True Grit

When her father is murdered by hired hand Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Halie Steinfeld) hires notorious U.S. Marshal Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), a one-eyed drunk of notoriously mean temperament, to help bring Chaney to justice. They form an uneasy alliance with La Boeuf (Matt Damon), a proud Texas Ranger who has been pursuing Chaney in connection with another crime.


Remaking a film whose lead actor won an Oscar for the role seems like a tall order, but for the Coen Brothers, anything cinematic is possible. The 1969 version of True Grit featured arguably the best performance of John Wayne’s career and supporting turns by the likes of Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper. Nevertheless, the 2010 version surpasses it in every way.


The biggest difference between the two is the Coens’ decision to hew closely to the source material, Charles Portis’ novel. The novel is told through Mattie’s eyes as an adult narrator, which gives her an increased role and the film a rather different tone. The Coens also preserved a lot of the novel’s dialogue, leading to plenty of laugh-out-loud moments as deadpan remarks (“You are not La Boeuf,” Rooster observes as a bearskin-clad stranger approaches) and puffed-up prose. Lastly, not having to worry about filling The Duke’s shoes allows The Dude to interpret Rooster Cogburn in his own fashion. The result is a buffoonish, broken-down drunk who can nevertheless get the job done with amazing efficiency when the stakes are raised.


Bridges’ co-stars are every bit as good. Damon’s easily offended La Boeuf has comic relief trappings, but he’s still credible as a man of action. Ditto Brolin’s Chaney, a poorly regarded lout who is nevertheless a menace. Curiously, the role of gang leader Ned Pepper (Duvall in the original version) is played by Barry Pepper, who makes the most of his brief screen time.


However, the film is truly buoyed by Steinfeld, a relative newcomer who more than holds her own. She approaches Mattie with poise and makes the character almost admirable without betraying the book’s vision. The cinematic Mattie is still headstrong, insistent, and brave beyond her years, but not quite as insufferable as the literary narrator.


The look and sound of the film are top-notch thanks to the return of frequent Coen collaborators Roger Deakins (cinematography) and Carter Burwell (music). There is a good amount of frontier violence here, but True Grit has nothing on the Coens’ last foray out west (No Country For Old Men).


Whether it’s dark comedy or stark drama, an homage-laden original or a faithful adaptation, the Coen Brothers have proven in recent years that they are capable of writing and directing just about any kind of film. Where True Grit ranks among their other films is a matter of fan opinion (the competition is stiff, to say the least), but it singlehandedly defies the notion that remakes of decent flicks will be inherently inferior.


8.25/10

Tron: Legacy

In 1989, revolutionary software engineer Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) abruptly disappeared. Twenty years later, his son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) is a hacktivist loner struggling to make sense of his father’s disappearance. A mysterious page leads Sam back to Kevin’s arcade, where he is sucked into The Grid, the digital world of his father’s creation. On the run from the tyrannical A.I. Clu (Bridges again, digitally de-aged), Sam must reunite with Kevin and return to the real world before the programs do.


When the original Tron was released in 1982, it generated a cult following and critical praise in spite of its confusing plot due to impressive special effects and an inventive premise. This much-belated sequel increases both the visual splendor and the disorienting plotting, to a mixed, though largely favorable result.


Those who enjoyed the original Tron will be pleased to see Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner (as fellow programmer Alan Bradley and his A.I. counterpart, Tron) back in action. However, aside from those two, series creator Steven Lisberger serving as a producer, and Cillian Murphy cameoing as the original antagonist’s son, there isn’t enough continuity here to overwhelm a first-time viewer. This is a definite plus, in that the film is confusing enough as-is. The double-dose of Jeff Bridges is visually jarring, and Clu’s turn to the dark side is extremely abrupt: basically, he turns on his creator when Kevin forsakes him for Isomorphic Algorithms, advanced creations that could potentially unlock tons of human mysteries. How exactly this would happen is anyone’s guess.


Visually, the film captures the look and feel of being inside a 1980s computer game. So strong is the disconnect between that world and ours that it is extremely difficult to accurately describe – picture a lot of black space with brightly colored lines everywhere. That the film can present this world as being awe-inspiring rather than ridiculous is a strong indication of how much money and effort went into the design.


