Movie Review: "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" (2018)

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Movie: "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"

Director: Joel and Ethan Coen
Year: 2018
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 13 minutes

Six short stories about the Old West involving gunslingers, bank robbers, thespians, prospectors, settlers, and bounty hunters.

Movie Review: "Little Woods" (2018)

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Movie: "Little Woods"

Director: Nia DaCosta
Year: 2018
Rating: NR
Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

A woman on parole for smuggling prescription drugs across the border is trying to walk the straight and narrow. When life, and her sister, bring a lot of problems that require immediate attention, it forces her back into a life she thought she left behind.

Movie Review: "Wild Wild West" (1999)

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Movie: "Wild Wild West"

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Year: 2018
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 46 minutes

Captain Jim West and United States Marshall Artemus Gordon are teamed up to hunt down a criminal who abducted the top scientist in the country who wants to build a machine that he can use to overthrow the U.S. Government.

Remember when Dru Hill was relevant? Those were the days!

Ahhhh, a remake of an old and serious western television show turned into a goofy, over-stylized, big-budget feature film. This *always* goes well! "Wild Wild West" is directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, who at the time of this movie's release was coming off quite a few hits, including "The Addams Family," "Get Shorty," and "Men in Black." Sonnenfeld reunites with his "Men in Black" star Will Smith, who takes on the role of Jim West, a "shoot first, shoot later, shoot some more and then when everybody's dead try to ask a question or two" type of guy. Joining him is Kevin Kline as U.S. Marshall Artemus Gordon, who is a bit of an inventor and makes tons of wacky gadgets. They are partnered together by President Ulysses S. Grant (Kevin Kline) to hunt down General "Blood Bath" McGrath (Ted Levine), who has kidnapped many of the top scientists in the world. McGrath, however, may just be a pawn in the game of a much more villainous character.

Will Smith's is utterly shocked upon learning there won't be a "Wild Wild West 2: The Westening" (Image Source)

Despite being released in 1999, this was our first time watching "Wild Wild West" all the way through its runtime. For years we have heard about how bad it was, but we thought maybe it could be "bad-fun" or maybe even a guilty pleasure-worthy movie. We are willing to take a chance on "bad" films every once in a while in the hopes that we can find something appealing in them. Come on, the film stars Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Salma Hayek, and Kenneth Branagh, so how bad could it be?

Thank god Kenneth Branagh had a theater background to fall back on... (Image Source)

It turns out, "Wild Wild West" is torturous to watch, not only because the narrative is ridiculous and has hardly any rhyme or reason, but because it is unbelievably dull. Despite its $150 million dollar price tag that would lead to huge set pieces, steampunk-like weapons, and large action scenes, we were completely bored by everything going on in this movie. It is less than two hours long but feels like a neverending drudgery. The actors are trying their best to pull something out of nothing, but don't even come close to giving good performances. Will Smith plays Will Smith being Will Smith. Keven Kline and Kenneth Branaugh use what talent they have to salvage what they can out of their ridiculous, awful parts, but what they give just doesn't work. Salma Hayek is hardly used at all other than to be objectified by the male characters over and over for 106 minutes. The only thing we get to know about her character is that she's pretty to look at and everyone she encounters wants to have sex with her. We will say that "Wild Wild West" is visually very clean looking for its time and the effects are done well. That's the only compliment we can give it. It's sort of sad that so many people spent so much time, money and effort making a visual spectacle that hasn't a trace of a soul.

Even though this giant spider is stupid as hell, it still looks good for something made in 1999. (Image Source)

The biggest gripe of all is that this film is a comedy without an ounce of humor. The majority of the jokes are comprised of people making fun of Will Smith because he's black, jokes about Kevin Kline's Artemis making an ugly undercover woman, gags about Kenneth Branagh's Loveless being crippled in a wheelchair and his "shortness" because of it, and comments about Salma Hayek's huge boobs. WOW!!! SOooOoOoOoOoOo funny!!

Some movies are better left unseen. "Wild Wild West" is one of them.

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My Rating: 2/10
BigJ's Rating: 2/10
IMDB's Rating: 4.8/10
RT Rating: 17%
Do we recommend this movie: AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!

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Movie Review: "True Grit" (2010)

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Movie: "True Grit"

Year Nominated: 2011
Director: Joel and Ethan Coen
Rating: PG-13
Oscar Nominations: 10
Oscar Wins: 0
Running Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

A 14-year-old girl hires a U.S. Marshal to hunt down the man who murdered her father.

Is "True Grit" the movie that started the marble/mush-mouth accent Jeff Bridges has used in tons of films since 2010? We reckon so! This movie is written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, so you know it has got to be good. They have directed some of our favorite films, including "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," "No Country for Old Men," and "The Big Lebowski." It is a remake of the John Wayne-led western of the same name from 1969. The aforementioned Jeff Bridges takes on the role of the one-eyed alcoholic lawman named Reuben 'Rooster' Cogburn. Joining him is Hailee Steinfeld in her feature film debut as Mattie Ross, a 14-year-old girl who has a smart business sense and an even smarter mouth. Mattie is determined to hunt down the man who killed her father come hell or high water. She hires Rooster for the job because it is said he is the meanest U.S. Marshal around and is also the least likely to bring in a suspect alive. Mattie just has one catch: she gets to come along for the manhunt and nothing will dissuade her from doing so. Also in the film are Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and Barry Pepper.

"True Grit" is another film in a long line of worthy examples that proves remakes aren't inherently awful. It probably helps to have a couple of writer/directors as talented as The Coen Brothers to do the remake justice, but that's beside the point. This proves to be an impressive western full of wonderful performances and a surprising amount of humor. Both Hailee Steinfeld and Jeff Bridges are fantastic and build an interesting relationship with one another as Mattie strives to kill the man who betrayed and murdered her father. They are the perfect opposites: Rooster is gruff and mean, and she is stubborn but sweet and always speaks frankly. Both Steinfeld and Bridges received very deserved Oscar nominations for their performances. Matt Damon isn't terrible either and gives one of his better performances as Texas Ranger LaBouef. Apart from the acting, the direction is excellent and the cinematography is absolutely stunning. We were not at all surprised when we noticed Roger Deakins' name pop up as cinematographer as the credits rolled. Deakins does a brilliant job capturing the dusty, dreary southern landscape.

The story here is a simple tale of justice and revenge, but it's the characters, the performances, and the dialogue that helps it be a supremely engaging, highly successful western film. Many westerns movies just don't have the - wait for it - grit, to be successful. The "True Grit" remake has almost everything fans of the genre could want and is compelling enough to please those who are not huge fans of westerns. We will admit, we only seem to like the cream of the crop of the genre ("High Noon," "Unforgiven," The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," "Quigley Down Under"), but Joel and Ethan Coen have done an astounding job making this old story their own. They get the audience invested regardless of the fact that it is about cowboys and outlaws. It has been a while since we have seen the original, but from what we remember, we may actually enjoy this version more.

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My Rating: 9/10
BigJ's Rating: 9/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!

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Movie Review: "In Old Arizona" (1928)

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Movie: "In Old Arizona"

Year Nominated: 1930
Director: Irving Cummings
Rating: Passed
Oscar Nominations: 5
Oscar Wins: 1
Running Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

A wanted outlaw named The Cisco Kid romances the woman he loves while avoiding the man tasked with killing him.

"In Old Arizona" was nominated for five Oscars. It was tied with "The Patriot" for the most nominations at the second annual Academy Awards ceremony. Keep in mind, this was at a time when there was only seven categories total, so five nominations was most likely a huge deal. The movie is directed by Irving Cumming and Raul Walsh and is written by Tom Berry. It stars Warner Baxter as The Cisco Kid, a charming outlaw who appears to be more interested in romance than anything else. His love is for one woman, Tonia Maria (Dorthy Burgess), who he thinks is a loyal lover but isn't as faithful as he believes. Also in the film is Edmund Lowe as Sergeant Mickey Dunn, the man tasked with hunting down The Cisco Kid. Dunn also views himself as somewhat of a lady's man. The Cisco Kid thinks he has it all figured out, but when he asks Tonia to send a message to Dunn for him, she shows her true colors, which may put The Cisco Kid in danger.

Some movies just don't age well. "In Old Arizona" is certainly one of them. There are some people in the cinephile community that go absolutely bonkers if anyone dares insult the original films that set the stage for what we know and love as present-day Hollywood. We are not those people and have no problem giving our honest opinion on this film. We have to wonder how this got nominated for so many Oscars, and then have to tell ourselves, "it was the late 1920's, "talkies" were a new thing, and well, not much was going on in 1928 to facilitate a super interesting story." "In Old Arizona" is actually the first western film to use sound, and it is the first talkie to be shot outdoors. We have to imagine much of its accolades and attention arose out of the technical achievements for its time.

The best thing about this movie is easily Warner Baxter, who can be both funny and charming in his role. He took home the Academy Award for best actor that year, which was the only Oscar this movie would actually win. Edmund Lee and Dorthy Burgess are fine in this film, but you can tell they got their start in silent films. It is especially noticeable with Burgess, whose every physical motion and expression is overly exaggerated, a common practice in silent movies. Where this film really suffers is in its story. It starts out as a manhunt for The Cisco Kid, but the most Sergeant Dunn does to find him is sit in a bar and twiddle his thumbs hoping Cisco will show up. What this movie winds up being is a romantic love triangle about infidelity, jealousy, and revenge. Still, there is no tension and little excitement. Nothing interesting happens until the last few minutes of the film. We guess some may try to call it a slow burn, but we would simply call it boring. Not every classic film needs to be seen, even if it is as technologically groundbreaking as "In Old Arizona" was in 1928. The time it would take to pay attention to this movie just isn't worth wasting.

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My Rating: 3/10
BigJ's Rating: 3/10
IMDB's Rating: 5.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 56%
Do we recommend this movie: AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!

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Movie Review: "Django Unchained" (2012)

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Movie: "Django Unchained"

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Year: 2012
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

A German bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz buys and frees a slave named Django, who he takes on as a partner in exchange for pointing out the identities two lucrative bounties.

"Django Unchained" is a pre-Civil War western written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who is known for his films "Pulp Fiction" and "Inglorious Basterds." It stars Jamie Foxx as the titular Django, who begins the movie as a slave, but is bought and freed by a German dentist turned bounty hunter Dr. King Schutz, played by Christoph Waltz. Dr. King Schultz is looking for two bounties of whom Django knows the identities, and in exchange for pointing them out, Schultz gives Django his freedom, makes him his partner, and agrees to help him free his wife Broomhilda, played by Kerry Washington, from slavery. Broomhilda is owned by 'Monsieur' Calvin J. Candie, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, a wealthy plantation owner who is obsessed with French culture and regularly puts on 'Mandingo Fights' for sport.

Quentin Tarantino brings his unique, character-driven vision to the western genre in "Django Unchained." He dabbled in this genre a little bit making "Kill Bill," but here, he goes all out. First off, Robert Richardson's cinematography in the film is stunning and amazing. The shots are expertly crafted and can be brutally breathtaking. There are some scenes that are downright violent, but at the same time, they are artfully crafted as the deep red color of blood is juxtaposed against white cotton, and white horses, and white walls. It's oddly gorgeous. And what would a Tarantino film be without his sharply engaging dialogue? And who better to deliver it than Christoph Waltz? Both times Tarantino has employed Waltz, it has produced an Oscar-winning performance. He is absolutely brilliant as Dr. King Schultz. Jamie Foxx and Samuel L. Jackson present two characters at the opposite end of the spectrum for those held in slavery pre-Civil war. Foxx's Django is a freed slave ready to stick it to the man acting as a beacon of hope for what is possible. He starts out as a timid man, but as King Schultz trains him in his bounty hunting ways, his inner menace comes out in full, brutal force. Jackson's Stephen is a vocal and vociferous personality and gains a small amount of power by endearing himself to his owners and aiding in the oppression of his fellow slaves. Two glorious and different performances that juxtapose one another nicely. Another actor here giving an amazing performance is Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays an utterly despicable character but does so exceedingly well. He has some of the most memorable scenes in the film, even though he's only in the latter portion of the film.

Cunning, brutal, perverse, and darkly humorous, "Django Unchained" is an intense, bloody, engaging movie with stunning cinematography. It is one of Tarantino's best films.

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My Rating: 10/10
BigJ's Rating: 10/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 87%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!

Movie Review: "Bone Tomahawk" (2015)

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Movie: "Bone Tomahawk"

Director: S. Craig Zahler
Year: 2015
Rating: NR
Running Time: 2 hours, 12 minutes

When a tribe of primitive cave-dwelling natives abducts two people from a nearby town, a group of locals set off on a rescue mission not fully aware of what is in store for them.

"Bone Tomahawk" is a dramatic horror western written and directed by S. Craig Zahler. This is Zahler's directorial debut, though he has another writing on the film "Asylum Blackout." This movie stars Kurt Russell as Sheriff Hunt, Patrick Wilson as Arthur, Matthew Fox as Brooder, and Richard Jenkins as Chicory. When Arthur's wife Samantha, played by Lili Simmons, and Deputy Nick, played by Evan Jonigkeit, are abducted by a primal cannibal cave tribe of Native Americans, the aforementioned four set off on a rescue mission, though they aren't exactly sure how dangerous, large, or savage this tribe may be.

