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Film & TV on DVD - John Doe News & Reviews

Greetings Film Fiends and welcome to John Doe's Film Blog. 30 years of dedicated celluloid obsession has meant that I have seen a few films. Drawing attention to some of the lesser discussed gems that I love. Cult classics, obscure curios and quality genre pictures. This blogs purpose is to translate some of my passion for these films and with luck, inspire you the reader to go check em out.

Westerns - Film & TV on DVD

The Good, the Bad, The Weird Trailer

June 2nd 2008 00:00

The Glorious Oriental Western trend continues...

The poster with no name walks into a frontier town.

The Good The Bad The Weird

High on John Doe’s list of must see films screening at this years Sydney Film Festival is the new Takashi Miike Spaghetti Western Parody titled Sukiyaki Western Django. The idea of an Eastern minded tribute to the Sergio Leone style mythic cowboy legends demands JD’s full attention.

The comic book style The Good The Bad The Weird banner

Peeking and foraging around the darkened recesses of cinema on the net John Doe stumbled across a similar project scheduled for release in some countries. The trailer for this new Korean film, The Good The Bad, The Weird has to be shared. (Even if there is no local date appearing on the calendar.)

Referencing the title of Leone’s best known work with an oriental spin, the footage below reveals some John Woo/Sam Peckinpah bullet wielding. From koreanfilm.or.kr:
“Inspired by the Sergio Leone classic The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, the film also builds off a string of Korean genre films from the 1970s that combined the aesthetics of the Western with outlaw movements aligned against Japanese colonial forces.”

The Good The Bad The Weird character teaser

Rapidly reloaded Winchester rifles crack a gunpowder atmosphere. The sound of hoofs come up beside a moving train. Holsters are reached for, pistols swiftly fired, gun-barrels emptied and the slain fall to the ground. Death is always present, the heat unrelenting setting the scene for showdowns.

Directed by Kim Ji-woon (A Tale of Two Sisters, A Bittersweet Life) Woo-sung Jung (Musa: the Warrior) plays The Good. The Bad is Lee Byung-hun (A Bittersweet Life, G.I. Joe) and The Weird, Kang-ho Song. (The Host)

Shame it’s not screening at the Sydney Film festival, Johnny would have been in the audience.

The Good, the Bad, The Weird Trailer

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Posted By: JohnDoe - Category: Action, Foreign, Coming Soon, Westerns

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Hud (1963) - Footage Included

January 10th 2008 00:02

Desolate Male Ego

DVD Available in Australia

Director:Martin Ritt
Starring:Paul Newman, Brandon De Wilde, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal

“You don't care about people Hud. You don't give a damn about 'em. Oh, you got all that charm goin' for ya. And it makes the youngsters want to be like ya. That's the shame of it because you don't value anything. You don't respect nothing. You keep no check on your appetites at all. You live just for yourself. And that makes you not fit to live with.” – Homer Bannon

Actor’s Director Martin Ritt (The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Giant, The Black Orchid) over the course of his career provided the light source that saw 13 Oscar nominations for his cast and crew members. Hud alone received 7 nods and resulted in 3 wins including cinematography. By the time Ritt fronted up to wrangle Hud his reputation preceded him.

Tackling the corrosion of society, Paul Newman’s title character represents the amoral generation that was eroding and now defines the American Culture. A destructive force, Hud is a selfish, opportunistic exploiter of the world around him. Handsome and oozing sex appeal in every bead of sweat, exploiting those around him for fleeting gratification his sights set on taking the family farm.
“The only question I ever ask any woman is "What time is your husband coming home?" - Hud

Homer Bannon (Melvyn Douglas) his father is a man of the land, hard working and genuine, viewing life’s challenges as a test of honour. Herding cattle and running a spread he measures his own worth by what he contributes.
“Little by little the look of the country changes because of the men we admire. You're just going to have to make up your own mind one day about what's right and wrong.” – Homer Bannon

Hud’s younger brother Lonnie (Brandon de Wilde) idolises his older sibling and is dangerously wanting to follow in his footsteps.

So sets this melodrama centring on working class struggle, greed and degenerating morality governed by wealth and nihilistic pleasure.
“This country is run on epidemics, where you been? Price fixing, crooked TV shows, inflated expense accounts. How many honest men you know? Why you separate the saints from the sinners, you're lucky to wind up with Abraham Lincoln. Now I want out of this spread what I put into it, and I say let us dip our bread into some of that gravy while it is still hot.” - Hud

Paul Newman is Hud

John Doe says
In Hud Bannon Paul Newman solidified his reputation for delivering complex character rebellion. In the process creating another immortal silver screen icon to sit beside, Fast Eddie, Lucas Jackson and Butch Cassidy.

Newman’s piercing blue eyed dominant swagger, drawling hissed delivery and confrontational essence somehow balanced by undeniable charm and subtle exposing of humanity. It is easy to argue this is his greatest thespian achievement.

Written by Irving Ravetech and Harriet Frank Jr (The Long Hot Summer, Norma Rae), the scorching dialogue layered in meaning and unstoppable in its careful power.

