Tuesday night, I visited the Alameda Theater for the first time, for a screening of John Ford's Fort Apache. This was also my first time seeing this classic on the big screen. The Alameda is a huge, beautiful, art deco theater originally built in 1932. It was, of course, originally built as a single-screen theater. … Continue reading Fort Apache at the Alameda
Category: Westerns
Tombstone as Myth: My Darling Clementine on Blu-ray
By all rules of the western genre, John Ford's My Darling Clementine shouldn't work. The plot, the primary motivations, and the action all but disappear for the whole middle part of the movie. And yet it's one of the greatest westerns ever made. Ford's westerns, at their best, danced along a thin line between reality … Continue reading Tombstone as Myth: My Darling Clementine on Blu-ray
MVFF: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Lark
Wednesday night I finally got to a 2014 Mill Valley Film Festival event--a screening at the Lark of one of my favorite westerns, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Believe it or not, this was my first visit to the Lark. Yes, I've been covering it at Bayflicks for years, but this was the … Continue reading MVFF: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Lark
James Garner and Some Forgotten Western Laughs
James Garner's recent death left me thinking about some of my favorite films starring the low-key star. And one title, rarely mentioned today, leaped up immediately: Support Your Local Sheriff. That title pretty much guarantees that the movie would be forgotten. A topical joke in 1969 (a popular conservative bumper sticker of the day read … Continue reading James Garner and Some Forgotten Western Laughs
Red River on Blu-ray: Of men and cattle
To those who consider westerns mindless shoot-em-ups, and dismiss John Wayne as a talentless reactionary symbol, I can think of no better answer than Howard Hawks' Red River. And outside of a movie theater, I can think of no better way to see it than in this new Criterion Blu-ray release. In Tom Dunson, Wayne … Continue reading Red River on Blu-ray: Of men and cattle
The Big Trail: A Big Western Shot on Big Film
Raoul Walsh's The Big Trail is not by any stretch of the imagination a great film. But it's fascinating, historically unique, and beautiful to look at. I caught it Sunday night at the Pacific Film Archive. I'd seen it before--on Turner Classic Movies--but this was my first Big Trail big screen experience. It deserves the … Continue reading The Big Trail: A Big Western Shot on Big Film
A Case for Silverado as a Great Western
Before he became the auteur of mediocre drameties like Darling Companion, Lawrence Kasdan wrote or co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. For his third directorial effort, Kasdan created another action entertainment gem--although an unfairly overlooked one: the neo-classic western Silverado. Shot against beautiful New Mexico scenery, … Continue reading A Case for Silverado as a Great Western
Why I Can’t Quite Call Unforgiven One of the Great Westerns
I first saw Unforgiven soon after its 1992 release. Everyone else was calling it a masterpiece, but I was deeply disappointed. Last Saturday, no longer remembering clearly why I didn't like it, I saw it again. Now I view it in much the same way as Apocalypse Now. For most of its runtime, it is … Continue reading Why I Can’t Quite Call Unforgiven One of the Great Westerns
SFIFF Report: Kanbar Awards: David Webb Peoples & Unforgiven
I started the day at the Kanbar Award presentation honoring screenwriter David Webb Peoples. After an introduction and a selection of clips from his films (which include Bladerunner, Unforgiven, Hero, and 12 Monkeys, Peoples was interviewed on stage by novelist James Dalessando, an old friend of his. A few notable Peoples comments: Peoples started out wanting … Continue reading SFIFF Report: Kanbar Awards: David Webb Peoples & Unforgiven
Cowboys, Aliens, and Original Blockbusters
I wanted to see Cowboys and Aliens as soon as I saw the advertising. Partly, it struck me as a cool idea. I also wanted to support any big-budget Hollywood summer movie that wasn’t a sequel, prequel, remake, or adaptation from a TV show, best-selling novel, or comic book. Besides, a new western is a … Continue reading Cowboys, Aliens, and Original Blockbusters
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