The Fighter

The fighter
Originally uploaded by Naír la jefa

The Fighter isn’t just a boxing movie, it’s a story about two brothers. These two brothers love each other but their relationship is weighted and tainted by older brother Dickey’s past fame. The problem is Dickey lost his chance, and Micky can’t get out from Dickey’s shadow long enough for anyone to see his merit.

I saw this movie the morning of the Golden Globes, and I have to say I’m glad I did as it made my enjoyment of Christian Bale’s win even better. Bale disappears into every role he takes on, and has probably deserves accolades before, but I am glad he’s getting recognized for Dickey. However, no one in this cast is a slouch. From Melissa Leo to Mark Wahlberg the entire cast delivers.

This film will probably be up for many accolades this awards season and I’m excited to see where it goes.


Director: David O. Russell


Mickey Ward: I'm the one who's fighting. Not you, not you, and not you.

True Grit

This is not John Wayne’s Rooster. True Grit is a film that is completely Coen. This is the reason that films get made. It is a pristine example of all that is wonderful and inspiring with the art and craft of film.

Like I said, this is not a John Wayne movie; though both of the True Grit films are based off the same source material the Coen’s version is like a rouge wave washing away the softer edges and homey feel of the classic. This film is rough, gritty, dirty and tough – much like what I imagine the reality of that day was. Mattie Ross is determined to get justice for the death of her father, and Rooster is the tool that she uses. It’s a wild world, and definitely not a safe one.

Unlike the original, in this film Mattie Ross is played at her true age – 14. Taking the mantle this time is newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, and I have to say the power of this performance reminds me very much of Anna Paquin’s burst into the acting scene with The Piano. For such a young talent, the maturity of her skill is evident and startling. Steinfeld holds her own against Damon, Brolin & Bridges, usually stealing the scene and is undoubtedly the most memorable character in the film.

If I had a vote in the Oscar nominations I’d throw my hat in for Jeff Bridges again. I know he won last year for a fantastic performance in Crazy Heart but I have to say that his turn as Rooster Cogburn is one of my favorite performances of the year. This Cogburn is rough, anti-social and has a wicked sense of humor. Bridges & the Coen’s bring out the changes in Cogburn very subtly as he goes from grumpy old marshall who cares about no one, to the man willing to risk anything to help Mattie.

There’s really nothing I didn’t like about this movie. With every Coen film that comes out I can see their talent growing – something that shouldn’t be possible for two people that are already some of the finest artists working today. True Grit is a masterpiece.



Directors: The Brothers Coen


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

Brick

I praise this movie a lot. Seriously, I love it. I would have loved to be at Sundance and have seen this movie with the first audience. I am sure it rocked some worlds. This is the kind of movie that is so powerful the first time you watch it that you just don’t have the words for a little while after the credits roll, and I do know that, because the first time I watched those credits roll by I remember being glued to my seat in awe of what had just passed.

Part of why this film has such power for me is because it’s the kind of film that I want to make. Not just because it’s a noir, but because it takes something familiar and flips it on it’s head a bit. It changes things. It has the mark of people who love the craft and a director with a very clear style and vision.

I’m still hoping that someday someone will be saying that about a film of mine.




Brendan: No, bulls would gum it. They'd flash their dusty standards at the wide-eyes and probably find some yegg to pin, probably even the right one. But they'd trample the real tracks and scare the real players back into their holes, and if we're doing this I want the whole story. No cops, not for a bit.

The Big Sleep

The Big Sleep was my first Raymond Chandler book and it’s a pretty amazing one at that. Chandler has a voice that captivates you and I can understand why his first novel was made into a film with none other than the enigmatic Humphrey Bogart playing Marlowe.

While I knew The Big Sleep was going to be a difficult adaptation because of the time in which it was made, I do have to say that the film was slightly dampened for me because I felt like I could see the censorship board all over it. Bogart was great as Marlowe, and Bacall was ravishing as his clients daughter, but there was too much changed from the book and the bite was taken out. An audience in 1946 may not have known the difference as very few hard hitting films were around in that day, but I can tell you that I’ve seen enough hard edged noirs in my time that I wanted the edge there.

One of the biggest changes script to screen was in Bacall’s character, Vivian Rutledge. In the book Vivian flirts with Marlowe, but is a scandalous spoiled woman, several times divorced and married to the man Marlowe is helping to hunt down. In the film Vivian is single and shares much screen time with Marlowe – not that I could blame the studio for making Bogey and Bacall an onscreen pair, the duo had so much onscreen chemistry a blind man could see it.

All in all, The Big Sleep is an enjoyable noir, but very ripe for a faithful-to-the-book remake.



Director: Howard Hawks


Vivian: You go too far, Marlowe.
Marlowe: Those are harsh words to throw at a man, especially when he's walking out of your bedroom.

Christmas Vacation

And so the holidays rolled around again and I had to watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. While this movie may have lost a little of it’s magic for me over time, there is still nothing like watching the Griswald’s attempt to have an old fashioned family Christmas. I do think this is a Christmas classic the likes of the claymation Rudolph videos and frosty cartoons.

Clark: Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse.