True Grit

Based on the classic story, a young girl (Hailee Steinfeld) is out to avenge her father’s death.  The girl is headstrong and stubborn, she knows what she wants.  She manages to get some money and a horse.  She finds Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), a man who has lost count of the number of people he has shot; he is mean and true grit but he takes a while to get off his horse.  Her room is taken by a texas ranger, la Boeuf , Matt Damon.  She negotiates an agreement with Cogburn and he asks her to set off tomorrow.  She finds that Cogburn has left with la Boeuf.

The adventure takes over when they set off.  Their adventure is endearing and thrilling.  It is a very calm western, with gun slinging action really in the last second half.  La Boeuf wants some respect as a texas ranger and does decide to do his own thing, but gets shot and bites his own tongue.  He acts with a bitten tongue, very cool.  Cogburn and La Boeuf always try to get one over on each other and be the best.

It must have been shot in the wilderness as it is all so realistic and makes you feel like your there. The atmosphere at times is just great.

With an eventful adventure, I could easily watch this again, the story is 1st class and the ending is majestic.

Trailer

Rating 8/10

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The Last Samurai

Tom Cruise stars in this action war adventure as an American war hero who has fought the American Indians in his home land.  He is asked to serve in the civil war of Japan.  He gets captured by the Samurai and is kept in their society.  He can not escape due to the fierce winter.  He begins to learn Japanese and embraces their culture.  When he is released, both sides of the civil war have been revealed and he must decide which side to take.  He chooses the Samurai.

Tom Cruise fits the perfect American captain, Nathan Algren.  Billy Conolly is present at the beginning, he dies in the first action encounter which does the film good as he is incredibly annoying.  Timothy Spall is casted too.  Ken Watanabe is the Samurai leader, Katsumoto.  He excels his role and makes the Samurai village atmospheric.

The story only really starts when he gets captured.  There is obviously fighting and dueling, which was necessary.  It was done originally and very you felt like you were watching it in the village.  Slow motion effects and atmospheric brilliance from Tom Cruise.

Even though it is biased towards the samurai, you are engrossed and you feel for Ken Wantanabe.  Needed the beginning chopped and the war at the end left out or made shorter, could have been an all time favourite.  The ending is beautiful.

IMDB The Last Samurai

Trailer

Rating: 6.9/10

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Avatar

‘Alice in Wonderland’ meets ‘National Geographic’ this is a 3D sci-fi movie that is of another class produced and directed by James Cameron of Titanic fame. The hero, a young marine who has lost the use of his legs in combat is in homeostasis travelling towards Pandora a planet in another solar system.  He has been in stasis for 5 years and 9 months.  On arriving at the planet he learns that his twin brother, the eminent scientist, has been assassinated and that his own DNA is so close that he could be considered a replacement to the project  even though he has had none of the necessary lengthy training.  Sigourney Weaver is the Project Manager she reluctantly puts our young hero into the dream state that allows him to become an Avatar and roam the planet as an alien and become one of “them”.   This involves him linking into another being that has been artificially made to look and behave like the native aliens.  They are blue, his names is Jake Sulley.  He is able to walk and fly and be successful and free in his dream world.  He falls in love.  There is the matter of the army who enlist his help to gain access to the precious metals underneath the alien colony, they want him to win the respect of the colony and move everyone out.

This movie encapsulates the magic and imagination of another world.  I loved many many things about this movie, but I won’t spoil them for you.

IMDB Avatar

Trailer

Rating: 8.4

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