I’ve been trying to think of a way that I can return some link love for all those critics/blogs that I love to read.  Since I love reading reviews of films that I’ve seen what I’ll do is each week whatever new release that I review here I will post what I think the General Consensus of the movie is by posting short snippets of many reviews here.  Check it out below:

So here’s how this is going to work.  Since I want to create an average score for the film (like my own blogosphere only version of RT or IMDB) I will only count reviews that have a rating.  If your rating is letter graded then I will convert it using High School style grades (i.e. A = 9/10, B = 8/10, C = 7/10, D = 5/10, F = 3/10).  I’ll definitely mention other, non-scaled reviews, but they won’t be calculated into the overall General Consensus.

True Grit

Directed by: Joel & Ethan Coen

Written by: Joel & Ethan Coen

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

Reviews

Mattie is an awesome character, and I think it’s kind of hilarious that one of the heavily billed boys-club films of the year is actually a film with a female protagonist. She’s smart, determined, practical and kind & helpful to boot. She’s a kind-spirited equal opportunist, which is a rather unusual character to see. – Shannon the Movie Moxie. Grade: N/A

Set aside that it is a great western that is an uncommon genre nowadays, ‘True Grit’ is a first-class drama, but still the Coen brothers manage to add some humor and warm moments into the film. – Leslya from Eternity of Dream. Grade: 9.0/10

One thing that I loved about this movie – which I must say is quite possibly one of my favourite things about film – is the dialogue. The way that everyone spoke in the movie is not only so varying but also so elegant. People like to call the French language beautiful because even when the French curse you it sounds like poetry, to me it felt like everyone was speaking French. Every character knew how to say what they wanted to say and had a certain elegance to not only their diction but also their enunciation (or lack thereof when talking about Cogburn). – Andrew from Gman Reviews. Grade: 10/10

I like how they focuses on the story a lot, but the pace at times, was just way too slow. It would get to a point, and I thought it would go somewhere, and then it just ended up going right back to the dead pace. – Dan from Dan The Man’s Movie Reviews. Grade: 7.5/10

Jeff Bridges won his Oscar last year for Crazy Heart, which I also loved, and he’s really taken a leap with his acting.  It could easily be “The Dude does a Western”, but it’s not.  Yes, he’s laid back and casual about his life, being focused on finding another drink, but Bridges is a good enough actor that he fully embodies the role and you don’t get The Dude at all.  He walks differently, sits differently, and looks out of his one eye very differently. – Jess from Insight Into Entertainment. Grade: 10/10

“True Grit” 2010 shifts the spotlight to Mattie and her quest, thrusting Steinfeld front and center. She displays the same fearlessness as her character, infusing Mattie with determination to burn. Hers is the breakout performance of 2010, maybe the decade. – M. Carter @ The Movies. Grade: A (9.0/10)

This is a huge improvement and makes the overall tone that much tougher and fitting for a story that needed it. It’s also got a pretty good sense of humor and some memorable one-liners, but it still ain’t quite at the “gritty” level. Think if the Coens traded in some laughs for some attitude, I’d be whistling a different tune in that regard. But at least the laughs are good ones. – Aiden R. from Cut the Crap Movie Reviews. Grade: 7.0/10

Despite its minor flaws True Grit is yet another solid film from the ‘double headed director’ that is the Coen brothers. I’m not a fan of the western genre (mostly due to my lack of knowledge in it), but with the Coens it’s not really about that. – from Split Reel. Grade: 7.5/10

When you strip away the characters, what remains of True Grit is a fundamental but effective western revenge tale. If the film at all disappoints, it is because the Coens’ stories are usually multi-faceted affairs with layer upon layer of nuance. – Colin from FilmJunk. Grade: 9.0/10

With the exception of only one scene, and a couple of shots, she is the focal point through which all the events that transpire are presented. The audience is only privy to those conversations that she can hear, and view violence the way she does. As such the violent acts are a powerful thing. A gunshot doesn’t merely end with a spot of blood and a fall. Each shot is a thundering bang, each drop of blood a splattering spray, met with screams of anguish and lingering death – Ryan Helms from A Life in Equinox. Grade: 8.0/10

While they are definitely hit or miss with me, True Grit is one of their better efforts. Using numerous classic western storytelling techniques, a group of ragged, flawed protagonists set out to track an unseen and slightly mysterious antagonist. – Chris’s Film Blog. Grade: 8.25/10

TRUE GRIT feels like a sermon about cowardice and consequences. The movie begins with a quote, pointing out that the lowest form of cowards are the ones that run when nobody is there to chase them. What sort of fate should befall such a person? Do they deserve the mercy and luxury of the law? It wouldn’t seem so if even a fourteen-year-old can grasp the gutlessness of the action. No. In the society TRUE GRIT inhabits, such lack of spine merits bounty hunters, vigilante justice, and retribution. – Hatter from The Dark of the Matinee. Grade: 8.75/10

The outcome of this film is not as important as the journey.  For the most part it is Cogburn carrying on, LeBoeuf calling him out, and Ross trying to calm the two down and keeping their eye on the target she can’t quite aim at herself yet.  This journey is mostly entertaining, but a few rough patches and the way some of the action sequences are handled hold it back. – CyniCritics. Grade: B- (7.5/10)

Damon plays LaBoeuf to near perfection, his pride as a Texas Ranger leading to some great back and forth with Bridges. Brolin as Tom Chaney is just how you would think a man whose been successfully running from the law would be; self-serving and over-confident. – Josh Baldwin from Get the Big Picture. Grade: 10/10

That success is due in great measure to Hailee Steinfeld who, like last year’s Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air, stands up to veteran actors in such a way that even they seem to be in awe of her. It’s her film, and she grabs it by the scruff of the neck to tame it. – Cole Abiaus from Film School Rejects. Grade: B+ (8.5/10)

Just as important as the lead characters, the Coens again prove they realize the value of a supporting cast. Jarlath Conroy as the Undertaker, Dakin Matthews as Stonehill, Joe Stevens as the lawyer who cross examines Cogburn and Ed Corbin as a more than memorable “Bear Man” make vital contributions to the film. Had these performances been merely average or below, the film wouldn’t have been nearly as good. – Brad Brevet from Rope of Silicon. Grade: A (9.0/10)

I’m surprised the Coens made this film, so unlike their other work, except in quality. Instead of saying that now I hope they get back to making “Coen Brothers films,” I’m inclined to speculate on what other genres they might approach in this spirit. What about the musical? “Oklahoma!” is ready to be remade. – Roger Ebert. Grade: 8.75/10

Now, I believe the greatest virtue an actor can possess is the absence of vanity. Not humility or modesty, mind you, but the risky and fearless acceptance of appearing unkempt, grotesque, and potentially unlovable. If this lack is a virtue, then Jeff Bridges is undoubtedly its patron saint. For while Cogburn is at his core a bully who will suffer no fools – he is a joy to watch as he rides, shoots, and cusses. Bridges lets it all hang out (often literally) and it makes the crass and gruff Cogburn an unfailing fun anti-hero. – Kristy Puchko from The Film Stage. Grade: A (9.0/10)

Avg. Score: 8.6/10