nomadreader

The backstory: True Grit  is nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards: Best  Supporting Actress, Hailee Steinfeld, and Best Actor, Jeff Bridges. The basics: Based on the novel by Charles Portis , True Grit , is not a remake of the John Wayne version of the film . It is a new adaptation and true to the gritty roots of westerns. Young Mattie Ross ventures to the big city to claim her father's body and vows to get vengeance from the man who murdered him. My thoughts: I used to freely admit I didn't like westerns. I thought they were outdated and sexist. After seeing True Grit , I'm woman enough to admit it: I like westerns. True Grit  is a delightful mix of modern and classic. Hailee Steinfeld is a revelation. Yes, she is just as bad-ass as she appears in the ads, but the true beauty of her performance are the times she shows her fear and vulnerability. She is fourteen, and she looks fourteen, she mostly doesn't act fourteen. Her courage is admirable, as well as...

Welcome to my Monday morning recap of my fabulous Friday night. Each week I see a film at the Spectrum Theater , my local independent movie theater. Then, I have dinner at my favorite restaurant, New World Bistro Bar . Crazy Heart  finally opened in Albany. The trailer was amazing. Jeff Bridges has won a slew of Best Actor awards, including the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award, for his role as Bad Blake, a washed up country singer.  Crazy Heart  is a beautiful film. Bad Blake is a difficult person to watch at times. He's an alcoholic. He's self-destructive. He's a brilliant singer and songwriter, but he's wasting away. Jeff Bridges does an amazing job. Bad Blake is not a character you want to root for and one I knew I was too smart to hope for, but I did anyway. As wonderful as Jeff Bridges was, Maggie Gyllenhaal gives the film's best performance. I'm even more convinced she is the best actress of my generation. As Jean, a music reporter and...