We have heard a lot of positive word-of-mouth about "Bone Tomahawk" for some time. The film opens interestingly enough and has a couple gory moments early on, though the acting isn't anything spectacular and the dialogue is pretty dry. Once Samantha and Deputy Nick are abducted and the posse sets off after their abductors, the film slows to a snail's pace. The entire middle portion of the movie involves the group slowly wandering through the desert dealing with things outside their primary mission. Arthur had a bad leg injury from the start, and that becomes a major plot device as the film trudges onward with little clues foreshadowing what is to come. There are a couple of moments thrown in to make their quest a bit longer and a little more difficult. We are sad to say that this middle portion is mostly boring. From the brief appearances we see of the villains early on, they seem to be supernatural, an angle we wish Zahler would have used but failed to do so (and to his disadvantage). The cave dwellers are very reminiscent of the antagonists from "The 13th Warrior." That film at least played with the idea that the antagonists were supernatural creatures before revealing they were merely a tribe of humans using their scary facade as a battle tactic.

It is at the end of "Bone Tomahawk" where the group of heroes finally faces off with this savage foe and this is exactly when the excitement and entertainment factors ramp up. There are a couple of extremely unsettling, uber-violent scenes that are disturbingly gross. It's obvious that every other chance to show blood and carnage was purposefully avoided in order to deliver a wicked ending where all of the waiting pays off to some extent. We would like to say this movie is entirely worth it, but the final showdown isn't quite epic enough to fully justify the meandering pacing problems in the middle section. Those behind the scenes certainly could have edited a good chunk out of the second act, and they could have added some tension by showing the captives once in a while as a looming threat in order to develop the villains a bit more. In the end, "Bone Tomahawk" is a drama horror western mixed bag that never completely find a perfect balance.

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My Rating: 6/10
BigJ's Rating: 6/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 90%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?

Movie Review: "The Beguiled" (2017)

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Movie: "The Beguiled"

Director: Sofia Coppola
Year: 2017
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 33 minutes

In Civil War-era Virginia, a group of young women at a boarding school find and nurse an injured Union soldier back to health. His presence and charm, however, cause tension and jealousy among the women.

"The Beguiled" is written and directed by Sofia Coppola, who is known for films like "The Virgin Suicides" and "Lost in Translation." It is an adaption of the novel "A Painted Devil" by Thomas P. Cullinan, which was previously adapted into a film also called "The Beguiled" starring Clint Eastwood from the 1970's. This version stars Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, Oona Laurence, Angourie Rice, Emma Howard, and Addison Riecke, who make up the students and teachers at a girls boarding school in the Confederate state of Virginia three years into the Civil War. Joining them is Colin Farrell, who plays injured Union soldier Corporal John McBurney, who the women take in in order to nurse him back to health. John is very charming, and the girls and women who live in the boarding school try their best to impress him the second he hobbles through the door. They give him little gifts, they come into his room and talk with him even though they aren't allowed, they wear lavish jewelry and fancy dresses to impress him, etc. John does not rebuff these advances, and in fact, relishes in the attention. He openly and outwardly flirts with a couple of the women, wooing them by asking about their hopes and dreams in an attempt to gain favor with them. This leads to drama, in-fighting, and jealousy inside the house.

When we saw the trailer for "The Beguiled," we got really excited for it. It was cut in a way that gave it a "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" revenge thriller feel. We hadn't seen the original film (we purposefully avoided it in order to come into this version with no preconceived notions) and we hadn't read the book, so we knew nothing of the source materials. We are a little bewildered that this movie is not as the studio sold it to be.

For the most part, it winds up being a bit of a stodgy dramatic period piece/Civil War western where several women fawn over a man who has fallen into their laps. There are some tense moments later on in its run time, but we feel like most of the tension stems from an overreaction to an accident that occurs during an argument rather than genuine malice. Dunst's Edwina Morrow wants to be taken far away from the boarding house, Fanning's Alicia finds herself bored with her monotonous studies and wants to shake things up by flirting with McBurney, and Kidman's Miss Martha Farnsworth won't admit it, but could use a helping hand around the house since she's has been doing everything herself for God knows how long. Are these ladies beguiled by Firth, is he compelling them to fight amongst themselves for his affections, or do they see him as the way out of their individual situations? Luckily, the picture is excellently acted. Every single person in this picture is cast perfectly, from the innocent Amy, played by Laurence, to the coquettish Alicia, played by Fanning. Kidman, Dunst, and Farrell dominate the screen with their commanding portrayals. The costumes are extremely well made and look appropriate for their time, and the entire film is beautiful, hauntingly shot by Sofia Coppola.

Though anchored by four tremendous performances from Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Colin Farrell, and Elle Fanning, "The Beguiled" winds up being a movie that's better looking than anything else, which may have been the opposite of what it intended to do. The story leaves a lot to be desired despite the occasional fantastic line of biting dialogue. It's only sporadically intriguing, and most of the engaging parts happen as the film winds down. BigJ found himself fighting off yawns for much of the first two acts, and while I was invested in the movie the whole way through, I will admit, there's a little too much "waiting for the other shoe to drop" for my liking. There's probably something to be said about how preconceived notions affect our judgment, and in turn, our actions, but it sadly isn't explored in the most entertaining fashion.

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My Rating: 6.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 5/10
IMDB's Rating: ~7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ~77%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?

Movie Review: "The Ridiculous 6" (2015)

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Movie: "The Ridiculous 6"
Director: Frank Coraci

Year: 2015
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 1 hour, 59 minutes

An orphan raised by Native Americans named White Knife (Adam Sandler) teams up with his five long lost half brothers to get $50,000 dollars in order to rescue their estranged father from a gang of outlaws.

"The Ridiculous 6" is directed by Frank Coraci, who is a regular cohort of Adam Sandler. Of the nine feature films Coraci has directed, seven have either starred or were produced by Sandler. As we have said in the past, Sandler must be an extremely loyal person since many of the careers of his friends almost totally rely on his generosity as he has kept them gainfully employed for the better part of two decades.

This comedy western contains the typical Adam Sandler fare we have come to expect from him in recent years. Adam Sandler plays an orphaned man who was raised by the Apache after his mom was killed when he was young. He goes by the name 'White Knife,' and if you didn't already guess it, it's because he is white and is good with knives. His soon-to-be wife, played by the miles out of his league Julia Jones, is named 'Smoking Fox' because of course that's her name in an Adam Sandler film. His female co-stars are rarely anything more than eye candy and he needs his audience to know it. Just ask Sandler's real life wife Jackie, who gets the honor of playing a character named 'Never Wears Bra.' We hoped the racist and sexist names used here were a form of satire much like the ones seen in "Blazing Saddles," which were used to point out the racist nature of the genre, but unfortunately, "The Ridiculous 6" just isn't that intelligent to accomplish such a feat. We get the feeling Sandler is just using these names in the hope they will garner some cheap chuckles which, if you're a sane person, don't produce anything remotely close to laughter. Joining Sandler as his half brothers are Rob Schneider, playing the obligatory racial stereotype Ramon, Taylor Lautner as the three-nippled mentally challenged Lil Pete, Jorge Garcia as the mute and somewhat mindless wildman Herm, Terry Jones playing right to type as the happy-go-lucky piano player Chico, and Luke Wilson as a failed presidential guard named Danny. These six brothers team up to rescue their estranged father, played by sexiest man alive 1992 Nick Nolte, who has been captured by his former gang and is taken hostage for the $50,000 dollar treasure he hid.

