My Ten Favorite Female-centric Westerns

When you think of western movies, I'm betting you think of stories that revolve around men.  Lone gunmen, groups of men, a man and a sidekick, and so on.  But there are actually quite a few westerns that are centered on women.  

Because people were grappling with life-and-death issues like food, shelter, and enemies trying to kill you in the Old West, they weren't always so caught up on little things like whether women should own and run businesses, boss men around, make decisions, choose their own husbands, defend themselves, own and work the land, and so on!  Hollywood has often used that reality to help tell stories about women that might not be suited to other time periods, including the ones they were making the movies in.

It may surprise you to find that 7/10 of the movies on this list were made before the year 1970.  Strong Female Characters might not be as recent a phenomenon as you've been led to believe.

Anyway!  Here they are :-)  Titles are linked to my reviews where applicable.

1. The Rare Breed (1966)

A British widow (Maureen O'Hara) and her daughter (Juliet Mills) accompany the prize bull they've sold on its way to its new owner (Brian Keith) with the help of a determined cowhand (James Stewart). I've seen this so often, the characters all feel like dear old friends.

2. The Quick and the Dead (1995)

A woman gunfighter (Sharon Stone) enters a quick-draw contest because she believes it's her best chance to avenge her father being murdered by a former outlaw (Gene Hackman).  This movie has one of my absolute favorite Russell Crowe characters in it, but the movie really belongs to The Lady.

3. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

A woman (Jane Powell) marries a man (Howard Keel) she just met that same day, and she's excited about the prospect of keeping house for just the two of them, back up in the mountains where he lives.  He fails tell her he has six brothers back home that he expects her to cook for too, and she is less than amused when she finds out. Trust me, this retelling of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is funnier than it sounds. Also, it has gobs and gobs of awesome dancing.

4. Angel and the Badman (1947)

Penelope Worth (Gail Russell) might not be quite an angel, but then again, Quirt Evans (John Wayne) isn't quite a bad man either. Her Quaker family takes him in when he's wounded, and he does everything in his power to make sure they don't regret that decision even though he's pitted himself against some pretty desperate characters.  Of all the movies on this list, this is the only one where you could argue that the woman isn't the central character, but Penny is so pivotal that I really think it counts.

5. Australia (2008)

A determined Englishwoman (Nicole Kidman) and a drifting Drover (Hugh Jackman) struggle to save each other and an orphaned Aboriginal child (Brandon Walters) in Australia's Outback during World War Two. This is the only movie that has ever given me cowboys and WWII soldiers in the same story.

6. True Grit (2010)

A fourteen-year-old girl (Hailee Steinfeld) hires a crotchety US Marshal (Jeff Bridges) to track down the man who murdered her father, and insists on accompanying him on the quest.  I love the unusual flavor of this movie's dialog, which comes straight from the book by Charles Portis.  You can read my review of the book here.

7. Calamity Jane (1953)

A completely fictional story revolving around Calamity Jane (Doris Day), Wild Bill Hickock (Howard Keel), and a big mix-up involving a famous singer who is supposed to come to Deadwood, but doesn't.  My favorite thing about it is that Calamity Jane's character arc doesn't involve her gaining a husband by giving up her "outrageous" behavior of wearing buckskins and trousers, shooting at outlaws, and guarding stagecoaches.  Instead, she finds love with a man who appreciates who she already is, not who she could become.

8. Cat Ballou (1965)

Cat Ballou (Jane Fonda) comes home to her family's ranch just in time to witness her father's murder by the notorious (and noseless) Tim Strawn (Lee Marvin).  She straps on a gunbelt and sets out to avenge him, eventually gathering up an outlaw gang of comically inept ne'erdowells, including washed-up gunfighter Kid Shelleen (also Lee Marvin).  This is a wacky, wild movie, but I like it.

9. The Redhead from Wyoming (1953)

A beautiful woman (Maureen O'Hara) arrives in town and starts running a saloon and buying cattle, all at the behest of a former lover (Alexander Scourby) who is trying to start a range war between the big cattle barons and the smaller farmers and ranchers.  A new sheriff (Alex Nicol) stands up against him, and the woman has to choose which side she'll support because the townsfolk like her so much, they'll follow her, not either of the men.

10. Westward the Women (1951)

One hundred and forty women travel west in a wagon train to find new husbands.  On the way, they learn to hitch horses to wagons, shoot and hunt, ford rivers, and generally protect themselves while surviving.  It's one of the most realistic portrayals of a wagon train that I have seen.

