Ed's Review Dot Com

Pandora Filmproduktion, JVC Entertainment Networks, Newmarket Capital Group

Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Lance Henriksen, Michael Wincott, Mili Avital, Iggy Pop, Crispin Glover, Mark Bringleson, Gabriel Byrne, John Hurt, Alfred Molina, Robert Mitchum, Richard Boes, Billy Bob Thornton, Jared Harris, Steve Buscemi

Willam Blake (Johnny Depp) is from Cleveland. He’s got a letter in hand offering him a job as an accountant in a factory in the end of the line town of Machine. We meet William Blake (not the poet, but the accountant) on the train as he begins his journey, only to learn that the job has been filled. William Blake ends up murdering the owner’s son and flees. He runs into a poetry loving Native American who is named He who speaks loudly but says nothing (Gary Farmer) who prefers to be called Nobody. Nobody and William Blake set off on a journey more of confusing than the movie has been so far. Everybody in the west is trying to kill him, but some hired guns are in the lead if they don’t kill each other first.

This film is definitely a western, but it’s absolutely hysterical. I laughed out loud so many times my sides hurt. This is a very funny movie. The characters are really nuts! All of them, and it’s a great cast. This is kind of on the order of what Monty Python and the Holy Grail did to King Arthur’s. Now I’m not saying it’s a good as that film, as the Holy Grail is one of my favorite movies of all time. But this is the same style of movie, absurd and simply hysterical, right up to the very last scene. There are so many parts that cracked me up, but I hate to go into it in too much detail as it would give away the surprises in the film. But if you’re fans of ironic and sarcastic slapstick humor, things like Rat Race, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, and the TV shows Laugh In or You Can’t Do That on Television, you’re going to find this “western” a real hoot. Even now, a week later, I think of some of the lines in this movie and still crack up. I don’t know where it came from or where it’s been hiding since 1995, but it was a great hidden gem that really blew my mind! Now if I had a bunch of friends and a couple beers……….This would have been a hoot. The kind of stuff we used to watch late night in the dorms when I was in college. This matched up with the old W.C. Fields classics like “Never Give A Sucker an Even Break” or “My Little Chickadee”. Not as over the top as the Three Stooges or the Marx Brothers, but more subtle yet with humor that catches you by surprise which is the best kind of humor. Great movie no one has ever seen before I suspect! I gotta give my daughter the credit for finding this one for me! If you need more reasons, it was Robert Mitchum’s last role, and the likes of Alfred Molina, Billy Bob Thornton, Iggy Pop, Steve Buscemi, and Crispin Glover. What a cast!

This is an interview with director Jim Jarmusch, the director concerning the filming of this movie.

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Paramount Pictures, Skydance Productions, Scott Rudin Productions

Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, Dakin Matthews, Paul Rae, Domhnall Gleeson, Elizabeth Marvel

Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) murders the father of spunky 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) who then hires alcoholic U.S. Marshal Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to help her exact revenge. Well, Rooster, a one eyed (wears a patch) fat man is better at whiskey and lounging around than hunting bad men, but when Mattie informs him that she’s been told he has “grit” he sets out to find Clancy and bring him back for $100.00. They run across a Texas Marshall named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) who is on the same quest for Tom Chaney. Danger and adventure follows them all the way as the true comedic hatred of Rooster and LaBoeuf is hysterical, and Mattie is a quick witted as either of the other two and a match for them both. Chaney better high tail it out of there, cause this posse ain’t givin’ up anytime soon.

True Grit, the original came out in 1969 which was the year I graduated from High School. I remember the hoopla of the film and it made John Wayne even bigger in our eyes. The original was a classic, so why would anyone want to try to outWayne, Wayne??? And who’s going to succeed with a rip-roarin’ western in 2010? Well, the Coen Brothers made all the difference in this film. Also Jeff Bridges put John Wayne out of his mind, and did a crotchety old philosophizing man hunter of his own that isn’t anything like The Duke. And as a result, at no time in the film are you comparing the two. Duke played it way differently, and to Bridges credit, he came up with a whole new character that is very outstanding. He completely deserved all the accolades he got for his performance in this film. Matt Damon, on the other hand does not have a lot to live up to. Come on! Wichita Lineman Glen Campbell may be able to put out some milquetoast quasi country songs in the 70’s, but an actor he wasn’t. So Damon is spared the need to compete, and he pulls of the smug self serving Texas Ranger perfectly. He never stops reminding everybody how hard it is to live in Texas. and how soft they have it in Arkansas. The rivalry between LaBeouf and Reuben Cogburn is hysterical. Also they appear to have gone back to the book, and did not try to copy the original exactly, much to their credit. Of course the story is very familiar, but some things are different. LaBeouf’s outcome is changed in this version.

Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld is excellent as the “wise beyond her years” 14 year old. Kim Darby was ok in the original, but came off a bit old for the part. Hailee is nearly perfect and some of her negotiating skills make my head spin. She’s a real character. All in all this is a rollicking fun western from the old days that did well in the main stream. If you somehow missed it in the theater, now is the time to catch it on DVD or BluRay or however you prefer to take your movies these days. It’s a modern throwback to the old days when movies were bigger than life, and some of the cinematography in this film is out of this world. The famous scene late in this movie where Rooster races back with snake bitten Mattie for help is stunningly filmed. This is the iconic moment in the film, I suspect, and a great deal of attention to doing it wonderfully was paid. This is not a film to miss.

