Blackthorn (2011)
★★★½
Sam Shepard turns in a great performance as an aged Butch Cassidy in BLACKTHORN. Cassidy is living in Bolivia and now calling himself James Blackthorn.
Amazing cinematography makes up for some pacing problems, but BLACKTHORN is worth watching especially since it is available on Netflix.
Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
★★★
Another flick that got raked through the coals when it was released. I actually dug it. Some great effects and a decent mash-up story. I do think the tone is way too serious. There should have been more fun and adventure injected into the script. If it had the energy of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK it would have been a much better film.
True Grit (2010)
★★★★★
Jeff Bridges is great as aways & the Coens deliver a wonderful script and direction. The humor and wit was a welcome surprise as well.
TRUE GRIT is an example of a remake done right.
The Searchers (1956)
I consider The Searchers to be John Wayne's best film and one of my favorite Westerns of all time. Having only seen this on VHS at my grandpa's house, I was stunned at the clarity and color of the Blu Ray. It's a wonderful transfer.
The Searchers isn't some goofy Western. It's actually a very well written revenge tale of a Confederate Soldier who goes after the Indians who murdered his family. John Wayne is at his best here and worth checking out if you've never seen it.
Story: 
| Acting: 
| Re-watch Factor:
Overall Rating:
Stagecoach (1939)
I finally crossed this classic western off my "List of Shame!" My grandpa is a huge John Wayne fan, so I've seen just about every John Wayne movie out there. All except for this one. Thankfully, Barnes & Noble's 50% off Criterion sale made Stagecoach available to me at a great price (even though I discovered later it's on Netflix Instant Watch). The Criterion set is a beauty and the transfer of this 1939 film was actually surprising.
As for the movie, I wasn't prepared for it to be as good as it was. It's a simple story, really. A handful of people are brought together by being crammed into a stagecoach, each with their own story and motivations. With fear of an impending Indian attach, they are forced to work together and stay alive.
I loved this movie. Each character was well developed and interesting. A young John Wayne was very effective. I'm so glad I finally saw this. Wish I would have seen it much sooner.
Story: | Acting: | Re-watch Factor:
Overall Rating:
Tombstone (1993)
Tombstone is in my "pantheon" of Favorite Movies of All Time. I love pretty much everything about the film.
Re-watching this now it's amazing just how many top tier actors fill this film. Kurt Russel, Sam Elliott, Val Kilmer, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Stephen Lang, Billy Bob Thorton, and Thomas Haden Church just to name a handful. ALL providing classic and memorable characters, no matter how long they're on screen.
Tombstone is a modern Western classic. One of the few films that has insane re-watch ability and quotability. Love it.
Story: | Acting: | Re-watch Factor:
Overall Rating: