Director : Jeymes Samuel – Cast Includes : Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King
I fucking love The Bullitts aka: Jeymes Samuel he’s one talent dude and his latest The Harder They Fall is a breath of fresh air in the Western genre, and although the film’s a fictional piece, its characters are based on real cowboys, real lawmen and real outlaws of the American West around the 19th-century…. with a cast bursting at the seams I found this film to be simply MAGNIFICENT… a stylish, well worked western that contains an interesting storyline, a whole bunch of fun characters to sink your teeth into and root for including Lakeith Stanfield’s gunman Cherokee Bill and my favorite Danielle Deadwyler’s Cuffee a saloon hand turned outlaw and a killer soundtrack that matches each and every scene with great panache… some of the gunfights are violent and bloody, the colors used in the saloons are sumptuous, the camera angles, shadows in the dirt and overall photography by DP Mihai Mălaimare Jr are quite irresistible, another top notch performance by one of my favorite actors Jonathan Majors and the showdown between Stagecoach Mary and Trudy is off the charts GOOD… so if your looking for just over 2hrs of pure western escapism then The Harder They Fall will fit the bill perfectly : IT’S BRILLIANT ★★★★½
Director : George Gallo – Cast Includes : Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, Zach Braff
The Comeback Trail : from George Gallo the writer of Wise Guys and Midnight Run comes a remake of the 1982 comedy of the same name about two movie producers who need some money to make their dream project and pay of a local mobster before he comes a calling… as remakes go THE COMEBACK TRAIL is a hoot, full of delightful nods to the movie world of yesteryear, terrific acting by it’s ageing cast with Braff & De Niro sharing some wonderful chemistry and scenes of pure hollywood gold including De Niro getting kicked by buttercup the horse, that whole scene with Emile Hirsch’s Moore trying to buy De Niro’s Paradise script is soooo damn good and of course Duke Montana egging Walter to cross further along the rope bridge that’s been sabotaged by Max is hilarious and amongst the films madcap highlights… The Comeback Trail may not be perfect but I had so much fun with it’s well worked story, funny scenarios and anytime I get to see three movie legends share the same movie screen then COUNT ME IN ★★★★
Director : Justin Lee – Cast Includes : Scout Taylor-Compton, Stuart Townsend, Thomas Jane
Apache Junction : I love a good old cowboy and Justin Lee’s movie is reminiscent of the westerns of yesteryear with less focus on nudity & violence and more on it’s solid plotline that’s also written by it’s director known for his work on Badland & Big Legend… it’s story that follows a female reporter Annabelle Angel played by Halloween’s Scout Taylor-Compton who’s sent to an outpost at Apache Junction to write a new piece for her paper but gets mixed up with a local outlaw played by Stuart Townsend, Tomas Jane’s propreitor come barman, the calvary led by Trace Adkins Captain Hensley and Oslo Pike a villanious gunslinger with a name to match who’s after notoriety… although the film’s pace is sluggish at times, the musical score is great, the characters throughout are interesting and I found myself enjoying it’s satisfying and entertaining shoot out at it’s finish : ENJOYED !! ★★★
Director : Antoine Fuqua – Cast Includes : Jake Gyllenhaal, Adrian Martinez
The Guilty : from Training Day director Antoine Fuqua comes a remake of the Danish thriller Den skyldige… the film follows a police detective played by Gyllenhaal who’s been demoted to a 911 operator whilst under investigation for possible misconduct… The Guilty is GRIPPING from start to finish, the acting from Jake Gyllenhaal is off the charts, he’s an excellent actor and in Joe he submerges himself into this emotional trainwreck of a guy and takes us along for this chaotic bumpy ride… it’s script by True Detective’sNic Pizzolatto is smart, quick paced and packs a punch with it’s suspense and hard hitting final act and it’s nice seeing Adrian Martinez getting some screen time, such an underrated actor… The Guilty is top notch filmmaking and is just as much about what you can’t see as to what you can, the sounds of the sirens, the voices on the other end of the phone stir the atmosphere pot to boiling and like Steven Knight’sLocke and Schumacher’sPhone Booth both of which are recent examples of this claustrophobic meltdown The Guilty is compelling, nail biting and entirely brilliant to watch ★★★★½
