Andrew's Movie Blog

Well, well, well. It has been a long time! How have you been? Oh, really? That’s wonderful. I’ve been up to my old habits, watching movies and stuff. Along the way I have been completing one of my lists: The IMDb Top 250. Now instead of talking about every single movie, it has been suggested that I pick my personal favorite 100 films from the list.

A COUPLE NOTES: This is not in any particular order. It only lists my favorite 100 from IMDb—I have some favorites not included here. Though it is kinda cheating, I will list series as a single entry.

1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman
   Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency. Amazing actors, wicked compelling, makes you feel soooooooo good at the end.
2. The Godfather: Part I & II (1972-1974) - Al Pacino, Marlon Brando
   The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son. Then, the early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York is portrayed while his son expands his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe to pre-revolution 1958 Cuba. Two of my all-time favorites (I even like III but it doesn’t live up at all to the reputation of the first two), Al Pacino gives one of the best performances I have seen by anyone in any movie! Even for those who complain about length, the three hours each hardly drag. A must-see for Italians.
3. The Dollars trilogy (1964-1966) - Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach
   Consisting of A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Each star Clint Eastwood in his breakout role as “The Man with No Name,” a quiet drifter with some semblance of a good heart, wandering the West to serve himself. These three redefined the Western genre, creating the “Spaghetti Western,” Westerns produced largely in and around Italy. The series culminates with TGTBTU, a true epic about a wild hunt for gold that deserves to be seen by all. Violent and often hilarious, with sweeping scores by Ennio Morricone, these three movies are a treat for all.
4. Pulp Fiction (1994) - John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson
   The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster’s wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption. This genre-bending film is hardly a comedy, but still produces more laughs then much of what is out there today. Skillful disjointed storytelling and Tarantino’s famously realistic dialogue result in a film unlike any other.
5. Toy Story trilogy (1995-2010) - Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
   Yeah, there are going to be a lot of Pixar movies on this list. The recently completed trilogy features tales of a boy named Andy and his toys who will do anything to serve Andy and make him happy, even when they get separated from home. Toy Story was a big deal as it was the first entirely 3D-animated feature-length film EVER, and one can see the evolution of the medium 15 years later in the final installation. These films are responsible for the current career path I’m on! They are chock-full of humor and poignancies. Makes one wonder how a bunch of pixels can bring as butch a man as myself to tears. But then again, that’s the magic of Pixar!
6. 12 Angry Men (1957) - Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb
   A dissenting juror in a murder trial slowly manages to convince the others that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court. This movie has a lot of things going against it for popular appeal—it’s old, black and white, is made up entirely of dialogue, and takes place in one room. Still it manages to be engaging from start to finish, full of what I like to call, “AHHHHHH!” moments as Fonda punches holes in the court case. A true underdog tale, it can’t be missed.
7. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) - Jack Nicholson, Will Sampson
   Upon arrival at a mental institution, a brash rebel rallies the patients together to take on the oppressive Nurse Ratched, a woman more a dictator than a nurse. One of three movies to win the five most prestigious Oscars (Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, Screenplay), and it goes without saying that it is a great all-around drama (with mental patients on a sailboat!) and it has a shocking TWIST ENDING!!!!!
8. Original Star Wars trilogy (1977-1983) - Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford
   Luke Skywalker leaves his home planet to become a Jedi and join the Rebel Alliance in defeating the Galactic Empire. Thrills, drama, action, sci-fi, humor, romance—these movies have it all. A million quotable lines with a score that everyone knows, the original trilogy has stood the test of time and is accessible to any audience. Film classics at their best.
9. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) - Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan
   A young hobbit must venture to deepest darkest Middle Earth to destroy a ring and defeat the forces of darkness. These three films are about the only 12 consecutive hours I would be willing to watch any time. An epic series in ever sense of the term. They probably contain my favorite scores ever as well. Peter Jackson uses CGI to his advantage to show the scope of the evil armies of Orcs. While it may be exhausting, the sense of adventure and peril is masterfully crafted.
10. The Seven Samurai (1954) - Toshirô Mifune
    A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves. Sound familiar? This was also remade into the Western, The Magnificent Seven, and more loosely into A Bug’s Life. Samurai movies are pretty awesome, but this one takes the cake. While it is not a fast-paced swordfighting film, the action it does have is intense, and the eponymous samurai are very distinct and fleshed out. The viewer easily roots for the villagers and the ragtag team to overtake the bandits. Beautiful ending.
11. Casablanca (1942) - Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman
    Perhaps the most classic love story ever told, Casablanca is set in unoccupied Africa during the early days of World War II, where an American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications. As a child I was hardly blown away by this film, but a recent viewing of it re-introduced how funny Claude Raines’s character was. Though not a comedy, he is certainly welcome after stretches of romantic tension. Super super classic movie lines in this bad boy.
12. Goodfellas (1990) - Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
    Henry Hill and his friends work their way up through the mob hierarchy. Compelling and real, this film is second only to the Godfathers in the mobster genre. Contains the famous “dolly zoom” diner scene, where a particular camera trick is used to heighten the feeling of unease and paranoia. Great songs and great dialogue equal one great film.
