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Reviews
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962)
John Wayne's favorite movie!
I had never heard of this movie until I heard that it was John Wayne's favorite, so I had to see it. Not my favorite. My favorite is called "The Quiet Man." I watched it carefully and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you didn't think Glenn Ford was a convincing Hispanic, well that is your problem. What exactly is a convincing Hispanic? Glenn Ford is ALWAYS good! He did a great job and this is an absolutely entertaining flick from start to finish. Lee J. Cobb was also outstanding as the grandfather in a small role at the beginning. This is marvelous entertainment and I am astounded that I had never heard of it until recently. It is never shown anywhere. Is it? I wonder why? Compared to most of the unmitigated garbage they call movies today and even give Oscars for Best Picture, this is a great film. Highly recommended if you ever get a chance to see it.
True Grit (2010)
True Grit 1969 versus 2010!
Had the original 1969 production of "True Grit" never been made, I would have said this new version is a pretty decent movie. HOWEVER, not only have I seen both movies, unlike most here, I ACTUALLY READ THE BOOK by Charles Portis. Matt Damon admittedly never saw the original film and the Coen brothers apparently say they only saw it as kids. Quite intriguing since they supposedly wrote the screenplay and manage to match much of the original film's dialogue word for word. Additionally, much of the acting here is nearly identical(Voice inflections and such. Hmmm).
Right from the start, when Mattie Ross started saying she had hired Rooster Cogburn to assist her, I was eagerly anticipating the reincarnation of the Duke in some form from the great beyond. Seriously! What a disappointment! Jeff Bridges in an outhouse? Please!! While Jeff Bridges is a fine actor and his character here is quite interesting, he just does not replace or improve on the original in any way. Not even remotely! He mumbles incessantly through his dialogue and never creates the picture of a character of "True Grit." Here he is much more akin to Otis on "The Andy Griffith Show" as the town drunk.
As far as being true to the original novel(which has been stated frequently by the film's participants), that is accurate only in the ending. The 2010 production does in fact follow the novel to its conclusion many years later. In reality though, this adds little to the movie itself and in fact is a bit depressing. The book is not depressing. The original film ends on a cheerful note, whereas this one follows through to the inevitable end of every person that ever lives. They die! However, this has really nothing to do with the actual plot of the movie itself and adds nothing of worth.
The original film is nearly word for word from the Portis' novel and has an absolutely outstanding conclusion. This new version is substantially less attached to Portis and ends poorly at best.
The Coens change several scenes and even add new ones, that have nothing whatsoever to do with the original book. NOTHING AT ALL! This would be OK except for the fact, that they claim a close adaptation of the original novel. It is not, and it adds nothing to improve the overall value of the movie.
As far as the acting goes, Hailee Steinfeld does a very commendable job of copying Kim Darby's nearly perfect performance. Unfortunately, she is NOT nearly as good or even remotely as entertaining as the original. Not a chance!
The other 2010 version cast members are as equally NOT GOOD! Comparing Strother Martin as Colonel Stonehill in the original to the new guy is not an option. Dennis Hopper as Moon, Jeff Corey as Tom Chaney, James Westerfield as Judge Parker, and H.W. Gim as Chen Lee all added to the greatness of the original 1969 film. These were all great actors, that added their touch to an outstanding John Wayne film. To attempt to compare the new Ned Pepper to the original performance by Robert Duvall is absurd. Even Glen Campbell(who was reamed as the original La Boeuf) is FAR MORE INTERESTING AND ENTERTAINING than Matt Damon's dull, dull, and flat disinterested performance.
As intimidating an actor as was John Wayne, he ALWAYS allowed his supporting cast to let loose with their own unique talents, and it always was a great benefit to the final outcome. This is very much not in attendance in 2010. The supporting cast are in reality just reading old lines here, as they come across as completely boring and this movie is just HORRIBLY DULL in comparison to 1969! Even the scenic shots from 41 years ago are far superior. Hard to believe this reality in the new world of digital technology.
I really hesitate to compare Jeff Bridges to a guy who was a top(if not always #1) box office draw for 5 straight decades(30's through 70's), because I nearly always enjoy watching Jeff Bridges. BUT, in this case he is way out of his league. PERIOD!
As far as the Coen brothers go, for them to be able to come up with great films like "Fargo" and "No Country For Old Men," should also give them enough intuitive foresight to realize, YOU DON'T MESS WITH CREATIVE PERFECTION!
In regard to the executive producer(Someone who gets paid a substantial sum, but does little else)Steven Spielberg, needs to stick with "Indiana Jones" and "ET." When it comes to great westerns, you are NOT at all with the program.
The original 1969 production of "True Grit" was a fun and highly entertaining film, which is what movies are nearly always meant to be. ENTERTAINMENT! PERIOD! It is most worthy of historical significance in the archives of filmdom. To remake it with the intent of surpassing and basically spitting on the original production is the work of fools. Clearly the only object here is to make money. I'm sure they are very successful at that, but it is most assuredly at the expense of a real work of art from long ago. See the original and dare to compare.
Dog the Bounty Hunter (2003)
Quality Reality TV
A fine and entertaining reality show depicting what happens to deadbeat losers that don't follow the rules of the bail bondsman. Watch as Dog smashes and trashes his way through the slime of the earth, and be thankful that there are people out there willing to do what the Dog does. This is normally a thankless and relatively low paying job that few are willing to do. If it weren't for people like the Dog, willing to risk their lives every time they go out, there would be much more riffraff out there. Certainly a superior program to 99% of the commercial filled, trashy, not remotely funny sitcoms(filled with canned laughter every other line of dialogue), and moronic, dull, made for pea wit dramas that fill the network airwaves night after night. A unique and refreshing change from the usual trite teenybopper fare. THE DOG RULES!!! Watch and learn.