Although many say the Western is dead, in books as well as movies, it continues to rear its head and make itself known every so often.There’s something inherently noble and visceral about the artform and the subject matter, the calm delineation between good and evil, that stubbornly continues to attract an audience. In 2007, the [...]
The setting of this western is the town of Clearwater, TX (near Laredo), probably in the 1870′s. The four sons of Katie Elder, who had not seen each other, or her, in years, come to her funeral. The eldest brother, John Elder (John Wayne), watches the funeral from a distance. Why are some of the [...]
Remember all those old movies where the swashbuckling hero swoops down to the rescue and saves the day for one and all, defeating the enemies and getting the girl all within a few hours’ entertainment? “The Mask of Zorro” is a testament to those movies, embodying all of these characteristics in its magnificent story and [...]
Winchester ’73 is one of the most enduring and popular films of James Stewart’s career, for several reasons; it was the first of five teamings with brilliant, underrated director Anthony Mann, who retooled Stewart’s drawling, ‘aw-shucks’ persona into a laconic, edgier, more flawed hero; it featured a brilliant cast, including Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Stephen [...]
Bon Jovi sings over the opening credits.Heavy on the heavy metal, chopper hogs and chrome fetishes.Loud motorcycles and pole-dancing strip clubs.Even the convenience store clerk is drop dead gorgeous.Loud guns, bar fights, big explosions and high speed chases.HARLEY DAVIDSON AND THE MARLBORO MAN is one of those testosterone loaded guy flicks that more or less [...]
This movie is one of several fascinating historical threads that I have been following since I first saw it as a 12-year old and loved it. First, it is based on the actual life of a mountain man named John Johnston, later changed to Johnson, and known in the West from the mid-1840s as Liver-Eating [...]
Virgil Cole (Harris) and Everett Hitch (Mortensen) are a pair of traveling lawmen for hire.When they arrive at the town of Appaloosa, the town fathers are more than willing to pay the price and accept that Cole IS the law.They’re under the thumb of rich rancher, Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) who shot their former sheriff [...]