13. Fight Club (1999) - Edward Norton, Brad Pitt
    An office employee and a soap salesman build a global organization to help vent male aggression. So dark, so gritty, so amazing! A film that challenges the viewer to think about what they are doing with their lives. Great TWIST ENDING!!!!!!
14. City of God (2002) - Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino
    Two boys growing up in a violent neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro take different paths: one becomes a photographer, the other a drug dealer. This movie made Slumdog Millionaire have much less of an impact for me. Its plot seemed largely recycled from this story about childhood friends who grow apart, and move up in the world from the slums. It has been a while since I’ve seen this but it has great artistic merit, as one of the few things I remember well is the wonderful use of colors. A story not to be missed.
15. The Indiana Jones tetralogy (1981-2008) - Harrison Ford
    The tales of a professor of archaeology, and his side life of adventuring around the world to uncover or recover ancient artifacts. I will probably come under a lot of flak for this, but I indeed love all four of these films. The first three throw back to adventure films of the 1930s, while the newest installment throws back to science fiction films of the 1950s, all of which are done on a much more spectacular scale. The blend of humor and action/adventure is top-notch and this series is something I can watch again and again and again and again!
16. Psycho (1960) - Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles
    A young woman steals $40,000 from her employer’s client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor too long under the domination of his mother. Everyone has seen the famous shower scene! But have you seen it in context? This movie is responsible for giving Alfred Hitchcock a misconceived reputation as a horror director, but he is much better seen as “The Master of Suspense.” Anthony Perkins gives a very chilling performance as Norman Bates and this is a great movie to watch on a dark and stormy night.
17. The Usual Suspects (1996) - Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey
    A boat has been destroyed, criminals are dead, and the key to this mystery lies with the only survivor and his twisted, convoluted story beginning with five career crooks in a seemingly random police lineup. This film follows the hunt for the mysterious Keyser Söze. A deliciously melodramatic score compliments the intrigue within the plot. Perhaps the most notorious TWIST ENDING of them all!!!!!
18. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) - Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson
    An epic story of a mysterious stranger with a harmonica who joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad. I consider this to be an equal to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, although it is much darker. Each of the four main characters are among the more memorable in cinema. Parts of the iconic score have been used multiple times, including in At World’s End. Contains my favorite villain’s entrance of all time, and images that stick with you long after the movie ends.
19. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster
    A young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims. Another film to receive the five most prestigious Oscars. It is interesting that Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor, having screen time for less than 20 minutes. Still, he is quite captivating. Some really great classic lines to be found, along with Buffalo Bill, the disturbed serial killer many now know as the police captain on Monk! It can be quite shocking at times but it sure is quality entertainment.
20. The Matrix (1999) - Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne
    A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against the controllers of it. This is a movie that everyone has to see. Its breakthroughs in slow motion and wire-fighting special effects are so commonplace that it is somehow rewarding to see the ever-parodied sequences in their original form. Plus it’s a wicked cool movie. The other two are much more forgettable and serve as excuses for crazy action sequence (awesome as they are) and gobbledygook philosophy jargon.
21. Se7en (1995) - Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman
    Police drama about two cops, one new and one about to retire, after a serial killer using the seven deadly sins as his MO. Sometimes it goes a little overboard with its grittiness and bleakness, setting it in a city where it seems to rain all the time. Still, the movie left me breathless on multiple occasions the first time I saw it and continues to entertain. Watch out for another notorious TWIST ENDING!!!!!!
22. Memento (2000) - Guy Pearce, Joe Pantoliano
    A man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife. Perhaps my favorite type of movie is one that does something unique with the narrative. While telling a story out of sequence is hardly original in this day and age, this film moves BACKWARDS and FORWARDS simultaneously, ending in the MIDDLE of the story. This is more than just a gimmick—the viewer gets the same experience as the main character, not knowing who is good and bad, what people’s motives are, or what led to the current action. Leaves one thinking long after it is over, and generally requires multiple viewings to fully understand! Pure originality.
23. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) - James Stewart
    An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed. Jimmy Stewart charms to no end in this Christmas classic. There’s something about groups singing Auld Lang Syne in movies—especially at the end—that gets me all misty-eyed. It joins the ranks of precious few movies that have brought me inches from crying.
24. Sunset Boulevard (1950) - William Holden, Gloria Swanson
    A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent-film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity. An essential film noir which I like to view as a horror at times; definitely a fun experiment. The two leads are magnetic in their roles and interestingly enough, the butler who once served as the actress’s director is played by Erich von Stroheim, a long-time veteran of silent film acting and directing. Wonderfully eerie.
25. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) - Peter Sellers, George C. Scott
    An insane general starts a process to nuclear holocaust that a war room of politicians and generals frantically try to stop. Peter Sellers proves his worth as a man of a thousand faces and hilariously pulls off American, British, and German characters. George C. Scott (best known for Patton) shines as well. Keep an eye out for veteran Western actor Slim Pickens riding the bomb like he does best!
    

