So I watched it last night and wasn't wowed by it. I admire the craft that went into it but didn't really get into it that much.
Random thoughts:
- I really want to strangle the stagecoach driver every time he opened his mouth.
- I was kind of disappointed by the character progression.
- I like how the movie was progressive in some ways. The hispanic inn operator with the appache wife for example but then it turns around and has a faceless indian horde that attacks a stagecoach at any cost.
- And speaking of the Indian's raid was it really for the Appaches to send every man after a single stage coach? And after the first ten of the got shot down wouldn't they have rethought their strategy?
- The doctor's arc was a bit confusing. First he's a drunk, suddenly his skills are needed so he sobers up, he saves the day and then goes right back to the bottle. I was kind of hoping he might progress or something.
Took a netflix account, as some movies I cannot 'find' that easily.
But gawd, Silverlight? damn.
Anyway, back on topic. Will watch this movie and looking forward to the rest :)7
-update-
Lucky not available in my region. Blech.
So much for taking the honest route.
As usual, I'm a bit behind the times.
So, Stagecoach. I'll admit I went into expecting to hate it because I'm not really a big fan of Westerns nor do I like the machismo (and stilted acting) of John Wayne. Ninety some odd minutes later, I was surprised to find that I didn't hate the movie, and, in fact, I kinda liked it.
I'm not saying it was a great movie. Not by a long shot. I mean the movie treated the Indians as a one dimensional, characterless threat who were simply there to move the story forward and provide a little gratuitous action and it was just as guilty as every other Western for promoting a version of the history of the West that never, ever existed. But I digress.
What I liked about Stagecoach were the little moments that have inspired other filmmakers or that they have taken and refined to perfection.
One of those was during the attack on the stagecoach when one of the Indians jumped over to the stagecoach horses and tried to slow them down. He was shot and fell underneath and between them and was run over. I immediately thought of the scene in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indy is trying to chase down the convoy of trucks carrying the Ark. I don't know if every Western did the same stunt as Stagecoach did, but I definitely could see that same spirit captured by Spielberg.
I really enjoyed the supporting cast of characters. It's no wonder that Thomas Mitchell won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role of Doc Boone. Andy Devine was great as Buck, the stagecoach driver (annoying voice and all), and he instantly reminded me of Slim Pickens from Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles. In fact, Slim Pickens actually played Buck in the 1966 remake of Stagecoach. I thought that the Hatfield character was written just to be the big, bad banker guy, but I broke out laughing when he went on his rant in the stagecoach.
Not to take it to P&C land, but, in 1939 he basically ran through modern-day GOP talking point bingo in his rant: the government should reduce taxes, the government should stand aside and let businesses do their thing, a businessman should be in charge of the government, and, my favorite, there was too much government debt.
I'm glad I watched Stagecoach. I think it captured the essence of the Western genre even though it didn't have everything, like a showdown at the center of town at high noon. But I think it helped show that there was more to the genre than what had been there throughout the 30s.
And, one last thing.
Do they just keep a huge ass box of rocks on the stagecoach so they can throw them at the horses? Practically every scene someone's chucking rocks at the horses to get the moving faster or make them ford a stream. Maybe they should have used a smaller box for rocks and a bigger one for ammo considering they ran out of bullets during the big fight scene, but Curly still had a bunch of rocks he was flinging at the horses.
That's an absolutely wonderful choice, considering some of the things it has to say on death.
Good choice, tuffalo.
Not available for me bad timing Netflix.
I think Departures is a wonderful movie. Nice pick for a send off.
Oh, I'm intrigued.
Hope to watch it tonight, otherwise tomorrow
Gah, I likely won't be getting to this one soon. The past couple weeks I've had the epiphany that yes, I do love video games, and have been absorbing them like Kirby. My movie-watching time is either spent watching Once Upon a Time or relaxing with my roommate (we're on a Kevin Smith kick lately, especially since he hasn't seen Clerks or Chasing Amy (both of which are on Netflix (and the latter being one of Kevin Smith's best, I think, so perhaps a consideration for Film of the Week mayhaps?))
If I can I'll get to this film, though.
Ugh. Chasing Amy was one of Smith's worst. Granted I haven't seen a lot of his later stuff so maybe that's worse, I dunno.
Clerks for life.
Dogma>Chasing Amy>Clerks>Jay & Silent Bob>Clerks 2>Mallrats
Dogma>Chasing Amy>Clerks>Jay & Silent Bob>Clerks 2>Mallrats
Clerks > Dogma > Jay and Silent Bob > Mallrats > a swift kick in the nuts > Clerks 2 > Chasing Amy.
But it's been quite a while, so I may have the order of those last two wrong.
I'm with Stele, but I'd rank Mallrats higher.
And Zack & Miri Make a Porno belongs somewhere in there too, near the bottom.
Dogma > Clerks > Mallrats > Jay and Silent Bob > Chasing Amy = Clerks 2
I didn't enjoy Chasing Amy at all. Everyone I knew who watched it said it was his best at the time, but I just wasn't entertained.
Dogma > Clerks > Mallrats > Jay and Silent Bob > Chasing Amy = Clerks 2
I didn't enjoy Chasing Amy at all. Everyone I knew who watched it said it was his best at the time, but I just wasn't entertained.
Heathen
Count me in on the "just didn't really dig Chasing Amy" crowd. Affleck's character (yes, I can't remember the name, it's been too long) was just such an ass that it was too off-putting to me.
Mallrats was entertaining in a Saturday morning cartoon way.
I've thoroughly enjoyed all of Smith's other movies.
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