"Informative and entertaining, My-West will be a valued destination for westerners and devotees of all things western. Well-written posts, evocative photos and fine art, valuable travel tips, and an upbeat style make this a destination site for travelers and web surfers. Go West!" - Stan Lynde, Award-winning Western novelist and cartoonist
About one minute into this clip the immortal Elizabeth Taylor delivers a supple and scorching line that would make any red-blooded Texas male instantly forget the Alamo. This is what true star power can do with a sprawling story made for the big screen. Giant. It took the work of giants to do justice to 25 years of Texas history and we got them in Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean.
Happy Valentines Day and Happy Birthday also to Claire V. Owen. The rest of the world refers to her as Mrs. Owen. We get to call her Mom. In her words, “It’s not every day a gal gets to turn 29.”
My nose is still bleeding but I was there, along with about a thousand of my closest friends, as True Grit took a bow in its international premier.
They liked it. Not just for the Coen Brothers’ idiosyncrasies;
not only for the superb acting and star power of Jeff Bridges and Josh Brolin and Matt Damon. Not because it’s a movie you’re ‘supposed’ to like.
They liked it because it’s a powerful and well-told story that extols the virtues of courage, valor, faith and determination…True Grit…and all that bundled up inside a 14-year old girl named Mattie Ross.
The smart money in Berlin says international audiences will stay away from this uniquely American film. But at the reception afterwards a prominent German actress, Veronica Ferres swooned, saying, “The actors were men, not the pretty boys that star in our movies.”
And for any man with a child, the love and devotion shown in that final, four-minute flight to civilization is positively heartbreaking. I’ll be watching that scene over and over…until the pixels fade…or the tears stop coming…whichever comes first.
Some random notes:
Jeff Bridges seems like a truly likeable fellow with a keen sense of humor
Hailee Steinfeld received major thumbs up for her choice of dress. She’s having great fun with her new-found fame
The director of the Berlinale admits he was disappointed that the film lacked the trademark Coen Brothers quirks.
The German critics believe this film marks the swan song of a genre. I predict it signals a renaissance.
The movies on this list surely will rank among the classics of the genre and are proof positive that westerns continue to attract both audiences and A-list actors and directors:
1) 3:10 to Yuma – 2) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 3) Open Range – (any movie with the mighty Robert Duvall automatically makes my list!) 4) Appaloosa 5) All the Pretty Horses 6) The Virginian (A darn good made for TV version) 7) Shanghai Noon 8) Brokeback Mountain 9) There Will Be Blood
And rounding out the top 10 - True Grit – relentless, gritty, box office gold. It’s opening the Berlin Film Festival on February 10 and My-West will be there.
Update:
The Oscar nominations were announced this morning. True Grit has been nominated for these categories:
Best Picture
Best Actor
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Art Direction
Best Cinematography
Plus a slew of technical categories that brings the tally to 10 Academy Award nominations in all, not to mention $140 million domestic box office and still among the top five a month after its release. That is True Grit. That is what a western movie can do in the sure and steady hands of America’s most wanted cinematic gunslingers, the Coen Brothers.
And like the report of a sharps rifle echoing down a narrow canyon, True Grit has delivered an unmistakable message to Tinseltown: Westerns are making a comeback. Consider this from VOA:
“The new True Grit exudes nostalgia for old western notions of bravado, justice and blood lust for vengeance...The film is an Oscar hopeful and a favorite at the box office, showing that American movie goers are still rooting for good westerns, a genre that has faded since the 1950s but might reclaim its old glory with the right amount of grit.”
Hmmm. Last year Jeff Bridges won an Oscar for his role as an alcoholic country western singer. This year he might make it back-to-back as an alcoholic US Marshall.
And for those who still think the original outshines the remake here’s a trip down memory lane…a return to the Colorado locations where the movie was made…long but well worth the time.
Here’s Roger Ebert putting this year's True Grit into proper perspective:
“This is the first straight genre exercise in their (the Coen Brothers) career. It’s a loving one. Their craftsmanship is a wonder. Their casting is always inspired and exact. The cinematography by Roger Deakins reminds us of the glory that was, and can still be, the Western.”
Ebert points out that Jeff Bridges’ breakout role was “The Last Picture Show” in 1971…where his character goes to the theater to see “Red River” starring…John Wayne.
John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn
Of course this sets the stage for a summer blockbuster with the best title in years…Cowboys and Aliens.
Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 10:19PM Tweet 