You can't be too mad at this movie for being downright absurd, silly, and as stupid as hell...it is called "The Ridiculous 6" after all, so it is meant to be ridiculous. Unfortunately, it's all craziness with very little wit or purpose, much like the last decade and a half of Sandler's career. We found ourselves rarely chuckling, which is more than we can say for "Jack and Jill" or "Grown Ups 2." Hey, one laugh per movie is alright, right? There are a couple of scenes that had fleeting moments of observational humor. The baseball scene is probably one of the funniest in the film because it's so honest in the way it pokes fun at the sport and that kid we all knew who would change the rules in his favor as he played a game. Why can't we can't get more of that from this crew? This is where they are at their best, not settling for toilet trash. Unfortunately, what we get stuck with are donkeys with explosive diarrhea and Vanilla Ice dressed up like Mark Twain for a lark. This is laziness at its finest, ladies and gentlemen, crass, aggravating, and juvenile. 

My Rating: 1/10
BigJ's Rating: 2/10
IMDB's Rating: 4.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 0%
Do we recommend this movie: AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!

Movie Review: "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969)

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Movie: "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"
Year Nominated: 1970
Director: George Roy Hill
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Did It Win?: No.

The story of outlaws Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) towards the latter half of their career as bank and train robbers, all the while being pursued by a group of bounty hunters.

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is directed by Gregory Roy Hill and is written by William Goldman. This filmed earned 7 Oscar nominations, including best picture and best director. Goldman took home a statuette for best original screenplay. It stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford as the titular Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid. Butch is the brains of the operation and the leader of their little group of outlaws. Sundance, on the other hand, is the gunfighter, a quick draw with a pistol with deadly precision. They rob banks and trains, but do their best to leave innocent people unharmed. When the two of them become the target of a group of bounty hunters, they flee to Bolivia where they continue their life of crime.

The acting from both Newman and Redford is impeccable. They do a brilliant job bringing these two anti-heroes to life. Despite being criminals, both characters are charming enough where you can't help but like them, even though what they are doing is wrong. That being said, there is a bit of an uneven tone to this film as a whole as it dances between dramatic biopic, action western, and comedic farce. There is one scene in particular, though somewhat iconic, that just feels out of place. This is the scene where Butch is riding Etta, played by Katharine Ross, around on a bike to the tune of Burt Bacharach's "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head." It's a cute scene...if it were in a different movie. It feels woefully out of line and out of place with everything else in this particular film. Is it meant to humanize Butch and Sundance? Because they already stay away from murdering innocent people, and that's pretty damn human. It feels included solely to appeal to a certain type of moviegoer that existed heavily at that time (read: hippies), those who may have been turned off by such a picture in all other ways. It's too campy for a film like this. That being said, there are some grand shots of desert landscapes and some tremendous cinematography that's pretty to look at, though these instances aren't enough to make a movie memorable.

For us, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" will go down as another classic piece of cinema that didn't quite live up to the hype. There just isn't enough substance to this movie apart from gunslinging and some off, odd tonal shifts. It feels like more of a "you had to be there" type of flick.

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My Rating: 6/10
BigJ's Rating: 6/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 89%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?

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Last Oscar season, we were watching: "The Quiet Man"

Two Oscar seasons ago, we were watching: "Hugo"

Movie Review #493: "The Magnificent Seven" (2016)

Movie: "The Magnificent Seven"
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 2 hours, 12 minutes

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A woman named Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) hires a group of gunfighters to protect her town from a robber baron named Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), who is trying to steal it for himself to use in conjunction with his nearby goldmine. 

The best summer movie of 2016 came out in September 2016, ladies and gents!

"The Magnificent Seven" is directed by Antoine Fuqua, who is known for his wonderful films "Training Day" and "The Equalizer," as well as his terrible film "Olympus Has Fallen." It is a remake of the 1960 John Sturges western "The Magnificent Seven," which was a remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 epic "Seven Samurai." Much like the previous two incarnations, the plot of this version revolves around a small farming village who hires a group of men for protection. This time around, the man they need protection from is a robber baron named Bartholomew Bogue, played by Peter Sarsgaard, who wants the small town of Rose Creek for his mining operation. Bogue has used his wealth to buy off local law enforcement and to hire mercenaries to intimidate and kill whoever dare stand in his way. When a couple of the townspeople try and stand up to him, he and his mercenaries do just that and kill them dead in the street right outside of the town's church. After her husband is murdered, a woman named Emma Cullen, played by Haley Bennett, along with Teddy Q, played by Luke Grimes, head out to find protection for the town. They happen across a warrant officer named Chisolm, played by the incomparable Denzel Washington, who agrees to help her out despite not being offered a whole heck of a lot for the job. Chisolm recruits six others, including the somewhat arrogant yet charming Josh Faraday, played by Chris Pratt, his old friend and fellow warrant officer Goodnight Robicheaux, played by Ethan Hawke, the deadly quick knife-smith Billy Rocks, played by Byung-hun Lee, a wanted outlaw named Vasquez, played by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, a former Indian hunter named Jack Horne, played by Vincent D'Onofrio, and a Comanche warrior on his own path named Red Harvest, played by Martin Sensmeier. Together, this group heads for Rose Creek in an effort to help its citizens fight for what belongs to them before it is taken away by the slimy, sinister Bogue.

Though this film has the same basic elements as the two previous versions, the 2016 version of "The Magnificent Seven" is very much its own film. It has a new fantastic, diverse cast of characters with brilliant actors putting on wonderful performances. Denzel Washington is the perfect choice for the ballsy, mouthy, brave, charismatic bounty hunter Chisolm, who is haunted by his past and wants to do right by those he has lost. Chris Pratt returns to form to play the comedic relief of the bunch in the character of Faraday, proving his "Guardians of the Galaxy" sarcastic charm and quick timing were not just a one-and-done coincidence. Vincent D'Onofrio plays the crazy one of the bunch in Jack Horne, and we feel like those who have seen the original movies ("Seven Samurai" and "The Magnificent Seven") will understand he is playing the Kikuchiyo/Chico part in the story, the oddball who isn't quite all there and is a bit of a clown in some respects. He, Pratt, and Washington are nothing short of brilliant. Ethan Hawke and Byung-hun Lee are also excellent as a partners in crime package deal, with Hawke's Goodnight Robicheaux being a bit of an unpredictable, inconsistent player who may have lost his touch, and Lee's Billy Rocks being the non-gunfighter of the bunch, favoring knives and hairpins over bullets. Martin Sensmeier's Red Harvest just sort of appears to join the seven, not really getting too much back story other than the fact that he's on his own path away from his tribe, but he does a damn fine job in his part. Finally, there's Vasquez. We knew nothing about Manuel Garcia-Rulfo before this film, but we sure know his name now. Though his character doesn't get a whole lot of backstory either, Garcia-Rulfo stood out to me as someone to watch out for in the future because Vasquez is every bit as charming, quick, and cunning as Pratt's Faraday.