You'll notice that four of these are currently part of my Legends of Western Cinema Week giveaway, just in case you want to get a chance to own and watch them for yourself!  And, yes, this top ten list has been one of my contributions to this year's LOWCW shindig.

If you enjoyed this list, you might also enjoy some of my other Top Ten Favorite lists: 

Western Movies

Western TV Shows

Alan Ladd Westerns

John Wayne Westerns

Western Movie Couples

Western Movie Soundtracks

Episodes of The Magnificent Seven

Like This? Try These! #4

Both Eva and Miss Meg requested I recommend movies similar to The Bourne Identity (2002), which is one of my favorite movies (and franchises), so here we go!

If you like The Bourne Identity, with its exciting chases, helpful and brave love interest, and confused hero who's not sure who's chasing him, or why, then you might like any of these:

+ Dark Passage (1947) -- A convict (Humphrey Bogart) imprisoned for killing his wife escapes from prison to prove his innocence.  Everyone knows what he looks like, so he gets plastic surgery to change his face so he can seek vengeance without being recognized all the time.  He recuperates in the home of an artist (Lauren Bacall) who becomes convinced of his innocence and tries to help him.  (This one has violence.  It's film noir, so some dark themes and stuff that might frighten kids.  Also, Bogie looks kinda creepy in his facial bandages.)

+ North by Northwest (1959) -- Classic Hitchcock :-9  Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is just an advertising executive.  But a bunch of spies are convinced he's also a spy, and they try really hard to kill him.  Over and over.  And they frame him for murder, so the police are after him too.  Then he meets Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) on a train, they fall in love, and she tries to help him survive all this chaos.  (Lots of double entendres in this one, most of which will entirely fly over the heads of kids.  There's some violence, and intense/scary moments of danger and peril and suspense.  I think also some more traditional cussing.)

+ Charade (1963) -- This time it's a woman who is being pursued and doesn't know why.  Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn) learns, at her husband's funeral, that there are a whole bunch of people who want something that her husband had, but never told her about.  They chase her all over the place, trying to scare her into giving them what they want.  A CIA agent (Cary Grant) pops up to help her sort out the mess, and sparkage ensues.  This one has topnotch villains, especially James Coburn and George Kennedy.  (Mostly family-friendly.  There's a little bit of suggestiveness here and there, double entendres and this silly game where people have to try to pass oranges to each other without using their hands, and a little kissing.  Plus, Cary Grant in the shower.  Possibly a couple mild curse words, and lots of '60s-style violence where it's not gory but still, people die and get hurt.)

And today I have a BONUS for you!  Did you know there's another adaptation of The Bourne Identity?  Yup, it was made into a TV movie in 1988, starring Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith as Jason Bourne and Marie St. Jacques.  It sticks very closely to the plot and characterization in the original book by Robert Ludlum (which I reviewed here), and is overall very enjoyable.  If you're like me and enjoy seeing different adaptations of stories, I recommend trying it.  (There's some violence, no bad language I can recall but I might be wrong, and one love scene where Marie's in lingerie and Jason is shirtless and there's some rolling around on a bed or something-- I completely recommend that everyone skip that scene at all times, because although there's no nudity, it's embarassingly '80s-ish.)

What do you think?  Are there other movies that remind you of The Bourne Identity?  I've got a bunch of ideas for these posts, but as always, if you've got a request for something you'd like me to make recommendations based on, I love suggestions!

Micro Movie Reviews

Last night, I was opining to my best friend that I've been trying to write a review of Captain America:  Civil War for a couple of months now, and it's just not working because I can't seem to find a good balance for it -- I could either write 50 words about it, or 5,000.  She laughed and agreed that was a problem, then asked what my 50-words-or-less review would be, anyway.  Which led to me writing tiny reviews of a whole bunch of movies I've watched over the past few months that I haven't reviewed here.  Most of them I've only seen once, and am waiting to see again before I review them.  But here, just for fun, are my micro reviews of seven movies.

At first, I didn't like this movie at all. Then I saw it three more times, and now I love it. You should see it too. Also, I finally got the Spider-man I've always wanted. The End.

I didn't hate this as much as I expected to. Chris Pratt made me laugh.  I wanted to punch the bad guy repeatedly so he'd land in the hospital and not annoy me anymore.

Alicia Vikander is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses. Sometimes I even stopped staring at Matt Damon long enough to notice she was in this movie. Also, Tommy Lee Jones needs some hugs, but am I really brave enough to offer him one?

