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Weekend Movie Marathon
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Western Round-Up
This weekend I want to attempt another Westerns marathon. Since Westerns are not what I would call a favorite genre of mine I had a bit of difficulty sticking with it on my last attempt. But Westerns has grown on me some... so I wanted to see if I could do better with it this time. Last time I enjoyed the movie serial (The Painted Stallion) I watched in between movies just as much... if not more then the movies themselves. So I am going to do something similar this time as well. Since I don't have another Western serial I am going to watch episodes of The Lone Ranger in between the movies.
I really increased my collection of Westerns here recently when I bought a cheap 20 boxset. I hope to get at least a few of those movies watched even though I am not expecting much at all from them... especially quality wise.
Here is my list of Westerns... titles in Bold are ones I never seen before.
- The Alamo
- Angel and the Badman
- Back to the Future Part III (I Know... stretching it a little)
- Between God, The Devil and a Winchester
- Blazing Saddles (maybe a stretch... more comedy then Western... but think it fits)
- Blue Steel
- Boot Hill
- Chino
- Cry Blood Apache
- Desperate Mission
- Forty Guns
- From Dusk Til Dawn 3:Hangman's Daughter (Western/Horror)
- The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
- The Grand Duel
- Hanged Man
- Hellbenders
- Hi-Yo Silver! (This is a movie length edit of a Lone Ranger Serial... I didn't even realize what it was till now. This will be watched for sure!... never seen it before!)
- It Can Be Done Amigo
- Kid Vegeance
- Lonesome Dove
- The Missing
- My Outlaw Brother
- One Eyed Jacks
- Open Range
- Powder Keg
- The Quick and the Dead
- Rage at Dawn
- Return of the Magnificent Seven
- Rio Bravo
- Shanghai Noon (Another stretch)
- Silverado
- Songs of Arizona
- The Sundowners
- This Man Can't Die
- To the Last Man
- Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (Western/Horror)
- Unforgiven
- White Comanche
- Wild Wild West (Another bit of a stretch)
- Winds of the Wasteland
- Wyatt Earp
- Young Guns
So if there is any requests for a review... let me know and I will try to fit it in. And yes I know there is at least a couple people here that wants to see what I think of Open Range. :)
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I like Open Range...I saw it in a theater when it first came out and I thought the movie had really good-looking cinematography (especially in the scenes outside of town. I don't know how it'll look on a smaller TV screen, though. I have never heard of Between God, the Devil and a Winchester...who's in that? Since it's on the set that had a lot of European westerns, I am guessing it also fits into that theme. Too bad you dont have Tombstone...that could be a double-feature with Wyatt Earp...then again, maybe that's too much Wyatt... :laugh:
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According to the box Between God, The Devil and a Winchester (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062666/) stars Gilbert Roland and Richard Harrison... and nope... I am not familiar with either of them. :P
Here is the plot..
A man gains access to a treasure map and persuades a guide (Juan Chasquisdo) to accompany him in his search to recover it. Both are pursued by bandits.
And yes it is a European movie... Italian. Or I guess you would say a Spaghetti Western.
Tombstone is definitely one I would like to see! But nope... don't have that one yet.
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So if there is any requests for a review... let me know and I will try to fit it in.
- From Dusk Til Dawn 3:Hangman's Daughter (Western/Horror)
- Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (Western/Horror)
:tease:
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No problem Tom!... Here you are...
From Dusk to Dawn 3: Hangman's Daughter (http://www.dvdcollectorsonline.com/index.php/topic,4155.msg81723.html#msg81723)
Tremors 4: The Beginning (http://www.dvdcollectorsonline.com/index.php/topic,337.msg4001.html#msg4001)
:tease:
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Well, I've heard of Gilbert Roland...I do remember that from your previous listing. Try not to watch too many of those European westerns in a row...try to space them out a bit in your viewing so you don't burn out on that kind of film. If you'll recall, in my review I didn't care for Forty Guns that much...but another member here came back and said he loved it. So maybe you'll be the deciding vote whenever you decide to watch that one! :thumbup: :thumbdown:
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Hi-Yo Silver!
Lee Powell is the legendary Lone Ranger in this 1940 feature version of the 1938 Republic serial, which marked the masked lawman's first live-action appearance after starring in a radio serial and a comic strip. Powell plays one of the five men who may be the Ranger, and who die one by one while the villains try to figure out which of the men survived the massacre and was nursed back to health by Tonto (Chief Thunder-Cloud). Among the most famous serials in history, this was directed by acknowledged chapterplay champions William Whitney and John English, and spawned a sequel, The Lone Ranger Rides Again, the following year.
