Category: Western
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Slow West (***) aims for poignant, misses by that much
If one looks past the silliness of the story and takes a closer look at the heart, it’s not a bad film. It’s clear what Maclean wants to do, even if he doesn’t know how to do it and stay within the bounds of a consistent story. For now, it is nice that he has…
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Bone Tomahawk (****): I believe those fleas were alive and talented
Bone Tomahawk Written and Directed by S. Craig Zahler Starring Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, Lili Simmons, David Arquette, Sid Haig, Sean Young, Evan Jonigkeit Two murdering thieves (Haig and Arquette) hear a sound as they rob the corpses of their victims. Going off to investigate, they end up crossing into the sacred ground of a tribe of cannibalistic Troglodytes…the kind that…
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A Million Ways To Die In The West (**) feels like a lazy man’s Altman
A Million Ways To Die In The West – 2014 Director Seth MacFarlane Starring Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, Liam Neeson Screenplay by Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, Wellesley Wild Comedy is hard. Part of MacFarlane’s gig to now has shoved awkward down the throats of those who are affected by it. In the old west, though, no one…
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The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (*****) is loaded with simplicity
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – 1962 Director John Ford Starring John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Lee Marvin, Vera Miles, Edmond O’Brien, Lee Van Cleef, Andy Devine, Ken Murray, John Carradine, Woody Strode, Denver Pyle, Strother Martin Screenplay Willis Golbeck and James Warner Bellah based upon the story by Dorothy M. Johnson There is a…
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Lawless shows everyone at the top of their game
Lawless – 2012 Director John Hillcoat Starring Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Mia Wasikowska, Jason Clarke, Lew Temple, Dane DeHan Screenplay Nick Cave based on The Wettest County in the World by Matt Bondurant Lawless is one very rare movie indeed. I can’t recall seeing a film where there are so many high-caliber actors who are doing…
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Cowboys & Aliens only because it has Harrison Ford.
Cowboys & Aliens – 2011 Directed by Jon Favreau Starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, Clancy Brown, Keith Carradine, Noah Ringer Written by Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby based on Cowboys & Aliens by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg Harrison Ford has strolled into old age…
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Rango: flawless animation, great voice work, recycled story
Rango – 2011 Directed by Gore Verbinski Starring the voices of Johnny Depp, Ned Beatty, Bill Nighy, Isla Fisher, Alfred Molina, Abigal Breslin, Ray Winstone, Stephen Root, Harry Dean Stanton, Timothy Olyphant Written by John Logan Rango starts off with a protagonist acting so strangely, one can’t help wondering if he isn’t more than a…
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True Grit vs. New Grit
True Grit – 1969 Directed by Henry Hathaway Starring John Wayne, Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, Kim Darby, Jeff Corey, Strother Martin, John Fielder Written by Marguerite Roberts True Grit – 2010 Written and Directed by Joel and Ethan Cohen Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper Both films based…
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 