Who cast Oscar Isaac as a bad guy and then covered up his handsomeness with so much paint and prosthetics that he could barely speak, much less act? And who said it was okay to make me cry over Magneto multiple times?

Why am I continually surprised by how much I like Marvel's movies? You'd think I'd have learned by now. I didn't see this until after Civil War, which was lame of me -- don't be like me! See this.

So much fun, I want to go read the books now. There's not much higher praise I can give a movie. I did not expect to totally, thoroughly dig it. But seriously, who tells Tom Cruise to put a shirt on? Get real, people.

Is this over yet? Oh, we're smashing more buildings? Didn't we smash that one already?  Guess not.

My Ten Favorite Movies Set in the 1940s

In honor of 1940s Week over at An Old-Fashioned Girl, I've put together a list of my 10 favorite movies that take place during the 1940s.  Because I'm fascinated by how WWII affected the military and civilians alike, and how it changed the world on so many levels, you'll notice that many of these directly involve the war.

1.  The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) (and more thoughts)

Three veterans (Dana Andrews, Frederic March, Harold Russell) find returning to civilian life and their families (Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Cathy O'Donnell) much harder than they'd expected. An amazingly frank look at post-war America.  Particularly noteworthy is the performance of Harold Russell, a real-life double amputee who served during WWII and will break your heart.  In a good way.

2.  The Great Escape (1963)

The Nazis put all their worst eggs (Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, James Garner...) in one prison camp, and naturally all those escape artists work together to escape. I love this on so many levels, from the whole band-of-misfits-working-together angle to the clever planning to the actual escape itself. And it's based on a true story!

3.  Laura (1944)

While solving the murder of beautiful, talented Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney), Detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) falls in love with her memory. One of the most haunting murder mysteries with one of the biggest plot twists.

4.  Operation Pacific (1951)

Commander Duke Gifford (John Wayne) leads a submarine crew on a bunch of adventures (most of them based on actual WWII events) and tries to win back his ex-wife (Patricia Neal). My 8-year-old son asks to watch this at least once a month right now. This is a clean and lovely movie.

5.  Father Goose (1964)

A misanthropic drunk (Cary Grant) reluctantly becomes an island spotter during WWII and winds up caring for a group of young girls and their oh-so-proper chaperon (Leslie Caron). This is both sweet and salty, and I love it dearly.

6.  It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

George Bailey (James Stewart) decides he's worth more dead than alive, and it takes an unlikely angel (Henry Travers) all of Christmas Eve to convince him otherwise. There's a reason it's so famous -- it's really that good.

7.  Hell is for Heroes (1962)

One small American Infantry squad (Bobby Darin, Steve McQueen, Fess Parker, James Coburn, Bob Newhart...) holds off a Nazi attack thanks to lots of clever ruses and some spectacular sacrifices. This was written by Robert Pirosh, who also created my beloved Combat!, and this whole movie almost feels like a long episode of the show.

8.  State Fair (1945)

A family spends a week at the Iowa state fair, where the daughter (Jeanne Crain) falls in love with a newspaper man (Dana Andrews), the son falls in love with an entertainer, and the parents take home prizes for their mincemeat and hog. There's a 1960s remake that stars Bobby Darin in the Dana Andrews role, but aside from dearest Bobby, I feel that version lacks the charm of this one.

9.  The Monuments Men (2014)

A special American task force tries to rescue important art from the Nazis. Another great ensemble cast (Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, Bill Murray, John Goodman, George Clooney...), and another true story.

10.  To Have and Have Not (1944)

Fisherman Harry Morgan (Humphrey Bogart) gets tangled up with a wandering woman (Lauren Bacall) and a bunch of anti-Nazi French patriots during WWII. Loosely based on characters from the Ernest Hemingway novel by the same title, but I like it far better than the book.

"The Martian" (2015) -- Initial Thoughts

I have decided that I don't like writing reviews of movies I have only seen once, because generally my first viewing of a movie involves me trying to wrap my head around the who and what it's about and how it's getting handled, and I can't generally "get" the movie until the second viewing.  If I liked it enough to watch it again, that is.  Some movies just don't merit a second viewing.

However.

I don't have the time or money to see every movie I like in the theater twice.  (And yes, sometimes I see the same movie in the theater 2 or 3 or even 5 or 6 times, but only Special movies warrant a second in-theater viewing, and only EXTRA Special movies get more than that.)

So if I want to review a movie while it's still in theaters, but can't/don't want to see it twice in the theater... I have to review them after one viewing.  Which is what I'm doing here.

