Kat with a K

January 2011

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January 22, 2011

Movie 3: True Grit

Title: True Grit
Year: 2010
Grade: 90
Date Seen: 1/8

Comments: A teen girl, a U.S. Marshal, and a Texas Ranger track down the girl's father's murderer in the Indian Nations in the late 1800s. (For the record, this is a remake, but I haven't seen the original.) I'll admit that the premise didn't really grab me, but I enjoyed this way more than I'd expected. Jeff Bridges gives a masterful performance, of course, but the real standout is newcomer Hailee Steinfeld (and yes, I could see her as Katniss in The Hunger Games). Her character is somewhat historically improbable (though of course not impossible), but she completely sells it. And Matt Damon gives a really interesting, nuanced performance as the cocky Texas Ranger who's also looking for the killer. Actually, now that I think about it, this movie reminded me of nothing so much as a grittier - sorry - version of the Little House books, which I've realized as an adult are really more terrifying than I'd ever thought. It's a cliche, but frontiers are really, really scary, and this movie did a great job of reminding us of that.

Posted by Kat at 09:33 AM | Comments (1)

January 13, 2011

Movie 2: Jane Eyre (1934)

Title: Jane Eyre
Year: 1934
Grade: 43
Date Seen: 1/6

Comments: This was just awful. It worked neither as an adaptation nor as a move in its own right. The plot was horribly bowdlerized to make it fit into 62 minutes, and most of the characterizations were off, too. People kept talking about how pretty and charming Jane was, for God's sake. Just no. I'm planning to watch a few more adaptations before the new movie comes out in March, so I hope those are better.

Posted by Kat at 08:05 PM | Comments (0)

January 12, 2011

Movie 1: The King's Speech

Title: The King's Speech
Year: 2010
Grade: 95
Date Seen: 1/2

Comments: This was completely, utterly delightful. Definitely my Best Picture choice for 2010. It's the story of George VI, who had to overcome his stammer when his brother abdicated and he became King of England. It stars Colin Firth (always great) as the king and Geoffrey Rush as his unconventional speech therapist, and the supporting cast includes Helena Bonham Carter (and it's SO nice to see her in a non-crazy role), Derek Jacobi, Michael Gambon, and Guy Pearce. Set during the run-up to World War II, it manages to be serious and heart-warming all at once. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Go see it!

Posted by Kat at 01:37 PM | Comments (1)