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TO ROB A THIEF (Ladrón que roba a ladrón)
Joe Menendez
Fernando Colunga, Miguel Varoni
United States
2007 
Con/Heist/Comedy

 




OK I totally lied before, heist movies are probably my favorite genre. Films like The Italian Job, Nueve Reinas (later remade into Criminal with John C. Reilly), and the BBC TV show, Hustle, all get me so excited! I love the intricacies of all the planning, how everything all works out no matter how dire things seem, and how down-to-the-wire the climaxes generally are. And I’m a big sucker for plot twists.

The Spanish title literally translates to “The Thief That Robs A Thief” and that pretty much says it all. The thief being robbed is Moctesuma Valdez, an infomercial mogul who takes advantage of Latinos in America by selling miracle products, like a magical gold bracelet (“For instant relief of arthritis and headaches, try the Magic Bracelet, the bracelet with magical powers that’ll change your life.”) or a cream to make you thinner. When Emilio’s close friend dies of cancer after his friend’s wife spent all their money on Valdez’s supposed cancer-curing “Water of God” instead of expensive hospital bills, Emilio decides to get a team together to act as Robin Hoods and serve him a big heaping plate of JUSTICE. What follows is essentially a Latino version of the Ocean’s movies.

I can’t side with people who claim this is a rip-off of those movies, as it has the sleek and fun style that has been used and reused a million times. As far as I can tell, this is an American production but it is all in Spanish, which is a new thing to see. It is hardly an original heist movie, as it has a merciless villain, a ragtag team of thieves, and flashy music and editing. Predictable? Sure. Fun? Totally! It’s just one of those entirely Hollywood-style movies. There’s plenty of humor to go around and the movie is paced well, flowing from scene to scene easily.

I do have one main complaint, however. A lot of the con they pull off just works way too easily. The best cons are when something unexpected happens, like the “shell game” in The Italian Job or basically whatever happens in any episode of Hustle. The only time
anyone is really in trouble is when one of the characters creates a diversion and gets a little beat up, but the audience knows it’s just for show.

Regardless of how perilous it seems, it is still a pretty fun ride and is pure entertainment. It has a little bit of a message about treating immigrants fairly but its mostly just an amusing ride with twists and turns along the way.

AVATAR
James Cameron
Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver
United States
2009
Sci-Fi/Action/Epic

IMDB Top 250: #46

I think there is something wrong with the movie industry if 40% of the movies that have made over a billion dollars in the US are by the same director and if his newest film just beat his previous film in the spot for highest-grossing film of all time. Avatar obviously is not without merit, but come on!

