Movie Poster Thursday- The Hateful Eight

Movie Poster Monday: Mad Max: Fury Road

Do Remember the Alamo!

I am an adopted Texan and have lived in Texas most of my life now.  I tell my kids they are so lucky to be Texans.  If you grow up in Texas you have to take Texas History in junior high so you can be aware of the state’s heritage and the struggles it went thru to become independent.  The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal point in the Texas Revolution.  This story has been told many times via movies, TV, and books.  John Wayne put up most of his fortune to make 1960’s The Alamo to tell this grand story.  The movie was released to mixed reviews but the grand epic did turn a slight profit upon its theatrical release.

The movie has been released on VHS, laser disc, and DVD over the years but The Alamo is under siege again.  News is the print used for video formats was taken apart and it has deteriorated in storage and may be unavailable in any useful form.  Restoration efforts are being put together but the studio that owns The Alamo has no interest in it.  

Please go over to The Digital Bits and check out the article and updates they have posted about this here: http://thedigitalbits.com/columns/my-two-cents/052814_1330  Then go check out The Bit’s columnist Bud Elder’s View from the Cheap Seats article on this as well here: http://thedigitalbits.com/columns/view-from-the-cheap-seats/the-alamo-under-siege  

It is some fantastic reading about this movie and I hope something gets done about the restoration or more classic movies may wind up with the same fate.

New Release Tuesday

AMC made a bizarre move last summer by moving this fantastic western over to Saturday nights which is usually a grave yard for TV shows rating wise.  All day Saturday they played other western shows and movies while a new episode of Hell on Wheels capped off the night.  And you know what?  The move paid off as the ratings for the show went up and it just happen to be the best season the show has had so far too. 

The railroad has stalled and our hero, Cullen Bohannon, or is he our anti-hero of the show has become lost with the happenings at the end of season two.  Cullen finally gets his crap together and finds his assistant Elam (played great by Common) and they head back east to face the railroad owners to literally get the train back on the tracks.  They get the railroad headed west again and run into new obstacles and some old enemies.  This is a great show, especially of you like westerns, highly recommended.

Criterion brings us this Canadian horror classic about a scientist that sends a man with extraordinary psychic powers to hunt others like him.  Oh, and exploding heads.  A great classic 80s horror movie from director David Cronenberg.  Barnes and Nobles has their half off Criterion sale going on right now so this is a good time to pick this up.

 Is it me or are there too many animated movies out today?  They are raking in the cash so they will keep churning these out until we stop taking our kids to them.  I enjoy most of them but this one was a struggle as I fell asleep in the middle of this one.  The little people in the house enjoyed this so I am sure we will watch it at home soon and I will get another nap.

Black Dynamite was a great movie but did not light the box office on fire as it was leaked onto the Internet early so sadly we will probably not see another movie.  Luckily we at least get this animated show featuring the same characters and is really funny.  Star and co-writer Michael Jai White is great as Black Dynamite and hopefully we get some more of this comedy.

As you can tell by the site I love Eastwood and Stallone but I believe Robert Duvall is the best actor ever.  The guy has done it all and I look forward to all of his work.  Forced to give up his land and his only home, cantankerous Texas rancher Red Bovie isn't about to go quietly to the dismal trailer park that's all he can now afford, and instead goes off with his grandson Gally - son of his long-estranged son Jimmy - for one last wild and woolly adventure during a night in Old Mexico.