TRUE GRIT

Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

I like western movies, especially the one with standoff and gritty characters. I enjoy the Spaghetti Western trilogy and The Quick and the Dead. Western movies makes me want to ride a horse and eat some steak.

As far as I know, this film is a remake of the film of the same title which was released in 1969, as for me I haven't seen the John Wayne version but upon hearing that the Coens are behind this, I am intrigued.

Mattie (Hailee Steinfeld) is a 14 year old girl seeking to avenge the death of his father. In her mission she employ, with her superb talent of persuading and pushing people with words, Marshal Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to track down Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the one who killed her father. 'Joining' the band is LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) a Texas Ranger who also hunt Cheney. As expected the three ara at odds with each other but as the mission goes by they find out that they needed each other more then they thought of. This is a tale of vengeance, friendship and loyalty in the unforgiving wild-wild west where brutal man like Cogburn is needed to establish justice.

What makes this one interesting is the bonding between these three main characters isn't over the top with sugar coated sentimentality. There's no doubt that Mattie is clever but her judgment of people improved during the journey and Cogburn, initially dismissing Mattie as just some teen having too much rage, began to appreciate Mattie's enthusiasm. As for LaBoeuf, his character transformed from just some annoying Texas ranger to a loyal and helpful friend.

As for the language, here is where the Coens are masterful. The extensive use of accent and swear words is perfectly and colorfully tuned into the dialogue.

This is perhaps the first time Coen brothers make a straight genre movie and surprisingly it works. For core fans, it doesn't feel like a Coen movie filled with darkness and cross genre, but it still feel good. The acting and cinematography is amazing, Jeff Bridges gives the maximum performance he can give and Hailee Steinfeld is plain amazing.

I never thought that Coens can make a good western as this one, and the 10 Oscar nomination is very justified. This is one of the best in 2010 and a reminder to us that remakes aren't always bad.

WAITING FOR 'SUPERMAN'

Directed by: Davis Guggenheim

The title is misleading, a lot of people would have thought this one is about searching for the new Superman after Brandon Routh. But this one is about the failing of educational system in United States. So for superhero movie fans who doesn't like a documentary movies consisted with people talking serious stuff and statistical graphics, this is not for them.

As for me I am not familiar with educational systems in the states, however this one gives me an insight that even in a country that has sent a man to the moon, there is something wrong with their educational system.

Guggenheim focuses on an African-American educator named Geoffrey Canada, who happens to be an idealist and has successfully open Harlem Success Academy, a successful charter school [school made and for the public] in the poorest area in Harlem.

Canada has a solution for failing systems; better teachers, highly paid and qualified. Although it is told that not all charter school successful but what Canada did was something nice, he gives back to the society.

Then this documentary spotlight the problems, like the difficulties to fire unqualified teacher, the teacher's union politics [I seriously doubt that teacher's union are evil as portrayed in this film, sure everything has a bad side but a union is meant to protect teachers from being discriminated in terms of profession, however the teacher's union in the states need to be reformed, I think] which hindered reformation in education and the educational system itself.

Not only on education, this one follows the fate of several children from low income to high income families who strive to get a placement in charter school. Since the seats are limited but the applicants are many, a lottery need to be made. Sounds fair but cruel. The one that made the cut has the chance for cheap and better education, the one that fails has to be sent home with big disappointment.

According to this film, public schools are failing and something serious need to be done sure. As for the title, it is an irony that people wait other people to save them from peril, sometimes all it takes is just one self action to save our self.

Now seeing the condition of educational qualities, teacher's and school in Indonesia I think this documentary is a nice insight for us to make education better and accessible for everyone, not just some commodity to earn cash or to elevate social status.

Sure as a documentary it tend to be subjective and you need to cross check the facts itself but as an idea that education should be good and available to everyone is a universal idea we share no matter where we come from.

WINTER'S BONE

Directed by: Debra Granik.

The fearless young female heroine, one of my favorite character, the one with no super powers or weapons but have the will to do what she think, the best for her.

As for myself, I didn't know the existence of this film if this one didn't get Oscar nomination for best picture.

The heroine is Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) a 17 year old girl who took care her younger brother and sister in the city of Ozark. Ozark itself looked like a Dumpville with trash and crappy stuff scattered all over the place. Everyone in Ozark has known a criminal, related with them and some are ex and soon to be criminal. Not a nice place to grow, especially for Ree who has to depend on neighbor's kindness even for daily food.

Ree's father, Jessup has been missing the deadline to show up at court and if he fails to whos up, the house Ree lived in will be taken by the government. Jessup has put his house and estate as the bail. So like it or not, Ree has to look for his father to save their house.