For the last 10 or so of you who haven’t seen Avatar, it takes place in 2154, where humans have arrived on the moon, Pandora, in the Alpha Centauri sysem in order to mine a mineral called unobtanium. Meanwhile, as the mining colony expands, it threatens the lives of the natives, the Na’Vi (nothing says “exotic” like apostrophes!), who just happen to be biologically almost exactly like humans. Scientist develop genetically engineered Na’Vi for their AVATAR project to allow humans to parade around as Na’Vi in order to interact with them. When Jake Sully’s twin brother (a scientist) is killed, Jake (a paraplegic Marine) must take his place on the team. It is a perfect job for Jake because he gets to experience working legs again. During one research expedition, he gets separated from the team and ends up meeting a female Na’Vi named Neytiri and they fall in love and there’s drama with who she ws supposed to marry and then they have to save the planet from the evil mining company and their hired private military contractors.

The plot of this movie was soooooooooo formulaic and predictable! Like, i could have written it. But that’s OK! I don’t mind predictability for the most part. It is especially common in the action genre. For me, this movie was great entertainment and was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. But it also angers me that it was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. it has plenty of technical merit, with all its groundbreaking technology and whatnot, but it was about as cookie-cutter as a sci-fi action movie could be, with little messages besides “be nice to the environment.” I don’t mean to bash the movie, I just think the AMPAS knows better! If an animated film should win Best Picture, it should be Up, which is definitely the most mature and moving animated film thus far.

The special effects and CGI in this movie were something else altogether. I’m glad James Cameron took a hiatus to wait until the technology was developed to make the film because otherwise it may have faded into obscurity as some cheesy 90s sci-fi movie. There were times while watching this that I truly believed the Na’Vi were real, as if they were people in costumes instead of entirely fabricated beings. What people seem to forget is that every blade of grass, every bright freckle thing on a face, every crack on the bark of a tree was created by someone on a computer and the detail in this movie is quite literally OUT OF THIS WORLD. It’s no wonder that the budget for the movie has been estimated to upwards of $300 million. Plus the technology invented solely for the production of the movie is impressive. My two favorite advancements were a camera they kept pointed at the actors’ heads so they could capture very minute facial movements for ultimate realism and a miniature preview screen where Cameron could watch a low-resolution version of a scene they just shot as it would happen on Pandora.

This film is definitely a treat for the senses to see at the movies, especially at the IMAX. The action sequences are brilliantly choreographed and keep you at the edge of your seat. I can safely say that most of the hype around the movie is totally true, as it really brings the viewer to a new place that is fully fleshed out and believable. It may not be THE BEST MOVIE EVER, but it is something new that may, as they say, change how some movies will be made FOREVERRRRRRRR!!!!

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
Andrew Dominik
Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck
United States
2007 
Western/Drama

As one person noted, yes, I am indeed on a Western kick. This is for two reasons: 1. It is probably consistently my favorite genre. 2. I just finished a six-week class on the history of Westerns! But I am sooooooooo excited for this review because I can meld stuff I have been talking about this whole time!!!!

Jesse James follows the sad, naïve Robert Ford as he tries to join Jesse James’s gang towards the end of his career. James is slowly receding into a sort of insanity, and subjects Ford to repeated ridicule and bullying. Still, Ford sticks with him. Slowly, he starts to realize that the dime novels he grew up reading about Jesse James bear no resemblance to the reality of Jesse James’s life. That’s basically it. Alllllll that in 3 hours.

Yeah, the movie moves slow, but it’s just one of those movies! There Will Be Blood was also really long but it was also really good! Part of what keeps this interesting is the fantastic acting between the two leads. Casey Affleck has only recently been coming in to his own and he was amazing! He dives into the character so well that you no longer think of him as playing the character, but actually AS the character! It must also be pretty difficult to play such a feeble and hateable person. Meanwhile, Brad Pitt plays Jesse James like a Tyler Durden who has a soft side for his family and friends.

The movie also has some beautiful visuals. Although the color palette is limited to earthy colors and grays, it does not feel bland or boring. Rather, it gives it a timely and historical look. There is also a famous sequence where a train comes to a stop in the woods in the middle of the night and its bright headlight shines through the trees and the evening fog to a very eerie effect. Also wicked cool.

