Posts from Phantomstranger in thread „What Was The Last Western You Watched?“

  • What Was The Last Western You Watched?

    'The Magnificent Seven' (2016)
    Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt


    Plot: IMDB
    With the town of Rose Creek under the deadly control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue, the desperate townspeople employ protection from seven outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns. As they prepare the town for the violent showdown that they know is coming, these seven mercenaries find themselves fighting for more than money.


    Phantom's Review:
    First let me say, I love the 1960 film staring Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen. It's one of my favorites. Now, having said that let me say..I LOVE THE NEW MOVIE! This is the most entertaining movie I have seen all year. Plenty of action, great acting and a good story and the nice thing is, while the bones of the story are the same as the 1960 film, it's mostly an original film. The actors all play different characters and the setting and villain are different. It's almost more of a companion piece to the 1960 film than a remake. If your a western fan , GO SEE THIS, you will love it. (and yes the classic M7 Theme music is heard over the ending credits).

  • What Was The Last Western You Watched?

    'Forsaken' (2016)
    -Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, Demi Moore


    Phantom's Review :
    This is a terrific film. Yes, the plot is unoriginal and full of cliches. Yes, you know exactly what's going to happen, but that's ok. The film is so beautifully filmed and wonderfully acted that the plot works well. Donald Sutherland is a joy to watch as the bitter Pastor who's gunslinging son has returned home after ten years away. Kiefer Sutherland also does a great job as the gunfighter son. Demi Moore appears as Kiefers former love, who has moved on with life but still carries a torch for Kiefer. The end of the film is action packed and bittersweet. I loved this movie. See it if you can.

  • What Was The Last Western You Watched?

    'Bone Tomahawk' (2015)
    -Kurt Russell


    Plot: Rotten Tomatoes


    In the Old West, a sheriff (Kurt Russell), his deputy (Richard Jenkins), a gunslinger (Matthew Fox),and a cowboy (Patrick Wilson) embark on a mission to rescue three people from a savage group of cave dwellers.


    Phantom's Review: This is a wonderful movie, but it's definitely NOT for everyone. This is a slow burn, dialogue driven character piece. The action is all but non existent, and the horror aspects only happen towards the end. Instead you get a superbly acted movie with some of the best written dialogue that I have ever heard. In fact , there's barely even music. Kurt Russell is excellent as always, but to honest the whole cast is great.. If you want an action packed, blood soaked western , then look somewhere else. If you want to enjoy some great acting, then try to catch 'Bone Tomahawk'

  • What Was The Last Western You Watched?

    'Rider Of The Skull' (1965)


    Plot:
    A masked rider and two companions travel thru old Mexico fighting supernatural creatures such as a werewolf, A vampire and a headless Horseman.


    Phantom's Review: Definitely falling into the catagory of 'Weird Western' this is one of the most hysterically bad movies I have ever seen. God awful FX, terrible acting, a toatally inept hero, and i awear the masked hero must have changed actors in the second part of the film, because he looks taller and thinner. Wonderfully bad Mexican made film. Perfect for a Bad Movie Night.
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  • What Was The Last Western You Watched?

    " A Million Ways To Die In The West" (2014)
    -Seth McFarland
    Plot: IMDB
    As a cowardly farmer begins to fall for the mysterious new woman in town, he must put his new-found courage to the test when her husband, a notorious gun-slinger, announces his arrival.


    Phantom's Review: Crude, foul mouthed and very R rated. It's not a bad movie, it has a couple of very funny moments but almost all of the jokes deal with sex, and bowel movements and that gets old after awhile. My one bit of praise for the film is, it's beautifully filmed. I don't know if director Seth McFarland is a western fan or he went out and watched all of John Ford's movies, but either way he got the look of the film right.

  • What Was The Last Western You Watched?

    'Silverado'(1985)
    -Scott Glenn, Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover


    Plot: Four likable cowboys band together against a corrupt sheriff and his gang of deputies in the town of Silverado.


    Phantoms Review: One of my all time favorite films. Four terrific lead actors with great chemistry, plenty of western action, humor and damn near every western cliche, but put together in a loving homage to the American western. I could watch this film every week and never tire of it.

  • What Was The Last Western You Watched?

    'The Wild Wild West: Season Two'
    -Robert Conrad, Ross Martin


    By season two 'WWW' , was firmly set as a "sci-fi/fantasy" western , and these episodes truly reinforced that idea.


    1) The Night Of The Raven.
    The first appearance of arch villain Dr. Migellto Loveless, in the second season. This episode seems inspired by 'Land Of The Giants' or 'The Incredible Shrinking Man'. Dr. Loveless invents a powder that shrinks James West to doll size.
    Very entertaining episode.


    2) The Night Of The Big Blast
    Ida Lupino guest stars as mad scientist Dr. Faustino who reanimates corpses and makes them look like West and Gordon in an attempt to asassinate government officials.
    A mostly Artumus Gordon story and it's nice to see Ross Martin stretch his acting muscles as the lead.


