Dear Wendy first published by Movie Gazette, 27 July 2005 In the dusty town of Estherslope, young Dick (Jamie Bell) has no parents, no friends, no self-confidence, and no desire to work in the mines like everyone else. Yet upon discovering that a tiny antique pistol in his possession is no toy, Dick gathers other…
Down in the Valley first published by Film4, 14 March 2006 It may be shot in expansive anamorphic widescreen, and feature an outlaw gunning for mythic glory, but David Jacobson’s latest feature unfolds not in Monument Valley like most Hollywood oaters, but in California’s present-day San Fernando Valley, with its 12-lane freeways and suburban sprawl. …
True Grit first published by EyeforFilm There is a strange sequence in the middle of Ethan and Joel Coen’s latest film, True Grit. Headstrong 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) and her hired lawman Deputy Marshall Reuben ‘Rooster’ Cogburn’ (Jeff Bridges) are riding through the Choctaw Nation in search of Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the man…