Like Clementine and Pat Garrett, this ALSO deals with a classic Western legend. This, however, takes it a step further. This makes a point of saying that legends are not all they’re cracked up to be. Robert Ford works so desperately to situate himself around Jesse James but he is quickly disillusioned. When Ford intentionally keeps information about one of the James Gang’s confession to the police from Jesse James, he then realizes he has to kill Jesse before Jesse kills him. After the job is done (effectively shooting Jesse in the back, which is probably the most frowned upon act in all of Old Western society), Ford develops what I like to call Doc Holiday Syndrome. People start singing songs about Jesse James and saving 1 or 2 lines in the last verse for Robert Ford and his cowardly murder. He gets assimilated into the myth of Jesse James! Ford believes that by killing the famous Jesse James, he will rise to power as a person to be revered. Sadly, he continues to be looked down to and is quickly assassinated himself.

So yes, it is definitely an investment to watch this film. I think it is worth it! The acting is superb, the cinematography was wonderful, and it teaches a hard lesson about the bitterness of reality. Remember kids, legends don’t die.

SAW
James Wan
Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell
United States
2004 
Psychological Thriller/Slasher/Horror

Horror fan or not, it is hard to ignore the existence of the Saw films. One comes out pretty much every year on the week of Halloween! I am definitely not the horror type but I figured I should be a little more open minded if I was to consider myself a movie buff. So I watched it in the expectation that I would be throwing up everywhere. Guess what I didn’t do?

Saw mostly revolves around two “strangers” (Adam and Dr. Gordon—Whannell and Elwes) chained to pipes on opposite ends of a bathroom. They are given mini tapes with recordings that say that Adam has to escape while Dr. Gordon has to kill Adam by 6 or his wife and daughter will be killed. Much exposition is told through flashbacks: that there is a madman called The Jigsaw Killer who kidnaps people of poor morals and forces them into a life or death situation, that Detectives Tapp (Danny Glover <3) and Sing (Miles from Lost) have been investigating Jigsaw, that Dr. Gordon is in a less-than-perfect relationship with his wife, and that Adam may not exactly be a stranger. There are some pretty great twists thrown about along the way, and while the final twist may be somewhat predictable, it makes for good cinema!

OK to address the reputation this movie has: the entire Saw franchise is known to be disgusting “torture porn” with people just getting mutilated for the apparent enjoyment of the viewer. What’s great about this first movie is that it defies its reputation! The majority of the movie is psychological, or involving things playing out offscreen. Gross things include: the dead body of a man tangled in razor wire (grosser in concept), someone sifting through another’s organs (ok pretty gross), a guy SAWing off his foot (barely see anything), someone being lit on fire (whatever), and some shotgun violence. The movie could practically be rated PG-13 these days!

The thing that makes this pretty successful in terms of horror is a lingering “what if…” feeling. Its message is basically LIVE A MORAL LIFE OR YOU WILL BE KIDNAPPED AND EVENTUALLY KILLED IN A SICK AND TWISTED GAME! While that seems somewhat unrealistic, it can make those of weaker constitution wonder what may happen to them if they start doing bad things……………….

I say see this movie if you have been holding off on it! I will most likely NOT see the others as those are more in the realm of torture porn, whereas this even plays off as a crime drama in some instances. But come on, can you go wrong with Danny Glover, Cary Elwes, and Michael Emerson???? If you can handle a little bit of extreme violence then you are in for a pretty fun ride!!!!!

Hey ladies and germs!

This blog has officially been transferred over to Tumblr and is now up an running! Forgive me if the formatting changes a little bit, Tumblr works a little differently but I will do what I can to keep it up to snuff! Enjoy!

LEGION
Scott Stewart
Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid
United States
2010
Apocalyptic Thriller/Action/Horror

A wise person once told me that movies released in January generally suck. However, when I saw the trailer for Legion and saw angels fighting and Dennis Quaid in the same picture, I knew this would be an exception.

OK, so I’m not infallible. It wasn’t as spectacular as I had imagined. Still, it was a step up from the overall quality of January movies. It tried oh so hard to emulate summer blockbusters but fell short. Maybe that was its problem. But I will get into that later!!!!