My Thoughts:
I have been a fan of The Lone Ranger every since I was a kid and use to watch the old series with Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels that reran every Saturday afternoon after the Saturday Morning Cartoons. Hi-Yo Silver! is a cut down version of the old movie serial called The Lone Ranger that ran almost 4 and a half hours. Yet this cut down version lasted just over 1 hour. Even though I now know how it ended I would love to find and add the original serial to my collection... so I could see all the action that was cut out.
I liked this show a lot... though it did feel a bit odd to see The Lone Ranger is a full face mask instead of the mask we are familiar with from the TV Series. I also wish they didn't use an image from the TV Series for the DVD case. I liked how while watching this even you were not sure who The Lone Ranger was till the end of the movie. And not only that... but they gave you the possibility of five different people that it could have been... which made it fun to keep guessing at who he really was.
Being such an old show... and considering I have a cheap public domain version of the movie from GoodTime DVD I was expecting very bad quality... but I was actually pleasantly surprised. Sure... it was far from perfect... but it did not look bad at all. Very watchable in fact. There was only one or two very small parts where the video was bad... and the audio sounded very good through-out the entire movie. But of course there is unfortunately no extras on the DVD.
My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5
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The Lone Ranger: Legion of Old Timers
The Lone Ranger utilizes a group of old ranch hands to help out an Easterner who's being cheated out of his property by some scoundrels.
My Thoughts:
This episode of The Lone Ranger guest stars DeForest Kelley... who later played Dr. "Bones" McCoy on Star Trek. I enjoyed this episode. I liked that you get to see The Lone Ranger in a different disguise then you normally see him in... as you can see in the image I used above. Good story... good action.
My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5
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Wyatt Earp
Kevin Costner plays the most famous lawman ever to stride the Wild West. In a gritty, complex portrayal hailed as a "classic American performance" (Bob Campbell, Newhouse Newspapers), Academy Award® winner* Costner plays the man who became a myth in an epic, action-filled saga directed and co-written by Lawrence Kasdan. Gene Hackman as Wyatt's iron-willed father and Dennis Quaid as Earp's deadly best friend, Doc Holliday, add power to this hard-hitting Western. From Wichita to Dodge City to the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, Wyatt Earp is a thrilling journey of romance, adventure and mythic courage.
My Thoughts:
This is one of the MANY Western movies I never seen. But it is also one I have been wanting to see for a while now. I found this to be a very strong (not to mention long) movie. It is a very well made movie that looks stunning. The story is very well told. Of course this is coming from someone not familiar with the story... just going by my enjoyment of the story. And lots of familiar faces. Including one I was surprised to see. That is Mark Harmon (Johnny Behan) who stars in one of my favorite current TV series... NCIS.
As long as this movie is... it never failed to hold my attention. Even though the picture on this movie for the most part looked fantastic on my cheap 20in standard TV... it is not without it's problems. most the night scenes (and there were plenty) was a bit too dark... making hard for me to follow everything that was going on. But over all I enjoyed every minute of this movie... and thrilled I now have it in my collection.
My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5
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Including one I was surprised to see. That is Mark Harmon (Johnny Behan) who stars in one of my favorite current TV series... NCIS.
Don't forget that he was in Summer School too one of my all-time favorite comedy ;D
Maybe I should rewatch it next week :hmmmm:
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Now that is a movie I haven't seen in a LONG time... Unfortunately I don't have that one in my collection to watch. But it is added to my always growing wishlist! :P
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Last night I watched the Lawrence Kasdan edition of "The Directors" and Kasdan (the director) talked about this movie some. Apparently, Costner originally envisioned this as a 6-hour mini-series (HBO maybe if my memory serves me right) and he then got Kasdan to come in (they had done Silverado together) and it was redone as a feature film. Kasdan wasn't overall pleased with the film...he felt it was a combination of the two projects that didn't really work. He felt the best part of his film was the Doc Holliday character, played by Dennis Quaid who lost about 40 pounds to play the character. I'll have to watch this soon myself.
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A nice special edition (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000NA21Y0/imdb-button/) of this film was released in 2007 and it doesn't cost a lot.
Now if a special edition of Ski School (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102940/) with the French Canadian dubbing could be released it would make my day. I know it's a dumb movie, but it was a lot of fun watching it at the theatre :laugh:
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Unfortunately I can't buy any more movies this month. Need to tighten the belt a bit this month as it is. :P
dumb?... maybe so... but some of the best comedies are the dumb ones. :P
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Last night I watched the Lawrence Kasdan edition of "The Directors" and Kasdan (the director) talked about this movie some. Apparently, Costner originally envisioned this as a 6-hour mini-series (HBO maybe if my memory serves me right) and he then got Kasdan to come in (they had done Silverado together) and it was redone as a feature film. Kasdan wasn't overall pleased with the film...he felt it was a combination of the two projects that didn't really work. He felt the best part of his film was the Doc Holliday character, played by Dennis Quaid who lost about 40 pounds to play the character. I'll have to watch this soon myself.
