I recently rewatched
Gentleman Killer
Sapevano solo uccidere a.k.a. I’ll Die for Vengeance
Johnny Yuma
1/2
I watched Incident at Phantom Hill (a film I received as a Christmas present) and thought it was pretty entertaining.
I love that tune. I even recorded a cover of it years ago.
1 Like
I don’t mind the tune itself. From memory, my only problem with it is the fact that is overplayed throughout the film and starts to get annoying.
1 Like
I really wonder if the out of tune guitar was intentional, since the notes are flat on every track.
Yes, it is overplayed. And there are long parts of the film with no music at all. It was a minimalist production. Still one of my all-time favourites.
Sitting here right now looking through the Kino Blu Ray of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (a Christmas gift from one of my cousins). I didn’t think the transfer could get any better, but I was glad to be pleasantly wrong. I can see almost every facial hair on most of the actors now and I could even see steam coming from the food on Stevens last meal!
1 Like
My last western 2019 was: The Man from Laramie. Good one
1 Like
I think with all the criticism of their releases, or of previous attempts, it always depends a bit on where one is coming from… to me, anything that gets me close to a fresh 35mm print is fine… it will never be exactly that, but baby steps closer is closer too
I revisited The Return of Ringo the other day, I think it was my third watch. It used to be in my top 20 but got swapped out for Arizona Colt. I definatly like it but somehow I cannot enjoy it like I did the first time. I also cannot help to start question the Morning Glory-character and Ringo being an undercover flower boy, somehow it’s a bizarre contrast to the melodramatic feel that the film carries overall.
That’s a whole new movie, particularly when you realise what ‘Morning Glory’ is a euphemism for !!!
Most of these comedy sidekick characters I can’t stand … irritating and unfunny, plus I suspect the English dubbing makes them more so. Why do main characters put up with these gits ? Sartana’s little buddy is the worst, Sabata’s friend Carrincha is also a dick, but I suppose helps drive the story.
Do we have a thread for most irritating sidekick ?
PS: Happy New Year 
I agree, in most cases it’s just annoying and it’s even more annoying when they join in on the action, like Morning Glory does in the end in of RoR…
I think the Morning Glory character works because his physical meekness protects him from the violence of the town, and his trade protects him financially – it’s within the character of the vainglorious Fuentes Bros. to be showy and buy flowers for the funerals of the men they’ve killed. The generosity of Morning Glory to a man who has previously been in a station above him also matches Eumaeus the swineherd from the original Odyssey text.
I also think the disguise works because it fools everyone but Hally. That she recognizes him, instantly, when lifting the lantern proves to us that her love is knowing and abiding in what, to me at least, is the most powerful scene in the movie.
But to each his own!
I just watched Hateful Eight for the first time, and was disappointed. This was a slow-burn of a movie, sometimes seemingly taunting me with the slowness (like Samuel Jackson’s unjustifiable slo-mo dialogue when he’s on the bed), but instead of burning down to something worthwhile, it fizzled out. I desperately wanted the 15 gunmen to actualize. As a character piece, we only got a shallow, cartoonish reading of each character. As a drama, I never felt the stakes. As a snowbound western, I’d rather have Great Silence or McCabe & Mrs. Miller. I was even disappointed in the Morricone score, which is unheard of for me. The score itself was great as a standalone, but felt misapplied in the actual film.
Two weeks back, I watched Warlock, and I think it’s an amazing companion piece to My Darling Clementine. Both are tellings of the Earp legend, but Warlock leans hard into the moral complexities of the true history of the OK Corral, and supplements them with a darkly tragic romance between Earp (here called Clay Blaisedell) and Doc Holliday (here called Tom Morgan). I’d seen this decades ago, when the subtext was lost on me. Now, it’s one of my favorites.
Earlier in the week, I watched The Furies. I don’t know that this is necessarily a western, but rather a melodrama set on a western ranch with occasional flashings of guns and horses. Some fantastic subtexts are at play here too, in the relationship between father and daughter, father and son, master and serf, oppressed and oppressors. Is the ending a tragedy or just desserts? I lean toward the latter, but the question would make a good test of ideologies.
1 Like
My last western for 2019 was A Gunfight (1971) starring Kirk Douglas and Johnny Cash. The film was pretty average but it kept me watching.
I got this as a freebie from a seller. Still haven’t opened it.
A Gunfight is a sort of personal favorite of mine. It’s might not be a great film but i like it the way it is. Johnny Cash is great in it anyhow.
The Revenant (Iñárritu, 2015)
Beautiful cinematography and scenery
4/5
Tonight I watched Pistolero del diablo(1974) - a Mexican supernatural western directed by Rubén Galindo starring the Almada brothers. An alcoholic man who has hit rock bottom is being shit on by everyone and a mysterious stranger (the Devil?) shows up to change his luck.
I was expecting a more goofy film, but this turned out to be one of the darkest westerns I’ve ever seen, with lots of graphic violence and some moments that caught me totally off guard. These scenes kept stacking by the end. Interesting film… too bad there are no english subs yet.
3 Likes
Wow! … Mex-western meets Aliens 
1 Like
haha… that screenshot scene is the most graphic on the film, and the practical effects are rather impressive for a low budget 1974 western.
I will be watching Pistoleros bajo el sol (1974) by the same director next, also supposed to be a darker, violent western but not supernatural themed. Will also be uploading a rip to CG as my DVD appears to be a good amount sharper in detail compared to the one already uploaded.
2 Likes