Meanwhile, in Rivendell . . .

( Emma's thoughts in brown and Olivia's thoughts in blue. ) So, you may know that Emma and I are very fond of a certain actor. We kind of talk about him a lot. In fact, this mutual interest was one of the reasons we got to know each other in the first place.  We discovered, through Emma's review of The Stars Fell on Henrietta , that we both really quite adored the man.  We tend to swoon a bit at the mention of his name, so we'll try not to get too fangirly (but we will likely fail). Yeah, you could say we really like him. Oh yes, and he has a name. It's Robert Duvall. His co-stars call him Bobby, so we do too. :-D One director who's worked with him termed him, "a first-class actor…an American institution," and Emma and I definitely agree with that!  (Well, as must anyone in full possession of their mental faculties.) I'm trying to think of what the first movie I ever saw Robert Duvall in was....I guess it must have been Lo...

Okay, time for a game for Western Week!  This one should be fairly self-explanatory:  Guess from which movie each quote comes, and bonus points if you can name the characters who say them!  Answers will come sometime at the end of the week.  (Oh, and I classify all these movies as Westerns, but some people might not.  #10 is especially tricky.) #1.   Character 1 :  "Well, 'at didn't pan out." #2.   Character 1:   "Put his boots on him, Clute, and his gunbelt, and his spurs." #3.   Character 1:   "So, what's your name?" Character 2:   "Beans." Character 1:   "That's a funny kind o' name." Character 2:   "What can I say?  My daddy plumb loved baked beans." Character 1:   "Well, you're lucky he didn't plumb love asparagus." #4.   Character 1:   "Been quite a party, ain't it?" #5.   Character 1:   "I didn't ride eleven hundred miles to finish...

Er mah gersh. People, this is one fine Western.  I'd heard the general, vague "it's a big classic" hype about TMWHSLV, but I didn't really know the storyline.  I knew Jimmy Stewart starred in it, and, given the title, I randomly assumed that it was some kind of murder mystery for a long time.  Well...it isn't. There were two main draws to this movie for me:  it was a classic, and it was Jimmy Stewart.  I enjoyed Jimmy's performance, but what really blew me away was John Wayne in the role of Tom Doniphon.  Oh. My. Word. The story is about an idealistic young lawyer (Ransom Stoddard) who finds himself in the town of Shinbone after being mugged by the notorious Liberty Valance and his gang.  There he is welcomed and befriended by the locals, who are impressed by his lauded courage at the time of Liberty's attack, and by his cultured education and glowing new ideas of justice.  Particularly twitter-pated is Hallie...but she is loved...

*clears throat and grins* So, y'know how I have this great love for Broken Trail ?  Well, one big component of that is the character of Tom Harte.  After only a few viewings of the miniseries, he skyrocketed into one of the top three spots on my list of favorite fictional heroes.  Because the guy is awesome , y'all. And here's why (at least, in my opinion). Tom is basically an embodiment of the hardened, introverted cowboy.  When we first meet him, especially, he's very emotionally guarded.  One senses almost immediately that there are substantial wounds in his past, and that he has a habit of erecting and maintaining emotional walls to keep from being hurt further.  And yet in spite of these attempts, it's fairly obvious that deep down, his heart is very big, very open, and very vulnerable.  His uncle, Print Ritter, tells him, "Truth is, you're as loose as ashes in the wind"--but that doesn't refer to any moral or personal failing, mind ...

Howdy, people!  Welcome to the first joint post of Emma's and Olivia's, put together for Legends of Western Cinema Week!:D  *fanfare* Let's dive right in!  To make things simpler, Emma's thoughts will be in brown, and Olivia's thoughts will be in blue.   Other stuff will be in plain old black:) "What makes a Western?  It seems to me that it's not simply that it took place in the Western part of the United States, nor is it big hats and peacemakers and horses. I mean, all of those are elements, certainly, but what makes a Western a Western to me is that you lack the recourse of civilization to work out whatever the problem is, and therefore characters must work out the dilemmas for themselves."  ~ Walter Hill, director of Broken Trail Most people have a pretty good picture of what a 'classic' Western is supposed to look like. Cowboys, cattle drives, cavalry scouts, outlaws, and a healthy dose of family tension are what charact...

*UPDATE*  I have edited part of this review.  Additionally, I am not sure whether this movie is helpful or hurtful in its portrayal of Indigenous Americans.  I need to learn more.  "The story that I want to tell you cannot be found in a book.  They say that the history of the West was written from the saddle of a horse, but it's never been told from the heart of one.  Not 'til now.   I was born here, in this place that would come to be called the Old West.  But, to my kind, the land was ageless.  It had no beginning and no end, no boundary between earth and sky.   Like the wind in the buffalo grass, we belonged here--we would always belong here.   They say the mustang is the spirit of the West.  Whether that West was won or lost in the end, you'll have to decide for yourself, but the story I want to tell you is true.  I was there, and I remember. I remember the sun and the sky and the wind calling my name, and a time...

PEOPLE!  'T'IS HERE!  The event Emma and I (and hopefully you) have been awaiting with bated breath!  Welcome to Legends of Western Cinema Week!  As you may have figured out, I'm nearly beside myself with excitement. So, after lengthy consultations *snort*,  Emma  and I decided that it would be best for us to start off this week with a list of our top ten Westerns, but to do our lists separately, as we have two other collaborative posts in the works.  Thusly (yeah, I like that word), hop on over to  her blog  to view her top ten Westerns.  Meanwhile, here are mine. This is a countdown list, like the majority of my top ten lists are (you can click on the handy little label on the sidebar if you wish to see other top-ten lists), with #1 being my very favorite Western.  I tried to be as accurate as I could in these, but, you know, 't'is difficult.   And I tried to take into consideration exactly how 'Western-y' each movie was ...