The more they stay the same. Just because I’ve moved websites and changed the name of the blog doesn’t mean that I don’t get really, really, really excited when a new western comes out, especially when it’s a remake of one of the all time classic westerns, 3:10 To Yuma.
The new version, featuring two of my favorite actors in Christian Bale and Russel Crowe, has raised my hopes to a level not seen since Open Range. The fact that Rotten Tomatoes score the new 3:10 as 81% fresh (a good sign) and cnn.com gave it a positive review only fills me with even more hope. When given a choice between a good western, and well, pretty much anything else, I’ll pick the western 99 times out of a 100.
In other movie news, I will also probably go see Shoot ’em Up, for a couple of reasons. Anything that Entertainment Weekly describes with this sentence “But then its pulpy violent excess will tip over … into slightly more excessive excess. That’s its silly, scuzzball joy” has my attention. Additionally, I would pay money to watch Clive Owen read out of the phone book.
I’ll let you know what I think about 3:10 to Yuma, just as soon as I convince my wife that a western with Christian Bale and Russel Crowe is totally worth her time.
Despite being a Texan, westerns don’t usually hold much sway over me, although I enjoy the really good ones as much as anybody. I’ll probably see this one.
But the one that I really have to go see is Shoot ‘Em Up. I’m not sure about the phone book thing, but the trailers give me the impression that they strain the suspension of my disbelief just the right amount.
I liked the original, and the new one looks as if it could be better.
I sneaked out to see Shoot ‘Em Up. I wished I’d seen 3:10 to Yuma. Turns out the underlying message in Shoot ‘Em Up is that the evil gun industry can only beaten by Clive Owen and a carrot.
Or something like that.