Damn Fine TV/Film
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is tied with Once Upon a Time in the West as Sergio Leone's greatest works. Some days, I am sure it is Once Upon a Time in the West; others, I am positive it is The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Today, it is the latter. The Good, …
Continue reading "Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"
I recently watched the classic Western musical Calamity Jane starring the ridiculously talented Doris Day and I was not sure how I would like it, given my love for Robin Weigert's portrayal of Jane in one of the greatest Westerns of all-time, Deadwood. Well, a couple of misgivings aside, I bloody loved it. It was …
Here is my controversial opener: El Indio, played by the wonderful Gian Maria Volontè, is the best villain in any Sergio Leone picture. Don't worry, dear friends---I won't leave you hanging with such a bombshell; read on to discover why. It would be reasonable for a viewer to declare Lee Van Cleef's Angel Eyes in …
Continue reading "Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy: For a Few Dollars More"
A Fistful of Dollars, released in 1964, was the first Western directed by Sergio Leone, as well as Clint Eastwood's first leading role. While it is arguably the weakest of the Dollars Trilogy, its importance and influence cannot be overstated. The stories that Leone would tell in his Westerns would become far more complex and …
Continue reading "Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy: A Fistful of Dollars"
Indie genre film director and co-conspirator at Mad Science Films, James Plumb, talks about the horror/western/comedy Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat, the sad decline of true low-budget horror, and his latest film, Little Monster, in this 25YL guest article. After many years of hearing about it, I finally watched Anthony Hickox’s Sundown: The Vampire in …
Let's get this straight: don't believe the noise around The Ballad of Buster Scruggs being the Coen brothers' worst. It is somewhat difficult to decide on where it lies in the work of the Coens, due to the diverse and brilliant nature of their catalogue, but I am comfortable in saying that this is easily …
Continue reading "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs: A Netflix Original Film"
"There's guns across the river aimin' at ya Lawman on your trail, he'd like to catch ya Bounty hunters too, they'd like to get ya Billy they don't like you to be so free." ---Bob Dylan, "Billy 1" from Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid As of late, I have been on a Western Odyssey. …
"Sometimes I feel so low-down and disgusted Can’t help but wonder what’s happenin’ to my companions Are they lost or are they found Have they counted the cost it’ll take to bring down All their earthly principles they’re gonna have to abandon? There’s a slow, slow train comin’ up around the bend Big-time negotiators, false …
Here at 25YLSite, we handle a lot of heavy lifting. Analysis, interpretation, deep discussion, introspective interviews… you name it, we’ve got it. “Favorites” takes a lighter approach to the material we normally cover. Each week, we will take you through a list of favorites – whether it’s moments, scenes, episodes, characters, lines of dialogue, whatever! …
Continue reading "Favourites: Top 5 Classic And Modern Westerns"