After a relatively disappointing summer blockbuster season, Antoine Fuqua's "The Magnificent Seven" is a welcome treat and a very well made western. Who would have thought one of the most fun, exciting summer action films would come out the first day of fall? This film is absolutely worth watching for the various bouts of gunplay along the way, but even more so for the final showdown. It is over the top, grandiose and explosive, but it's also impressive, entertaining, and thrilling, too. While there is absolutely nothing new here in terms of plot, and while it doesn't change the western genre one lick as it favors genre clichés over all, it doesn't really matter. We had an absolute blast watching the spectacle of it all unfold, enthralled by what was about to happen even though we may have known what was coming. The many storied characters are extremely lively and make terrific team. To watch Fuqua's characters come to life and be played by some of the finest actors to ever grace the silver screen all while clearly having an insane amount of fun while making this picture, that's really all you can ask for in an action movie. Despite mixed reviews, we think "The Magnificent Seven" rocks. Director Antoine Fuqua forges his own path with his version of this age old tale and does so in a spectacular way, bringing both beauty in his camera shots and carnage in his gunfights. For lovers of westerns, or action movies, of Denzel Washington, or Chris Pratt, or really anyone involved in this picture, it is a must see on the big screen.

My Rating: 8/10
BigJ's Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB's Rating: ~7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ~64%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

Movie Review: "The Magnificent Seven" (1960)

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Movie: "The Magnificent Seven"
Director: John Sturges
Year: 1960
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 8 minutes

A farming village hires seven gunfighters to help them fight off a group of raiding bandits. 

"The Magnificent Seven" is directed by John Sturges and is a westernized re-imagining of Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai." Much like the film it's based on, "The Magnificent Seven" is about a small farming village, only this time, it is set in Mexico. This farming village is regularly raided by Calvera, played by Eli Wallach, and his large group of bandits. A few of the villagers decide they need outside help and take everything they have to hire some gunfighters to help protect them. These gunfighters include Chris Larabee Adams, played by the clearly Russian Yul Brenner, who in turn brings on Vin Tanner, played by Steve McQueen, Bernardo O'Reilly, played by Charles Bronson, Harry Luck, played by Brad Dexter, Britt, played by James Coburn, and Lee, played Robert Vaughn. The seventh man, Chico, played by Horst Buccholz, was originally rejected by the group for being too young and inexperienced, but he eventually proves his worth with persistence and a hell of a fish catching ability. Together, this magnificent group are tasked with hatching a plan to keep this village safe, regardless of the fact they will not be paid much and have a lot of hard work to do to get the farmers fight-ready for the battle of their lives.

At only 2 hours and 8 minutes, "The Magnificent Seven" clocks in about an hour and a half shorter than "Seven Samurai" as it scales down the recruitment of the seven and the training processes they must go through to become ready for the impending fight against the bandits. This film doesn't quite have the epic scale and is a far more compressed western, which isn't necessarily a criticism. It is still quite successful as an action western, though much of the drama from Kurosawa's original movie has been laid to rest with the aforementioned elongated plot points. It is the much more straightforward of the two films, though some of the seven don't feel quite as developed, mainly Lee and Harry. Britt isn't all that developed either, but this feels somewhat intentional as he is the more quiet, dangerous, stoic type of man with nerves of steel. You don't really need to know all that much about him other than he is the best at what he does. Chris, Vin, Bernardo, and Chico seem to have the most layered characters and the most screen time, despite Brenner and McQueen's on-set squabbles. They, along with the villain Calvera, are the most intriguing characters and the ones we get the most invested in over the course of this western. Bronson, McQueen, and Buccholz give awesome performances, but it's really the steely Brenner and the cunning and intemperate Wallach who steal the show.

Though it shares many plot points with its predecessor, "The Magnificent Seven" does make a few major changes toward the end, which was both unexpected but completely welcome. It adds an interesting dynamic in the final battle that we didn't see coming in an attempt to forge its own path on its own as a standalone picture. In the end, this film winds up being very entertaining with a great final battle full of action and excitement. It might not be as good as the foreign language original, but it's still one of the better remakes ever made.

My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 90%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

Movie Review: "The Outlaw Josey Wales" (1976)

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Movie: "The Outlaw Josey Wales"
Director: Clint Eastwood
Year: 1976
Rating: PG
Running Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

A Missouri farmer (Clint Eastwood) joins a confederate guerrilla unit after his home is ransacked and his is family murdered by Union Army red legs. After the war ends, his unit is captured and killed, and he is declared an outlaw. Now, Josey must remain on the run from the very red legs who killed his family. 

"The Outlaw Josey Wales" is directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars as the titular Josey Wales. It is based on the novel "Gone to Texas" by Forrest Carter. The story revolves around a Missouri farmer whose family are murdered by Union Army red legs. Josey, looking for revenge, joins up with a confederate guerrilla unit that regularly ambushes union soldiers. After the war ends, his group is asked to come in so they can end things peacefully. However, they are double-crossed, and the men are executed when they come in to lay down their arms. Wales is one of the only people left alive because he refused to come in and surrender with the rest of them. Now, he is an outlaw on the run as this red leg unit is set to hunt him down, after the reward placed on his head.

This film is a quintessentially classic western with awesome gunfights and incredible cinematography of the wide, open landscapes, thick brush, and arduous mountains. Clint Eastwood is the ideal old west tough guy, which is probably why he has played this part so many times in his very storied career. His piercing eyes and intimidating, almost permanent snarl make him the perfect candidate for the role of the baddest outlaw around. Though the character of Josey Wales is hardened by life, we still root for this anti-hero due to his tortured past and his tendency to help those in need, even if the help he gives is done so almost reluctantly. It also helps that Josey's killing and outlaw status is attained not because he exploits the weak, but because he seeks revenge against those who took advantage of the helpless. Those he kills are usually looking to make a profit from the bounty placed on his head, and well, he just can't have that now can he?

"The Outlaw Josey Wales" is an engaging story with some brilliant action. A word of warning: despite its PG rating, it is loaded with violence and even an attempted rape, which is a scene graphic enough to receive an immediate R rating today. Since it was the 70's, this was only enough for a PG. It's a hard scene to watch, so we figured we'd warn people going into the film for the first time. That being said, this is a great classic western worth checking out to see Eastwood's direction behind the camera and his glare and snare in front of it.

My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 8/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

Movie Review: ¡Three Amigos! (1986)

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Movie: "¡Three Amigos!"
Director: John Landis
Year: 1986
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 44 minutes

When three actors are mistaken for real gunfighters, they are asked to come to Santa Poco, Mexico for what they believe is simply another performance. Once there, they soon realize it isn't an acting gig at all, but a real life showdown with the most dangerous bandits of the region known as El Guapo (Alfonso Arau).

