Posts Tagged ‘westerns’

In the year 2022, the United States is a completely different country. For one night every year almost all laws are suspended, and that night is called the Purge.  It is “celebrated” by millions from coast to coast through uninhibited mischief and violence, perpetuated by benefits like a booming economy, 1% unemployment, and drastically lowered crime rates. This year the Sandins – a well to-do family of four who live in a ritzy neighborhood – are faced with unprecedented challenges due to an unexpected incursion on their home. After unintentionally offering refuge to a stranger begging for help, the family is faced with the dilemma of appeasing the mob that wants him, or standing up to them in defiance of the Purge’s allowances.

With disbelief in the possibility of the premise suspended, we are inclined to ask a pivotal question:

What is the Purge for?

Read the rest of this entry »

Although it might be a bit untimely to talk at length about Drive nearly three full weeks after it opened on Sept. 16th, we at Movie-Thoughts thought it to be an even worse idea to not talk about it at all. Our Marisa Carpico did of course write a glowing review of the film, directed by Nicolas Refn (Bronson) and starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan, and it appears her sentiments match that of the critical majority (RottenTomatoes rating is 93%), and because of these reasons we thought it was downright necessary to devote more time toward inspecting this refreshingly stylized action thriller. We tried to elaborate more on some of the angles explored in Marisa’s review, and took the opportunity to also bring up topics we felt hadn’t been addressed as often or thoroughly by other critics. We hope you find our discussion intriguing, and we of course encourage you to throw your two cents in at the comments section below. For those of you who have been debating internally about going to see Drive we hope our musings give you the extra incentive you need to give it a go and experience it for yourself. And for those of you who simply don’t wish to see it… well, you’re missing out.

Read the rest of this entry »

What is it about this Robin Hood that has kept him from being as popular as previous incarnations?

Not much has been made so far about Ridley Scott’s newest film Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett. The historical epic which attempts to tactfully incorporate elements of the centuries-old legend doesn’t seem to have won over the hearts of Americans like its creators were hoping, as after nearly two full weekends it has yet to top $70 million at the domestic box office (considering the production budget was a reported $200 million, such returns will be deemed relatively minimal by Universal). The film’s rating on RottenTomatoes.com is a pedestrian 45%, and on MetaCritic.com an unflattering grade of 53. Exactly what is it about the film that has audiences and critics keeping it at arm’s length? Read the rest of this entry »

Writer/Director Joss Whedon’s 2005 film Serenity combines genre conventions of both Westerns and futuristic science fiction films.  Though the events of Serenity and the Fox television series that inspired it, Firefly, take place a little over 500 years in the future, everything from the character typology and dialogue to the stories and costuming are more akin to classic Westerns than sci-fi films.  However, though series-creator Whedon more heavily utilizes elements from Westerns, he does not simply transfer them unchanged.  Instead, Whedon rewrites traditional Western conventions in order to make them more reflective of and relevant to contemporary society.
Read the rest of this entry »

Quentin Tarantino

Variety.com reports that at the Morelia Intl. Film Festival yesterday director Quentin Tarantino expressed his desire to make another Kill Bill sequel. He said he would want around 10 years of rest for “The Bride” and her daughter Beebe, but whether that means actual years or years in the story is unclear.

Tarantino also claimed that he has plenty of material to make more “Basterds” movies, suggesting that if another installment is made it could go in any direction – prequel or sequel.

In addition, he also said he would like to “re-imagine” several genres, naming westerns and gangster movies as possibilities.