Unfortunately, the film is ridiculous in other ways. This being a Disney production, the acting is prone to cheesiness. Bridges as Clu ventures into cardboard-cutout villainy while Bridges as Flynn channels an aged version of The Dude. Michael Sheen is also excessively campy a David Bowie-esque digital nightclub owner. On the flip side, Hedlund is credible in the lead, Olivia Wilde is passable, and Daft Punk amusingly cameo as DJs in Sheen’s nightclub.


Tron: Legacy is perhaps too conventional in its approach to generate the same kind of analysis that came in the wake of The Matrix films. It is also too complex and convoluted to function as pure entertainment. But as mildly thought-provoking eye candy featuring Jeff Bridges doing Jeff Bridges things, it reaches a solid middle ground.


7.75/10

Dominion

In this Medieval-themed card game, two to four players compete to amass the most property in the kingdom. From an initial deal of five coin and three property cards, players build their decks by amassing action cards as well as additional coin and property, each with a different value. Action cards may do anything from grant the player more coin to penalize an opponent. When an end condition is reached (typically, all the highest-value property cards have been drawn), the property is totaled and a winner is declared.


The appeal of Dominion lies in its flexibility. There are more than a dozen different action cards, and they can be mixed and matched to build a custom game every time. Through trial and error, it is easy to eliminate any cards you don’t like (I’m looking at you, Adventurer) and focus on those that make the game the most interesting.


In addition, Dominion forces players to think strategically. If your opponents are buying Thief (costs you coin) and Witch (costs you property value via “curse” cards) cards, you’d better stock up on Moats (defends against attack cards). If property is disappearing fast, you’d be wise to grab what you can, even if it’s a paltry Estate. Not only does this forced adaptability increase player involvement in the game, but it deemphasizes luck. You don’t like the hand you drew? Guess what, you bought the cards.


Like all games, there is a bit of a learning curve. Dominion’s multi-phase (one action and one buy) turns take some getting used to, and the relative lack of warfare (Militia cards aside) may make the game seem boring to newcomers. Once you adjust, however, it becomes both easy and engrossing. Each configuration of cards and group of opponents bring new challenges. There are also expansion packs to increase the possibilities.


8/10

Over the Edge

Trapped in a dull planned community, misunderstood youth seek refuge in audacity. Their drug-dealing and petty crime goes unnoticed at first, but increasing tension with local police eventually leads to tragedy and violent reprisals.


Released in 1979, it’s hard to tell if Jonathan Kaplan’s film was intended as edgy social criticism or as a B-grade message movie. It’s dated, to say the least – teenagers engaging in debauchery is hardly shocking these days – but there’s still an unsettling core here. The idea that teenagers should be regarded as people with legitimate issues and concerns and not as a municipal image problem is a lesson the largely clueless adults learn all too late.


Unfortunately, the film’s thematic promise is nearly betrayed by acting that is mediocre at best. Matt Dillon makes his debut as a gun-toting delinquent, but no one will confuse him for James Dean. The chief protagonist, Carl (Michael Eric Kramer), is supposed to be torn between his parents and his friends, but the conflict is heavily skewed to favor the latter. Starpower may be overrated, but Over the Edge could have used some stronger acting, even if only in a glorified cameo.


On the flip side, the movie does boast a quality soundtrack (Van Halen, The Ramones, and Cheap Trick, among other bands) and the cinematography effectively captures the suffocating yuppie boredom of New Granada.


The best reasons for watching this movie, however, come from real life. It was inspired by a San Francisco article about a youth crime spree and it went on to have a profound effect on one viewer, Kurt Cobain. Watch the video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and bask in the similarities.


