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Other Films / B-Westerns

« on: November 04, 2020, 07:45:36 AM »

I've been watching some B-Westerns on You Tube lately. They've got a wealth of them on there. They're are mostly routine fillers running for 55 to 60 minutes. But I thought I would like to pick some that had interest to me. None of these will ever appear on the main western indexes. So I would like to start off with a couple of mini-reviews.

I notice that this type of B-Westerns ended circa 1953. I suppose that is when all the cowboys of B-Pictures moved over to TV. So I might pop a few early TV episodes on here as I go on.

Oh and if anybody has got some recommendations in the B-Western field I'd be pleased to hear. Those that might not warrant their own thread but may worth a watch anyhow. Thanks.

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Off-Topic Discussion / IMDb polls of interest

« on: October 24, 2020, 12:11:12 AM »

I've just now seen three brand new polls on IMDb that have 'The Good, The Bad and the Ugly' entrants. So I would like to alert people on here when a Sergio Leone interest is contained in each new poll. I'll keep it to one poll per post. I hope my linking skills have improved and try to give you a link to each poll.

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Ennio Morricone / The Glance of Music

« on: August 15, 2019, 01:55:18 AM »

I notice that this Italian film is about Ennio Morricone. It has just been completed. It is directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. Those taking part in the film include Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, James Hetfield and Oliver Stone.

On our Radio 3 was an hour-long programme about the music in spaghetti westerns last Saturday afternoon. I wish I had recorded it. And of course Ennio Morricone featured heavily in it. And the sound effects he simulated in his music. I would like to get to see 'The Glance of Music' sometime.

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Other Films / Deadwood (2019 TV Movie)

« on: May 21, 2019, 12:45:54 AM »

This TV movie is to be shown on HBO on 31st May. It has the same cast as the old TV series of 'Deadwood.' Ian McShane as Al and Timothy Olyphant as Seth. And Robin Weigert as Calamity Jane. She should have a bit more to do this time as she is third in the cast. Keith Carradine will be Wild Bill Hickock. Jeffrey Jones is Merrick.

I like the poster. It is sepia tint with a frayed edge look to it.

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Off-Topic Discussion / Crime films on my IMDb ratings page

« on: August 11, 2018, 06:58:43 AM »

I thought that I would keep this board up to date with what crime films that I am rating on IMDb. So I will give a little mini review of these films on this thread as I give them a rating. To view my ratings list just click on the signature link on any of my posts. I will try to avoid those films that have an entry on the noir and gangster indexes on here. And keep it to those films which have a crime or crime-linked theme.

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Off-Topic Discussion / Eli Wallach

« on: November 06, 2017, 06:27:35 AM »

Judging by a quotation by Eli Wallach that I found, I think he was extremely suspicious of film critics. His quote about them inspired me to publish an IMDb list called 'They've got a hangman's noose.'

To view Eli Wallach's quotation and a page of film posters with a hangman's noose on them please click on below:-

http://www.imdb.com/list/ls025557776/

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Off-Topic Discussion / Shock (1946)

« on: July 02, 2017, 02:22:15 AM »

Fox had decided that they were taking too long to make their films so they churned this one out in 18 days. Their main casting concern was to use actors who could speed-learn a script. So the lead went to Vincent Price who had sharpened his quick reading of roles on the stage.

'Shock' is a psychological thriller that uses noir devices. I t concerns a psychiatrist who is having an affair with a nurse. His illicit involvement is threatened with exposure. So he is panicked into committing a murder in a hotel room in order to save his reputation.

He is overseen by a hotel guest who goes into a state of shock. He then takes charge of the female witness, Mrs Stuart, in order to find out if she saw and what she could remember of it. Predicaments ensue from this.

Vincent Price gives a frigid performance as the psychiatrist but his fans will love it. His sanatorium is fairly gothic. And there is a great thunderstorm sequence during which an elderly male patient with mad piercing eyes attacks Mrs Stuart.

Another scene I particularly like is Mrs Stuart having a dream in her hotel room. She is anxious to reunite with her husband who is returning from a POW camp. In the dream she hears his panicky voice calling to her. In her desperation she is blocked from getting to the door in time. Has his war experiences hanged him? Has he come back in one piece? Does he still love her?

Lynn Bari is the nurse. She makes a good temptress in a white uniform. Lynn Bari was often the 'other woman' in some decent 1940s films.

Despite this being an obviously cheap B-movie quickie I feel no shame in recommending 'Shock.' 7/10.

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Other Films / A Gungighter's Pledge (TV 2008)

« on: May 18, 2017, 01:25:22 AM »

I have just seen this under it's working title 'The Pledge.' It is a TV movie premiered on the Hallmark channel in 2008. I congratulate Hallmark as they do seem to have been encouraging the making of old-type westerns which Hollywood and mainstream cinema have long abandoned. I have seen other westerns that started out on their channel that have done this.

The story itself is taken from the old westerns. A man who goes on a revenge chase after his family have been killed by an outlaw. The avenging sheriff (Luke Perry) then accidentally kills an innocent man. It leaves him in a predicament when he takes the body back home as he feels obliged to get involved with the dead man's family through guilt.

There's a good performance from C. Thomas Howell as a land baron who is persuading the dead man's sister to leave her land. The acting is fairly good all round. Lots of characters get involved in the story. So although there is nothing new about the plot, I would say that it is done well.

A little bit off-putting is some of the dialogue. One character says that "we have logistics issues." I've no doubt the old west did have problems like that but I can't really hear them talking like that somehow. But I'm glad to say that there is not too much of this off-kilter dialogue in the movie.

I hope that Hallmark, and perhaps other TV concerns, will continue to encourage the making of old-type westerns. I'm going to recommend this one. 7/10