Because I thought The Martian was excellent.  Intelligent writing, superb acting, spectacular effects.  But I know I won't have time to see it in the theater again, though I want to see it on DVD.  So I'm just going to give it a cursory review now, and when I see it on DVD, I may review it more thoroughly.

Let's start with the acting.  This is Matt Damon's show, and he unabashedly owns it.  He gets to run an emotional gamut here, from stressed to angry to fearful to sad to determined to hopeless to joyful to annoyed.  He nails them all.

Everyone else ranged from fine to great, with Chiwetel Ejiofer and Jeff Daniels and Sean Bean on the great end, Jessica Chastain and Sebastian Stan and Kate Mara in the middle, and everyone else doing fine, but nothing hugely special.  I was really excited to see Aksel Hennie (and hear his voice) because I liked him a lot in Hercules (2014).

I have read a lot of reviews of the book by Andy Weir, and many of them mentioned its wry humor, so I was looking forward to seeing how a story about a guy stranded on Mars could be funny.  It did not disappoint.  Though this had its scary and tense and sad parts, much of this movie actually had kind of a feel-good vibe, and it definitely had a lot of funny lines and moments.

One part that I found absolutely hilarious, that made me laugh aloud, involved a reference to the Council of Elrond from The Fellowship of the Ring, and what made me laugh was that Sean Bean was sitting right there, and of course as Boromir, he was at the Council of Elrond, and so I absolutely busted up over that moment.  And no one else in the theater laughed there, though they all laughed a couple beats later over a related joke.  Hmm.

Anyway, I totally dug this movie and I really want to read the book now.  Is it family-friendly?  Not perzackly.  There's a fair bit of bad language, including taking God's name in vain and the F-word.  There's also a rear-naked shot that establishes just how much of a physical toll the food privations are taking on the main character.  And like I said, there are scary and intense moments.  This will clean up really easily with a program like ClearPlay, I think, so if you're in doubt, wait for the DVD, I guess.  But if you're willing to deal with those things, this is breathtaking on the big screen.  I had to see it in 3D because that was the only showtime that worked, and the 3D was really well-done -- it made you feel like you were actually there on Mars, not just seeing pictures of it.

Movies I Want to See This Fall and Winter

I finally finished savoring Entertainment Weekly's Fall Movie Preview issue, and I thought that instead of just writing things down on my calendar to remind me when they come out, I'd also share them here with you.  So here are the movies I'm thinking I might want to see in the theater this fall:

October

The Martian (10-2-15), about Matt Damon being stuck on Mars.  I hear the book is awesome, and you know I love me some Matt Damon.

Pan (10-9-15), that Peter Pan movie with Hugh Jackman in a maniacal mustache.

Bridge of Spies (10-16-15), in which Tom Hanks goes behind the iron curtain to um... do lawyer stuff involving hostages.  Right now I'm wishing it also involved the United Network Command of Law and Enforcement too, of course, but I'll deal.

Suffragette (10-23-15), about British women fighting for their right to vote.  I'm in this one for the cast too:  Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep, and Ramola Garai!

(I'd like to see any of those in the theater, but I'd be okay with most of them on DVD.  I probably will make the most effort to see The Martian and Pan on the big screen.)


November

Spectre (11-6-15), the new James Bond movie.  What more is there to say?

Trumbo (11-6-15), about Dalton Trumbo, screenwriter of movies like Roman Holiday and Spartacus.

Creed (11-25-15), a Rocky spin-off!  That I didn't even know existed until I read this issue of EW!

I Saw the Light (11-27-15), where Tom Hiddleston plays Hank Williams.  And does all his own singing.

(I WILL see Spectre in the theater, and probably Creed.  The others, we'll see if they're showing around here or not.)


December

In the Heart of the Sea (12-11-15), based on the true story that inspired Moby-Dick.  Chris Hemsworth and tall ships and Ron Howard.

Star Wars:  The Force Awakens (12-18-15).  Enough said.

(I WILL see both of these in the theater, but possibly not until after Christmas, we'll see.)


Are any of these on your radar?

My Ten Favorite New-To-Me Movies I Saw in 2014

After posting here about the ten books I read in 2014 and liked best, I thought maybe I should try something similar with movies.  Only trouble is, I don't review every single movie I watch.  But I do record them all in my journal, so relying on that, I've come up with a good list.  I've linked to my reviews if I wrote one.  Unlike what I did for books, I'm listing only movies I'd never seen before.