    3) The Night Of The Returning Dead
    Sammy Davis jr guest stars as a stable hand who has a mysterious power to control animals. He uses this power to help West and Gordon investigate a murder and a ghostly rider.
    Fun episode. Plenty of action and a good story.


    4) The Night Of The Flying Pie Plate
    West and Gordon are escorting a shipment of government gold, when a mysterious flying'pie plate' lands and three beautiful green woman emerge.
    Veteran character actor William Windom appears in this absolutely ridiculous, but fun comic book style story.

  • What Was The Last Western You Watched?

    'Curse Of The Undead' (1959)
    -Michael Pate, Eric Fleming


    Plot:
    Mysterious Gunfighter for hire Drake Robey is really a vampire, and it up to the town preacher to save it's citizens and his girlfriend.




    Phantoms Review:
    This is one of my annual Halloween movie treats. It appeals to both the horror and western fan in me. While it's definitely a "B" movie, the film treats it's respective genres very respectfully.* It's smartly written, has a great atmospheric feel to it , and has a wonderful, spooky music score. Filled with recognizable western character actors, who do a fine job. This film is worth watching.

  • What Was The Last Western You Watched?

    Two episodes from my favorite TV series:
    'The Wild Wild West'
    -Robert Conrad, Ross Martin
    1)'The Night Of The Eccentrics'
    Plot: West and Gordon investigate a league of assassins called The Eccentrics , who are plotting to kill Mexico's president.
    Phantoms Review: First episode of the second season and the first to air in color, and they made good use of it. Bright colorful sets , costumes and villains. Character actor Victor Buono is the group's mysterious leader Count Manzeppi , and he seems to be having a blast playing him.
    Entertaining story and adventure make this one of the shows best episodes.
    2)'The Night Of The Golden Cobra'
    Plot: West is brought to an Indian sultan, now living in a palace in the Midwest, and is forced to train his sons in the art of combat.
    Phantoms Review: Despite , the great Boris Karloff as the guest star, this is only a mediocre episode. Some good fights, but the story is only ok.
    Not great, but still fun to watch.

  • What Was The Last Western You Watched?

    'The Virginian' (2014)
    -Trace Adkins


    Phantoms Review:
    Decent, if unremarkable, retelling of the classic western. The cast does a good job, especially Ron Pearlman as Judge Henry, the scenery is nice, but the film was made on a low budget and at times it shows. Keep your expectations low, and you should enjoy this film.

  • What Was The Last Western You Watched?

    'Curse of
    The Undead' (1959)
    -Michael Pate,(from 'Hondo') Eric Fleming (from ' Rawhide')


    Plot:
    In a small western town, young women are dying from massive blood loss, the Carter's family ran4is being terrorized by a ruthless land baron, and a mysterious gunslinger with an aversion to sunlight has just ridden inyo town.



    Phantoms Review: I thoroughly enjoy this movie. While it's definitely a "B" movie with a preposterous plot ( a vampire western! ) it's quite well made and handles it's respective genre's with dignity. The script is well written, the acting fine and the cast is made up of several well known western character actors. Beautiful black and white cinematography and some truly spooky music make this a mostly overlooked little gem.

  • What Was The Last Western You Watched?

    'Pale Rider' (1985)
    -Clint Eastwood
    Plot:
    A mysterious stranger protects a small prospectors village from a greedy mining company


    Phantoms Review: I love this movie. Eastwood's next to last western and his last turn as a "man with no name" . While this film is basically a 'Shane' remake, Eastwood makes it his own, with his cool, calm, possibly supernatural"Preacher". Great traditional western action, fine acting and some magnificent cinematography make this one of the last great westerns.

  • What Was The Last Western You Watched?

    "Dead In Tombstone" (2013)
    -Danny Trejo, Dina Meyer, Anthony Michael Hall, Mickey Rourke


    Plot: IMDB
    A gang overruns a small mining town murdering their own leader Guerrero in a cold blooded power grab.Sentenced to an eternity in hell he finds himself confronted by Satan himself offering a daring proposition: deliver the six souls of his former gang and he will escape damnation. With time running out, he sets out on a brutal rampage to avenge his own death.


    Phantoms Review: As I've said in earlier posts, I love horror movies, along with westerns, it's my favorite genre, and whenever these two meet I'm interested, sadly, though , most of the hybrids are ...well...crap.
    Surprisingly, " Dead In Tombstone" is actually pretty decent. While it's obviously done on a low budget, it's well acted, has plenty of bloody action and a good ( if very simple) plot.
    Dina Meyer is drop dead gorgeous, Danny Trejo is tough and scary looking and Anthony Michael Hall makes for a good villain. Mickey Rourke is virtually unrecognizable as the devil because ( to be blunt) he's gotten so fat.
    If your not expecting too much, it's a fun movie.