The western is revived in the Coen brothers' vision of 'Grit'

The western film was a Hollywood specialty decades ago. Adventures taken on horseback across the vast countryside and confrontations between cowboys and Indians were once popular delights among audiences. The genre has since quieted down and has only appeared on our screens occasionally in the past couple of decades with hits like Dances With Wolves and Unforgiven. Now, directors Joel and Ethan Coen have brought this true American genre back to life with their adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 book of the same name, which was filmed once before in 1969 with the one and only duke, John Wayne. True Grit is a western tale of an unexpected friendship that sets out on a quest for revenge that is as welcome today as the classic westerns of yesterday.

Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) is a fourteen-year-old girl who is determined to find her father's murderer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). In order to accomplish her task, she recruits the help of a cantankerous Deputy U.S. Marshal, Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges). Reluctant to help her at first, he eventually acquiesces and accepts the task to track down this most wanted bounty. Also joining the team is a young Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon). As the three move deeper into their journey, it becomes evident that they not only have Tom Chaney to concern about, but also a gang of cowboys roaming with Chaney, as well as the dangerous Indian territory.

Jeff Bridges takes the reigns of the famous role that John Wayne won his Oscar for, and does it justice. Bridges, with his eye-patch, drunken slurs and rough western accent that tells of his character's experience in the wild west, has the solid aura of a cowboy. At times, Bridges overdoes his accent, and it becomes difficult to understand him, but his Rooster Cogburn still has a darkly funny disposition. Matt Damon continues to show us that he's an actor of genuine adaptability, and can charm us with any mannerisms or attitudes that a script calls for. He can do almost anything at this point. With LaBoeuf's over self-confidence and attempts to match his bounty-hunting skills with Cogburn's, their liaison can be seen as one between a figurative big brother and little brother. Hailee Steinfeld, in her first film, looks to have a natural talent for acting. She seems so comfortable in front of the camera that she takes on the image of an actress who has been working for several years. Steinfeld's Mattie Ross is an innocent teenager, but her poise reflects an individual who knows the world and is ready to avenge the death of a loved one. This youthful actress has found her element on the silver screen.

True Grit is a rare remake that lives up to the original. Given that the Coen brothers tend to specialize in darkly humorous and offbeat films, it was strange to think that they would experiment with a western; but it worked. Besides it being a revenge tale, it also serves as a story about a somewhat father-daughter relationship between Mattie and Rooster. He is hesitant at first to have her face certain danger; but she has plenty of bravery to follow him, and they eventually learn to respect and care for one another.

The movie is told from Mattie's point-of-view, which makes sense because this is her story. The only downside to that is we don't get to see much of Tom Chaney. The couple of scenes that he's in presents him as a fascinating and fiendish villain, and I would have loved to learn more about him. Although the film drags a little bit in the middle segment when it just shows the group horseback riding, it picks up in the concluding fight between the heroes and Chaney's gang. Even in the 21st century, True Grit is a joyful throwback to the cowboy-era of movies.

Final grade: B+

A computerized odyssey for our tech-savvy world

When the original TRON opened in 1982, it was a significant technological achievement for the video-game world it expressed on film. In the film, a much younger Jeff Bridges was digitized into a place that gamers only dreamt about. Now, twenty-eight years later, where gaming possibilities have come just as far as movie possibilities, the TRON universe arrives once again to bring back its cult fans and attract newer ones to its electric dreamscape. With returning cast members from the first chapter as well as some younger faces, and impressive visual effects, it's enough to keep the movie going, notwithstanding a so-so story.

Years after the disappearance of his father, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), his 27-year-old son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund), gets zapped into the world of TRON while trying to find his father. Upon reuniting with his dad, who has been trapped in this cyberspace known as "The Grid" for several years, the two plan an escape. With the help of Kevin's friend, Quorra (Olivia Wilde), the trio will set out to take down CLU (Kevin's malevolent computer-self), and find their way back into the real world.

