True Grit will be the opening movie of the Berlin International Film Festival 2011. The Festival begins on February 1oth with True Grit and runs for 11 days.

Err, that’s it really…

Thanks to YKFK reader Gursharan for emailing this info in.

In a short interview piece over at USA Today our favourite film making duo have stated that True Grit is, “Tonally different than what we’ve done before.” Ethan also states that, “They [Paramount] were contemplating a holiday release, and we thought that it seemed to make sense, because it is a young-adult adventure story.”

The article states that the movie does maintain the humour of the Charles Portis novel, and, ever modest, Ethan says, “The only credit we can take from that is we didn’t change it from the novel. The dialogue is taken pretty much entirely from the book. There’s a formality to it. And no one uses contractions.”

There are one or two more lines from the boys in the USA Today article.

Thanks to David for mailing this in.

Just a quick update to link you all to the first reviews of True Grit…

Peter Debruge from Variety.

Todd McCarthy from The Hollywood Reporter.

Devin Feraci from Badassdigest.com.

Erik Davis from Moviefone.

Peter Hammond from Box Office Magazine.

So far it has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes!

The first opinions on True Grit are starting to seep through ahead of today’s embargo lift. Overwhelmingly positive so far…

Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers;
True Grit’s a new Coen bros classic. A star is born in Hailee Steinfeld. Damon nails it & Bridges is killer good. The Dude does the Duke proud. Props to the Coens for sticking to True Grit as Charles Portis wrote it. The rich language runs thru the film like a vein of comic gold.

Sasha Stone (whose Twitter page also has a Coen bros theme!);

So @petertravers loved True Grit. I agree with everything he said. Except to also add that I found it surprisingly moving at the end.

Jeffrey Wells;

I was told two things yesterday about True Grit. One, that it’s a surprisingly emotional film (i.e., surprisingly for the Coen brothers, that is). And two, that while Jeff Bridges’s Rooster Cogburn performance is crackling and robust, Matt Damon “almost steals the show”in the Glenn Campbell role, and that he’s suddenly looking like a possible Best Supporting Actor nominee.

HHH;

This film delivers. The air was electric at the screening I attended and people were really taken with it in a big way.. Of course, it’s the Coens and no one had a doubt about it (except Wells, naturally).

@michealcastaldo:

i saw the screening of True Grit last night. another Coen brothers Film. there was a Q&A with Matt Damon and Hailee Steinfeld. A+++++

Sounds as great as I expected! Salivating at the thought of it being “the best western since Unforgiven.” I’m looking forward to the reviews coming through! Please let me know if you spot one!

Original piece from thefilmstage.com here. Thanks to Jospeph for sending it in!