KoolHndLuke Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 I grew up watching my fair share of westerns or cowboy shows and movies. Stars like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, James Stewart, Henry Fonda and many others were great actors that could portray life in the frontier as gritty drifters, cold killers, troubled sheriffs, shifty gamblers and everything in between. Some movies that I still remember were The Searchers, Shane, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Butch Cassidy and the sundance kid, High Noon, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, etc, etc, etc. I mean it was American culture hundreds of years ago and remained a huge influence for many decades after more modern life came along and made all that history. Life from that era must have been very, very hard for most people just trying to make a new start in a wild country that often was lawless and dangerous. I never bought into the portrayal of native americans as blood thirsty savages. A few movies that show this are A Man Called Horse and Little Big Man. But, there were plenty of cattle rustlers, bank robbers, rapists and murderers that could escape any kind of justice for a long time in the vast expanse of the wilderness. Often one or a few men were sent out to capture these outlaws if they could. And yes, there were plenty of fights with indians since they really had no choice but to fight the white expansion that wanted them gone. But, enough about that. Do you like westerns or cowboy movies and what are some of your favorites?
spoonsinger Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 What is depicted in Westerns isn't hundreds of years ago. The Good the Bad and the Ugly was set during American Civil war, True Grit is set in 1873, & the Wild Bunch, (probably up there as one of my favorites), was set in 1913. No idea when El Topo was set, (it's a tad weird but probably late 1890's/early 1900's). The thing about Westerns is that when films came about there were still a lot of people alive who were actually alive from the time of the west ward expansion and people always like romatacised stories of epic jounerys and tales of daring do. You tend to get the hand wringing films later.
Kakabishan Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 I absolutely love the spaghetti western movies and media so much for some reason. I can rewatch the Dollars trilogy (The Good the bad the Ugly, For a few dollars more, fistful of dollars) a number of times and never be bored. Once upon a time in the west was amazing as well. Basically any movies with Sergio Leone directing and Enio Morricone for the music, is a 100% for me, Not to mention I played the shit out of Red dead redemption 1 & 2!!
Darkpig Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 Cowboys? Why not cowman? Anyway I think I remember liking Rango.
FauxFurry Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 The Wild West Cowboys of Moo Mesa. ? No, seriously though, The Magnificent 7 mainly because I enjoyed The 7 Samurai so much that a re-imagining with cowboys is just more of a good thing for me.
KoolHndLuke Posted October 21, 2019 Author Posted October 21, 2019 1 hour ago, spoonsinger said: What is depicted in Westerns isn't hundreds of years ago. The Good the Bad and the Ugly was set during American Civil war, True Grit is set in 1873, & the Wild Bunch, (probably up there as one of my favorites), was set in 1913. No idea when El Topo was set, (it's a tad weird but probably late 1890's/early 1900's). The thing about Westerns is that when films came about there were still a lot of people alive who were actually alive from the time of the west ward expansion and people always like romatacised stories of epic jounerys and tales of daring do. You tend to get the hand wringing films later. Okay, maybe not hundreds of years ago. I guess it seems like so long ago because of how different things are now. My grandparents grew up in a house with no electricity or indoor plumbing. My great grandpa was born in 1890 or something and lived for 92 years. I can only imagine how much he must have seen things change in his lifetime since the twentieth century was an explosion of advances in everything. 1 hour ago, Kakabishan said: I absolutely love the spaghetti western movies and media so much for some reason. I can rewatch the Dollars trilogy (The Good the bad the Ugly, For a few dollars more, fistful of dollars) a number of times and never be bored. Once upon a time in the west was amazing as well. Basically any movies with Sergio Leone directing and Enio Morricone for the music, is a 100% for me, Not to mention I played the shit out of Red dead redemption 1 & 2!! OMG the music in those was superb and quite unique! Sergio Leone was a fantastic director. My fave seen is when Clint takes on those cowboys for upsetting his mule. Now that was some stylish story telling! 37 minutes ago, FauxFurry said: No, seriously though, The Magnificent 7 mainly because I enjoyed The 7 Samurai so much that a re-imagining with cowboys is just more of a good thing for me. I saw that movie once I think. I liked the cast pretty well, but the story wasn't all that compelling to me. Still it was a pretty good western.
Grey Cloud Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 Blazing Saddles. And a British nomination: Carry On Cowboy. Featuring Sid James as the Rumpo Kid and the immortal line: "You can never tell with those Indians. One minute it's peace on, the next it's peace off".
shadowlord445 Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 I think my favorites would be Shane and Unforgiven. If you want a comedy western, Blazing Saddles is great also.
gregathit Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 Unforgiven is probably my favorite, closely followed by Tombstone. The line after them is pretty much John Wayne and Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns. For comedy, don't forget about the 3 Amigo's. LOL!!!!
KoolHndLuke Posted October 21, 2019 Author Posted October 21, 2019 3 hours ago, Grey Cloud said: Blazing Saddles. I laughed my fuckin ass off when I first saw this. You ever see Rustlers' Rhapsody?
Grey Cloud Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 28 minutes ago, KoolHndLuke said: I laughed my fuckin ass off when I first saw this. You ever see Rustlers' Rhapsody? I'm a huge fan of Mel Brookes. Rustlers' Rhapsody? From IMDB: Gross USA: $6,090,497 Cumulative Worldwide Gross: $6,090,497 It obviously didn't travel well. ?
ToJKa Posted October 25, 2019 Posted October 25, 2019 Thoughtcrime: don't really care for that setting personally. It sort of hits a "technological uncanny valley" for me, if that makes sense. Guns sure, but quite clumsy compared to modern ones. I want either crossbows or assault rifles. Also don't care for the anarchism that goes with the Wild West times. Though New Vegas changed my view a bit on the first part, the lever-action repeaters are actually pretty great guns. And then Resident Evil 2 with the not-Colt SAA changed it back, how the fuck can the US Army have used that gun when it takes as long to reload as a musket ? But hey, i liked Lucky Luke as a kid ?
KoolHndLuke Posted November 26, 2019 Author Posted November 26, 2019 You know......I've been thinking about all the westerns I have watched over the years and what it means to "stand alone". The lone gunfighter or sheriff in the street facing off with no one to depend on but themselves. I'm not sure there is a more clearly defining moment for a person's character than when they are making serious decisions on their own- especially in the face of danger. I mean in the face of clear and present danger- especially if you're the target- and the fight or flight instinct kicks in and people usually run or hide. It is the individuals that stand and fight that are truly remarkable. Many things can cause a person to panic and turn tail. But, what makes a person alone stay and stand their ground? I have spent the better part of my life taking care of and watching out for another person without realizing that they gave me purpose. I wanted to protect them from danger and try to help them live a halfway comfortable, happy life and I stood with them and for them. But, now that they're gone and I'm alone- I don't seem to have the same motivation. Is it because I don't like who I am? That's probably part of it. But, I think wanting to truly live- to be happy or whatever- stems from a strong sense of pride. First pride in your parents and family. You see your parents working and proud and maybe even happy. Maybe they both tell you how special you are and how much they love you. So you grow up with strong support from them, thus developing a strong feeling of belonging......and of pride. Pride in your family, pride in your community, pride in your accomplishments, pride in doing what's right. I mean...what does life mean if you can't take pride in anything? And this is where I am lacking. I can't take pride in my family- they're an embarrassment. I can't really take pride in my community- because I never felt like I belonged anywhere. And lastly, I can't really take pride in my accomplishments quite simply because I have accomplished very damn little in life. Of course I haven't really done anyone wrong either, but that's not as easy to feel proud of. I can't point to much of anything in my life and say "Yep, I did that!" and feel good about it. The only thing I can take any pride in is trying to do what I feel is right or fair. So back to our gunfighters. Let's say a town sheriff and some outlaw killer. The sheriff acts out of pride and commitment. He has a sense of purpose. The outlaw acts out of despise for what the sheriff stands for- or just pure hatred. The sheriff has everything to lose in this fight- his wife and family, his comfy little house in the hills, his retirement plans, his dreams. The outlaw? Nothing except the chance to kill more people and spread pain and misery. The thing is that it doesn't matter which one wins. What matters is what they both stand for. Let's suppose the outlaw wins and kills the sheriff and then goes on in life to meet someone and fall in love. He's happy for the first time in his life, but starts to feel regret for the things he has done in his life. Maybe some of those people he killed had it coming. But, a few of them- like the sheriff- meant something, were about something- and he took it away. So the former outlaw vows to hang up his guns and try to be a better person. A better person? You mean like the sheriff? Truth, honor and duty/commitment are the pillars of life. This is what I learned watching old westerns and the way I try to live. I guess I have something to take pride in after all.
2dk2c.2 Posted November 29, 2019 Posted November 29, 2019 On 11/25/2019 at 8:25 PM, KoolHndLuke said: You know......I've been thinking about all the westerns I have watched over the years and what it means to "stand alone". The lone gunfighter or sheriff in the street facing off with no one to depend on but themselves. I'm not sure there is a more clearly defining moment for a person's character than when they are making serious decisions on their own- especially in the face of danger. I mean in the face of clear and present danger- especially if you're the target- and the fight or flight instinct kicks in and people usually run or hide. It is the individuals that stand and fight that are truly remarkable. Many things can cause a person to panic and turn tail. But, what makes a person alone stay and stand their ground? So back to our gunfighters. Let's say a town sheriff and some outlaw killer. The sheriff acts out of pride and commitment. He has a sense of purpose. The outlaw acts out of despise for what the sheriff stands for- or just pure hatred. The sheriff has everything to lose in this fight- his wife and family, his comfy little house in the hills, his retirement plans, his dreams. The outlaw? Nothing except the chance to kill more people and spread pain and misery. The thing is that it doesn't matter which one wins. What matters is what they both stand for. Let's suppose the outlaw wins and kills the sheriff and then goes on in life to meet someone and fall in love. He's happy for the first time in his life, but starts to feel regret for the things he has done in his life. Maybe some of those people he killed had it coming. But, a few of them- like the sheriff- meant something, were about something- and he took it away. So the former outlaw vows to hang up his guns and try to be a better person. A better person? You mean like the sheriff? They were fictional, most of them had happy endings, and you don't have to reminisce, they're on every day (they're on now). Branded, Cheyenne, Gunsmoke, Big Valley, and if you're lucky in your area, "wild wild west". I missed 15 titles, sorry. Lone Ranger. Bat Masterson. Maverick . I hated most westerns, My favorite old-rerun-show for a biggie-long time is "House" and that firestation show, "Emergency" Sherriffs (except in "Silverado") were usually good. Fictional. One day they'll make a fictional (o Nevermind) Read louis L'amour. Run for Sherriff. But don't give me nostalgia about westerns, they were big, they ARE big, apparently, or why would they keep re-running them? Are you *somebody* here? I don't mean a moderator, more like forum-threadstarter. Plus you ignore me tons, it isn't fair, what western is *that* from?
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