 7:58 am
Saw this on video yesterday. I was so distracted with how much Jeff Bridges sounded like Billy Bob Thornton.
I kept waiting for him to say "some folks call it a Sling Blade, I call it a Kaiser blade" or ask for some french fried taters.
The Coen's definitely have their own touch. Mostly dark, some funny, always something gruesome.
It was pretty slow much of the time, and the ending felt so bizarre. It didn't add anything at all to the movie and felt strange and unnecessary.
The girl was an amazing actress, though. I thought she carried the movie much better than Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon or Josh Brolin (who didn't seem all that menacing after all the build-up of his crimes)
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Lycanthrope
Member
09-19-2002
| Sunday, June 26, 2011 - 9:48 pm
I just saw it on BluRay and loved it. Bridges was good, Damon was good, but Steinfeld was great. Overall a good story that was told well.
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Bluejaxrock
Member
04-23-2004
| Thursday, June 30, 2011 - 8:07 pm
DH watched it on video and loved it. I won't watch it-my mom and I agree that there are just some movies that shouldn't be remade. There's a reason there isn't a remake of Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, Rebel Without a Cause, etc.
I love Jeff Bridges, but I just can't see him in John Wayne's role. Different strokes for different folks.
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Willsfan
Member
09-04-2000
| Wednesday, July 20, 2011 - 2:33 pm
"I was so distracted with how much Jeff Bridges sounded like Billy Bob Thornton.
I kept waiting for him to say "some folks call it a Sling Blade, I call it a Kaiser blade" or ask for some french fried taters."
OH MY GOODNESS! I almost spit water on the keyboard. That's just too funny.
I enjoyed both movies. (I am old enough to remember going to see the original at the theater.)
Jeff Bridges could have done a better job. I have always been a fan of his but this just wasn't his best performance.
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