The acting in the film is slightly better than what you would expect from this type of sci-fi film. Hedlund and Bridges have decent chemistry when handling the film's father-son relationship; but there is a lack of emotion from several main characters throughout much of the film, partly because of the script. Hedlund and Wilde are promising newcomers. Although the material makes it hard to do much with their characters, you can tell they have talent that we'll be seeing in their future projects. One highlight of the cast is Michael Sheen as the porcelain-white, wide-eyed Castor. Sheen brings the most life to the cast as the eccentric club owner, and looks like he's having more fun out of anyone.

The story doesn't rise above the conventional need to defeat the villain, but it does have occasional thrills. Most of the film's excitement only occurs in the laser-disc fights and light-cycle chases that are in the first fifteen minutes of the portion that takes place in the TRON world, and then doesn't fully pickup again until the final showdown with CLU. Music duo Daft Punk is a fitting choice to compose the movie's nightclub-sounding score. Given the video-game setting of TRON: Legacy, you would expect it to be the first film since last year's Avatar to benefit from the use of 3D, but it wasn't necessary. The visuals were, however, quite a sight with their electric beauty. TRON: Legacy has some shortcomings, but it's still passable entertainment in this digital wonderland.

Final grade: B

'The Fighter' packs a one-two punch

Sports films, for the most part, tend to focus on a whole team of players. They share the same athletic goal to defeat the better teams. Therefore, we don't pay attention to just one athlete, but to the team as a whole, as a family. Boxing, however, is different. It's not a team sport, so films centered around boxing are also different. There is one boxer that's there for us to cheer for. He doesn't have an athletic team as a support system. He has his family on the sidelines, who just like us, are rooting for him and supplying encouragement. That has been the appeal to me for boxing films. It's one person's journey for a title. David O. Russell's biographical sports drama, The Fighter, is an exercise in the pain that a pugilist can feel both in and out of the ring.

Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) has had boxing in his blood as he grew-up in Lowell, Massachusetts. He always admired his older half-brother, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), and was taught all of his boxing techniques from him. Micky gains a career in the boxing ring as a "stepping stone," but is determined to make a name for himself with the help of his brother and family. After Dicky's cocaine addiction and dysfunctional family almost cause Micky's chance at the Welterweight Championship, Dicky must redeem himself and help Micky train to prepare for the boxing matches that lay ahead.

The explosive cast holds some of the most committed performances this year. Mark Wahlberg doesn't play his character like a big, tough jock. He portrays Micky as someone with a calm sensibility, but who still has a tough, determined spirit. Despite his strength, he still acknowledges the help from his family. Micky is an athlete, but also a family man. Christian Bale, who lost weight again for a film role, proves again to be very dedicated to his work. As the half-brother of Micky, he completely disappears into his character. We see him as a caring brother, then a sufferer of drug-addiction, and then, a coach who will do everything he can to help his brother win. Bale's Boston accent in the film is faultless and seems to come natural to him.

Melissa Leo proves to be a loving, yet firm parental-figure. As Alice, the mother of the two boys, she is a parent who will do anything for her children's success in the ring. Butting heads with people throughout the film, she is one tough firecracker. She only wants the best for Mickey, but doesn't know what he wants for himself. Watching Amy Adams as Micky's tough girlfriend, Charlene Fleming, is very good fun. Adams isn't as sweet and good-natured as her other roles in her previous films. She makes a brave change into tomboy territory, and nails it. Seeing her scrap with Micky's seven unkempt sisters and use "colorful" language when arguing is proof that Adams isn't afraid to step outside of her comfort zone. It's a whole new side of her.

The Fighter is a boxing story, but it's not just about that. It focuses every bit as much on the troubles that Mickey confronts outside of the ring as on the inside. The dynamics of the family are addressed, and the flaws of each character are exposed. Because of this, there's an ample amount of family drama in between the sports drama. The Fighter is filmed using the shaky-cam method, and it looks like a real sports documentary with all of the bloodied boxing matches, as well as the behavior of a dysfunctional family we're all too familiar with on reality television. With its winning cast, rousing story and boxing glory, this film will attract any diehard sports fan or movie fan. Step into the ring.

Final grade: A