Review: True Grit

“You must pay for everything in this world, one way and another. There is nothing free except the grace of God.”

I feel as if I’ve been the victim of a bait and switch but in a good way.

You see as the trailers for the Coen Brother’s remake True Grit emerged they told a story of a serious looking Western filled with character and a sense of danger. Even the title True Grit echoed a sentiment that this was a violent, hard-bitten revenge film filled with craggy rocks and even craggier faces. What took me by surprise is that True Grit is often as funny as it is violent, making for a film that’s as straightforward and enjoyable as the Coen Brothers have made in quite a few years.

There’s always something of a kink, an eccentricity to Coen Brothers whether it’s the screwball nature of Intolerable Cruelty or the infuriating strangeness of a film like A Serious Man. I find them very unrevealing in their storytelling in that they never really explain the why, what or how. It just is. I like that aspect, it leaves their films open for a lot of debate. True Grit is closer to No Country for Old Men than Burn after Reading, at least aesthetically, but features a comedic sensibility that I found entertaining. It’s not, however, without a few of those kinks.

It was on tv, so I watched it! Iron Man

Iron Man is a good film but that’s all it is, a good film. I guess that’s the minimum I should expect and yet the sensation I get after watching it is that it could have attempted more. It seems much of its popularity was in contrast to that other stonking summer blockbuster called The Dark Knight which as its title indicated was rather more solemn compared to the light-hearted frivolity of Iron Man. It depicted a superhero that didn’t need to ‘darkness’ to sell itself to an audience. That isn’t to say that Iron Man is not a good film in its own right but it is certainly not perfect in trying to bring the character to the silver screen.

Review – Tron:Legacy is good, at times thrilling if in the end a little underhwelming

Now, I kept dreaming… dreaming of this world I thought I’d never see. And then, one day, something happened. Something… extraordinary.

 

The definition of the word legacy is essentially what we leave for others. What does Tron: Legacy leave for its audiences? A thrilling ride? Dazzling visuals? A slightly anaemic story? All are present and while Tron: Legacy is a good film it never manages to move you or excite you in a manner in which you’ve not felt before. It suffices as good entertainment for two hours but not much more.

Tron Legacy featurettes

So Tron Legacy ie rearing its head round the corner, ready to jump out at you and say “Watch Me!”. As if they haven’t been enough featurettes in the last few months here comes a few more as Disney builds up anticipation for the December 17th release. They’re not too revealing (and why would they be?) but may be enough to sate your thirst for all things Tron.

Hit the jump for all things Tron