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Today's Monday Movie Meme from the Bumbles is all about Westerns. No, Molly and Andy haven't gone on vacation and done the City Slickers thing, but they ARE visiting relatives, and will surely be playing Cowboys and Indians with the little ones. I'll just come right out and say it - Westerns aren't my favorite movie genre, and I don't have much experience with them. But there are a few that stick in my mind.
Blazing Saddles - We own this one. It is goofy as all get out, and laugh-out-loud funny when you are in the right mood. There are at least a half dozen lines that come out of my husband's mouth on a regular basis around here (I'll leave it up to you to figure those out!).
Unforgiven - There aren't too many westerns that can claim a Best Picture Oscar, and keep my attention for 2 hours. This one did. It didn't hurt that it was packed full of talent, like Eastwood, Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman.
Dances With Wolves - Here's another one that won Best Picture, plus 6 other Oscars. I'm not a Kevin Costner fan, but give him credit for not only his acting, but his directorial debut. We own this movie, but have never watched it after that first viewing, probably because it is insanely long...over 3 hours!
Shane - There is a Roger Waters song from Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking that features a child screaming "Shane! My mother wants you!". I was always intrigued by this, and finally watched the movie to see what it was all about. What I found was an incredible movie. A dashing man comes riding into town to protect it from evildoers. And yes, that child's mother DOES want Shane, in a big way!
Shane - There is a Roger Waters song from Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking that features a child screaming "Shane! My mother wants you!". I was always intrigued by this, and finally watched the movie to see what it was all about. What I found was an incredible movie. A dashing man comes riding into town to protect it from evildoers. And yes, that child's mother DOES want Shane, in a big way!
Hang 'Em High - I can't even legitimately tell you this is Clint Eastwood's best western, because it is the only one I've seen. It still is full of action and plot development. Most importantly, back then Clint was THE DUDE.
Please help me out here. I have no John Wayne listed. I am seriously inept in this category. What am I missing?
23 comments:
OMG, Sandy, you have got to watch "The Cowboys", my favorite John Wayne movie! I promise you won't regret it! And "True Grit", you've never seen it? Arrrgghh, girl, you must watch it! Red River, Stagecoach, Three Godfathers, McClintock, The Shootist? I could go on forever....
I loved Unforgiven. Never manage to see Dances With Wolves.
Shane--who could ever forget the sight of that little boy with tear stained cheeks screaming "Shane" at the cowboy's departing back.
nice list for someone who doesn't watch westerns :)
If you want to wander down my road I’m home.
Well, I'm not sure if you should call it a Western (don't feel like looking up the definition right now ;) but my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE movie of last year was The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
OMG, that was such a great film. I would love to see it again, but only on widescreen a.k.a. cinema :)
Ooh...Dances With Wolves and Shane -- good ones!
My list is posted HERE.
Oo, how could I have forgotten "Shane"!
Great list of classic Westerns.
I haven't seen any of the ones from your list - I think I am very behind with the cowboy films!
"Blazing Saddles" may be the second-most frequently quoted movie in this house (alas the top spot belongs to Monty Python).I can't ever watch Dances with Wolves again because of the first scene....such a coward I am. Great choices,Sandy!
Another John Wayne classic western is "Rio Bravo". I've seen all the ones you picked. I might be the only one who hated "Dances With Wolves".
I love Blazing Saddles and laugh every time I see it even though I know all the corny jokes in it already.
I love Dances with Wolves. Haven't seen any of those others. Westerns really aren't my thing, either.
I love Roger Waters and know the song well but have never seen the movie "Shane" I'll have to try and get that! Thank you!
Blazing Saddles...now THERE's a classic! I love Gene Wilder.
I also loved Shane! I saw it as a kid and it's one of the few Westerns that I actually like. When that little boy goes after him... "Shane! Shane! Come back Shane!" Oh... I just couldn't take it!
Unforgiven was great. But Lonsome Dove would be my top vote. I'm not a Kevin Costner fan, but Dances with Wolves was pretty good.
I think I must be the only person in the whole wide world who didn't like Dances With Wolves. All nine hundred hours of it. Maybe because I was expecting my son to be born any day, and sitting for long uninterrupted hours wasn't my favorite activity, but I suspect it had more to do with the female character who had a cut like Jane Fonda. During Indian times. I know, it doesn't make much sense, but it's all I can remember from my misery. ;)
Wait! You've got to read Lonesome Dove. I know that doesn't fit with movies, but I loved that book. So much.
Dances with Wolves is insanely long and very sad (which is my reason for not watching it again).
I love old John Wayne movies, and Sackett movies because my dad made us watch them and they grew on me. My favorite John Wayne movie is El Dorado. There's nothing critically acclaimed about it (and Rio Bravo is practically the same movie) but I watched it so many times in junior high that I can quote most of it from memory. (Now when I quote I have to laugh a little at the corniness of the show.)
I also like McClintock and The Quiet Man (probably two of the best he made in my opinion). Big Jake was good (had great lines to quote) but very violent. Ok, I've rambled on enough about John Wayne movies. :)
To this list I would add The Outlaw and Josey Wales with Clint Eastwood.
My husband is a huge western fan so there's no way I can escape the genre. Some of his favorites you have named: Dances with Wolves and Unforgiven. He also loves Open Range and Cowboys (John Wayne).
Maverick! That's always been my favorite WEstern - even if it's not that much of a Western film.
I don't usually watch, or read, westerns, but Lonesome Dove (book and movie) is just wonderful! It's long, but so so good.
"The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" has to be my all time favorite Clint movie--he was definitely the dude back then!
John Wayne--not sure.
BTW, my brother always said KC's movie technically should have been called, "Danced with Wolf One Time."
So many of these are great movies. I grew up on westerns, thanks to my dad. Westerns and war movies. :-) Unforgiven is one of my favorites.
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