Oscar Nominee #10: Winter's Bone

Say hello to the dark horse of this year’s nominations; the fact that the bleak Winter’s Bone has been nominated is an undeniable blessing. An affecting, harrowing tale of Ree Dolly’s search for her wayward father will endure as one of the greatest largely-unseen films of last year. Jennifer Lawrence’s performance is one of the most believable and unassuming of the nominations, (and as much as I love Portman, it would be a victory, albeit a bittersweet one, if Lawrence nicked it from under her nose). If anything, the fact that Winter's Bone is in the list makes me extremely glad so as to raise its profile and get it seen. Again, Debbie Granik did not receive a Directing nomination, so there won't be a repeat of last year's Kathryn Bigelow female victory, but Granik's passion for her craft is evident. But like I said, its inclusion is enough and its chances are better than most.

Would it have been nominated before the 10-nomination rule?

I’m going to say no. It would have been between this and True Grit, but I can’t quite explain why I think the Academy wouldn’t have swung towards this. Probably would average out on other nominations, and whilst True Grit has got a Direction and Screenplay nomination for the Coen’s and noms for Bridges and Steinfeld to boot, Winter’s Bone has only been recognised for Lawrence and John Hawkes, for Supporting Actor, who fully deserve their nominations, and Screenplay. Also, more people know True Grit and the Academy are generally quite lazy, so less members have probably seen Winter's Bone. The extension to 10 nominees is effective when films like this get noticed for their worth.

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Oscar Nominee #9: True Grit

It's nice that the Academy are continually considering the Coen Brothers nowadays; after winning big with No country for Old Men, they got a justified nomination for last year's A Serious Man and now for True Grit. Each film they make is as good as the last and it is reassuring that Oscar notices this. Their (own) shock inclusion with A Serious Man was wholeheartedly deserved and actually a better film eventual-winner The Hurt Locker (which was still a fantastic film), and after a complete snub from the Golden Globes, in which a lot of respect and credibility was lost, True Grit was always going to be nominated by the Academy. Not so much a remake of the original, which saw John Wayne win his only Oscar, but a re-adaptation of Charles Portis’ novel, this is a true Western. Starring last years Best Actor winner Jeff Bridges on Oscar-nominated form here, this is film-making at its most stylish. Long-time cinematographer Roger Deakins deserves his consideration here. If there is any justice though, the award True Grit will definitely scoop is Supporting Actress for 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld; she truly delivers one of the best performances out of all the acting nominations of this year. Mattie Ross is the film's heart, and somehow she managed to upstage Bridges and Matt Damon. If that is not Oscar worthy, I don't know what is. As for it winning though, if it wasn't such a strong year (what with The King's Speech and The Social Network battling it out), this would have had such a great chance.

Would it have been nominated before the 10-nomination rule?

Another difficult one – but I say when push came to shove, yes it would have been; and rightfully so. This is one of the most charming films on the list. Great performances, great direction, great script... it actually is one of the only nominated films that has it all. 

Rating out of 5: ●●●●●

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True Grit

2010, 15, Directed by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin

The first thing you should know about the Coen Brothers latest is that this is not a remake of John Wayne’s 1969 classic of the same name (for which he won his only Oscar), but an adaptation of the Charles Portis novel. You should also know that The Duke’s role has been filled by the sure shoes of one of the finest actors around today: The Dude himself, Jeff Bridges. On usual fine form as bedraggled marshal Rooster Cogburn, he is Crazy Heart’s wheezy Bad Blake with an eye-patch. The story for those who aren’t familiar is based around 14-year-old Mattie Ross who requests the help of Cogburn to track down John Chaney, the man responsible for her father’s death. The rest is cinematic magic of the purest form, sprinkled with a dash of Coen. What is striking about True Grit is not only Roger Deakins’ dazzling cinematography, resulting in your eyes stretching to the furthest stretch of the surrounding Arkansas enclosure, but the fact that this is somewhat lacking in Coen-esque traits; that’s not to say their famous flair does not present itself – their script is consumed with deliciously-delivered dialogue and characterisation fresh from their universe (look no further than an early scene involving Mattie and a lawyer – it is like a Western version of a scene from Fargo), and there are visual elements which are unmistakeably their work (three words: bear on horseback). 

The fact that Ethan and Joel could mould their source material so seamlessly speaks volumes about their abilities as filmmakers, officially part of the elite. If No Country for Old Men was their revisionist homage to the Western genre that rarely circulates these days, True Grit is a picture in which homage’s will be made, seriously standing shoulder to shoulder with some of those classic Wayne films. The casting is near perfect, with Bridges’ nonchalant drawl and Matt Damon’s Texas Ranger LaBeouf convincing and impressing – but it is Hailee Steinfeld’s debut that takes things to the next level and blows away anything in sight. It is hard to recall a child performance so pitch-perfect, and the fact that she was notched into the Best Supporting Actress category by the Academy is an injustice to her beautiful work here. The last thing you should know about True Grit is that it is true class. It seems the Coen Brothers are unstoppable. But really, who would want to stop them?

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

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