Directed by John Landis, "¡Three Amigos!" is the hilarious comedy western starring three fantastic comedy actors, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short. This trio of actors plays a trio of actors in the silent film era named Lucky Day, played by Martin, Dusty Bottoms, played by Chase, and Ned Nederlander, played by Short. They have starred  in many films underneath the "Three Amigo" series moniker, but have recently been fired by their studio head. A young woman from Santa Poco, Mexico named Carmen, played by Patrice Martinez, sees one of their pictures playing in her local church. Santa Poco has been terrorized for years by a bandit known as El Guapo, played by Alfonso Arau. When Carmen sees the film and thinks that the movie is real, she quickly sends a telegram requesting the Three Amigos come to Santa Poco to put a stop to El Guapo's reign of terror. The Amigos mistake this telegram as an offer for an acting gig which is great for them considering their recent termination of employment.

BigJ and I were absolutely shocked to see "¡Three Amigos!" has a 44% on Rotten Tomatoes. We know these older comedy films aren't the most well received, but 44% is a mere pittance compared to what it deserves. He and I both remember growing up watching this film, and we thank our wonderful parents for allowing us to be exposed to this kind of comedy early on. Watching this movie in 2016 for the first time in years, we still love it. It's a bit of a spoof on old western films, but not a parody of any single one in particular. The comedy here, though sometimes silly, is loaded with tons of witty dialogue and the occasional awkward fish-out-of-water scenario. A lot of what happens on screen seems absolutely stupid, but it all has an underlying level of brilliance to it, something that watching as adult we've realized more and more over the years. It's also extremely quotable, and to this day, we find ourselves referencing one its its lines in common parlance, regardless of what crazy looks it garners from people who have no clue what we're talking about. No matter, we know. This comedy works so well, and that's because of the comedic talent of its three main actors. The chemistry between Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short and their ability to play off each other works like a charm and fits like a glove. Each of these three actors is so charming, we can't help but love them no matter how stupid or oblivious their characters are.

"¡Three Amigos!" has been out for 30 years and we've seen it at least a few dozen times, yet we always find ourselves coming back to its awkward scenarios, its memorable lines, and its lovable but silly charterers. Finally, this movie has some great music, too. We still bust up laughing at the "My Little Buttercup" scene, which is situationally funny to the point where we can reenact it move for move. Even the "Blue Shadows" campfire song is hilarious because of its intentional sound stage appearance and the sheer the level of randomness it has as animals from all over the desert seem to congregate in the one spot where our protagonists are wanting a restful night's sleep on the range. We absolutely love this movie and feel it has stood strong against the test of time, though we can understand that it takes time to get to know the level of brilliance we've come to understand over time.

My Rating: 9/10
BigJ's Rating: 9/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 44%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!
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One year ago, we were watching: "Kindergarten Cop"

Oscar Movie Review: "High Noon" (1952)

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Movie: "High Noon"
Year Nominated: 1953
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Did It Win?: No.

Marshall Will Kane (Gary Cooper) has just gotten married and is about to step down from his position and leave on his honeymoon. Right before leaving, he hears word that Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) has just been released from prison, and his gang is  waiting at the train station to join him when he arrives on the 12 o'clock train. Everyone knows Miller is coming into town to get revenge on Kane for putting him in prison. Now, Kane must round up a posse to defend his town. However, Kane is having trouble finding volunteers willing to stand by him. 

Nominated for seven Academy Awards, Fred Zinneman's "High Noon" is a classic western film starring the likes of Gary Cooper, Grace Kelley, Lloyd Bridges, Lon Chaney Jr, and many more. The story here is very simplistic, but it is just executed so brilliantly, it feels like each piece of the puzzle, each minute counts. And speaking of minutes, the film clocks in at a brief 82 minutes long, with the first 70 minutes being pure tension building to a final climactic conflict. Gary Cooper is outstanding as Marshall Will Kane in a performance which earned him a Best Actor Oscar trophy. After seeing the film for the first time, BigJ and I both agree this award was well deserved. Kane is a strong character with great depth and conviction. Upon learning Frank Miller, played by Ian MacDonald, was coming, he had the opportunity to run, but chose to stay and fight in his town. He does his best to round up a posse, but having virtually no luck getting people to join as everyone seems to have an excuse why they cannot fight alongside him. As the clock ticks ever closer to noon, Kane still lacks volunteers, we sat on the edge of our seats, waiting and wondering how it would all turn out for him. Would the town rise up to help, or leave him to face Miller and his gang on his own? The tension gets so thick, you can cut it with a knife. Kane even has trouble getting deputy Harvey Pell, played by Lloyd Bridges, to stand by him after they have a falling out over a woman. Kane's newlywed wife Amy, played by the remarkable Grace Kelley, is a devout Quaker and doesn't believe in violence of any kind. She just wants her husband to leave town and not look back so they can get on with their newly formed bond and lives. However, he knows he can't, because if he doesn't face Miller now, Kane will be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life. This inner conflict within all the characters in this film is what makes it so compelling as a whole.

"High Noon" was a relatively unknown film to us, but we are glad we took a chance on it. This film has held up well over the years and doesn't feel dated in the slightest. When compared to more a modern take on the western genre, like the recent "Jane Got a Gun," which is much longer in length with a lot less story, we can truly see how well a shorter, more concise story and film can make all the difference in the world. Westerns are period pieces to begin with, but when executed slowly, poorly, and ramblingly, they don't make for a good viewing experience. We didn't have a problem with any of this during "High Noon," finding only well written characters, fantastic cinematography, impeccable direction, and straight-to-the-point drama with no muss or fuss. It deals with themes that any generation can relate too, which might be part of its mass appeal. Cinephiles will enjoy this for the visual spectacle and acting, and casual movie watchers will be awed by its simplistic, but well executed story.

My Rating: 9/10
BigJ's Rating: 9/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!
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One year ago, we were watching: "Anatomy of a Murder"

Movie Review #375: "Jane Got a Gun" (2016)

Movie: "Jane Got a Gun"
Ticket Price: $9.75
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 38 minutes

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After Jane's (Natalie Portman) husband Bill Hammond (Noah Emmerich) returns home with a back full of bullets and on the brink of death, he informs her that an old outlaw enemy named John Bishop (Ewan McGregor) and his gang are coming for them. Jane sets out to ask for help from a former lover named Dan Frost (Joel Edgerton), who currently wants little to do with Jane, to aid her in fending them off. 

"Jane Got a Gun" is a western drama directed by Gavin O'Connor, who is best known for his 2011 critically acclaimed film "Warrior," also starring Joel Edgerton. Unfortunately, O'Connor's success may have stopped with "Warrior" because "Jane Got a Gun" is a gigantic step down from his previous effort. This film is produced by and stars Natalie Portman as the titular Jane, a woman married to an outlaw who has come back home riddled with bullets. Jane now has to defend her home and protect what is theirs when her past comes back to haunt them. Joel Edgerton, who has a screenwriter credit on this film, plays Dan Frost, a former lover of Jane's and a veteran of the Civil War. Jane seeks out Dan in order to beg him for help in defending her home and husband. Completing the "Star Wars" prequels reunion is Ewan McGregor and his horribly constructed mustache, who plays the villainous John Bishop, an outlaw boss who is looking for revenge against Jane's husband Bill Hammond, played by Noah Emmerich, a former member of the Bishop Boy Gang. Reluctantly, Dan agrees to help Jane fight off the Bishop Boys Gang and it would appear that he may have ulterior motives in doing so.

"Jane Got a Gun" presents a frequent Hollywood conundrum as this is a case of a clearly more than capable and talented cast being far better than the film they are in. After years of development hell as directors and actors either dropped out of the project or were switched for someone else during production, what we're left with is a middle-of-the-road, unexceptional attempt at a western heavily weighed down by its extensive periods of nothingness. It's not bad enough to be bad, but it's certainly not good enough to be good, which is far worse in the case of this movie. It is really hard to get invested in the characters here. The basic plot involves watching Jane prepare to defend her homestead with Dan and that's about it until the third act. This preparation is interspersed with flashback segments that offer up the backstories of Jane, Dan, Bill, and John, only doled out one tiny bit at a time and can often be misleading. We watch as Jane talks to Dan, and then get a flashback. Next, Jane goes into town, and then a flashback happens. Jane finds her way back home, and BAM!, another flashback. This pattern continues throughout the film until the very eventful climax, but even a couple of graphically violence scenes and a kick ass finale can't save "Jane Got a Gun" from its overly dull, extremely boring and long road to its ending. Not much of what happens is engaging or interesting, and it's not emotionally impactful, either. Even the revealing moments that should be full of substance are nothing more than sub-standard. Overall, this is a rather mundane film with a few brief flashes of what could have been something of a satisfying re-invigoration of the western film genre. It isn't until we reach the final showdown that something truly entertaining, intense, and fun happens, but by then, it's too little, too late, and you'll already be well on your way to forgetting that "Jane Got a Gun" even exists. 

My Rating: 5/10
BigJ's Rating: 5/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 36%
Do we recommend this movie: Meh.
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One year ago, we were watching: "Cake"

Movie Review #359: "The Hateful Eight" (2015)

Movie: "The Hateful Eight"
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 48 minutes

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A bounty hunter named John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell) is taking his bounty, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), to Red Rock, Wyoming to hang. Unfortunately, a blizzard is closing in and John is forced to stop at Minnie's Haberdashery, along with the traveling companions he reluctantly picked up on the road, to hold up until the storm passes. Already there are a motley crew of individuals who John worries could be after his $10,000 bounty.

Chunky marinara, anyone?

Quentin Tarantino's eighth film, the aptly titled "The Hateful Eight," is a western style picture shot in 70MM panavision that takes place almost entirely inside a single roomed haberdashery. Like all of Tarantino's films, "The Hateful Eight" is primarily driven by strong, witty dialogue, some gorgeous, wandering cinematography and lingering camera shots, and the occasional bloodbath. We are big fans of his style in general, but for us, this one felt like it took a little while for everything to fully get going, and at 2 hours and 45 minutes, it feels a bit long, which is not something we have ever felt about Tarantino's past works. Once this film does get going, in classic Tarantino fashion, it offers up its fair share of blood and gore, far more than what you might see in most modern horror movies. The film has some good, well-developed characters played by many fabulous actors. Most of the titular Eight are Tarantino veterans returning to work with him again. First, Kurt Russell plays John "The Hangman" Ruth, a gruff bounty hunter who always brings his prisoners in alive. Samuel L. Jackson plays Major Marquis Warren, a Union army officer who now makes a post-war living as a bounty hunter. He is the first to come across Russell on the snowy trek to Red Rock. Walton Goggins, the second about to get snowed-out passenger plays Chris Mannix, the son of a confederate renegade turned sheriff-elect of Red Rock. Already at Minnie's is Tim Roth, who plays a Englishman named Oswaldo Mobray, the hangman on his way to Red Rock to act as executioner, Bruce Dern, who plays perpetual sitter General Sandy Smithers, a former confederate general looking to get a tombstone for his son who disappeared years ago, and Michael Madsen as Joe Gage, a cow puncher on his way to see his mother. Only two of the Eight are first-time collaborators with Tarantino, and they are Demian Bichir, who plays Bob "The Mexican," who is currently running Minnie's Haberdashery, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, who plays Daisy Domergue, a murderer with a $10,000 dollar bounty on her head. Leigh has also earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in this film. All of the performances are solid in this tense, confined, don't know who to trust scenario. Russell and Bichir are probably our standout favorites, but everyone is amazing in this movie.

Tarantino is a master filmmaker, and it pained us to hear he wants to make 10 movies and then quit, leaving his body or work to stand on its own before he works himself into the ground. "The Hateful Eight" is a great piece for that anthology of work. This time around, mixed with the signature dark comedy and long, drawn out drama elements, he also incorporates the western and mystery genres with a lot of "whodunit" twists and turns and revelations. Don't go in expecting a balls-to-the-wall action in the first 3/4ths of this film because almost all of it is dialogue-heavy build up. Before anyone gets to Minnie's on screen, Tarantino gets a chance to showcase his camera skills early on, and there's no doubt you're watching a Tarantino affair, right down to his excessive use of the "n" word, which he seems to love in a controversial kind of way regardless of if it makes sense or not. The cinematographic elements scream Tarantino, too, with a vast array of thick, billowy snowscapes, lush mountain grounds, and hellish bloodsplatters. This film feels cold to watch in a theater, and you know as audience members none of it is fake and it's obvious it was all shot on location. We appreciate the painstaking effort he puts into all his works.

"The Hateful Eight" offers up an enjoyable experience, albeit a bit long, and though we liked this film quite a lot, it's not Tarantino's best offering.

My Rating: 8.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 9/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 75%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!

Oscar Movie Review: "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948)

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Oscar Movie: "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre"
Year Nominated: 1949
Director: John Huston
Rating: TV PG
Running Time: 2 hours, 6 minutes
Did It Win?: No.

A pair of broke homeless Americans named Frank Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) are trying to make ends meet in Mexico. After being cheated out of wages by a crooked business man, they are beguiled by the stories of an old prospector named Howard (Walter Houston). Dobbs and Curtin join Howard on a trip to the Sierra Madre mountains to prospect for gold. After a few struggles getting there, they set up camp and start to strike it rich, but greed and paranoia set in, driving a wedge between the friends as they become increasingly hostile towards each other. They may have to stick together if they plan to keep their new found gold as others try to move in on their claim. Bandits are known for roaming the Mexican deserts and will kill the men for whatever valuables they have, but their gold fever may make that impossible. 

