Title: Unforgiven

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Written by: David Webb Peoples

Current Flickchart position:  #332 of 1360 overall.  My #9 film, of 38, from the year 1992.

What It’s About:
Retired Old West gunslinger William Munny (Clint Eastwood) reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner (Morgan Freeman) and a young man.

General Comments:
Didn’t have a chance to watch a noir film today, but I finally saw Unforgiven all the way through.  A pretty decent Western that’s nowhere near as good as 3:10 to Yuma, True Grit or Deadwood.  Overall it’s just too nice and clean.  There’s none the gritty ruggedness that I like with modern Westerns.  Eastwood is of course fantastic and Gene Hackman makes a good bad guy (even though he’s not really a bad guy), but everyone else is rather average.  After watching Deadwood I find it kind of weird that the partner of Will is a black guy, and that there was no racist element in that.  Seems to me that there would, or should, of been some comments by various characters as to Will and Ned’s relationship.  The one interesting thing about the film was that Will, Ned and the Kid are all bad guys.  They’re the murderers and hired guns, and Little Bill is the Sheriff trying to protect his community.  The black hats and white hats are usually well defined in these sorts of films, but the film does well by switching the allegiance the audience is likely to have to the characters, and making the audience root for the bad guy without really knowing it.

Watch Unforgiven to see Clint Eastwood in a fairly modern Western and because it’s pretty decent by ’90s standards.

Rating:  6/10

Related posts:

1. 365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 41 – THE ICE HARVEST (2005)
2. 365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 44 – TRUE GRIT (2010)
3. 365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 36 – RED HILL (2010)

365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 48 – UNFORGIVEN (1992) HollywoodHubbub

Title: True Grit

Directed by: Joel and Ethan Coen

Written by: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen and Charles Portis (novel)

Current Flickchart position:  #197 of 1358 overall.  My #7 film, of 65, from the year 2010.

What It’s About:
A tough U.S. Marshal (Jeff Bridges) helps a stubborn young woman (Hailee Steinfeld) track down her father’s murderer (Josh Brolin).

General Comments:
I think the Coen brothers are overrated.  I know that’s not a popular thing to say but I find pretty much all of their films to kind of meander with nothing really happening.  True Grit is the first Coen brothers film to be great all the way through since 1996′s Fargo.  With True Grit the Coen’s have crafted a beautiful and thrilling film that kinda makes me wish I could visit the old wild west.  Just like Deadwood makes me feel.  Every single major actor in this film gives an amazing performance.  Jeff Bridges is of course brilliant, Matt Damon is good, but the standout is clearly Hailee Steinfeld.  It kind of blows my mind how good she is.  I guess the only negative I can find with True Grit is the fact that Josh Brolin is given very little to do (although he’s fantastic in the little screen time he does have), and Barry Pepper, a guy I thought was awesome in 25th Hour, is used so fleetingly that it drives me crazy.  Still, with a film as good as True Grit these are minuscule quibbles.

Watch True Grit because Bridges, Damon, Steinfeld, Brolin and Pepper are phenomenal and it’s easily the Coen brothers best film.

Rating:  8.5/10

Related posts:

1. TRUE GRIT and 127 HOURS look amazing
2. 365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 36 – RED HILL (2010)
3. 365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 43 – 127 HOURS (2010)

365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 44 – TRUE GRIT (2010) HollywoodHubbub

Title: Red Hill

Written and Directed by: Patrick Hughes

Current Flickchart position:  #603 of 1350 overall.  My #44 film, of 61, from the year 2010.

What It’s About:
A young police officer must survive his first day’s duty in a small country town.

General Comments:
A fairly decent revenge/thriller/western set in a small Australian town.  Ryan Kwanten is pretty good.  Steve Bisley too.  Overall it’s nothing special but does manage to continue the fairly good quality of recent Australian films.  Just don’t expect something of the quality of Animal Kingdom.

Watch Red Hill to see a good Australian modern western revenge flick.

Rating:  6/10

Related posts:

1. 365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 2 – I SAW THE DEVIL (2010)
2. 365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 7 – MEGAMIND (2010)
3. 365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 14 – TANGLED (2010)

365 Day Unseen Movie Marathon – Day 36 – RED HILL (2010) HollywoodHubbub

Here’s a real long redband trailer/promo for Casey Affleck’s upcoming drama The Killer Inside Me.

I really like Casey Affleck and this certainly seems to be one of the darkest characters he’s played.  Plus the presence of Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba is an added bonus.

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1. New UK poster for WINGED CREATURES
2. SPLINTERHEADS trailer
3. Teaser trailer for ACCIDENTS HAPPEN

THE KILLER INSIDE ME redband promo/trailer HollywoodHubbub