Christmas day night I had the pleasure of seeing the new Coen Bros 2nd adaptation of Charles Portis’ 1968 novel True Grit. It completely floored me from start to finish. The young 14 old girl by the name of Hailee Steinfeld nails her first staring roll and almost single handedly steals the show. Everything with the movie is a good fit down to the subtle score, supporting characters and Deadwood type feel. But without all the curse words. Anyone that remotely enjoys the Coen Bros work or a good western will love this film.
Today I also went to the Oriental Theatre to see the psychological thriller Black Swan which is director Darren Aronofsky’s companion piece to 2008’s The Wrestler. Both films are similar due to the main characters personal lives being plagued by their respective art. It’s great how haunting certain parts of the film are that will give you chills. But then the next minute the scene will have you aroused. Yes, there is a gratuitous sex scene between Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis that is a nice addition. Next to Blue Valentine this movie will also go on my favorite of the year list because of how incredible and moving Portman is. My sister even liked it and she’s one of the toughest critics out there. Go see what all the fuss is about.