Rooster Cogburn

"Damn your murdering hides, meet your maker!"

In the 10 years (or 2 lustrum) of his career as a marshal, Rooster Cogburn (Wayne) has killed many men. So many that Judge Parker (McIntire) asks for his badge. However when a government wagon of nitro glycerine is hijacked, there is only one man for the job, regardless the cost, "you forget judge you hung up my guns. I'm re-tired, re-lieved, and re-joicing!" With his badge returned Rooster sets out after an old enemy, Hawk (Jordan), and an old friend, Breed (Zerbe), who have the wagon. When Hawk's crew kills a pastor, Rooster takes his daughter Eula (Hepburn) and the Native American boy protecting her, Wolf (Romancito) with him. Eula is a head strong woman who frequently butts heads with Rooster. Together they seek justice for the theft and murder.


Honestly, I would rather watch this film than it's predecessor "True Grit." According to many people, this film is sub par in comparison (they are wrong). Below are the reasons this film is better...
1. The leading lady is Katharine Hepburn...who is much more entertaining than Kim Darby
2. The chemistry between Hepburn and Wayne is better...they swap lines, one-upping each other. His relationship with Darby is more fatherly.
3. The characters are not annoying. Darby's Mattie is obnoxious, and one of the reasons I do not enjoy "True Grit"
4. There are some classic lines in this film... "I'll get you a fair trial and a good hanging. Maybe even get you life in the state penitentiary. They'll teach you to read and write...the rest isn't as good..." (among others)
This film ranked #2 for my favorite John Wayne films.

Rent it: it isn't as well known or as popular as "True Grit," but it still worth a look.

Rooster Cogburn (1975) 108 minutes
Director: Stuart Miller
Starring: John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn
Katharine Hepburn as Eula
Anthon Zerbe as Breed
Richard Jordan as Hawk
John McIntire as Judge Parker
Richard Romancito as Wolf

Click here to see more reviews of Wayne films.

Oscar Picks 2009

This is year 3 for my blog and for guessing the Oscars. This year I have seen (at this point) 5 of the films being honored (Iron Man, The Dark Knight, Tropic Thunder, WALL-E, and Kung Fu Panda), so similar to 2007 and 2008 I will be guessing based on trailers, the reviews I read, and my personal opinions. Let the games begin. I will update the list either during or after the Oscars to see how well I do.

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
*Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

...who will win... Heath Ledger
...who should win... Heath Ledger

I enjoyed Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder, but I would rather see the Oscar go to Heath Ledger. If not for this film alone, then to honor his body of work. I don't really think the others stand a chance.

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Doubt
*Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taranji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

...who will win... probably Penelope Cruz, but I hope not
...who should win... I don't really know, so I'll just pick Amy Adams because she is adorable

Woody Allen films are overrated, and I have yet to be impressed with Penelope Cruz in any film. Based on everything I have been reading, I believe she will probably win, but I hope not. None of the others really stands out in my mind. Yes, their performances are praised, but I don't know much about them. Amy Adams is wonderful in general, so she gets my vote, but I wouldn't be upset if anyone other than Penelope Cruz walks away with the Oscar.

Best Actor
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
*Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

...who will win... either Mickey Rourke or Sean Penn
...who should win... Mickey Rourke or Sean Penn

Everyone I know loved Milk and Sean Penn's performance, so I guess I'm leaning towards him. However, this is Mickey Rourke's triumphant return to the world of acting...in a role that is similar to his life. There is something very special about that, and considering he won the Golden Globe for best actor, he could walk away with the award. Without seeing either film I don't think I can make a good judgement call. Either will be a good choice.

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
*Kate Winslet, The Reader

...who should win... probably Kate Winslet
...who will win... either Kate Winslet or Meryl Streep

I love Anne Hathaway and would love to see her win the Oscar, but Kate Winselt has been racking up the awards. I know she won the Golden Globe for both The Reader and Revolutionary Road, and am surprised that she didn't get nominated for both here, but I think this is her year. However, one can never count out Meryl Streep. As for the other two, I don't want Angelina Jolie to win and I have never heard of either Frozen River or Melissa Leo, so I don't think she has much of a chance.