The road to find her father is tricky with other people refusing to give her some help but Ree will not give up, no matter what happened she has to be the family leader and save the day. What happened to her father and will she be able to survive the harshness of life and the threat of eviction? This is a heart breaking tale of survival that makes you think that in moments of harshness it is very important for family to stick up together.

Jennifer Lawrence is brilliant in this film, she can be fierce and strong while other actors and actresses are also amazing to watch, especially Teardrop (John Hawkes), Ree's uncle who is as fierce as Ree's. Even the dialogue itself is unique, they speak in an implicit way that seems to sprung up from Cormac McCarthy novels. Filled with tensions not fueled by crappy soundtracks but with silence with pauses that makes you think deeply, this one deserve an Oscar nomination in the category of Best Picture plus a nod for the talented Jennifer Lawrence.

I SAW THE DEVIL

Original Title: Akmareul boatda

Directed by: Ji-woon Kim

If you try to do some revenge to a certain person, will you become the one you hate? This film pose that serious question with extreme gore and violence not suitable even for adults who have a weak heart or those who used to listen to Phil Collins all day long.

My suggestion that if you hate seeing blood and decapitated bodies, don't watch this. The film started as an innocent woman raped, murdered and decapitated by Kyung-Chul (Choi Min-sik) who attacks her as she wait for towing car to tow her car.

The fiancée of this victim, Kim Soo-hyeon (Byung-hun Lee) happens to be a secret agent of some kind and as he found out that her fiancee already in pieces try to track down the murderers all by himself. He 'visit' each suspect and brutally tortures them until he finally met the last suspect, Kyung-Chul, which he finally conclude, from the evidence he gathered that Kyung is the one responsible for his fiancee's death.

But as Kim tortures Kyung-Chul and almost killed him he decided to play a cat and mouse game with Kyung by implanting a tracking device in Kyung. He let Kyung go but follows him religiously and tortures Kyung again whenever he had the chance and each torture is getting more brutal.

The game changes when Kyung knows about the tracking device and turns to hunt Kim's loved ones. Now Kim has to become the monster to fight the monster.

The magnitude of the violence is too much here, you need to listen to Super Junior happy songs to dilute it. However these gore violence seems to have a point that revenge; the colder and brutal it gets, will get you nowhere , eat you from the inside and will make you almost as the same as the one you hate.

This is gore orgy that travels between moral and ethical borderline back and forth and sometimes if you feel you had enough you can feel the pointlessness of the gore in this film. Like I said, this is not for everyone. But if you have survived Oldboy from Chan Woo Park, you can survive this.

There are some fascinating scenes, like when Kyung fights two other bad guys in a cab and the camera revolves around the cab unedited, remind me of the car scene in Children of Men.

THE GREEN HORNET

Directed by: Michel Gondry

Nicolas Cage and Ben Affleck is actually laughing now, knowing that there are superhero more lame that the one Nic acted in Ghost Rider and Ben in Daredevil. The lame superheroes are Britt Reid and Kato. Everything about this film is lame, the joke, the action, the dialogue and the linear plot, not to mention 3D converted to rip off decent people is in the category of ultra-lame. Gosh, even Kick-Ass and that lame Clash of the Titans are more entertaining than this one. If you happen to have insomnia and trouble sleeping well, this movie will make you snore to the roof.

It seems that this film is nothing more than just showcase for Seth Rogen's ego since he talk too much here, very annoying. I know he is also the screenwriter and the producer but did he have to put so many words in his character? As for Kato, the choice of Jay Chou is nothing more than a mistake, sure he can sing and very famous in Asia but he still need to learn to speak English in a way people can understand. To add salt to the wound, both of them has no chemistry at all.

The Green Hornet was based on a popular radio series in the 30s and TV series in the 60s the latter catapult Bruce Lee into fame. It's about superhero fighting crime and comedy.

It could be good if only Jay Chou decided to go to the gym to train hard so he can look mesmerizing shirtless. Here, Chou doesn't even take off his clothes and wear see through tights. If he did that at least it is one small effort to redeem the bad quality of this film and make the ladies (and some men) happy. Remember that Korean star Rain who appear shirtless in Ninja Assassin? Although the film is also suck at least he show some effort by looking muscular and entertain the ladies (and some men too). Do I need to bold the above mentioned sentence?

I don't know why I wrote that, especially the see through pants stuff that can make me vomit, I just think that at least some eye candy stuff can make this film a bit better. I do wish that Emma Stone is in this film, seeing her alone is worthy of admission price, but she's not here and I don't know who or what to blame except to blame the existence of see-through pants.