1.  X-Men:  Days of Future Past (2014)

Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) travels to the past to save the future.  My absolute favorite X-Men movie.  Words truly can't describe how deeply I love it.

2.  Hercules (2014)

Hercules (Dwayne Johnson) and a bunch of pals (Rufus Sewell, Ian McShane, etc) are heroes-for-hire and try to help free an oppressed city.  Absolutely fun.

3.  Monuments Men (2014)

A bunch of art experts (Matt Damon, George Clooney, etc) try to save art from the Nazis.  A throw-back to the great WWII classics of the '60s.

4.  Tangled (2010)

Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) climbs out of her tower and gets a passing thief (Zachary Levi) help her fulfill her dream of seeing what those floating lanterns are all about.  The first time I watched it, I was ho-hum through the first half, but when it got to the boat scene, I fell in love with it.  Every repeat viewing has confirmed this as a total favorite.

5.  The Holiday (2006)

An unhappy LA woman (Cameron Diaz) trades houses with an unhappy British woman (Kate Winslet) for Christmas, and they find happiness and love in their new surroundings.  Did I mention Jude Law?  And Rufus Sewell?  But my favorite part of the whole movie is everything that involves Eli Wallach's sweet, elderly Hollywood writer.

6.  The Hobbit:  The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

Dwarves, Elves, Men, and hordes of Orcs duke it out in Middle Earth.  Can't wait to see this again!

7.  The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

Edmond Dantes (Jim Caviezel) transforms himself from a simple sailor wrongly convicted of treason into a vengeance-seeking nobleman.  I didn't want to see this ever ever ever, but two friends convinced me I should, and whaddaya know?  I love it!

8.  Hour of the Gun (1967)

A gritty exploration of revenge, in which Wyatt Earp (James Garner) hunts down the men who killed his brothers, with Doc Holliday (Jason Robards) riding along.  Definitely the most serious portrayal I've seen of the OK Corral events and their aftermath.  I don't love it as much as Tombstone (1993), but it's by far a better movie.

9.  Frozen (2013)

You totally know what this is about already, right?  Elsa freezes everything, Anna helps her thaw everything, yadda yadda yadda.

10.  Little Women (1978)

A really nice, thorough TV miniseries starring the likes of Susan Dey and Dorothy McGuire, with William Shatner making a surprisingly effective Professor Bhaer.  It needs to be more widely known!

My Ten Favorite War Movies

I had to wait to finalize this list until I'd seen Monuments Men a second time, to know whether or not it really belonged on this list.  It does.  I've seen most of these many times, some of them more than twenty.  The only other exception is Defiance, which I've also only seen twice, but which is so phenomenal I must love it.

You'll notice a lot of patterns here.  Lots of WWII movies.  Lots of big ensemble casts.  Lots of true stories.  Lots of John Wayne, though interestingly, he's not in either of my top 2 movies.  Those both feature Steve McQueen and James Coburn.  Hmm.  Anyway, most of these are also from the '50s and '60s, when war movies were still about heroes.  In the '70s, war movies got cynical, and I find them depressing.

1. The Great Escape (1963)

The Nazis brilliantly put all their worst eggs (Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, James Garner...) in one prison camp, and naturally all those escape artists work together to escape.  I love this on so many levels, from the whole band-of-misfits-working-together angle to the clever planning to the actual escape itself.  And it's based on a true story!

2. Hell is for Heroes (1962)

One small American squad (Bobby Darin, Steve McQueen, Fess Parker, James Coburn, Bob Newhart...) holds off a Nazi attack thanks to lots of clever ruses and some spectacular sacrifices.  This was written by Robert Pirosh, who also created my beloved Combat!, and this whole movie almost feels like a long episode of the show.  Lots of human interest, some great humor, heroics, and my dearest Bobby Darin.  LOVE!

3. Operation Pacific (1951)

Commander Duke Gifford (John Wayne) leads a submarine crew on a bunch of adventures (most of them based on actual WWII events) and tries to win back his ex-wife (Patricia Neal).  My 6-year-old son asks to watch this at least once a month right now.  This is a clean and lovely movie.

4. The Longest Day (1962)

The story of the D-Day invasion, told from many viewpoints, with one of the most impressive casts ever assembled:  John Wayne, Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, Sal Mineo, Richard Todd, and a very young Sean Connery, to name a very few.  Until we had kids and lost our big chunks of movie-watching time, Cowboy and I used to watch this together every D-Day.

5. Gettysburg (1993)

Another talented ensemble cast shows many of the events leading up to and during the turning point of the American Civil War.  Jeff Daniels turns in a wonderful performance as Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberalain, one of my personal heroes.