Legion is draws upon old Bible stories to make a NEW apocalypse. As the Archangel Michael (Paul Bettany) says, “Last God lost faith in man, he sent a flood. This time he has sent angels.” That’s right. God has become so tired of humankind and all their troublemaking that he sends a LEGION of angels down to exterminate humanity! Michael goes against God to help save a ragtag group of people at a diner in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, the pregnant waitress’s baby holds the key to the survival of man. While at the diner, they get attacked in waves as characters slowly die one by one. Eventually, Gabriel (Keamey from Lost) flies down to confront Michael one on one. They have a less-than-epic climactic showdown as Michael tries to teach Gabriel to give their “father” not “what he wants, but what he needs.” They end up saving the day and the baby is born. But we stlll have no friggin clue what it was all for. Then it just kinda ends. Oops!

So there’s this one problem I have that has been brought up in many other shows and films, and that is the possession of human bodies. The angels come to Earth and use human bodies as vessels to cause destruction. I just don’t understand why supernatural beings would reduce themselves to something as limiting as the human form. Even cylons know that the human body is a worthless investment!

Also the movie doesn’t quite know what genre it is. The now-famous grandma scene at the diner plays out like the comedy-horror films of Sam Raimi (director of Spiderman but initially known for his Evil Dead films) with wacky special effects and things so scary you can’t help but laugh. This actually carries itself very well for the first few confrontations, but then it gets all serious and intense. While seriousness is not a bad thing, it is bad if it totally abandons the initial tone of the film. Then occasionally it got into a hardcore action scene with guns a-blazin and slow motion and all sorts of fancy stuff. It just couldn’t decide………

Nevertheless, Dennis Quaid’s badass gruffness helps keep the film rolling and it really is pretty entertaining for the majority of it. Just don’t expect any deep messages on reforming our ways or any spiritual insight.

PAT GARRETT & BILLY THE KID
Sam Peckinpah
James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson
United States
1973
Western





I LOVE JAMES COBURNNNNNNNNNNNNNN! James Coburn was a popular actor whose career ranged from the late 50s up to 2002!!!! He is perhaps best known for his work in the 60s and 70s, in classics such as The Great Escape, The Magnificent Seven, and the lesser-known but totally underrated spaghetti Western Duck, You Sucker. He often plays a gruff character and he’s someone you just have to see on screen to absorb his badassery.

This film, like My Darling Clementine, tells a classic Western legend—that of the story of Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson, the country singer) and Pat Garrett (James Coburn), who was his friend but became a sheriff in charge of tracking down and killing Billy and his gang. What follows is a strange series of gun battles and showdowns with Billy’s gang members while people Garrett recruits get killed one by one, finally culminating with Garrett killing Billy.

The film is loaded with celebrities, including a starring role with Bob Dylan as the mysterious Alias. His character really has no back story and seems to add nothing to movie. It’s so weird. But coincidentally, he just happens to do all the music for the film, including writing a little song by the name of KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR! That song is used in an incredibly moving death scene, although it seems wasted, for the dying character was barely introduced 5 minutes prior. The movie also features Western legends like Slim Pickens (famous for riding the bomb at the end of Dr. Strangelove), Jason Robards, Chill Willis, Elisha Cook Jr., and a million other supporting characters.

Because this director was so notoriously counterculture and this movie was made in the early 70s, there are some clear political statements. The most significant, of course, is the individual against The Man. Garrett is villainized because he is a lawman, while Billy the Kid is like a rock star as he travels from town to town with people always excited to see him. This is further reinforced by the casting of Kris Kristofferson and Bob Dylan. This is not quite typecasting, but it is what’s called the “star theory,” where actors are cast because of certain associations they carry. In this case, these two musicians are clearly identifiable in their roles, and their characters are carry all the charisma and presence of their musician alter-egos.

Just like Doc Holiday, in Clementine, Pat Garrett gets absorbed in the Billy the Kid legend and is largely forgotten. I mean, come on, was Pat Garrett in any Bill and Ted movies? This fact is very interestingly conveyed in the beginning of the movie. The film starts with the killing of Pat Garrett by a couple of gunmen (for killing Billy the Kid), and is shot in sepia to signify that Pat Garrett is history. During the shooting, the scene is intercut with full color sequences of Billy shooting at chickens, to signify that while Pat remains in history, Billy (and his legend) lives on!