“I love every aspect of the creation of motion pictures and I guess I am committed to it for life”
Born in San Francisco, California in 1930 and with over 50 acting roles, 40 directorial credits, a whole bunch of original music and 4 Academy Awards CLINT EASTWOOD is the epitome of the word LEGEND : he’s 91 today, he’s still working & his latest film Cry Macho lands in October……… (Happy Birthday Clint)
Born in Canada on this day in 1916 this wonderfully gifted actor is the first in what will become a regular feature here at Absolute Badasses : the 40s, 50s & 60s was dominated by the western or gritty noir picture that fell nicely for Glenn Ford the son of a railroad executive who moved to Santa Monica when he was eight years old : before his acting career took hold Glenn worked as a barkeep in Santa Monica earning $5 a week, became an expert plumber and installer of plate glass windows : in 1939 Glenn’s life changed when he made his movie debut in Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence for director Ricardo Cortez and so his journey was underway : in a long career Glenn Ford starred in over 100 movies, unbelievably he never appeared in a film nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award and was often credited as the fastest gun in the movie industry (even faster than John Wayne & James Arness) : my own personal favorites are seen in the pictures above, 3:10 to Yuma where he starred as gunslinger Ben Wade alongside Van Heflin, in 1946 came Ford’s huge break appearing alongside the gorgeous Rita Hayworth in Gilda, he would become great friends with Hayworth even becoming one of the pallbearers at her funeral in the late 80s, in 1953 he starred in one of Fritz Lang’s finest, the gritty film noir The Big Heat opposite Gloria Grahame, Marlon Brando’s sister Jocelyn Brando and Lee Marvin, then of course in 1978 he played Pa Kent in Richard Donner’sSuperman : sadly due to ill health Ford retired from acting aged 75 and died in 2006 aged 90, he was born to entertain and some of his other note worth performances include: Pocketful of Miracles, The Fastest Gun Alive, Blackboard Jungle, Lust for Gold and so many more…
Ana Lily Amirpour’s A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT follows a lonely vampire going about her business in the Iranian ghost town of Bad City – I have now watched this movie 12 times (maybe more) and for me it sits comfortably in the bracket of essential viewing : from it’s mesmerising black & white style that sucks you in to the movie’s narrative, hypnotising and seducing you until it’s final scene, with it’s atmospheric backdrop’s of Oil Derrick’s, the deserted streets, the buildings and the Girl’s bedroom decked out with posters of pops stars of yesteryear, with Lyle Vincent’s photography descibed in two words “utterly stunning” : I also CRAVE the film’s soundtrack, it’s the GOAT with tracks from Federale, Radio Tehran, Bei Ru, White Lies and more…. that scene where White Lies “Death” is playing is one of the film’s coolest moments, I felt it had a really 80s tinge during that scene and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck rise like a python : Amirpour’s casting of Sheila Vand as the Girl was a masterstroke, Vand is like a magnet, her eye’s and demeanour engulf you allowing you to feel her character’s sadness but also her power, Arash Marandi’s performance as the guy who falls hard for the Girl is superb, the scene’s he shares with his onscreen dad are excellent and Mozhan Marnò gives a vulnerable & touching turn as Atti, the local prostitute : A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is one of them movies that you just have to see, it’s an acquired taste and not your conventional Vampire movie but it’s full of interesting themes, shot in gorgeous black & white, has subtitles for it’s Persian dialogue and includes a side portion of weird : Overall it’s one of them movies that I would certainly place high on my list of favourite vampire pics and would advise any film fan to BUY & WATCH this GEM on rewatch for 2,191 days : ps….. (if you like this pic then check out 2016’s The Bad Batch by the same director….. it’s sooooo goood) ★★★★½
Here’s 3 great Behind the Scene shots from 1968’s Once Upon a Time in the West – Directed by Sergio Leone and stars : Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards & Woody Strode : A mysterious stranger with a harmonica teams up with a notorious gunslinger to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad in the old west : The late great Ennio Morricone composed the musical score and it’s one his finest in my opinion.
