Archive for the ‘Marathon’ Category

Here’s a movie that I must admit goes beyond anything I ever expected in the realm of science-fiction (and not in a good way).  David Lynch is well known – as I’ve discovered in the last few weeks – for his overly stylized weirdness.  This time going into the one genre of filmmaking which requires an immense imagination he not only falls into the realm of over aloof-ness but he just misses the point of making a movie. (more…)

The last thirty minutes of my life has proven that it’s impossible to try and summarize this film.  There are so many un-understandable points in this film that I have no idea as to what happened or what it meant.  I could easily write a two-hundred word paragraph giving away every plot point of this film, but I’m sure I would only confuse those who haven’t seen this movie even more.  Let’s just say a lot of weird things happen, and somehow Fred (Bill Pullman) goes to jail and transforms into Pete (Balthazar Getty) and they both encounter this mystery man, played by Robert Blake. (more…)

Sailor (Nicolas Cage) and Lula (Laura Dern) are in love and on the run from any and everyone that Lula’s mother, Marietta (Diane Ladd), has sent on their trail to kill Sailor.  While on this trip Lula and Sailor encounter numerous strange individuals through the roads of Louisiana and Texas. (more…)

I’d like to blame people like FilmSpotting for my recent need to do these marathons.  I’ve so far completed my Yule Tide Marathon, Kurosawa Marathon and Cowboy Marathon.  I’ve had a ton of fun with those so it’s time to get into some murky waters as I start churning though the catalogue of a filmmaker that I know only by reputation.  At this point in time I have yet to experience one of his films, but having seen films like Requiem for a Dream and Antichrist and lived to tell the tale I’m pretty sure I can manage this one without having to worry about my mental health just yet.  For the month of August I plan on working my way through the eight films of David Lynch. See list and dates below: (more…)

Frank Ross (John Pickard) heads into town to handle some business where he’s shot dead in cold blood by his own assistant, Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey).  Frank’s daughter, Mattie Ross (Kim Darby), wants justice.  She therefore goes out and hires who she thinks is a man who has ‘True Grit’, Marshall Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne) to hunt down the man who killed her father and bring him to the law so he can be judged and hung.  La Boeuf (Glen Campbell) is also on the trail of the same man and finds himself tagging along to make sure he gets his fair share of the reward that he’s been working so hard for long before this Ross business occurred. (more…)

note: I know this has been long waiting… expect the final Western Review: True Grit tomorrow people (I promise)

After Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) sees his wife and child murdered by Union soldiers he joins a Confederate Guerilla Unit.  The film rushes through the war and reaches a point where the Confederate Army has lost and their soldiers are told to turn themselves in and surrender. Josey Wales refuses to surrender.  He is then deemed an outlaw and must run for his life from the law. (more…)

note: I know that my Outlaw Josey Wales review was supposed to go up last week, I plan to post it sometime this weekend.  Until then enjoy this review for The Gunfighter.

Jimmy Ringo (Gregory Peck) is the infamous gunfighter has come to the town of Cayenne looking for his true love, Peggy (Helen Westcott).  After all his years of gunslinging he’s finally realised how pointless it all and has finally decided he no longer wants to be that man.  So while on the run from three brothers seeking revenge against him he spends the morning in Cayenne to try and convince the love of his life to go with him. (more…)

On his way from place to place Shane (Alan Ladd) ends up randomly passing through a piece of land that’s being farmed by some poor workers.  They are being forced off their land by a man called Ryker (Emile Meyer) who believes he is the rightful owner of the land.  Shane decides eventually to stay with a family that works on the land and befriends them.   When eventually Ryker realises that Shane isn’t any regular farmer he hires a gunfighter, Wilson (Jack Palance), to deal with him and the rest of the farmers on the land. (more…)

After a failed bank robbery where half the gang lose their lives a band of outlaws are still searching for the final score that will see them through for a long while.  With a group of bounty hunters on their trailer they head to Mexico.  There they meet up with the General Mapache (Emilio Fernández) who asks them to highjack a train for ten thousand dollars in gold.  They take the job and so begins the next ‘final job’ for The Wild Bunch. (more…)

After doing a couple of dirty deeds Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) is out on the look for a man that knows about a lot of loose confederate gold.  Tuco (Eli Wallach) and Blondie (Clint Eastwood) are partners in a con and eventually decide to go opposite ways.  Tuco doesn’t like how their partnership ended and so he’s out for revenge against Blondie.  While out enacting this revenge they find out about the Confederate gold, but each only knows a part of the story as to exactly where the gold is.  Insert Angel Eyes and you have a race to the finish with each man trying to get the gold and the information while leaving the other two in the dust in the process, all while the civil wars continues to drag on. (more…)