6. Monuments Men (2014)

A special American task force tries to rescue important art from the Nazis.  Another great ensemble cast (Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, Bill Murray, John Goodman, George Clooney), and another true story.

7. Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)

Sgt. Stryker (John Wayne) takes a group of Marines from boot camp to the battle of Iwo Jima.  This is one of John Wayne's sadder, more multi-faceted characters.

8. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

A bunch of Allied POWs (including William Holden and Alec Guinness) build a bridge for their Japanese captors, then try to blow it up.  A fascinating study in morale and endurance.  And a true story.

9. Defiance (2008)

Three Jewish brothers (Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell) in Nazi-occupied Poland help lots of other Jews hide out in the Belarussian forest.  Gets grim and intense, but so, so good.  And guess what?  Another true story!

10. D-Day:  The Sixth of June (1956)

A woman who's engaged to a British officer (Richard Todd) falls in love with an American officer (Robert Taylor), and both men end up storming the Normandy beaches together.  Personally, I think anyone who ditches Richard Todd for Robert Taylor is an idiot.

"Monuments Men" (2014) -- Initial Thoughts

I didn't know they made movies like this anymore!  Seriously, this could have been made in the '60s, back when they were making The Guns of Navaronne and The Dirty Dozen and Where Eagles Dare.  Like those classic WWII movies, Monuments Men is unabashedly heroic.  There's none of the moral uncertainty or post-modernist hand-wringing that plagues many recent war movies.  And I think perhaps that's why this movie was not beloved of the critics.  It does not feel like a modern war movie.  In fact, it's something of an anachronism -- a quiet, gentle movie in many ways, but still a war movie too.  No wonder the critics disliked it -- it's not exactly like every other movie being made right now!

And the characters.  So many nice people, these characters!  I liked them all, definitely want to be friends with most of them :-)  Also, some of them reminded me a lot of characters from Combat!, which definitely added to my enjoyment.  Frank Stokes (George Clooney) had that debonair officer thing going on, just like Lt. Hanley (Rick Jason).  Jean Claude Clermont (Jean Dujardin) was the jaunty, charming, French-speaking outsider, quite like Caje (Pierre Jalbert).  Walter Garfield (John Goodman) was the round guy who likes to cheer others up, rather like Braddock (Shecky Greene).  In fact, the movie as a whole would have worked pretty well as a Combat! episode, a two-parter like "The Long Way Home."  In fact, I was reminded several times of one C! ep in particular, "Heritage," which guest-starred Charles Bronson and involved the squad finding a bunch of stolen artwork hidden in a cave.  I'm guessing that ep was inspired by the events this movie portrays.

Because this is based on a true story, you know, of soldiers trying to rescue artwork from the Nazis.  The movie poses the question of whether or not a "priceless" painting or statue is worth a person's life, and it kind of leaves it up to the viewer to decide, though it's pretty plain what the filmmakers think.

Damon as Granger

My favorite character was absolutely James Granger, and not just cuz he was played by Matt Damon, though that did factor in a great deal :-)  He's kind, sensible, helpful, nice -- exactly what I like in a character.  (SPOILER!) Granger is a married man, and he gets to know this French woman, Claire (Cate Blanchett), and she makes it plain she'd like to sleep with him without saying it in so many words, and he turns her down, remaining very gentlemanly but firm.  (END SPOILER)

Is this movie family friendly?  More than most modern movies!  There's a fair amount of cussing, on par with a late-60s-or-early-70s war movie, and a woman very obliquely asks a man to sleep with her, but it's all implied, nothing stated in so many words.

My Ten Favorite Action Movies

So, I've decided I love too many "action/adventure" movies to lump them all together, and I'm going to do lists of my favorite superhero, sci-fi, fantasy, and war movies separately.  Which means these are all pure action movies about people without super powers or magical abilities that are battling other real people, not robots or supervillains or evil wizards.  Yes, such movies exist!

1.  The Fugitive (1993)

Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) is wrongly convicted of his wife's murder, escapes, and goes hunting for the real killer while U.S. Marshal Sammy Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) hunts for him.  My second-favorite movie of all time.

2.  The Bourne Identity (2002)

Amnesiac Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) races across Europe, evading unknown pursuers, seeking answers about his past, and falling in love with a quirky stranger (Franka Potente).  The movie that changed my mind about Matt Damon.  And based on one of my favorite books.