Wow... can't imagine him thinking Doc Holiday was the best part of this film. Not that he was bad... not in any sense of the word... but I thought the rest of the film was very good as well. Of course what do I know... I am still pretty much a newbie when it comes to Westerns! :P
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Last night I watched the Lawrence Kasdan edition of "The Directors" and Kasdan (the director) talked about this movie some. Apparently, Costner originally envisioned this as a 6-hour mini-series (HBO maybe if my memory serves me right) and he then got Kasdan to come in (they had done Silverado together) and it was redone as a feature film. Kasdan wasn't overall pleased with the film...he felt it was a combination of the two projects that didn't really work. He felt the best part of his film was the Doc Holliday character, played by Dennis Quaid who lost about 40 pounds to play the character. I'll have to watch this soon myself.
Wow... can't imagine him thinking Doc Holiday was the best part of this film. Not that he was bad... not in any sense of the word... but I thought the rest of the film was very good as well. Of course what do I know... I am still pretty much a newbie when it comes to Westerns! :P
I thought Quaid was nothing short of magnificent and much better than Kilmer in Tombstone, and he wasn't exactly bad! I've been meaning to watch Wyatt Earp again for quite some time, but somehow never get around to it. Glad you enjoyed it, Pete!
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The Lone Ranger: The Return of the Convict
After serving a prison term for a crime he didn't commit, a man returns home bitter and determined to learn the truth from the witnesses that testified falsely against him.
My Thoughts:
This is a good episode... but not one that is particularly great. A little slower of an episode for my taste. But is worth watching. Nothing really special happened worth talking about actually... just a standard episode.
My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5
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Winds of the Wasteland
John Blair and his partner Larry purchase a run-down stagecoach line and enter a race with competing stage operator Cal Drake for the rights to a government mail-delivery contract. But Drake is dishonest and uses his villainous flunky Smoky to attempt John's and Larry's defeat, by any means necessary
My Thoughts:
This is one of the movies I got in the 20 Greatest Westerns: Heroes & Bandits boxset that I found in the Walmart Bargain Bin recently. When I bought the set I knew not to expect very good movies despite the name of the boxset... and I also knew not to expect much quality wise. But I figured 20 movies for $5... what the hell... why not. So needless to say I was a little worried when I popped this one into the player. Now I can't say it will be so with all the movies in this set... but in the case of Winds of the Wasteland the quality, while not good, really wasn't too bad. Sure it could have been a hell of a lot better... but it is definitely watchable. And OMG... John Wayne was young in this movie! This has to be the earliest of his movies I have ever seen. This movie was released in 1936.
I really enjoyed this story. It was interesting.... everything moved along quickly... and they also had some comedic relief in the form of an older guy played by Lew Kelly. Between some of the things he said and done... he had me literally laughing out loud a few times. I especially liked how while riding in the back of the stage coach that was being shot at he took the cushion off the seat and hide behind it as if it would stop a bullet. Then I also liked at the end of the movie where he had himself a pet skunk on a leash. This movie had a lot of Western action and comedic situations all rolled up in a movie that only lasted 56 minutes! This movie alone made it worth it to me to get this cheap low-budget boxset. Only thing that would have made it better is if the quality was even a little better. I would give the movie itself 4 stars... but the lower then desired quality will knock it down to to 3 and a half.
My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5
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That's the kind of movie I mean when I refer to "B" westerns...cheap movies shot in about a week...and many of them aimed at younger viewers. You have another of Duke's B's in that set...Blue Steel. Maybe you'll want to watch that after you watch a longer film...though I doubt you have any others as long as Wyatt Earp. :P
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Well... I tell you what... I enjoyed that "B" Western... and looking forward to checking out more like it. :)
After the episode of The Lone Ranger I will probably watch Open Range.
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The Lone Ranger: Six Gun's Legacy
Outlaws stop a stagecoach and shoot the passengers in order to impersonate a young Easterner.
My Thoughts:
This is a good episode. I really enjoyed the story. I am surprised to say that I now have my daughter Brittany enjoying The Lone Ranger as well.