This movie has a sad history. This is mostly due to the fact that it was produced through MGM. When the film was finished, MGM took it and cut out about a quarter of the content. This was panned by critics and audiences and it wasn’t until a director’s cut was released in the 80s that it was seen as a classic of the era. It was also troubled during production, because Peckinpah was a well-known alcoholic. During the filming of the movie, he was drinking more than he ever had and was reported to have refused to leave his trailer once in a while and even took a piss on the screen in one instant after watching the dailies screened. Still it is a wonder that someone who is such a mess can make a movie that is at times beautiful and at times just pure fun. This is one definitely worth checking out for its great cast, great action, great music, and great grittiness!!!

MY DARLING CLEMENTINE
John Ford
Henry Fonda, Victor Mature
United States
1946
Western/Romance/Drama

OK, this is my chance to prove that I don’t like every movie ever, AND that I am not swayed by popular opinion. This is considered to be John Ford’s (the legendary Western director) best Western film ever. I personally think that’s a bigger load of bullshit than a late 19th century dime novel. As a sidenote, my favorite John Ford Western is probably The Searchers. That can be addressed at a later time.

In the same vein as The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (review coming soon), Clementine recounts a classic Western legend based on the real gunfight at the OK Corral between the Earp brothers and the Clanton family. Henry Fonda plays Wyatt Earp, the ex-sheriff of Dodge City, who rolls into Tombstone with his brothers and his cattle in the middle of a cattle drive. When they leave town after getting a shave, they find their little brother who was left to guard the cattle DEAD and their cattle rustled (Western slang for “stolen”). After that, Wyatt must take up the role of sheriff again—seeing as Tombstone’s sheriff is too much of a coward to do anything—and find out who rustled his cattle.

It finally comes down to two suspects: Doc Holiday, the “gun law” of Tombstone, and Old Man Clanton, played by perhaps the world’s greatest character actor, Walter Brennan. When Earp finds out it was the Clantons, he strikes up a bizarre love/hate relationship with Doc Holiday, which is further complicated by Doc’s ex, CLEMENTINE, coming into town. There is tension and drama and a DOUBLE love triangle! The concluding duel at the OK Corral is treated as more of an afterthought and is only featured in the final 7 minutes of the film.

This movie features two extremely common Western themes: that of the end of the “Old West” and that of the significance of legend. To look at it plainly, Doc Holiday and his lover, a Mexican woman named Chihuahua (lollll) represent the Old West, and Wyatt and Clementine represent civilization. Doc rules Tombstone based on his wants and desires and by his gun. His lover is a Mexican woman, which is Western for “not a woman.” Wyatt Earp comes in as the new law man, only using a gun when necessary. Clementine comes to the West to be a schoolmarm and the two of them replace Doc and Chihuahua to symbolize the end of an era…….or the beginning of a new time! It is easy to see that Ford’s heart is with Doc and his character is treated with a great sense of nostalgia. Additionally, Ford uses lots of contrast between light and dark, especially in nighttime scenes, to emphasize how Tombstone is a glimmering oasis of civilization in the middle of the unforgiving desert.

There are tons and tons of legends out there about famous cowboys like Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, and Buffalo Bill. As a result, many Westerns were made in an effort to continue telling the legends of cowboys. Clementine is no exception. One can tell from the first shots of the Earp brothers that they are the stuff of legend. The camera is set at a low angle and they are high up on their horses, filling up the screen, indicating a larger-than-life status. When Wyatt overtakes Doc in power, the story ceases to be about Doc and Doc becomes absorbed into the Earp legend. This is something that will also be addressed with Jesse James.

WHY I DIDN’T LIKE THIS FILM
I just could not get into this movie. I love Henry Fonda, but his romance subplot just did nothing for me. In fact, most of the movie was bogged down in romantic drama, and it wasn’t too compelling. I’m not saying I want gun battles all around, because the truth is that a lot of Westerns really do not have that much action. Still, I was just not invested in the characters, especially the strange Doc Holiday, who bounced around the scenes too fast to get a good grip of who he really was.

Overall, I can understand the merit of this film and I do think it is important for the genre, but it was not my kind of thing. I think it is essential viewing for any Western fan, but I feel this really just boils down to personal taste. Rock on!

ROCKY
John G. Avildsen
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire
United States
1976 
Sports/Drama

IMDB Top 250: #212



I think I’m like the only person in the world who hasn’t seen this movie. It was sooooo good.