The Moviebeard: July 2014

Thursday, July 31, 2014

7-30-14/7-31-14 Movie News

This is a pretty cool poster. Look I understand why Tarantino was upset about the original script being leaked and not wanting to the movie, but I'm glad he finally came to his senses because this movie sounds awesome. I honestly don't know if I can't long for this film.

Jamie Foxx won an Oscar in 2005 for portraying singer/songwriter Ray Charles in the Taylor Hackford-directed Ray and now he's looking to take on another well-known personality as he enters the boxing ring to portray "Iron" Mike Tyson. According to Variety, Foxx is attached to an untitled biopic on the controversial sports star that's being put together and produced by Foxx's manager Rick Yorn with Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Terence Winter ("The Sopranos," The Wolf of Wall Street) writing the screenplay.

So far, the project doesn't have a distributor although there should be a lot of interest in the project once all the t's are crossed and i's are dotted, mainly due to the popularity Tyson has achieved not only in his heyday as a boxer which took him to the very top of the sport, but also following a fall from grace that included six years of prison for rape, and subsequent charges of driving while drunk and drug possession after the death of his daughter and filing for bankruptcy.

In recent years, Tyson's life has turned around with notable appearances in hit movies like The Hangover, a one-man show that played in Vegas and on Broadway as well as a bestselling memoir called "Undisputed Truth." It hasn't been reported whether the memoir might be used as a basis for the film or how much of Tyson's life will be covered in this biopic nor whether another actor might play the younger Tyson.

Winter is coming off his Oscar nomination for adapting Jordan Belfort's tell-all Wall Street book The Wolf of Wall Street into a hit film for Martin Scorsese.

This sounds really interesting. I really enjoyed both Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles in Ray and I personally loved what Terrence Winter did with the script for The Wolf of Wall Street and I'm really curious to see how this film will turn out. Mike Tyson has a lot of interesting things to cover and it'll be great to see how these two work together.

(7/31/14)

Warning: Potential spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy below.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy opens today, but last weekend at San Diego Comic-Con they already announced a release date for a follow-up, Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Speaking with FilmDivider (via /Film), Gunn spoke about already having plans for the sequel and which characters we would be learning more about: "I know a lot of where I want to go. I have a lot of ideas for stories and characters that are going to appear, and there are documents written up, that some people have, about Peter Quill's father and his relationship, a lot of stuff about Yondu and a lot of stuff about Drax that nobody knows....There are a lot of things that are part of the overall schematic that already exist, not to mention a lot of stuff about all of the cultures. There’s a lot of stuff about Xandarian and Kree culture that I’ve written down or I have in my head, as well as Krylorians and Ravagers."

Gunn also elaborated on his plans, indicating which characters he thought would be important to the sequel. "Kevin Feige has stuff. I wrote up a lot. He knows all the stuff and if I died tomorrow they could go make a movie. They could write the story of Peter Quill's father and it would all be there. I think Yondu is a very important character, a really important character in this universe, and I think Nebula is really important too and so I think we'll see more of both of those characters."

Guardians of the Galaxy opens in theaters tonight while its follow-up is scheduled to debut July 28, 2017.

This is really good to hear. I'm really glad that James Gunn is back to direct the second film and he'll be able to expand on his vision a little bit more. I haven't seen Guardians of the Galaxy just yet but it looks really awesome and I'm excited to see where this franchise goes.

Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies have debuted the trailer for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, coming to theaters on February 13, 2015! Check it out below! In the film, SpongeBob SquarePants, the world's favorite sea dwelling invertebrate, comes ashore to our world for his most super-heroic adventure yet. The movie is based on the series created by Stephen Hillenburg. Starring are Antonio Banderas, Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence and Douglas Lawrence.

Just to be bluntly honest this trailer looks kinda cool. I'm mean the film is going to suck, but I'm still going to give it a shot. I mean the film looks like it could be fun ( I use to love Spongebob when I was younger) but the film looks a little to cheesy but like I said I'll give the film a shot.

Walt Disney Pictures has debuted the first trailer for director Rob Marshall's Into the Woods, hitting theaters this Christmas and starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Johnny Depp, Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski, MacKenzie Mauzy, Billy Magnussen, Tammy Blanchard, Lucy Punch, Richard Glover, Frances de la Tour, Simon Russell Beale, Joanna Riding and Annette Crosbie.

