movie of the year??

     I approached him and said, "Mr. Rooster Cogburn?"

He said, "What is it?" His mind was on something else.
      I said, "I would like to talk with you a minute. "
      He looked me over. "What is it?" he said. 

     I said, "They tell me you are a man with true grit. "





...it's a really good book!!   but-i think this may be a first-the movie is actually better!  the coen brother's new version is a stunningly well written/shot/acted/costumed/cast/directed tour-de-force of fimmaking!  when you go in with high expectations and it exceeds them, that's something...



      matt damon plays his part with a great mix of bravado and pomposity and jeff bridges is a force of nature;  but the attention to detail in casting is what really stands out.  tiny parts like the sherriff, mattie's friend from little rock, the horse trader, the judge and lawyers, the kid in the stable,  the ferryman are all perfectly cast and acted.  especially josh brolin and barry pepper (playing ned pepper, oddly) are utterly fantastic with very little screen time.

      the directors' attention to detail really struck me:  there's a scene where ned watches rooster shoot his gun thru a telescope and there's a second's pause before you hear the distant shot-who would even think of that???

     there's also a part in the beginning of the book where mattie comments on tom chaney:

  He had no hand gun but he carried his rifle slung across his back on a piece of cotton plow line. There is trash for you. He could have taken an old piece of harness and made a nice leather strap for it. That would have been too much trouble.

 she does NOT mention it in the movie, but when he turns up, his rifle is, yep, slung on with a rope...wow! that's attention to detail!
        but what everybody's been talking about:  despite all the praise and oscar nominations, hailee steinfeld may still have been a little underrated...it's also a very well-written, charming, witty part, sticking closely to the book.  when she takes off to find the man who murdered her father, she wears his coat, hat and belt-it's sad and charming and somehow still feels authentic and looks really good, too.  true grit is really her story, and the title refers to her as much as anyone else in the story.
  if you have not seen this, it's still playing!  do not walk, RUN to you nearest theatre and give yourself a treat!!!