AUSTRALIA DAY : Kriv Stenders Bryan Brown, Shari Sebbens, Sean Keenan, Daniel Webber
I really ENJOYED Kriv Stenders edge of the seat Crash-style thriller Australia Day – along with Bryan Brown & Shari Sebbens who is bloody brilliant by the way, it’s young cast really does excell & allows the films story to roll at a break neck pace and feel downright authentic – there’s so much running in the movie that at times I felt out of breath watching it all go down – the film brings to light a whole lot of issues such as race and underage prostitution and although there’s nothing new about it’s narrative filmmaker Kriv Stenders handles it well and delivers a movie that balances between a high octain thriller and one that also makes one think of the choices & consequences in one’s life – overall Australia Day is well worth the watch and yet another Aussie Gem ★★★★
HOSTILES : Scott Cooper Christian Bale, Ben Foster, Rosamund Pike
from it’s gritty storyline, Takayanagi’s haunting at times beautiful camera work, Bale & Pike’s ability to suck you into Cooper’s narrative and Max Richter’s soul searching score Hostiles is one of the Best Western since Eastwood’s Unforgiven, it’s dark & brutal just like the times, it’s uncomplicated and I can’t remember Christian Bale ever giving a better performance – this is one to watch on the big screen, it’s a visual treat and by the way it’s by no means the Bale & Pike show there’s a whole bunch of stone cold, gritty performances from the tigerish Rory Cochrane as Metz, Jesse Plemons (yep him again) as Kidder & Jonathan Majors as Woodsen – Scott Cooper’sHostiles is such an awesome ride LOVED IT !! ★★★★½
Sadly one of the great method actors of our time has died aged 98 – ELI WALLACH played a huge part in my love for film after watching his performances in such classics such as The Magnificent Seven alongside Yul Bryner, The Misfits opposite Marilyn Monroe & Clarke Gable, How the West Was Won with Lee J. Cobb & co, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly alongside Clint Eastwood, The Hunter with Steve McQueen and so many more – at 98 Eli should be remembered not for awards, accolades or press worthy news clippings but for a body of work full of genuinely great film roles and his last-ability in an industry of much change since making his film debut back in 1956 in Elia Kazan‘s Baby Doll – to say goodbye to one of the screens finest I will leave you with a quote from Sergio Leone‘s 1966 classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly where Eli Wallach played the outlaw Tuco “There are two kinds of people in the world, my friend: Those with a rope around the neck, and the people who have the job of doing the cutting”
From Seth MacFarlane the man who brought us the hilarious TED comes A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST a new comedy western following a coward of a farmer who seeks the help of a gunslinger’s wife to help him win back the woman who deserted him – the film stars Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi and Sarah Silverman – here’s some brilliant character posters along with the new redband (adults only) trailer…. Enjoy!
A Million Ways to Die in the West – US (30th May) – UK (6th June) – Australia (29th June)
“I'm a mog - half man, half dog. I'm my own best friend” - Spaceballs (1987)
“I once stole a pornographic book that was printed in Braille. I used to rub the dirty parts” - Bananas (1971)
“Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm a schizophrenic and so am I” - What About Bob? (1991)
“Yeah I called her up, she gave me a bunch of crap about me not listening to her, or something, I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention” - Dumb and Dumber (1994)
“Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son” - Animal House (1978)
“Like a midget at a urinal, I was going to have to stay on my toes” - Naked Gun 33 ½ : The Final Insult (1994)
"Yes, it's true. This man has no dick" - Ghost Busters (1984)
"I have nipples, Greg. Could you milk me?" - Meet the Parents (2000)
Movie Taglines
"They called him 'Fast Eddie'... He was a winner... He was a loser... He was a hustler" - THE HUSTLER (1961)
"For Three Men The Civil War Wasn't Hell. It Was Practice!" - THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY (1966)
"The night HE came home" - HALLOWEEN (1978)
"All the power on earth can't change destiny" - THE GODFATHER PART III
"In space, no one can hear you scream" - ALIEN (1979)
"Be afraid. Be very afraid" - THE FLY (1986)
"Cruise like Thunder" - DAYS OF THUNDER (1990)
"Same Make. Same Model. New Mission." - TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY (1991)
"Houston, we have a problem" - APOLLO 13 (1995)
"The greatest fairy tale never told" - SHREK (2001)
"We've Sensed It. We've Seen The Signs. Now... It's Happening." - THE HAPPENING (2008)
Movie Trivia
DJANGO UNCHAINED is the first time in 16 years that Leonardo DiCaprio didn't get the top billing
In John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN Michael Myers' mask is actually a Captain Kirk mask which was altered for the film
On the set of 1982's THE THING the whole cast and crew was male
BLAZING SADDLES was shot on the same MOVIE set as Yul Bryner's WESTWORLD
The first TWILIGHT movie is the only film in the saga to not receive any Razzie Award nominations
In a deleted scene from James Cameron's ALIENS Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) daughter was played by Elizabeth Inglis, Sigourney Weaver's real-life mother
Prints of the movie INCEPTION were shipped to theaters under the name "Hour Glass"
The Dude from the superb THE BIG LEBOWSKI says "man" 147 times in the movie
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