Into the Woods is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife, their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch who has put a curse on them.

This is a great little teaser. I've been hearing really god things about the film and this teaser reassures those statements. I feel that this is perfect for Disney and this fits well with Director Rob Marshall and his style. I'm actually really excited to see this film.

So there you have it ladies and gentlemen, which of these stories peaked your interest or was there another story that interested you? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

Jonah Sparks

My Review of Begin Again

So I recently watched Begin Again and I'm here to bring you my review. So without further ado.............

Gretta (played by Keira Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (played by Adam Levine) are college sweethearts and songwriting partners who decamp for New York when he lands a deal with a major label. But the trappings of his new-found fame soon tempt Dave to stray, and a reeling, lovelorn Gretta is left on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when Dan (played by Mark Ruffalo), a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performing on an East Village stage and is immediately captivated by her raw talent.

This movie was really surprising to me. It's a very light-hearted story but at sometimes it can be very dark and both blend nicely together. I also really liked the performances by the cast especially from Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley who really have great on-screen chemistry. I felt that the character development was really good in the film and it was really nice to get to know Ruffalo's characters backstory just a little bit more. I will also say the director John Carney does and amazing job with the cast and being able to use his style to the fullest. I will say however that the film is way to predictable and it's full of way obvious plot conveniences. Overall the film is smart and the most original film of year. I give Begin Again a 9 out of 10.

So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of Begin Again, what would you rate it and what did you think of my review? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

Jonah Sparks

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

7-28-14/7-29-14 Movie News

Hello ladies and gentlemen, Since I didn't get to bring you news from yesterday I figured that I would combine today's and yesterday's news (3 stories from each day). So here is some movie news with some of my thoughts and opinions (which will be in BOLD print). So without further ado...

(NOTE: All of these stories come from comingsoon.net)

(7/28/14)

Following its debut at Comic-Con, Lionsgate has just released online the trailer for the much-anticipated The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1. You can check it out below.

The worldwide phenomenon of "The Hunger Games" continues to set the world on fire with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, which finds Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in District 13 after she literally shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin (Julianne Moore) and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and a nation moved by her courage.

Also starring Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Natalie Dormer, Stef Dawson, Evan Ross, Lily Rabe, Patina Miller, Wes Chatham, Elden Henson and Robert Knepper, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 opens in theaters on November 21.

This teaser is actually pretty cool. Don't get me wrong I really enjoyed the messages released by President Snow that came out a couple of weeks ago, but this one revs it up a little. I'm finally glad to see some footage and this gets me pumped for the film and I can't wait until November.

New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures have released the teaser trailer for Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies which you can watch below.

Opening in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on December 17, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and the Company of Dwarves. Having reclaimed their homeland from the Dragon Smaug, the Company has unwittingly unleashed a deadly force into the world. Enraged, Smaug rains his fiery wrath down upon the defenseless men, women and children of Lake-town.

Obsessed above all else with his reclaimed treasure, Thorin sacrifices friendship and honor to hoard it as Bilbo's frantic attempts to make him see reason drive the Hobbit towards a desperate and dangerous choice. But there are even greater dangers ahead. Unseen by any but the Wizard Gandalf, the great enemy Sauron has sent forth legions of Orcs in a stealth attack upon the Lonely Mountain. As darkness converges on their escalating conflict, the races of Dwarves, Elves and Men must decide – unite or be destroyed. Bilbo finds himself fighting for his life and the lives of his friends in the epic Battle of the Five Armies, as the future of Middle-earth hangs in the balance.

All I can say about this trailer is wow. This trailer had everything I wanted to see and this film will not disappoint when it comes out later this year.

Legendary Pictures surprised Comic-Con's Hall H this past Saturday by ending their presentation with a teaser trailer for the upcoming King Kong reboot, Skull Island. Now, Deadline reports that an offer to direct is out to Attack the Block helmer Joe Cornish. What's more, the outlet reports that Godzilla scribe Max Borenstein will provide the screenplay.

Appearing to be a sort of Kong "origin story," Skull Island looks like it will explore the life of the classic movie monster before he was taken to civilization. Previous works have touched on the island, but staying and exploring this mysterious and dangerous place offers Legendary the opportunity to take audiences deeper inside this rich world with a style and scope that parallels other Legendary productions.

