The Case for Grittiness

First off, a big thanks to LJ Holden for a fairly comprehensive and multi-entry replies to my last post – there is a lot of food for thought. I definitely jest when I talk about Mr Peters (though I have a secret fear, exacerbated by a NZ First supporting family member), but it is good to have my more serious points well considered.

The final three points noted as the republican reasons are where, I think, my main difference of opinion lies. True, it is definitely more democratic to have a President (assuming we decide to have one elected by the people, or even just by the majority of Parliament), but I personally think that New Zealand’s senses of independence and nationhood are not reliant on being a republic, as I think actions over the past 30 years have demonstrated. Whenever I travel abroad, I have no problem pointing to things that make “New Zealand-ness”, and don’t feel held back by the fact the country is still a monarchy. This is obviously not a sentiment felt by everyone.

A similar change (though not quite as profound) would be wrought if/when a new flag was ever decided upon, I am sure – and I would like to see Mr 2Trees’ entry for the new NZ flag, as he has a great eye for design.
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The Coens are able to get amazing performances from their actors, and True Grit gets some pretty fine acting out of Jeff Bridges (who probably saved all his acting fuel for True Grit while sleeping his way through Tron: Legacy), Matt Damon (looking a bit chunkier out of his Bourne identity), and Hailee Steinfeld, who grabs attention as a precocious youngster in the opening part of the film though has to relinquish centre stage pretty soon to the aforementioned Bridges.



I am not a big fan of Westerns, but I loved this film. The dialogue, seeming to come straight from the source novel (but tweaked, I am sure) is frequently hilarious; the acting from all concerned is outstanding; and the wild west looks stunning, though the very brown landscape meant that I could never quite see it as “cold” even when there was meant to be snow falling.

It was a pretty packed session at Readings (the queues at the Candy bar beforehand were incredibly long, though I don’t think our session in cinema 10 was totally full), but again it was another movie where barely a word was spoken, so intently was everyone staring at the screen.

There was no intense Mexican with a bad haircut in this film, but Josh Brolin made a mumbling appearance and there were a few exotic (and bizarre) characters that graced the screen from time to time, but the film really belonged to Bridges – once Steinfeld was sidelined, of course.

The story of True Grit is one of revenge, but its not full of swearing (these are God fearing folk) and only occasional flashes of violence. There is machismo and drinking, and a bit of common sense versus bluster, and the whole thing feels lovingly crafted and excellently executed.

There’s not a lot more I can say. It was a brilliant film though, in the Oscar race, my favourite still has to be the more psychologically thrilling Black Swan – not that my opinion counts for much with that august Academy of course. But True Grit is definitely a brilliant film to watch, a more family friendly film than No Country for Old Men set in the Wild West.

Verdict: What can one say about the Coen brothers and their films? They all tend to be pretty great, and True Grit is one of their greatest. 8 ten gallon hats out of 10.