The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
“The nervous system extends through the body.” Faith, futility, and fatalism all converge in the wanton Western that is The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, the latest masterwork from the Coen Brothers […]
Category Archives: Western
The Rider (2018)
“No more riding. No more rodeos.” Without relying on modern-movie magic’s epic foolery, The Rider instills in us a great sense of poetic realism. Not much happens. Even less is said by […]
Hostiles (2017)
“You have no idea what it does to a man.” More serious than an old spaghetti Western and more grounded than one of the many revisionist takes on this al […]
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
“It won’t sweeten. It’ll only sour” Do yourself a favor and see Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 masterpiece Seven Samurai or even John Sturges’ modest 1960 feature rather than heading out to the cinema for Antoine […]
The Top 50 Films of 2015
Now that the 2015 calendar is long since in the rearview, I’ve been able to catch up on the rest of my extensive must-see list for the year. Granted, although […]
The 2016 Academy Awards: Predictions and Thoughts
It’s important to know while watching the Oscars that the nominees and the winners don’t necessarily represent the best of 2015. In fact, as I finish my Top 50 list […]
The Revenant (2015)
“You have to listen.” I honestly cannot recall the last time I saw a film and asked myself so many times, often aloud, “how did they do that?” The Revenant, when strictly […]
The Hateful Eight (2015)
“No one said the job was supposed to be easy.” What a treacherous journey to the screen it has been for The Hateful Eight. First a leaked script, now numerous theaters incompetent […]
The Ridiculous 6 (2015)
“How can you go on living your life knowing you harmed so many people?” Mark my words: The Ridiculous 6 , the first of a multi-picture deal with Netflix, will sweep more […]
Jauja (2015)
“On the desert frontier, one is alone.” Having now seen Jauja twice, I can say that this is masterful filmmaking at its most boring. All too often gorgeous films come […]