Cornish recently signed on to helm Section 6 for Universal Pictures. He was also, with Edgar Wright, a writer on the original draft of Marvel Studios' Ant-Man.

Skull Island will be released on November 4, 2016.

I think that this is a great choice. If you have never seen Attack the Block then I suggest you do simply because it is awesome. That happens to be Joe Cornish's only directorial work but I have complete faith that he'll do a great job with this.

(7/29/14)

Though she'll be appearing as the green-skinned assassin Gamora in this weekend's Guardians of the Galaxy, Zoe Saldana is about to step back into the shoes of the blue-skinned Neytiri for James Cameron's Avatar sequels. Speaking with the Daily Mirror, Saldana provided an update on the upcoming three sequels, which she says will shoot in Los Angeles and will take the better part of a year.

"James Cameron is still working on the final drafts of the script and then everyone in the cast will get the call. We're going to be shooting mainly in Los Angeles and that will make things easier for me since I live there. Because we're doing the sequels back-to-back and it's going to take at least eight or nine months or more to finish the (three) films."

Set to also feature the return of cast members Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang and Sigourney Weaver, Avatar 2 is scheduled for a December 2016 release which will be followed by Avatar 3 in December of 2017 and Avatar 4 in 2018. The original film remains the top grossing movie of all time with $2.782 billion at the worldwide box office.

Avatar 2, 3, and 4 will be produced by Cameron and Jon Landau through their Lightstorm Entertainment.

This is interesting to hear. It's interesting because it's been 5 years since the first Avatar film was released and it's just amazing that Cameron hasn't finished the scripts yet. Hopefully he can get them done quickly so that they can begin filming.

At some point during the madness of the San Diego Comic-Con, Benedict Cumberbatch made a comment about not being cast for the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII but alluded to the fact that perhaps Simon Pegg would appear in the highly-anticipated sequel. Speaking with Vulture, Pegg was asked about this and seemed to say he's not involved, at least not in any form we would recognize him. "Well, J.J. uses me in different roles, and we're good friends. I feel like my face in Star Wars would pop people out of the movie. Look, I love Star Wars, and I don't want people to watch and go, 'Oh, there's Simon Pegg's face.' The film is cleverly cast with these amazing, unknown actors."

When asked outright if he wasn't in the film, he replied with a smile and said: "Of course I visited the set. It's amazing, and I love Star Wars. I want to see everything happening. It looks wonderful, and you need to believe those characters. Any type of stunt casting might just pop you out of the movie."

Pegg has been a noted fan of "Star Wars" going all the way back to his short-lived Channel 4 series "Spaced" which he co-created with Jessica Stevenson just after the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which was integral to the plot of many of the show's episodes. He also provided a voice for the "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" animated series as well as the "Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars special." He recreated a sequence from the original "Star Wars" for College Humor back in 2011 as well.

With all of these connections to "Star Wars" and his friend J.J. Abrams (with whom he has worked with on both "Star Trek" and "Mission: Impossible" films) directing the film, it would seem highly unlikely that Pegg won't appear in the film in some capacity; however, we may not know until opening day.

Star Wars: Episode VII is currently set to debut in theaters on December 18, 2015.

I honestly hope that this is true. I love Simon Pegg and his comedic abilities and I think that he would be a great addition to the film. I do however understand his point of possibly taking the audience out of the film simply because he's recognizable but the same could have been said for Sir Alec Guinness in the original film.

20th Century Fox has released the new trailer for director Wes Ball's The Maze Runner, coming to theaters on September 19. Based on the best-selling novel by James Dashner, the film stars Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Aml Ameen.

When Thomas (O'Brien) wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organization known as W.C.K.D. Only by piecing together fragments of his past with clues he discovers in the maze can Thomas hope to uncover his true purpose and a way to escape. Check out the trailer below.

This is actually a pretty cool new trailer. It gives a little more insight into the film. Look I didn't read the book but from this trailer I think I'm actually getting pretty pumped to see this film.

So there you have it ladies and gentlemen, which of these stories peaked your interest or was there another story that interested you? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

Jonah Sparks

My Review of And So It Goes

So I recently watched And So It Goes and I'm here to bring you my review. So without further ado.......