The script observes the state of capitalist civilisation and the disintegration of an ideological American dream. Human frailty and weakness crumbling frontier unions that built a nation.

Shot in blistering black and white by James Wong Howe (Seconds, Sweet Smell of Success, Picnic) the arid atmosphere dictating melancholy. Elmer Bernstein’s accompanying score gently filling out the barren tone.

Though it’s Newman’s film, the rest of the cast are no less impressive and authentic. There is a naturalness in all parts that makes you believe all these fictional people really exist.

Patricia Neal (In Harms Way, The Passage) as cook, cleaner and confidant scored the gold statue for her performance. Sensual and maternal simultaneously, as Alma she effortlessly puts us in her spell of discontent.

Melvyn Douglas (Being There, The Candidate, The Great Sinner, Fast Company) as honest Homer Bannon is faultless in his portrayal, you imagine this is the only part he ever played.

As John Doe has grown older the deeper meaning of the story becomes clearer. Engaging no matter how frequently screened, every facet of the production process worthy of scrutinizing. Relevant commentary on the effect of unworthy heroes even more important in an age of superficial idols promoting self obsession.

Watch the "Hud" Trailer

Hud - "An Unprincipled Man"

Hud - "The Men we admire"

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Posted By: JohnDoe - Category: Drama, Westerns

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John Doe’s List of 21 Great Westerns you may not have seen

November 23rd 2007 00:05

John Doe's 21 Great Western Films you may not have seen

Johnny Guitar

Nicholas Ray Johnny Guitar
Instantly unusual because this is a western where the majority of the action in this cowgirls got the blues melodrama takes place indoors. Joan Crawford is a saloon owner who faces off against a bitter rich bitch Mercedes McCambridge while tough guy Sterling Hayden pretty much lets em go at it while injecting even more sub text.
See also – Forty Guns

Run of the Arrow foreign poster

Sam Fuller Run of the Arrow
Similar story to Dances with Wolves told with an honesty that didn’t seek to glamorize the cavalry or demonise the Indians. Writer/Director Sam Fuller never indulges in good guys and bad guys making sure his stories surprise.

On the set of Major Dundee

Sam Peckinpah Major Dundee
Often oversighted when discussing Peckinpah’s skill at creating a believable west, Chuck Heston stars as a single minded cavalry commander determined to hunt his enemy down at any cost. Sadly the original edit of this was a studio abducted cut n paste job that forced Sam P. to disown the film. Today the miracle of DVD’s sees the restored Directors Cut released that reinserts and recuts to mirror the original master vision.

A Fistful of Dynamite poster

Sergio Leone Fistful of Dynamite a.k.a. Duck you Sucka
Just like Peckinpah there are still ignored gems from this cinema lord who introduced the Man with No Name. Leaning a little bit more to the comedy but still delivering with forced perspectives and vast landscapes to a Morricone score. Elevating Rod Steiger as a farmer turned thief and James Cogburn as an explosives expert from Ireland to mythic status during the Mexican revolution.

The Professionals Poster

Richard Brooks The Professionals
Before the ferocious Wild Bunch there were the mercenary professionals of this Richard Brooks killer elite story. Headed up by Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Woody Strode and Burt Lancaster the four guns for hire are sent on a mission over the Mexican border to rescue a rich man’s wife (Claudia Cardinale) who has been abducted by the bandit Jack Palance.

Gary Cooper is the Man of the West

Anthony Mann’s Man of the West
Another classic Directors hidden gem! Man of the West is a complex character study of a reformed villain (Gary Cooper) who attempts to save innocent townsfolk by rejoining his ruthless old gang headed up by the calculating J Lee Cobb.

Nevada Smith Poster

Henry Hathaway Nevada Smith
Based on The Carpetbaggers, Steve McQueen stars as the teen who witnesses his parents slaughter at the hands of evil doers led by Karl Malden. Obsessed with revenge the young man begins a long journey into murder. Mentored by old gunslinger Brian Keith soon he is facing down his bane and using steel weapons for vengeance.

Ernest Borgnine in Jubal

Delmer Daves Jubal
Exploratory Director Delmer Daves reworks Shakespeare’s Othello into the wild west. Ernest Borgnine is the rancher who ends up manipulated into a jealous frenzy by the scheming Rod Steiger. The cast which also includes Glen Ford, Charles Bronson and Valerie French mine the source with intriguing results.

Henry Fonda in Warlock

Edward Dmytryk’s Warlock
Henry Fonda stars as an introspective sheriff with an enigmatic past. Hired to clean up a lawless town aided by a handicapped Anthony Quinn, the film co stars Richard Widmark and Dorothy Malone. Deeply involving, this psychological story probes the male ego and the ugliness of mob justice.

Charlie Bronson and Toshiro Mifune in Red Sun

Terence Young’s Red Sun
Terence Young the man behind the early Sean Connery James Bond’s hits the plains for this samurai (Toshiro Mifune) versus cowboy (Charles Bronson) curio. Conflicting cultures and life philosophies make this an entertaining action adventure boosted by co stars Ursula Andress and Alain Delon.