3.  A Knight's Tale (2001)

Poor William Thatcher (Heath Ledger) pretends to be a knight so he can win jousting tournaments and feed himself and his friends (Paul Bettany, Alan Tudyk, and Mark Addy).  Rollicking good fun, with a crazy soundtrack and some awesome jousting scenes.

4.  Conspiracy Theory (1997)

Paranoid cab driver Jerry Fletcher (Mel Gibson) convinces the woman he loves (Julia Roberts) to help him uncover a conspiracy.  I think this is the first thing I ever saw Patrick Stewart in other than Star Trek:  The Next Generation.  It manages to be twisty and tender, creepy and sweet, all at the same time.

5.  The Three Musketeers (1993)

Young d'Artagnan (Chris O'Donnell) just wants to be a Musketeer, but he ends up embroiled in unmasking a plot against the king.  His three Musketeer friends (Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, and Oliver Platt) are hilarious and awesome too.  I actually like this better than Alexandre Dumas' book!

6.  GoldenEye (1995)

James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) battles his ex-partner (Sean Bean) to save Britain from an electronic meltdown.  The first thing I ever saw Brosnan, Bean, and Judi Dench in -- and I became a total fan of all three.

7.  Master and Commander:  The Far Side of the World (2003)

Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) leads his best friend Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany) and his ship's crew on a quest to capture a dastardly French ship.  I'd read all of Patrick O'Brian's novels about Aubrey and Maturin before the movie came out, and I spent a lot of my time in the theater whispering to my brother about how perfectly everything matched the books.

8.  R.E.D. (2010)

Retired black-ops agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis), his new girlfriend Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker), and a bunch of his old pals (Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren) and enemies (Brian Cox) team up to figure out who's trying to kill them, and why.  Hilarious from beginning to end.  You guys wanna get pancakes?

9.  The Hunt for Red October (1990)

CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) tries to convince his superiors that a Russian submarine captain (Sean Connery) wants to defect.  Still the best Jack Ryan movie, and since I love Harrison Ford but only like Alec Baldwin, that's saying something.

10.  Romancing the Stone (1984)

Romance novelist Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) goes to South America to rescue her kidnapped sister and ends up having a grand adventure with the help of a stranger (Michael Douglas).  Rollicking good fun, and all the parts that have to do with being a writer crack me up to no end.

"True Grit" (2010) -- Initial Thoughts

I went to see a movie on Sunday with a friend!  Revolutionary concept, I know.  I'm so used to going by myself that seeing something with another person has become a rare treat.

John Wayne and Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn

We saw the new True Grit.  Now, when I found out the Coen brothers were doing a new version, my initial reaction was outrage.  You don't remake John Wayne movies!  That just ain't right!  Right?

John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell

But after a while, I realized that the 1969 version is not anywhere near being one of my favorite John Wayne movies.  I'm actually kind of indifferent to it -- I've only seen it twice, and it has never done much for me, though I never bothered to put my finger on why.  So it's not like they've remade The Sons of Katie Elder or Rio Grande or something.  (Yeah, yeah, I know -- El Dorado is basically a remake of Rio Grande.  I don't mind the Duke remaking his own films.)

I've heard that this version is closer to the original novel by Charles Portis, which I am now determined to find and read.  And once I saw a preview of the remake and saw how danged cute Matt Damon is in his cowboy hat and drawl, well, my resolve never to see it crumbled.  When a friend said they wanted to see it too, well, that's all it took.

And guess what?  I liked it!  I actually did!  I didn't love it, but I honestly liked it better than the original.  After three days of contemplation, I've realized I have three reasons for that:

1.  Hailee Steinfeld instead of Kim Darby as Mattie Ross.  (Ha ha -- you thought Matt Damon would be my first reason, didn't you?)  I think the main reason I don't like the original True Grit much is because Kim Darby annoys me.  I don't like her in her Star Trek episode either.  On the other hand, Hailee Steinfeld -- I want to be her Mattie Ross.  She's willful and stubborn and wise beyond her years, but she's also got a sweetness and spark of mischief, and her lips are perpetually curved up at the corners. Plus, she's a good actress, not affected or coy like so many child actors.  I can't wait to see her in something else.

2.  Jeff Bridges instead of John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn.  (Sorry, Matt, not yet.)  This sounds like treason, I realize.  But I am much more comfortable seeing Jeff Bridges, whom I care nothing about, as a drunken, disreputable, angry, slovenly, ill-tempered son-of-a-motherless-goat than I am seeing my beloved hero that way.  And I think Bridges is more comfortable in the role too.  I need to rewatch the 1969 version, but from what I recall, I suspect one reason John Wayne got an Oscar for it is because he did more visible acting than in many of his other movies.  He never seems quite at ease in the character, instead of being relaxed and natural like many of his other roles.