My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5
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Open Range
Packed with epic action, Open Range is a powerfully gripping story that's never been told until now, and stars Academy Award® winners Robert Duvall (John Q) and Kevin Costner (Tin Cup), and Academy Award® nominee Annette Bening (American Beauty). A group of free grazers, four men trying to escape their pasts, are driving cattle and living off the land on the open range — a place where nature makes the only laws. when a ruthless, evil rancher tries to run them out of town, the men's peaceful existence takes a tumultuous turn and ends in the grittiest, most explosive gunfight on film as two men battle a town for honor, justice and a way of life that's quickly disappearing.
My Thoughts:
This is another one I have never seen before. Not hard to believe since I just recently gotten into Western movies. I was told before watching this movie that this one had some beautiful photography. And I agree with that. It makes me wish I got to see this one at the theater. It is a good movie. I enjoyed it quite a bit... though I would say that parts of it moved a little on the slow side. But over-all it is definitely worth checking out if you are in the mood for a Western.
My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5
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The Lone Ranger: Rustler's Hideout
The Lone Ranger infiltrates a gang who are holding hostage the son of one of a group of ranchers who captured the gang's leader.
My Thoughts:
Anoher good episode. I liked the storyline. I liked how The Lone Ranger got the hostage away from the rustlers.
My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5
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The Hanged Man
An ex-gunslinger who survives his own hanging turns into a mystical avenger fighting for justice in the Old West, coming first to the help of a young widow who is trying to keep her silver mine from the clutches of an unscrupulous land baron.
My Thoughts:
This is the second movie I have now watched out of that 20 Great Westerns boxset I found in the Walmart Bargain Bin. This is actually a TV Movie from 1974. When I found that out I was quick to pop this one in... as it has been my experience that I really enjoy the TV movies from the '70s. In this case I would say it is a decent movie... but nothing really great. While it was a good story... I just didn't care about any of the characters in this movie.
Once again the quality of this movie is better then I expected. Even though the image was a little on the dull side... for the most part the image was clear and more then watchable... with only a little dust noticeable on the film. And no problems with the sound either. At least not on the cheap standard TV and extremely old Surround Sound that I have. One of these days I need to get me some new equipment where I can really judge the quality of the DVDs I watch.
My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5
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Well, I'm, always curious as to who's in movies, especially westerns, so I looked this up in one of my books since you didn't mention any cast members. I found some pretty familiar names here: Steve Forrest, Cameron Mitchell, Dean Jagger, Will Geer, Ray Teal and a favorite character actor, Hank Worden though he's way down in the credits so he probably didn't have much of a part in this one. :)
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I didn't recognize any of the names myself... but that is not surprising. :P
The only name that looked even half way familiar is that of Sharon Acker... and that is only because I am so familiar with Amy Acker (Angel, Dollhouse)... wonder if maybe Sharon Acker is her mother?
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The Lone Ranger: Pete and Pedro
The Lone Ranger tries to convince a couple of no-accounts to come to the aid of a young girl in danger of losing her land to a neighbor.
My Thoughts:
This is a really fun episode. Not only is there lots of good action... but there is plenty of laughs with the characters of Pete and Pedro (Played by Rufe Davis and Don Diamond). Probably one of my favorite episodes of the few I have in this set.
My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5
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Blue Steel
When Sheriff Jake sees a man at the safe and then finds the payroll gone, he trails him. Just as he is about to arrest him, the man saves his life. Still suspicious, he joins up with the man and later they learn that Melgrove, the towns leading citizen, is trying to take over the area's ranches by having his gang stop all incoming supply wagons. With the ranchers about to sell to Melgrove, the two newcomers say they will bring in provisions.
My Thoughts:
Another from the 20 Great Westerns boxset I got from the Walmart Bargain Bin. This movie stars John Wayne in one of his earlier roles. Also in this one is George Hayes and Eleanor Hunt. Though I am not familiar with them. While I enjoyed the other John Wayne movie I watched (Winds of the Wasteland) quite a bit... this one not so much. It just wasn't nearly as entertaining for me. The quality wasn't up there either. Some scenes the audio and video was very good... but in other scenes there was a lot of dust and scratches... and there as a low hissing in the audio.
My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5
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Too bad you didn't care that much for Blue Steel. I seem to recall liking it but I haven't seen it in probably over 10 years. I should point out, however, that George Hayes is probably the most famous character actor to ever work in westerns...but most people just call him Gabby Hayes.
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I would have recognized the name Gabby Hayes! I took the name from the actual credits so... I am sure I didn't recognize him himself because it is such an old movie.
Well... looks like I will have to end this marathon now. We have company here this afternoon so don't look like I will have much time for movies for most the rest of the day. Well at least it has been fun... and hey... all real Westerns this time huh Roger? :P