Tag: western

For a Few Dollars More (1965)

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This is the second of Sergio Leone’s groundbreaking westerns, which often gets overshadowed by The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. I understand why, but I just rewatched For a Few Dollars More recently and was blown away. What I love about this movie is that it does not drag at all. As much as I enjoy The Good…, this feels a lot more relentless in its pace. There’s still plenty of artful shots, beautiful cinematography, and emotional scenes, but my interest and attention never wavered. Fantastic acting, music, and intense action sequences make this a thoroughly entertaining experience. It’s a standalone film, not a sequel to A Fistful of Dollars, so give it a watch, or rewatch if you’re like me and had never seen it in its original cinemascope format. This is top-tier sweaty, dark, and violent Anomalous Cinema.

Available on 4K UHD from KL Studio Classics.

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Dead Man (1995)

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Jim Jarmusch made this pitch black artsy western back when Johnny Depp still had credibility. It’s a deliberately paced film, but damn it’s good. For me, Gary Farmer is the star of the show as the native guide Nobody. He also plays my favorite character in the excellent series Reservation Dogs. I can’t leave out the killer supporting appearances from Billy Bob Thornton and Iggy Pop, plus a perfect Crispin Glover cameo. The finishing touch is Neil Young’s mournful guitar score. His music ties it all together, and it’s a great listen on it’s own. Don’t miss this beautiful descent into endless night.

Available on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.

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The Sisters Brothers (2018)

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It seems impossible, but this film successfully blends a violent western with a bit of dark comedy. It all looks beautiful as well. The Sisters Brothers is deliberately paced between shootouts, and runs on the long side, but I was never bored. Recommended weirdness.

Available on Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox.

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Sad Hill Unearthed (2017)

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You will need to see The Good, the Bad and the Ugly before you watch this, as fans restore the set from the climax of the film. I had my doubts that this would be interesting, especially since it opens with Metallica in concert. I’m a die hard fan of the Cliff Burton years and not into much of their output since, some of which is downright shameful. The band is included because they have used the featured scene as their live opening video for a long time. I saw the tour they first used it, and yes, it was very effective. James Hetfield actually does say some very thoughtful things in this movie too. Anyhow, I had forgotten how big and beautifully designed the Sad Hill set was, and this documentary goes into a lot of detail about it. None of it is dull, and by the end, it all gets surprisingly emotional. They also talk about the making of the movie in general, so if you’re a fan, this is a must-see. I was psyched to see Sergio Salvati interviewed in this as well. He’s why the classic Lucio Fulci movies look so good. My only real complaint is that the filmmakers animated almost all of the still photographs. I despise that technique. Leave photos alone people! Ahem… In spite of a couple of blemishes, this is a damn good documentary.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

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Heaven’s Gate (1980)

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Ok, so this movie was one of the epic flops in cinema history. The nutshell version is that the estimated budget was 44 million and the cumulative gross worldwide revenue was less than 3.5 million. Ouch. However, Heaven’s Gate is a damn good film! It’s also bloated, over-complicated, bizarre, and excruciatingly slow at times. I can imagine seeing it in the theater was quite a trial. Watch this in a few chunks, and you’ll appreciate what Michael Cimino was trying to do. Some of the scenes in this movie are just jaw droppingly insane on multiple levels. It’s honestly a must-see work of Anomalous Cinema. I’m just very happy that the director got to see it appreciated during his lifetime.

Blu-ray available from Criterion.

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Duck, You Sucker (1971)

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Aka A Fistful of Dynamite – this is an entertaining Sergio Leone action movie with some interesting alterations from his Clint Eastwood features. James Coburn is great in the lead role. I suspect that Al Pacino in Scarface was just doing an imitation of Rod Steiger’s Juan Miranda character here. This one also has cult movie hero David Warbeck (The Beyond, Twins of Evil) in it, which is fantastic bonus.

Blu-ray available from Kino Lorber.

If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema, please consider supporting this site by donating any amount (even $1.00 is appreciated) via Venmo @vergeoflight / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema please consider donating any amount via Paypal using this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

Hostiles (2017)

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A contemporary, ethical Western. It leans towards blockbuster cheesiness and runs a bit long, but has enough action and high quality drama to compensate. It’s pretty graphic at times, so if think you’re getting some old timey, bloodless, John Wayne affair you’re dead wrong. Hostiles has a sympathetic and informed take on Native Americans as well, which makes the whole thing work. You won’t hear me mention books too often here, but I truly believe every American should read “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” by Dee Brown. We need to know our own history, even the darkest parts.

Available on Blu-ray from Lion’s Gate.

If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema, please consider supporting this site by donating any amount (even $1.00 is appreciated) via Venmo @vergeoflight / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.