True Grit

Last night I was modtly reading my new comic-books. I really liked all of them. I'll have to buy some boxes or something to put them in so they don't get damaged or faded or anything.

Today I went out to the Cineworld cinema and saw the new movie of True Grit, written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film is set in Arkansas in 1878 and tells the story of a fourteen year old girl (played by Hailee Steinfeld) whose father was murdered. She decides to hire a US Marshall to help her track down her father's killer. She selects a grizzled old drunk called Rueben "Rooster" Cogburn (played by Jeff Bridges), who has a reputation for being the most ruthless Marshall around and who the girl believes has "true grit". I really enjoyed it. It was a really fun Western. I remember the older version with John Wayne. I've not seen it in years but I remember really liking it. This one is slightly more intense and violent then the earlier movie, but it is still good.

After the movie I went and had a bottle of beer and a plate of fish and French fries with peas which was nice.

Then I went back to the movies and saw Paul, directed by Greg Mottola. The movie involves two British science-fiction fans (played by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) who are on holiday at the San Diego Comic-Con and decide to make a road-trip across the US, visiting famous UFO crash sites. Along the way they meet a wise-cracking, foul-mouthed alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), who is on the run from the Government. Soon the three of them are being chased across the US by a trio of "Men in Black"-style agents (headed by Jason Bateman). It is a really fun movie, full of references to science-fiction films and TV shows. It's aimed very much at science-fiction fans, but there is enough there to appeal to broader audiences. I thought it was really funny. Both of them are reviewed over at Permanently Weird. I've got a card for the Cineworld so I can basically see any number of movies as and when I like without paying at the box-office.