"The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" teeters a fine line between being darkly humorous and devilishly dubious, and while the word "classic" is thrown around a lot in Hollywood, this film certainly deserving of that title. It has excellent acting from all of the principal actors involved and each adds a little something different to the story as each character has a vastly different personality. Humphrey Bogart is excellent as Frank Dobbs, a man who is paranoid and doesn't trust a soul as he has often been cheated out of what he deserves. He becomes a man who is driven mad by greed and longing, which we understand because he goes from having nothing to the possibility of getting a chance to make something of himself. He lusts and wants for not just gold, but a better life, too. His portrayal of someone who undergoes a slow descent into madness is tremendous and as an audience, we feel both heartbroken for him and ashamed at him. Tim Holt is also very good as Curtin and he plays the Yin to Dobb's Yang. He has strong integrity and is a man of his word, and much like Dobbs, has had a hard time in life, but is far less paranoid. Finally, we have Walter Houston as the experienced prospector, who often acts as the voice of reason and has experienced it all before. He is phenomenal and took home the Best Supporting Actor award for his part in this film. We get where each of these characters are coming from and we really do understand each of their points of view. We as the audience are able to get immersed in why Dobbs is so paranoid as this is not a group of old friends he is dealing with. They have only known each other for a very short time and they really only have a business agreement, nothing more. They have little reason to trust each other outside of the fact that it is mutually beneficial to do so in order to protect each other from the bandits who want to rob them. And speaking of bandits, one of them speaks one of the most misquoted and parodied lines in film history: "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges." This is often misquoted or parodied to simply "Badges? We don't need no stinking badges." Blame The Monkees for this truncation.

The bottom line is that this film is one of the original greats. It is fantastic, and even now, 67 years after its release, it is still enjoyable.

My Rating: 9/10
BigJ's Rating: 8/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

Movie Review: "The Homesman" (2014)

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Movie: "The Homesman"
Director: Tommy Lee Jones
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours, 2 minutes


Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) is a middle-aged unmarried woman and land owner in Nebraska who takes care of herself as best she can. When three women (Miranda Otto, Grace Gummer and Sonja Richter) in their small pioneer town have been driven crazy, Mary volunteers to see them to Iowa since she is able-bodied and has no familial ties. Before leaving on their journey, Mary finds a degenerate claim jumper strung up to a tree sitting on a horse with a noose around his neck. He begs her to free him, and she agrees to do as as long as he will do anything she says. The man, George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones), promised Mary he would help her, but when she informs him of what he is to do, it was a little more than he bargained for.

With a strong major cast featuring the likes of Hilary Swank and Tommy Lee Jones (also the film's writer and director) and an expansive supporting one including Miranda Otto, Meryl Streep and her daughter Grace Gummer, James Spader, William Fitchner, John Lithgow, and Barry Corbin, one would expect "The Homesman" to be another great film in a long line of movies featuring ensemble casts such as this.
Well, it's not.
Not even close.

Based on the book of the same name, this film is simply another in the still ever-growing list of mediocre films made in 2014. Critics will praise it for its "brilliant acting," we're sure, but we didn't think there was really anything brilliant about the acting or the movie in general. Let us set the background a bit more. Tommy Lee Jones plays George Briggs, a man who isn't afraid to steal the shirt off your back and never settles in one place for too long. He's a coward and a swindler, so when he is tied by his neck to a tree to be hanged for theft, there would have been no loss if he had perished. Instead, he is saved by Mary Bee Cuddy, played by Hilary Swank, a godly yet unmarried 31-year-old spinster who has taken it upon herself to see that 3 women who have "gone crazy" make it across the Missouri river to a church where they are to be cared for by a preacher. In exchange for saving his life, Cuddy makes Briggs promise to help her with her task and he agrees to travel across the gorgeous plains with her. Hallelujah.

The beginning of the film, I think, began pretty strong. Mary Bee Cuddy is the woman I would have wanted to be during the time she lived. I mean, it was clearly one of the harshest times in the States, where real physical manual labor was required to simply survive. Dust storms were rampant, crops, agriculture, and animals died with no warning, etc. Mary Bee Cuddy was a woman who did all her own cooking, farming, cleaning, etc, with no man to tell her to get back into the kitchen, and it almost seems as if not only the writer of the book but Jones and company as well, wanted to make Cuddy seem like her own self-sufficient woman, dare I say even a little feminist? She even mentions it at one point in the scene at church. This character speaks to our inner feminist, so we got excited, but not for too long.

After this initial establishment, the next hour and a half is spent traveling across the plains. There were only two real incidents that could have posed a problem for the wagon party on the trail, and it seemed as if Jones wanted these incidents to be more intense than they actually turned out to be on screen. In fact, to us, they were devoid of any real tension for the most part. Beyond this, the in-fighting between Swank and Jones makes up the crux of the trip, and since one of them is a saint and the other is a sinner, you can imagine that they don't get along too well. Plus, you know, the crazy ladies in the back of the wagon don't help the situation any. While Swank and Jones do have great chemistry together on screen, the material they have to work with just sort of fits into the typecast they have been used to forever. When you think about it, Hilary Swank cherry picks her roles so that the only thing in common with them is that they are all depressing as hell. Tommy Lee Jones always plays a fast-talking, crotchety Southerner with a lot of sass and a heaping side dish of wit. He pretty much plays himself in every role. Together, they and their band of crazy-but-not-really-that-compelling-crazies make the trek from Nebraska to Iowa, only to have the entire movie switch gears three-fourths of the way through the movie. For a fighter as strong as Mary Bee Cuddy seemed initially, when push came to shove, she was obviously just a desperate, deeply depressed character and that's really the way the entire movie is at its core. We understand that what happened to each of the "crazy" women sucks, but we think Tommy Lee Jones failed to connect them and their sadness to the audience. We visually see their plight, but there's not enough overall background beyond a few seconds per woman to make us engaged in their struggles or care about their depression, or concerned for their safety. BigJ doesn't like depressing movies. He thinks there should be a distinction between depressing, where terrible things happen to the film's characters and leave you feeling empty inside, and sad, where bad stuff happens to the film's characters but there is some kind of catharsis in the end. To this I say, "Requiem for a Dream," but that's for another day.

Overall, though the cinematography is very pretty and well-shot, and the film overall has decent enough acting throughout, "The Homesman" fails to make us feel anything other than a shitty void at the end of it. This film has "Oscar bait" written all over it as far as several categories go, but its entertainment factor is next to nothing. Even though the main protagonist could very well have been a feminist by today's standards and we enjoyed that aspect, the author of the book, and subsequently the filmmakers, do a complete 180 in the middle of the story and this defeats its whole purpose.

My Rating: 5/10
BigJ's Rating: 5/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 79%
Do we recommend this movie: Meh.
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One year ago, we were watching: "Delivery Man"