Masculine Movie Icon Alan Ladd As the Wounded Outlaw Hero
Red Mountain and Botany Bay showcase masculine movie icon Alan Ladd in his glory, playing wounded heroes on the wrong side of the law.
western
Deadwood’s Moral Optimism
Individualism was not the dominant force on the American frontier, as most Westerns would have you believe. Deadwood explores the era’s cooperation and moral optimism.
Silent Film Jewels About Mothers, Horses and Gorillas
A female Tarzan and her gorilla, a horse that revenges his murdered master, mothers, and comical aviators make the scene in these silent film jewels.
Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Shows Genocide Is (also) a Private Affair
Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon is another storytelling masterclass and examination of 20th-century American histories of greed and destruction.
‘The Second Greatest Sex’ Is No ‘Lysistrata’
By focusing on “love” rather than “sex”, Hays Code-era musical comedy The Second Greatest Sex was trying to communicate a deeper meaning about how the emotions and thoughts of women ought not to be controlled.
‘The Power of the Dog’ Messages the Urgent Need for Civic Education
Thomas Savage’s novel and Jane Campion’s film adaptation of The Power of the Dog depict the danger in Americans’ distrust of civic institutions.
Does a Fantasy or a Western a Film Noir Make?
Alfred Werker’s fantasy-dabbling Repeat Performance and John Sturges not-your-typical western The Capture may – or may not – be actual film noir.
How Masculinity Fails in Jane Campion’s ‘The Power of the Dog’
Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog undermines “toxic masculinity” – a term that evokes the existence of alternative masculinities.
John Ford Silent Westerns ‘Straight Shooting’ and ‘Hell Bent’ Raise a Ruckus
We're treated to many eye-catching examples of John Ford's talents in Universal's 4K restoration of silent westerns Straight Shooting and Hell Bent, now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.
The Threat of Violence in George Marshall’s Western Comedy, ‘Destry Rides Again’
George Marshall's western spoof, Destry Rides Again, has a serious central premise; can society function without the threat of violence?
‘The Lost Tapes’ of Ian and Sylvia and the Great Speckled Bird
Stony Plain Records rounds up lost tapes from Canadian country/folk legends Ian and Sylvia Tyson performing as Great Speckled Bird in 1969. It was a very good discovery, indeed.
FrightFest 2019: Emma Tammi’s ‘The Wind’
The Wind (2018) is a quietly impressive film, an example of genre cinema that shows thoughtfulness and an interest in ideas.