Cameron Diaz is certainly wasted here, she didn't show herself in a bikini and her character was made to make the guys who watched this film not bored. Sorry but why Cameron Diaz? Does Hollywood is running out of young beautiful girls who take a line at any fast food restaurant to cast? Why her? It's not her best part and she doesn't look comfortable at all.

The director of this mess is Michel Gondry and I think, after the reviews are out he wished he had the memory erasing machine he had from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to erase any memory he had making and watching this film and perhaps have the generosity to lend it to us.

THE FIGHTER

Directed by: David O. Russell

I don't know why boxing movies always have a special place in Hollywood. Some of them are good, like Rocky and Raging Bull, but the rest is just okay. As for me, I am a big fan of boxing and curious on how movies bring fights into screen.

With a very simple title, this one doesn't attracts me at all. But hey, any movies getting nomination as Best Picture is worthy of my short attention span. Like life itself, boxing is a perfect metaphor for 'life is a fighting' the difference is, for boxer, they have to fight it literally and metaphorically.

In the main spot is Mark Wahlberg, a talented actor with equal number of suck and good movies in his CV. Acting as Mickey Ward, Wahlberg shows that in the age of 39 he can still pull some punches.

Mickey is a struggling fighter from Lowell, Massachusetts, a blue collar small town America. His brother, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) is a has-been. He was once a boxer who had KO'd Sugar Ray Leonard and lives in the past glory. In present he is nothing more than just a crack addict.

Then there is his mother, Alice (Melissa Leo), a dominating wife that gives her husband no space to breathe. Together they are in team Mickey (as in team Jacob in Twilight saga).

Just like what people said, 'in the end you hurt the one you love the most' the family that supports Mickey ended up hurting Mickey, they just don't realize it until Charlene (Amy Adams) become the voice of reason to Mickey, well sort of.

Problems arise as Dicky got jailed and Mickey's career hangs in nowhere. Who can help Mickey and what will happen next?

The cast are superb, Melissa Leo can play a dominating mother and Christian Bale is so convincing in his The Machinist like performance; he make himself skinny. While Wahlberg is just okay but not disappointing.

The Fighter effectively balances sports elements with dysfunctional family drama and the result is very nice. I find myself inspired after watching The Fighter, just like as I watch 127 Hours.

The fact that this film is based on real people and real story makes everything interesting since it is not only about boxing but about fighting to be the best in this life by making the most of everything you had.

THE KING'S SPEECH

Directed by: Tom Hooper

If you were a king and have to held a speech, having a stammer would be a real pain right? That particular King was King George VI, Albert Duke of York (Colin Firth). And if you have to speak for the British Empire to the whole world, to be able to speak eloquently is a must. Especially if speeches is the only way you can convey your messages to your people.

Actually Albert wasn't suppose to be a King at all had his older brother, David (Guy Pearce) who become King Edward VIII decided to marry a twice divorced widow from United states, Wallis Simpson.

In history people recognized this as Edward VIII abdication crisis. Apparently as a king you have limitations too, especially if you want to fall in love. So Edward VII decided to chose Miss Simpson (Eve Best) instead of the throne and gave it to his brother.

I wonder, what sort of social rule disallow a king to fall in love with a widow? I mean there is nothing wrong with that right? Well who am I to comment on British monarch anyway. Fate has chosen Albert to become a king and he has to live up to his fate.

So after trying for years without luck to cure his stammer, his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) ask the help of an Australian therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), whose unorthodox methods are said to be successful.

Under Logue's guide, Albert began to show some improvement and they have become 'friends'. What amaze me is the acting quality of Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush is above amazing, they can portray their character convincingly and as a period piece it wasn't boring at all, in fact it was mesmerizing.

So 'clash' between two man of different social standing is something of a kind. Logue as a commoner must try so hard to position himself as a mentor to a king and the king must put himself in an inferior position, clinically to Logue.

British monarch has been a source of inspiration and this one gives us, common people, a peek into their privileged life. For those who thinks that the royals are just some lazy people they are surely mistaken, although born with a silver platter they also have to bear responsibility which is very difficult to handle. After all, they are human too.

If you happen to like Harry Potter movies, this film is a bit of 'reunion; George V played by Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), Elizabeth by Helena Bonham Carter (Belletrix Lestrange) and Churchill by Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew) have all appeared in Harry Potter movies.

Unlike that overrated Slumdog Millionaire which earn 8 Oscars, I think the 12 Oscar nomination for this film is well deserved since this one is surely will enrich your soul. This one is a strong contender this year, and deserved to be named Best Picture alongside The Social Network, Black Swan and 127 Hours

I don't know what will happen on Oscar night, but I do hope The King's Speech win big since they deserve it.