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Constellation Entertainment, Rising Star Entertainment

Randy Travis, Eric Roberts, Ernest Borgnine, Vaughn Taylor, Paul Tinder, Garry Marshall, Jerry Doyle, Stella Stevens, Alec Medlock, Steve Nave

Jack Fowler (Randy Travis) is a gentle guy very much in love with a lady who’s future in-laws want nothing to do with him. They were about to run away together when Jack decided to leave to protect her. Little did she know that she was expecting twins. Meanwhile a drunken gunslinger mistakes Jack for Jack Cole. Unable to convince him that he’s got the wrong man, Jack is forced to defend himself. This turns him into an outlaw and the man’s family is all out to kill him. He ends up in prison, but when he’s released, everyone is out to kill him. He’s trying to hide out, but the real outlaw Jack Cole may be the most dangerous of the lot.

The Long Ride home is a very well done Western. Unlike the made for TV westerns, this one is done up Hollywood style. The photography is stunning, the score is excellent, and the acting is really good. Randy Travis does a great job in this film, and backed up by characters played by the likes of Ernest Borgnine, Eric Roberts, Stella Stevens and others. There is no bad language in the film, and the violence is very old time western. It’s a great return to the old days of great family western stories. The values are clear, and the good guys are good guys. It’s nice to see a film with good characters and moral values. I watched this on NetFlix Watch Instantly. I enjoyed it a lot. If you like Westerns, this is really good one!

[The only trailer I was able to identify does not allow embedding, but click here to visit it on YouTube]

Larry Levinson Productions, Alpine Medien Productions, Hallmark Entertainment

Lou Diamond Phillips, Ernest Borgnine, Lee Majors, Richard Tyson, Marina Black, Warren Stevens, Jonathan Murphy, David Shackelford, Casey Sander, Tracey Walter, Buck Taylor, Tom Everett, Spencer Redford

Keenan Deerfield (Lou Diamond Phillips) is a recently paroled prisoner who arrives in a mining town looking for work and a chance to go straight. There he meets Christine Beckford (Marina Black) a woman in an abusive relationship with a drunkard and Keenan has to step in to protect her which causes him a lot of trouble. Aside from this there’s the owners of the mining operation who are corrupt and also unhappy to have a new guy in town. Lee Majors plays the Marshall who tries to keep things in line, but is just not able to stop all the bad guys. Ernest Bornine is Eugene, a crusty old peddler and rancher who is not afraid of the bullies and makes friends with Keenan and Christine.

This is a made for TV (Hallmark) film and the most annoying thing is the fade outs at the end of the scenes where commercials are supposed to be inserted. It’s amazing how easy it is to tell a film that could easily stand on its own as a feature film has been edited for TV. But it’s a strong western film, very heartwarming, and exciting, and romantic. There’s a lot of action and adventure, but it’s a lovely love story as well. It’s nice to see Ernest Borgnine again in a relatively meaty role. And it’s nice to watch a good solid western again. It’s a shame we’ve nearly lost this genre, and when you find a good one, it’s a good thing.

This film is available on DVD, but also on Netflix Watch Instantly. It’s a good solid story to fill up a spot on the “instant” queue or to catch on TV when it’s on. I enjoyed this very much.

Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Mad Chance

Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox, Michael Fassbender, Will Arnett, John Gallagher, Jr., Tom Wopat, Michael Shannon, Wes Bently, Julia Jones

Jonah Hex (Brolin) is a scarred bounty hunter with warrants on his own head.  He’s on the run, when the US makes him an offer of freedom from the charges in return for stopping a terrorist who is about to attempt to wreak havoc in the nation.   Turnbull (John Malkovich) is the one who murdered Jonah’s family while Jonah was made to watch.  This is what disfigured Jonah in the first place.  Turnbull faked his own death, but joined with a bunch of Conferederate supporters to try to attack and punish the union.  Hex has to stop them before July 4th.

I really did not enjoy this movie in the least.  It is based on a comic book, and I must say that I’m not typically a comic book movie fan, but this one was particularly BAD in my opinion.  There was hardly any story and everything was really ho-hum.  Megan Fox was especially awful.  Her performance was like a high school play.  I think Josh Brolin tried hard, but his speaking due to the disfigurement of his face made him really hard to understand like someone talking with lockjaw.  The worst part is though that I could just not keep my attention on the story.  It was so dull that I found myself think of other stuff almost constantly.   I was really disappointed in this film.  Some users are talking about the worst movie of the year.  Well, it certainly, to me, was the worst with the caliber of stars that were in this film.   I just can’t figure out how it got released like this. The movie can never really decide what kind of movie it was. Disjointed at best, and just not very good. I’d say skip this one unless you’re a fan of the comic book version, although I’m not sure how well they did in capturing the comics either.

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