There are a million reasons not to like realtor Oren Little (played by Michael Douglas), and that's just the way he likes it. Willfully obnoxious to anyone who might cross his path, he wants nothing more than to sell one last house and retire in peace and quiet -- until his estranged son suddenly drops off a granddaughter (played by Sterling Jerins) he never knew existed and turns his life upside-down. Clueless about how to care for a sweet, abandoned nine-year-old, he pawns her off on his determined and lovable neighbor Leah (played by Diane Keaton) and tries to resume his life uninterrupted. But little by little, Oren stubbornly learns to open his heart - to his family, to Leah, and to life itself.

This movie is just flat out terrible. I mean when you see Academy Award winning actors on screen you feel that you'll get great performances and in this case you don't. I firmly believe that Douglas and Keaton give their worst performances of the illustrious careers. I also feel that director Rob Reiner (who I absolutely love) does a poor job at directing these two talented actors. The story is also boring and very flat and it brings nothing new to the table. It can also get a little too predictable and when it tires to be funny it just tries way to hard and the jokes are just a complete miss. I really do think however that the older audience (ages 60+) will really enjoy this film for what it's worth. It's also a film that I wouldn't rush to the theaters to see, so I would just wait for a possible RedBox rental or just catching it on TV whenever it comes on. Overall the film has two really talented actors and a great director, but it fails as an overall film and it was just an unnecessary film. I give And So It Goes a 0 out of 10.

So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of And So It Goes, what would you rate it and what did you think of my review? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard

Jonah Sparks

Monday, July 28, 2014

Weekend Box Office Review 7-25-14 to 7-27-14

Here are the weekend domestic box office results for the weekend of 7-25-14 to 7-27-14 as well as my 5 key takeaways. So without further ado...

TW	LW	Title	Studio	Weekend	Theaters	Total	Weeks
1	-	Lucy	Universal Pictures	$43,899,340	3,173	$43,899,340	1
2	-	Hercules	MGM, Paramount Pictures	$29,800,263	3,595	$29,800,263	1
3	1	Dawn of the Planet of the Apes	20^th Century Fox	$16,767,260	3,668	$172,455,889	3
4	2	The Purge: Anarchy	Universal Pictures	$10,482,760	2,856	$51,858,905	2
5	3	Planes: Fire & Rescue	Walt Disney Pictures	$9,529,656	3,839	$35,347,478	2
6	4	Sex Tape	Columbia Pictures (SONY)	$6,052,050	3,062	$26,953,582	2
7	5	Transformers: Age of Extinction	Paramount Pictures	$4,702,553	2,476	$236,455,028	5
8	-	And So It Goes	Clarius	$4,642,329	1,762	$4,642,329	1
9	6	Tammy	New Line Cinema (Warner Bros.)	$3,454,221	2,562	$78,201,310	4
10	-	A Most Wanted Man	Roadside Attractions (Lionsgate)	$2,686,526	361	$2,686,526	1

1. Lucy takes the top spot at the box office with an impressive opening

2. For the first time in two months Maleficent is not in the top 10

3. Hercules on the other hand opened up to pretty disappointing numbers

4. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes continues to decrease in money over the past three weeks going from $78 million to $36 million to now $16, million. The film has also so far failed to breakeven at the worldwide box office.

5. Overall the competition was tough and it shows by these disappointing numbers.

So ladies and gentlemen what do you think of this weekend's box office totals and what are some of your takeaways? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

Jonah Sparks

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Comic-Con 2014 Review/ Weekend Movie News 7-25-14 to 7-27-14

Well ladies and gentlemen Comic-Con 2014 has came and passed and today I'm going to give the top 5 headlines from this weekends events. So without further ado.............

Now for those of you that don't know what Comic-Con is I'm going to simply put it as nerd heaven for four days in San Diego. Its basically a convention with news about comic books science fiction/fantasy, film/television, horror, animation,anime, manga, toys, collectible card games, video games, and fantasy novels. Now being that this is a movieblog I will only bring you the top 5 movie headlines.