3.  Yes, Matt Damon instead of Glen Campbell as LaBoeuf.  Campbell plays him cocky and snotty and bossy and annoying, from what I recall, a portrayal that makes me think of Ralph Meeker and other smirky not-quite-villains.  Damon, on the other hand, starts off bossy, prim, and self-satisfied, but he learns not to underestimate other people, and becomes very sweet by the end.  Also, there's a running joke about nothing ever shutting him up for long that tickled me immensely.

The ending of the new movie is different from the old one, but it suits this film's tone and I was fine with it.

Like all the Coen brothers' movies I've seen, this one had some random, weird moments that left me going, "Uh, what?"  And its violence was more graphic than the original, as is unfortunately to be expected.  But I'm glad I saw it, and wouldn't mind seeing it again on DVD sometime.

Another meme from DKoren....

1. Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. No googling/using IMDb search functions. Cheating is for losers!

So here are my fifteen. Let the games begin!

1. "I hope we have a lot of boys so we can name them all after you." (Charade, Maggie)

2. "Send her a telegram -- date it back fourteen years!" (Guys and Dolls, Cowboy)

3. Character 1: "I thought you didn't care."
Character 2: "I don't. [laughs] Don't tell anyone, okay?" (The Fugitive, DKoren)

4. "Do I like Jell-o?" (While You Were Sleeping, Maggie)

5. "The paint is peeling on the ceiling." (Mel Gibson in Conspiracy Theory)

6. "How could I forget about you? You're the only person I know." (Matt Damon in The Bourne Identity)

7. Character 1: "I give you my word as a Spaniard."
Character 2: "No good! I've known too many Spaniards." (The Princess Bride, Maggie)

8. "When will you give up this ridiculous obsession with love?" (Moulin Rouge, Laura)

9. "I figure you can go through life thinkin' everyone's your friend, or no one is." (Kevin Kline in Silverado)

10. Character 1: "What's the first thing you do when a horse bucks you off?"
Character 2: "You don't let him beat you, you get straight back on." (The Man from Snowy River, Mom)

11. "None of us should wander alone, least of all you." (The Fellowship of the Ring, DKoren)

12. "There comes a time when you need to turn mother's picture to the wall and get out." (The Magnificent Seven, Cowboy)

13. Character 1: "That's quite a dress you almost have on. What keeps it up?"
Character 2: "Modesty." (An American in Paris, Maggie)

14. "Now I'm orderin' you to get off this property!" (The Sons of Katie Elder, DKoren)

15. "Me, I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest." (Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, DKoren)

Well, it's happened again. I've been converted. I now slobber over someone I once swore to dislike forever.

The first time this happened was in the mid-90's. I didn't like Tom Cruise, because he was too cute and too popular. I thought he was just a piece of beefcake that silly girls drooled over, with no talent or real reason to be so popular. Then I saw Mission: Impossible...

And my gal pals all adored Brad Pitt. They had posters of him everywhere, had to watch every movie he made...I was revolted. I refused to even acknowledge that he might be attractive. Until I saw Meet Joe Black as a sophomore in college, that is. And was blown away by his acting ability and actual attractiveness.

Now it's Matt Damon. He's disgusted me for years! I've vociferously denounced him as just another pretty boy who makes flighty movies while pretending to be a serious actor. I was unimpressed by his turn in Saving Private Ryan. He did amuse me in Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve, but only because he was unsuave and unskilled. I saw him playing the antithesis of my perceptions of him, and it made me giggle. But tonight I watched The Bourne Identity. And now I sit in a pool of my own drool, sheepishly admitting that the man can act. And act charmingly!

Plus, okay, how am I not gonna love a movie with a magnificent car chase like that! I mean, it had to be the best I've seen since Bullitt in terms of realistic, gritty car chases. Altho it's been a few years since I saw Ronin, and I remember liking that one quite a lot as well. And I really should see The French Connection sometime as I heard there's a sweet one in that. But the car chase in The Bourne Identity--zowie!

You can't really compare these 'realistic' chases with the ones in James Bond movies, by the way. I'm highly fond of those as well, but their appeal lies in being so over-the-top and unbelievable that you just have to grin and go with it. My fave of those has to be Bond in a tank chasing a tiny European car in Goldeneye.