Best Director
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
*Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

...who will win... Danny Boyle
...who should win... not sure

If history repeats itself Slumdog will sweep the awards, and I hate when one film manages to do that. Yes, it's probably a great film, but still...it just gets obnoxious as a viewer. I doubt David Fincher and Ron Howard have a chance. With that said the films that seem the strongest currently are The Reader and Milk, so either of those directors could possibly pull an upset (unlikely).

Best Animated Film
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
*WALL-E
...who will win... WALL-E
...who should win... WALL-E

Kung Fu Panda was cute, but Pixar and WALL-E are better. Never count Pixar out. End of story.

Best Film

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
*Slumdog Millionaire

...who will win... Slumdog Millionaire or Milk...who should win... Slumdog Millionaire or Milk

It could go either way. Will people vote on current politics and go with Milk, or will they take the fairytale of Slumdog. I don't know. Brokeback Mountain was the favorite, but did not win...that was two years ago and times have changed, so Milk could have a chance.
Frost/Nixon isn't popular enough. The Reader has a chance, but won't. Benjamin Button won't win. I'm leaning towards Slumdog at this point. But if it does sweep the awards I can guarantee I won't be watching it for at least a year (thats how long it took to convince me to watch Million Dollar Baby because I was annoyed that it won every single award that year).

And just for fun:
Short Animated Film - Presto (the Pixar short at the beginning of WALL-E)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will probably win for effects.

Side note:
I'm annoyed that most movie theaters do not show Oscar nominated films. How am I supposed to make educated guesses when I can't find the films? I know it's possible, but that involves spending more money on a ticket and driving farther away...

EDIT: the (*) is the winner
7/7, not bad for not seeing most of these films...although I should probably subtract a point for Best Actor, I was announcing who would win each category and predicted Mickey Rourke while watching, but was mistaken.

10 Things I Hate About You

"What are the two house rules? Number One: No dating till you graduate. Number Two: No dating till you graduate."

Cameron (Gordon-Levitt) meets the girl of his dreams, Bianca Stratford (Oleynik) on his first day at his new high school. She is most beautiful and shallow girl at school, but cannot date. Her father has the rules quoted above, but changes the rule so that the only way Bianca can date is if her older sister Kat (Stiles) does.
Kat is a hardcore feminist and social outcast, but Cameron is determined. With the help of his nerdy pal Michael (Krumholtz) he constructs an elaborate plan to get the girl. They convince wealthy and conceited Joey (Keegan), who also wants Bianca, to pay bad boy Patrick (Ledger) to try dating Kat. With a little help from Bianca and Kat's best friend Mandella (Pratt), Cameron and Michael give Patrick advice to get Kat to date him. The plan goes into action at the big beer bash.


I love this film...I should probably just admit that now. The soundtrack is incredible, each song reflects the current mood / characters on screen. Yes, the characters are the regular cast in teen films (the bad boy, the preppy girl, etc), but the cast makes the most of their roles. However, the funniest characters are the adults: the guidance counselor, the English teacher, and the dad. Ms. Perky the guidance counselor is writing a novel, occasionally borrowing phrases from her sessions with students. Although she is only in a few scenes, her character is one of the most memorable in the film. Mr. Morgan is a teacher with attitude who raps a sonnet and tells his class how he really feels about them (painfully honest), the man has spunk! (can I say that about a man?, it sounds like something you say about a child...) And Mr. Stratford, Kat and Bianca's father, has my favorite lines in the film. He's trying to keep order in his house and protect his daughters, but it doesn't work out the way he planned. The best part of the film is when Heath Ledger's Patrick sings and "dances" for Kat, in front of the entire school. How can you not love that? An enjoyable film.

The story is based on William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew

Dude, it's quotable: pretty much anything Larry Miller says is golden, but the rest of the cast gets in a few one-liners
Rent it: you know you love it too

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) 97 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for crude sex-related humor and dialogue, alcohol and drug-related scenes, all involving teens
Director: Gil Junger
Starring: Heath Ledger as Patrick Verona
Julia Stiles as Kat Stratford
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Cameron James
Larisa Oleynik as Bianca Stratford
David Krumholtz as Michael
Andrew Keegan as Joey Donner
Susan May Pratt as Mandella
Gabrielle Union as Chastity
Larry Miller as Walter Stratford
Daryl Mitchell as Mr. Morgan
Allison Janney as Ms. Perky

Once

"How come you don't play during daytime? I see you here everyday."
"During the daytime people would want to hear songs that they know, just songs that they recognize. I play these song at night or I wouldn't make any money. People wouldn't listen."
"I listen."

In Dublin (Ireland), the Guy (Hansard) plays his guitar on street corners. During the day he plays popular songs for tips, and at night he performs original songs. One night he meets the Girl (Irglova), who compliments his song and asks him the quote above. She is also a musician, but sells flowers by day to make a living, while he fixes vacuums with his father to pay the bills. She doesn't have a piano, but is able to play the display piano in a local music shop. Both are nursing a broken heart and use their music as a way to heal. He writes songs, which she fixes, and he fixes her broken vacuum. Together they gather other street musicians for their big break.


It's all about the music, and I'm fine with that. The emotion comes through the music, and it is obvious that everyone involved loves music. The majority of the characters do not have names. Hansard and Irglova are not actors, they are musicians, but they bring genuine emotion to the roles, which is refreshing. Everyone I know loves this film, and I was worried I wouldn't love it. But no worries, I loved it! It isn't the typical musical where characters randomly break into songs, backed by seen or unseen singers and wearing shiny sequins...and it was a nice change (although I do love glitzy musicals). The songs are incredible and worth all the acclaim they received.

Dude, it's quotable: just try to get the songs out of your head
Rent it: did I mention the lead is Irish (!!), good story and not what you'd expect

Once (2007) 85 minutes
Rating: R for language
Director: John Carney
Starring: Glen Hansard as the Guy
Marketa Irglova as the Girl

Casino Royale (2006)

"I knew it was too early to promote you."
"Well, I understand double 0s have a very short life expectancy... so your mistake will be short-lived."

James Bond (Craig) has just received his 00 status, and his first mission: bring in a bomb maker for questioning. But the bomb maker leads to a bigger case involving mob money. Despite her reservations (see quote above), M (Dench) assigns Bond to the case. Le Chiffre (Mikkelsen) is the accountant to the mob. He made a bad investment and loses their money, and has set up a high-stakes poker game to win the money back. Bond is supposed to play to keep the money away from the mob. The government gives him the money, and a representative from a Treasury, Vesper Lynd (Green). Vesper controls the amount of money Bond can use to play. They also team up with a local, Mathis (Giannini) to win all the money.


To be completely honest, the only reason I watched this film was so I could see the sequel in theaters with some friends. I have seen every Bond film, but am not a fan. Essentially they are the same: Bond get assigned to some super-important case by M, flirts with Moneypenny, gets some sweet gadgets from Q, blows up some stuff, saves the day, and sleeps with at least one gorgeous chick who is somehow involved in the case (victim, cohort, villain). The case, villain, and girls are different, but otherwise it is the same.

This film works because it isn't the typical Bond film. This is an origin story and supposed to show how/why Bond became the super spy of pop culture. Daniel Craig works as Bond, making him different from the previous incarnations: he makes mistakes, gets hurt (and bloody), and is smug. This film was well made with exotic locales, although the majority of the film / plot involves a poker game. My biggest problem with the film is the relationship between Bond and Vesper. It is interesting and believable, until the end of the film where it takes a large jump. The role of M was expanded, which was an interesting dimension to the story. However the characters of Q and Moneypenny were absent. I missed Q and his snarky responses to Bond, but could live without seeing Moneypenny. Hopefully in future Bond films they revamp her character as well. I had to watch the film twice to completely understand what happens, but I enjoyed the ride both times.

**There is a torture scene (after the car accident), and several violent deaths shown on screen.

Casino Royale (2006) 144 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action, a scene of torture, sexual content and nudity.
Director: Martin Campbell
Starring: Daniel Craig as James Bond
Eva Green as Vesper Lynd
Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre
Judi Dench as M
Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter
Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis