LT Features

Nitty Gritty Yesterday I went to a press screening (NBD!) of True Grit and even though I was skeptical of anyone’s ability to fill John Wayne’s cowboy boots, Jeff Bridges did a killer job – pun intended.  He plays a one-eyed, pistol-wielding marshal with a deep down soft spot for a little girl who is determined to seek vengeance for her slain father.  The Oscar-winning Jeff Bridges was nearly outshined by Hailee Steinfeld, a Hollywood newcomer who plays the aforementioned girl who is out for blood.  The role, which was played by Kim Darby in the 1969 original, reminded me in a strange way of Natalie Portman’s character in The Professional.  I myself was always more of an Annie Oakley fan than a Disney princess-wannabe, so I love seeing girls in roles like these.  Another character that sent me into a serious déjà-vous moment was Barry Pepper playing – cue “Twilight” music – Ned Pepper.  As if the moniker coincidence weren’t weird enough, Barry looked like a dead ringer for a young Robert Duvall who – surprise, surprise – played Ned in the original!  Matt Damon takes over for Glen Campbell as La Boeuf and Josh Brolin plays Chaney, the man everyone is after.  Plus, there are some pretty incredible blood-and-guts moments that will undoubtedly make you sit a little straighter. When I wasn’t busy pondering the complexities of the original versus the remake, I was thinking about all of the things I could learn from Joel and Ethan Coen, the two brothers who both wrote the screenplay and directed the film.  For starters, they clearly work really well together and have somehow conquered any sibling rivalry that may have once existed.  If only they could take the Coppolas out, they could be Hollywood’s leading family.  Now that would make for a great movie. A final and extremely random fun fact – Whoopi Goldberg was also at the screening, sitting a mere row behind me.  I recognized her immediately and I’m sure she spotted me from afar.  I mean, the one and only LT Features is very recognizable… right? L.T.

Nitty Gritty

Yesterday I went to a press screening (NBD!) of True Grit and even though I was skeptical of anyone’s ability to fill John Wayne’s cowboy boots, Jeff Bridges did a killer job – pun intended.  He plays a one-eyed, pistol-wielding marshal with a deep down soft spot for a little girl who is determined to seek vengeance for her slain father.  The Oscar-winning Jeff Bridges was nearly outshined by Hailee Steinfeld, a Hollywood newcomer who plays the aforementioned girl who is out for blood.  The role, which was played by Kim Darby in the 1969 original, reminded me in a strange way of Natalie Portman’s character in The Professional.  I myself was always more of an Annie Oakley fan than a Disney princess-wannabe, so I love seeing girls in roles like these. 

Another character that sent me into a serious déjà-vous moment was Barry Pepper playing – cue “Twilight” music – Ned Pepper.  As if the moniker coincidence weren’t weird enough, Barry looked like a dead ringer for a young Robert Duvall who – surprise, surprise – played Ned in the original!  Matt Damon takes over for Glen Campbell as La Boeuf and Josh Brolin plays Chaney, the man everyone is after.  Plus, there are some pretty incredible blood-and-guts moments that will undoubtedly make you sit a little straighter.

When I wasn’t busy pondering the complexities of the original versus the remake, I was thinking about all of the things I could learn from Joel and Ethan Coen, the two brothers who both wrote the screenplay and directed the film.  For starters, they clearly work really well together and have somehow conquered any sibling rivalry that may have once existed.  If only they could take the Coppolas out, they could be Hollywood’s leading family.  Now that would make for a great movie.

A final and extremely random fun fact – Whoopi Goldberg was also at the screening, sitting a mere row behind me.  I recognized her immediately and I’m sure she spotted me from afar.  I mean, the one and only LT Features is very recognizable… right?

L.T.