;-)
The most common freeper reaction on the movie threads, after @#&^%!* Hollywood, is "they don't make films like they used to."
Well, they still make Westerns, don't they? Ya wanna an old fashioned film? Check out Old Henry. It just opened today in theaters. No streaming yet. That's old fashioned right there. It's a throwback Western that debuted in Venice to solid reviews: horses, villains, big sky country, lots of gunplay, a straightforward (sort of) morality play, and no sex. Heck, there aren't even any women in the film. In Hollywood today, that doesn't mean no sex, but in Old Henry, not to worry: in this film, homosexuals hadn't been invented yet. Here's the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZc4PVVd-0w
I looked for Westerns because the most commonly mentioned new film on freepers' watchlists for this fall was Cry Macho, the latest Clint Eastwood offering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZc4PVVd-0w
But if it's traditional you want, Old Henry looks better. The Man With No Name retired a long time ago. Clint now has feelings.
The Oscar bait Western this year is The Power of the Dog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELvKuuXdfCU&t=1s
The Power of the Dog was shot in New Zealand, which is cheating in my book when it comes to Westerns, but the director is from New Zealand, so there. The big plot twist would probably have been provocative 30 years ago, but since I'm cynical about the modern film industry, I saw it coming midway through the second review that I read. Whatever. The acting is universally praised, with both Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst being touted for Oscars.
I'll round out the Western list with another neo-Western (like Cry Macho, it's set in modern times with a modern plot line). It qualifies as a Western because it's set on a ranch, has horses and (civilized) Indians, and has spectacular big sky cinematography, unmistakable villains, and is another clear morality story in a classic Western setting, by which I mean loss, loneliness, evocative emptiness and redemption as well as geographical location. And a chicken makes the ultimate sacrifice. It debuted at TIFF to very good reviews and raves about the acting. There's no distribution deal or trailer yet. I'm beginning to think it may slide into 2022, perhaps as part of a classic low-budget indie film march through the festivals. But I don't know. It's Montana Story. Since there's no trailer, I looked for a review without too many spoilers: https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2021/09/toronto-international-film-festival-2021-review-montana-story/
So: four Westerns, for you old-fashioned movie buffs. I've not seen any of them yet but a couple of them are of considerable interest. As always, pass along any other recommendations that you may have.
MFLR.
Truth be told most westerns were slow plodding cliche-ridden crap. The only westerns I watch repeatedly are The Wild Bunch, The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, Tombstone, High Noon (the scared townspeople remind me of the majority of neighbors hiding behind masks right now).
Just saved it to my Netflix queue. Thanks for the recommendations. Modern movies stink. I am happy to vote for one that is good and old fashioned and inform Hollyweird of what they should be making more of these days.
Thanks again.