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Don't be clueless. Check out some of the films we've mentioned.
I've seen many Western Movies, just not my cup of tea. Western is my least favorite genre. It's time period just doesn't float for me, with the exception of Dances with Wolves and Last of the Mohican.
I've seen many Western Movies, just not my cup of tea. Western is my least favorite genre. It's time period just doesn't float for me, with the exception of Dances with Wolves and Last of the Mohican.
I've never been a fan of westerns either. Older people seem to have a greater affinity for them, but I suppose that's a product of the historical context in which they grew up. My issue with westerns, and a lot of older flicks in general, is that the acting seems stiff and stilted. I generally don't enjoy older films unless they feature Marlon Brando.
I can appreciate westerns as part of the evolution of cinema, though. It seems a lot of people here enjoy them and one thing I like about this subforum is that posters seem to enjoy and discuss a wide array of genres that I'd probably never think about otherwise.
For those who are big fans of westerns, where would you tell a non-western fan who may be interested in watching one or two of them to begin?
I've never been a fan of westerns either. Older people seem to have a greater affinity for them, but I suppose that's a product of the historical context in which they grew up. My issue with westerns, and a lot of older flicks in general, is that the acting seems stiff and stilted. I generally don't enjoy older films unless they feature Marlon Brando.
I can appreciate westerns as part of the evolution of cinema, though. It seems a lot of people here enjoy them and one thing I like about this subforum is that posters seem to enjoy and discuss a wide array of genres that I'd probably never think about otherwise.
For those who are big fans of westerns, where would you tell a non-western fan who may be interested in watching one or two of them to begin?
Probably the most popular western. 97% of the audience gives it a thumbs up at RT:
Unforgiven was actually one of my least favs of the newer westerns even tho I really wanted to like it. I really liked Silverado, Open Range, Broken Trail, Monty Walsh, etc. But I would like to see more Westerns made.
I agree with you and was so disappointed with Unforgiven that I almost consider it an Emperor's New Clothes scenario. There was no bigger Eastwood fan than I before that, and of course it was because of that that my expectations were so high. But they never were again after that. I consider Unforgiven to mark Eastwood's slide into the mediocrity of lowest-common-denominator film-making. Heartbreak Ridge was his last great film, though The Dead Pool was certainly worthwhile.
I think part of the answer to the thread title question lies in the actor pool of the modern era. In my view, they don't get any better than Gunfight At OK Corral. But what made that one great? I suppose you could rattle off a few things, but they all would be peripheral to Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas.
The great ones....the real men who made the classic western era what it was....are gone with no replacements in sight. The shoes of John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Clint Eastwood (in his heyday), James Stewart, Gregory Peck, Charlton Heston, Richard Widmark, Lee Van Cleef, James Arness, just to name a few, will never be filled.
To be fair, though, perhaps the main reason for the nearly complete absence of great movies today, generally, lies with the insatiable appetite of today's audience for sheer stupidity, silliness, and unending mindless explosions.
I can't sit through the newer westerns. I like the older ones like these:
Bandolero
Hombre
Nevada Smith
Culpepper Cattle Company
5 Card Stud
Hang Em High
The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid
Bad Company
Ballad Of Cable Hogue
Life & Times Of Judge Roy Bean
Once Upon A Time In The West
They Call Me Trinity
Trinity Is Still My Name
My Name Is Nobody
Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid
I used to love the old westerns and watched them all the time. Then they started making movies like Silverado. After a few of the newer westerns (the ones I liked) it was hard for me to go back to many of the old ones. The acting and story lines were a little bit more hokey after getting used to the sophistication of the newer western. I still always like a good western read tho.
One thing I like about the older westerns is the general wholesomeness of them.
I used to love the old westerns and watched them all the time. Then they started making movies like Silverado. After a few of the newer westerns (the ones I liked) it was hard for me to go back to many of the old ones. The acting and story lines were a little bit more hokey after getting used to the sophistication of the newer western. I still always like a good western read tho.
One thing I like about the older westerns is the general wholesomeness of them.
Indeed. Those of us who grew up on the classic westerns, both movies and TV, learned a lot about fundamental right and wrong from them.
The Western isn't dead, but it has definitely lost popularity. But just when you think it is dead, someone will come along and make a great Western again.
That said, lots of great movies and TV are essentially Westerns in a modern setting. Off the top of my head:
HELL OR HIGH WATER. Great, great movie. It is set in the modern day, but it is a Western through and through --- and one of the best I have seen in a long time.
WIND RIVER. Another great movie. Although set in the modern day, it is essentially a Western.
TRUE GRIT. All you John Wayne fanboys just can't admit this was a great movie. I got nothing against the original John Wayne version. I like it a lot. But the recent remake was far, far better and more faithful to the original book.
JUSTIFIED. One of the best TV shows of the past 10 years. Very much influenced by the Western.
LONGMIRE. I didn't fall in love with this show like lots of people did, but it was okay. Very much a modern day Western.
JUSTIFIED. One of the best TV shows of the past 10 years. Very much influenced by the Western.
I started to mention Justified in my last post. It was one of the best series ever as far as I'm concerned and one angle of the appeal to me was the fact that it did have that certain western element to it.
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