7.25/10

Firefly

500 years in the future amid a galaxy full of colonized planets, former resistance fighter Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) captains the Serenity, a cargo ship for hire. The ragtag crew includes tough second-in-command Zoe (Gina Torres), her laidback pilot husband Wash (Alan Tudyk), perpetually cheerful engineer Kaylee (Jewel Staite), sophisticated courtesan Inara (Morena Baccarin), and uncouth muscle-for-hire Jayne (Adam Baldwin). The crew is soon joined by a pair of fugitives on the run from the ruling Alliance: upper-class doctor Simon Tam (Sean Maher) and his disturbed teenage sister, River (Summer Glau). As the Serenity crew loots and smuggles its way across the galaxy, it must stay one step ahead of crime bosses, cannibals, and, of course, the Alliance.


The epitome of a cult classic, Firefly aired for a single season in 2002. When Fox pulled the plug, fan outrage was such that it inspired series creator Joss Whedon to put together a movie (2005’s Serenity) just to tie up some loose ends. To say that the franchise deserved a longer lifespan is like saying that the Titanic should have had more than one voyage.


To put it simply, Firefly offers something for everyone. Fans of Whedon’s previous series (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) can rejoice at his trademark snarky dialogue, while those who found Buffy incredibly silly can revel in Firefly’s frontier grit. A fast-paced space western with obvious Star Wars influences (as a risk-taking anti-hero, Mal frequently channels Han Solo), the show still avoids many genre clichés. Alliance soldiers, for example, are less the minions of Big Brother and more the annoying bureaucratic types who can nevertheless be reasoned with. Likewise, instead of ripping off John Williams, the show opts for a blues number by Sonny Rhodes as its theme song.


This unique vision would amount to naught if the execution wasn’t there. Fortunately, it is – in a big way. Cast to perfection, Firefly presents a crew of misfits who are thoroughly entertaining and engaging if a bit predictable. It’s never a surprise when Mal picks a fight, Jayne contemplates betrayal, or River has a breakdown, but there are more than a few swerves as well. A strong sense of continuity ensures that the stupid decisions of one episode will come back to bite the crew later on as the series progresses.


If there’s one drawback to Firefly, it’s that the short production run leaves a lot of questions unanswered. What exactly is wrong with River Tam doesn’t become fully apparent until the movie, and the mysterious past of “Shepherd” Book isn’t revealed on screen at all.


Eight years after going off the air, Firefly continues to maintain a strong following. That a show which only existed for 14 episodes (not all of which originally aired) can still leave people wanting more nearly a decade later is a testament to its all-around excellence.


8.75/10

Apparition and Late Fictions

The debut story collection from undertaker-turned-poet Thomas Lynch, Apparition and Late Fictions contains the title novella and four shorter works, all of which are united by a sense of loss.


Plowing through Lynch’s writing is the equivalent of driving a Honda with a 500-horsepower engine. His prose is simply masterful. Whether describing the violence of murder as “hunter-gatherly” or using a pilot’s crisp epaulettes to show a character’s preference for refinement, Lynch’s command of language is as fresh and innovative as it is precise.


Unfortunately, a good turn of phrase does not a good story make. Though an established memoirist and poet, it’s fairly clear that Lynch has yet to fully grow into the role of storyteller. The fiction contained here is ponderously paced and weighed down by an overemphasis on backstory. Worse still, his endings are either abrupt (“Martin never heard from her again.”), asynchronous, or quixotic.


However, this isn’t to say that the collection is pretty prose and nothing more. As a mortician, Lynch excels at creating a pervasive sense of sorrow, whether it be an embalmer grieving for a murder victim (“Bloodsport”), a fisherman mourning his father “Catch and Release”), or a retiree torn up over his several failed marriages (“Hunter’s Moon”). In addition, Lynch succeeds at taking unsympathetic characters and making them pitiable and interesting. The protagonist of “Matinee de Septembre” is a spoiled, elitist academic who ends up hopelessly pining for a Jamaican serving girl half her age while the title novella’s straightlaced preacher-turned-motivational speaker only feels divine inspiration after divorcing his unfaithful wife and engaging in random debauchery. Funny moments are few and far between, but when they work – i.e. a woman demanding a priest annoint a dog because it is a “Catholic” dog – they really work well.


Apparition and Late Fictions is a flawed but promising first effort, worthwhile as an introduction to an author who is likely to impress once he becomes more familiar with his craft.


7.5/10