We figured it was time to have a place to talk about Steve’s latest video subjects that do not have an UMR page.
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We figured it was time to have a place to talk about Steve’s latest video subjects that do not have an UMR page.
Anyway I thought it ironic that Jeff Bridges’ role in Hell OR High Water was classed as “supporting” because for me he totally dominates the movie in the most iconic and entertaining performance that I personally have ever seen him give. Totally stunning!
My lack of familiarity with the rest of the movies in the video does not detract from my huge enjoyment of Steve’s visuals.
It never does; and in fact I have given the video 2 views so far along with a 99% rating because I was very impressed with the glut of fine montages that are provided.
I have seen just two of the 25 2010-2019 westerns that Steve has given us in his latest video: Rango and Hell OR High Water. I always have to resist referring to it as Hell AND High Water which was Richard Widmark’s 1954 Cold War drama mega hit.
In that one Dickie in the grand tradition of The Duke and Laddie once more makes life difficult for Hollywood’s favourite whipping boys and punch bags of yesteryear : The Reds!
Indeed Hell AND High Water was a precursor to Richard’s own 1965 Bedford Incident in which he fanatically pursues a Red submarine across the waters with all the hatred and determination with which Royal Dano’s Captain Ahab pursued THAT whale.
The whale was called Moby Dick of course and unsurprisingly Richard nicknamed the Soviet Union sub in Bedford Incident “Big Red!” Those Hollywood tough guys sure called a spade a spade!
Continuing with the themes in my Part One certainly I could not envisage Gene or Roy saying the sort of thing that Clint comes out with in his westerns like “Go for your gun if you feel lucky a** ****!” and here is The Cowboy Code of Honour which Autry composed himself and which has been posted to this site previously:
1. The cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.
2. He must never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him.
3. He must always tell the truth.
4. He must be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals.
5. He must not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas.
6. He must help people in distress.
7. He must be a good worker.
8. He must keep himself clean in thought, SPEECH, action, and personal habits.
9. He must respect women, parents, and his nation’s laws.
10. The Cowboy is a patriot.
HI STEVE: Thanks for the reply. All credit to you for ‘rounding-up’ the mixes that you have done to give us decent numbers in your recent videos. And once more you have provided some informative quotes, with me particulalry liking the way in which Dan-like you have linked-up Russell and Charley Bill aka Glenn via 3.10 and the Superman movies.
Further linkage is that Brando played Jor El in the 1978’s Superman and according to Crowe when Marlon died he bequeathed Russell a book of poems called “There are
Men too Gentle to Live Among Wolves” [or was it Work Horses?]. Russell also claims that he was told by Brando’s emmarsary who delivered the book that he Crowe was Marlon’s fave actor.
I think that a big difference between the westerns of recent years and those of particularly the 1940s and 1950s is that in those earlier decades the cowboys were all “squeaky clean” and well-dressed in appearance with the likes of Gene Autry and Roy rogers looking like the proverbial Christmas trees and the towns normally looked as if you could almost have eaten your food off the streets.
Whereas in recent times the characters have usually been dirty and scruffy with the towns appearing like the muddy wastelands that they probably were.
Maybe once the Duke and Randy had heard the initial swearing they would shut up shop and gone to bed without waiting for the plot to reveal itself. Autry and Rogers are in fact on record as wanting to set good examples to especially small children and other young people in their time.
Though he certainly had the build for them I never knew that Tom Selleck had done movies albeit for TV. I am fond of him especially for the Jesse Stone TV movie franchise [2005-15] and for his guest appearance in the sitcom Friends from 1996-97 and 2000].
Anyway I like the way Steve is using TV productions to make up reasonable numbers and I rate the 200os westerns video 98%. From my perspective the 15 films with the best STILL(S ) entries are:
1/TWO for Bandidas
2/TWO for All the Pretty Work Horses
3/1st one for American Outlaws
4/Zorro
5/1st and 3rd ones for The Alamo
6/Seraphin Falls
7/The Missing-I take it that Steve has not become confused and that this is not another aka for the one at my No 2/ above?
8/Crossfire Trail
9/1st and 3rd ones for Appaloosa
10/TWO for Broken Trail
11/THE SET for Jesse James
12/THE SET for Open Range. Kevin’s top-star days never really came back after the fiasco of 1995’s Waterworld aka Tameworld
13/THE SET for Brokeback Mountain
14/TWO for The Proposition
15/THE SET for Good, Bad and Weird aka Bob, Steve and Joel
Hi Bob, apologies for my late reply and thanks for the review, generous rating and info, much appreciated. Happy you liked the posters, stills and lobby cards.
We’re nearly up to date, one more video and it’s back to the beginning.
I wonder what John Wayne or Randolph Scott would have made of this odd assortment of westerns – neo-westerns, modern westerns, aussie westerns, eastern westerns, mystical westerns etc
I’ve only seen 7 of the 25 here, my favorite being the remake of 3:10 to Yuma.
Two films scored 10 out of 10 from my sources – Brokeback Mountain and No Country for Old Men, neither are traditional wild west westerns.
My Video Top 5 –
No Country for Old Men 8.5
Brokeback Mountain 8.3
3:10 to Yuma (2007) 7.8
Open Range 7.6
The Assassination of Jesse James 7.5
The UMR Critics Top 5 –
No Country for Old Men 9.2
Brokeback Mountain 8.7
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada 8.0
The Proposition 7.9
Shanghai Noon 7.7
Bruce, if you’re reading, you should revise some of these ratings – Shanghai Noon rated higher than Open Range and 3:10 to Yuma?
Trivia
“Robert Duvall was the only actor that Kevin Costner had in mind for the role of Boss Spearman in Open Range. Costner said that if Duvall had turned down the part, he might not have made the movie at all. Duvall accepted the role immediately, and Costner gave him top billing.”
“Russell Crowe’s role in ‘3:10 to Yuma’ was originally played by Glenn Ford in 1957. Ford played Clark Kent’s adoptive father Jonathan Kent in Superman (1978) while Crowe played his natural father Jor-El in Man of Steel (2013).”