The Silverado gang

Lawrence Kasdan’s Silverado
An 80’s throwback to the traditional western that has exciting gunplay, a tongue in cheek humour and an on form cast consisting of Kevin Kline, John Cleese, Danny Glover, Scott Glen, Jeff Goldblum, Brian Keith, Rosanna Arquette and Brian Dennehy.

The Long Rider brothers headed by Jesse James

Walter Hill’s The Long Riders
The story of the James, Ford and Miller brothers is a tough actioner from Walter Hill (the Warriors, Extreme Prejudice, Southern Comfort, 48 Hrs). Starring the real life sibling Quaid’s (Dennis and Randy), Carradine’s (David and Keith and Robert) and Guest’s (Christopher and Nicholas) as the historic outlaws.

Robert Altman’s McCabe and Mrs Miller
Branded with Director Robert Altman’s mark, Mccabe and Mrs Miller is an alternative western that goes against genre conventions with a deliberately unsentimental look at the time and those that lived it. Read John Doe’s full length review of this Warren Beatty film HERE.

Robert Alderich’s Vera Cruz
Again, like with the Dirty Dozen Director Robert Alderich uses the shell of an adventure yarn to actually deal with more harsh universal truths. This time its the gunfighter as an anti hero that catches his attention. Two outlaws played by Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster end up as key figures in an 1860’s Mexican Revolution. Enjoyable and entertaining on the surface but beneath are interesting subversions of the genre and a cold fact of life.

Sergio Corbucci Django
After the mighty Leone spaghetti westerns this is the one to see. Inspiring dozens of films with the same character this Franco Nero original sees a lethal killer dragging a coffin across a harsh landscape of desert and mountains with intent to kill. – Also see They Call me Nobody
One of the original US Trailers for Django

Arthur Penn Little Big Man
The Director of Bonnie and Clyde and the Left Handed Gun brings his own foibles to bare in this intelligent historical parody of Custer’s Last Stand. Insightfully told from the Native American POV and sending up stereotype, The Little Big Man is Dustin Hoffman as the orphaned man born into tribal ways.
Here is a scene from Little Big Man

Don Siegel’s The Shootist
Made after Dirty Harry and Invasion of the Body Snatchers the multi talented Don Siegel took the Duke through his final leading role on the big screen. Sombre in tone with appropriately ungraceful violence this poignant and all too real feeling film features John Wayne’s most sincere performance.
Theatrical Trailer for The Shootist

Marlon Brando’s One Eyed Jacks
Hiring Stanley Kubrick for several months then firing him to take over the reigns Brando’s one foray into the Director’s chair is admittedly over long but also an ambiguous epic. Richly drawn characters populate the barren landscape with thoughtful performances from all the cast which includes Karl Malden, Ben Johnson and Slim Pickens.
A scene between Brando and Karl Malden in One Eyed Jacks

Jim Jaramusch’s Dead Man
Dead Man is an existential and surreal western landmark that has Robert Mitchum in his last cinema appearance. Shot in black and white with a thick atmosphere from Neil Young’s heavy riff score and eccentric characters. This is Jim Jaramusch’s own singular vision of the west with twisted comedy, abrupt gun play and a mysteriously haunting essence.
A clip of Dead Man set to Neil Young’s Music

William Wyler’s The Big Country
Pioneering Director William Wyler made quality films in most genres because he always made sure that the drama between characters was layered and reflected a human core. Here the sprawling “Big Country” ain’t big enough for two feuding families whose ranches share a water supply. Into this foray steps Gregory Peck as the navy man, fish-out-of-water who wants to marry one of the daughters who must quickly adapt to the harsher environment and the inhospitable inhabitants.

A Trailer for The Big Country backed by that memorable theme music.

David Miller Lonely Are the Brave
Technology has all but replaced the old western ways but renegade cowboy Kirk Douglas refuses to move with the times. After a daring prison break the fugitive mounts his trusty steed and is hunted by the law (Walter Matthau) using two way radio’s and automobiles. The thought provoking character study screenplay is written by Dalton Trumbo and the film is old dimples favourite performance.

Watch the first part of an interview Kirk Douglas did talking about his passion for Lonely are the Brave

Also check out these worth while modern entries
John Sayles Lone Star
Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil
Kevin Costner's Open Range
Dead Birds

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Posted By: JohnDoe - Category: Film News and Views, Westerns

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21 Great westerns you may not have seen – Part 1: An Introduction

November 23rd 2007 00:00

21 Great westerns you may not have seen – Part 1: An Introduction

Shot from the original 3.10 to Yuma

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Posted By: JohnDoe - Category: Film News and Views, Westerns

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The Magnificent 7 (1960) - Trailer Included

April 12th 2007 09:53

The Magnificent 7

DVD Cover

Director:John Sturges
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Posted By: JohnDoe - Category: Westerns

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McCabe & Mrs Miller (1971) - Footage Included

January 17th 2007 09:24

Mccabe and Mrs Miller

DVD Cover

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Posted By: JohnDoe - Category: Westerns

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Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)

October 19th 2006 07:41

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST

Apologies to my regular readers, Ive had a hectic couple of days and my blog has suffered. Thanks for your patience.
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Posted By: JohnDoe - Category: Westerns

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