John Wayne

A MAN CALLED HORSE, RIO LOBO, BIG JAKE and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: August 18th, 2011 at 5:07 am

The great thing about a hit film hitting DVD or Blu-ray is that often you’ll get tied in releases of similar (and usually older) titles. Perhaps Paramount would have eventually gotten to A Man Called Horse, Rio Lobo, Big Jake and Once Upon a Time in the West on Blu-ray. But it seems the release of the Coen Brothers version of True Grit has expedited the process. There’s at least one masterpiece in this pile, and two solid entries at least. Our reviews of all four follow after the jump.

TRUE GRIT Blu-ray Review

by Jeff Ames    Posted: January 26th, 2011 at 6:13 am

Watching 1969’s much heralded epic True Grit, starring John Wayne, Glenn Campbell and Kim Darby, I felt the filmmakers missed a golden opportunity to create a true western masterpiece – in the vein of Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven and John Ford’s The Searchers.

Wayne and co. deliver the goods, sure, and for the most part much of Henry Hathaway’s film feels alive, sometimes even sensational (“Fill your hand you son of a bitch!”), but otherwise does little to differentiate itself from Wayne’s other cowboy ventures, particularly Big Jake and, to some extent, Rio Lobo. Those films also followed a man in pursuit of justice/revenge, told with an eye towards adventure; unlike, say, the darker, more stylized western tales of Sam Peckinpah.  For more, hit the jump to check out my True Grit Blu-ray review.

The Coen Brothers Cast Hailee Steinfeld as the Lead in TRUE GRIT

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 23rd, 2010 at 1:19 pm

The Coen Brothers have chosen Hailee Steinfeld to play the crucial lead role of Mattie Ross in True Grit according to Variety.  Paramount Pictures put out a nationwide open casting call for the part and now the Coens have their unknown actress and surrounded her with highly-talented actors Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin.  This isn’t to say that Steinfeld isn’t talented.  In fact, with such a wide selection of actresses, it’s impressive that she was chosen above them all.  I’m not sure if the Hailee Steinfeld listed on IMDb is the same actress, but she looks like she could pass as a 14-year-old (she may even be fourteen, but IMDb doesn’t provide her date of birth).

Hit a jump for a brief synopsis on the flick.

Jeff Bridges May Abide as Rooster Cogburn in the Coen Brothers’ Adaptation of TRUE GRIT

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 10th, 2009 at 9:27 pm

[Disclaimer: All commenting on this story must make at least one reference to "The Big Lebowski"]

Who do you get to fill the massive boots of John Wayne, especially when Wayne won his only Oscar for that particular massive boot-wearing role?  Well, if you’re the Coen Brothers you could just say, “We’re the Coen Brothers and we’ll cast whoever we goddamn please and you will like it.”  But instead they’ve cast a man and it’s Jeff Bridges and I won’t do the whole opening monologue from “The Big Lebowski”.  Just hit the jump for the news about this delightful casting.

THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE and EL DORADO Paramount Centennial Collection DVD Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: May 21st, 2009 at 4:54 pm

To state something obvious, unless you die, you get old, and may live long enough to outlive your usefulness. Hemmingway had a solution. When he felt he couldn’t write, fight, or fuck like he used to, he decided he’d rather be dead. Both John Ford and Howard Hawks worked their way out of the film business. Their careers were long and storied, and both worked for over four decades, making great films at all points during their long and varied journies. But they also ran out of steam. Both made great autumnal works – without a doubt – but both the films celebrated here in Paramount’s Centennial collection also show some fatigue.

The Man who Shot Liberty Valance may be more the important of the two. John Wayne stars as Tom Doniphon in the first time he ever called anyone “pilgrim.”

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