Netflix Pix: the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) Review

To me the film's of John Ford represent pure "Americana". His films are filled with an individual and uniquely American spirit which today feels both refreshing and nostalgic. Ford was all about the juxtaposition between the larger than life and the intimate. His favorite leading actor was as American and larger than life as it gets, John Wayne, yet Ford always gave Wayne complex characters which somehow both support the actor's mythic status and yet give him new parts to play. In the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Ford is once again reunited with Wayne and this time he, Wayne, has an equally iconic costar: James Stewart.

The Story follows an older Stewart recounting his days as a young lawyer coming into contact with the dark side of the American west in the form of a gang leader named Liberty Valance. Wayne plays a popular man in the territory and has a rivalry with Stewart over a woman played by Vera Miles.

The plot of this film feels both archetypal and unique. On the one hand, Wayne and Stewart are characters who represent different ideals and on the other they are fully realized characters with several nuances. the story itself can be read two ways as well both as an allegory and a specific narrative.  It is clear that with this film Ford wanted to look more critically at the myth of the west, a myth which he had helped to create. The film seems to be caught in a struggle between myth and truth and really unable to decide which is more important. When you see the film yourself you will understand how this plays into the storyline as well.

Wayne and Stewart both give great performances, as does Vera Miles. It's great fun to see these two legends on the screen together and the pace of the film allows its story to suck you in. There may be some moments of overacting and melodrama but on the whole the cast acts tremendously well and the direction is everything you'd expect from the man who gave us the Searchers. It was great to see a classic like this one which lives up to that label 5/5!

The Hateful Eight (2015) Review

When I first heard the description of the Hateful Eight I thought it would be vintage Tarantino. The cast was uniting the director with his favorite collaborators and the unique premise sounded like it would be one of Tarantino's best films. Unfortunately it isn't, in fact, It's probably my least favorite Tarantino film.

The Basic story follows eight strangers who, just after the Civil War, find themselves stranded in the middle of a blizzard. Each one of these strangers has a storied past and a secret to hide and all will be revealed in a tirade of bloodshed.

This film begins well enough with beautiful vistas and a soaring Morricone soundtrack, one of the best I've heard in years. The initial "chapters" adequately build anticipation and suspense as each of these characters meet one another. There is this atmosphere of palpable mystery as well as a sense of scope not previously felt in a Tarantino epic. As the characters eventually arrive at the small set where most of the film is confined they seem to be coming into their own. In these initial sections the shadow of the Civil War is strongly felt and there's a tension that hasn't been in a Tarantino film since Pulp Fiction. Then it all goes to hell.

The second half of the films three hour runtime is spent reveling in nearly senseless bloodshed. The tension only builds to a poorly constructed and developed mystery whose plot twists come out of left field and have no emotional resonance for the audience. Basically it all feels like an excuse to push the boundaries of film violence one more time. Gone are the realistic and post Civil War tensions, strong character development, and sense of impending doom. They are replaced by repulsive acts of violence and cartoonish sequences which feel like a bad Agatha Christie parody set in the old west.

The film's two strongest points which survive this second half cannot save it. The first strong point is the acting by the main cast which is very good. Special nods to Samuel L. Jackson and Jennifer Jason Leigh, who rightfully deserves her best supporting actress nomination. The second strong point is the film's 70mm cinematography. this really adds a great look to the film despite its confined nature. Tarantino is now a sure handed director whose style has been honed and he shows great command of the camera here.

Unfortunately, at the end of the film one cannot help but feel that this was an overblown mess of a movie. It had great potential but that potential is washed away in the gallons of blood thrown at the screen in the second half. This film really has all of the weak aspects of previous Tarantino efforts on display in one film. I do not recommend it 2/5

Plan for 2016!

Happy belated New Year!
Due to an incredibly busy schedule last semester I really did not write as many reviews as I would have liked, the plan is for that to change in 2016! Here are my goals/ plans for 2016
1. at least one review a week which will come out on Sundays. These reviews will probably be a mix of both classic and recent films, more recent films as we head into the summer.
2. One video review a month
3. One TV Tuesday entry a month
4. at least one week per month with two or more reviews.
5. Updating of all pages on the blog including the top 100


So, those are my goals for the New Year. This week is going to be a big week for reviews since I've seen a lot recently and want to make up for lost reviews last year. Here is this week's schedule:
Today: the Hateful Eight
Tomorrow: Classics/ Netflix: the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Wednesday: the Revenant
Thursday: the Big Short
Friday: Star Wars the Force Awakens (Video Review)

As you can see there will be lots of reasons to check out this blog this week and this year! If you have any suggestions on things I should do for 2016 comment below!