1. Warner Bros./DC Comics had showed a short teaser clip of the upcoming Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice that could only be described as follows... (this courtesy of schmoesknow.com) Imagine Batman, rugged– Batman is in a huge metal suit to prepare for Superman. And yes, it is very reminiscent of the suit he wore in Miller’s THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. The similarities are there and it really shows we are getting inspiration from the comic, just as it was announced last year. The suit looks like no other Batman we’ve seen before. Batman is standing in the rain and pops on… THE BAT SIGNAL. And there in the sky is Superman. Floating there, looking at Batman. And boy is Superman pissed. His eyes turn red and lock on to Bats. Bats senses it, turns to look at Superman and his eyes light up– to black. End of teaser. We also got our first look at Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman (which you can see blow).
View image on Twitter

2. Disney/Marvel also had a few announcements of their own. They first showed a trailer for the upcoming The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Josh Brolin was officially announced to be playing the role of Thanos and they also announced that Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will be released on July 28th, 2017.

3. Legendary Pictures (now partnered with Universal) announced that they will be releasing a Skull Island movie.For those that don't know Skull Island is where the resident ape known as King Kong resides and the film will be prequel to the 2005 King Kong film. Legendary also announced Godzilla 2 as well as the the other monsters that would be include in the film and those would be... Mothra, Rodan ans King Ghidorah.

4. Trailers that were released to the public included Mad Max: Fury Road and Tusk (both of which you can check out below.

5. DC Comics COO announced that both the movie universe and tv universe will be separate. For those that don't know DC has a TV universe right with Arrow and the upcoming The Flash plus the upcoming Gotham which has nothing to do with the two aforementioned shows. I think that this is a brilliant idea in the sense that both the tv universe and movie universe can both have separate ideas and stick to their own stories and not have to rely on each other.

So ladies and Gentlemen what do you think of the headlines, do any of these excite you and are you looking forward to these headlines coming to fruition? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

Jonah Sparks

My Review of Hercules

So I recently watched Hercules and I'm here to bring you my review. So without further ado..................

Hercules (played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) has his life as a sword-for-hire tested when the King of Thrace seeks his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord.

This film was better than I thought it would be. This is possibly the best adaptation of the mythos of Hercules put on the big screen. The film is jammed packed with amazing visuals and really awesome fight sequences. It also blends in a lot of comedy (mostly provided by Ian McShane) into the film as well. The film also delivers a story that while interesting brings nothing new to the table. The film is also very poorly paced and with a runtime of 98 minutes, that is unacceptable in my book. Also whoever the casting director of is needs a raise immediately simply because this cast is simply amazing and getting The Rock to play Hercules is possibly the best casting decision of the decade. I was also impressed by Brett Ratner's directing abilities (eventhough I absolutely hate him as a person and a director) and this my possibly be his best film to date. Overall the film was action-packed with great acting but it didn't completely fill me proverbial filmgoing appetite. I give Hercules a 7 out of 10.

So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of Hercules, what would you rate it and what did you think of my review? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

Jonah Sparks

My Review of Lucy

So I recently watched Lucy and I'm here to bring you my review. So without further ado.......................

Lucy (played by Scarlett Johansson) is a woman accidentally caught in a dark deal who turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.

This film was relatively disappointing. The film has a really interesting concept and a lot of great action but it is all just way to over the top. The film takes the audience through mindless twists and turns that don't make much sense. Look Luc Besson is an amazing director (he directed The Fifth Element which is vastly underrated) but he fails to utilize the potential that the film had. The film is being compared to Limitless which is great but it's nowhere near the quality of Limitless and it simply just goes form one plot point to another without really giving any explanation. I really do however love Scarlett Johansson in the lead role and she completely owns the role and she proves that she is a viable leading lady in Hollywood and I expect her to get more roles like this in the future. Overall the film has some great action and concepts but it fails to capitalize on it's potential. I give Lucy a 4 out of 10.

So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of Lucy, what would you rate it and what did you think of my review? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

Jonah Sparks

My Top 10 Favorite Westerns

Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the later half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. With that being said I'm going to bring you my top 10 favorite westerns of all-time. So without further ado...

10. Stagecoach

This is possibly one of the greatest films of all-time and it is John Ford's best directed film. a stagecoach set to leave Tonto, New Mexico for a distant settlement in Lordsburg, with a diverse set of passengers on board. Dallas (played by Claire Trevor) is a woman with a scandalous past who has been driven out of town by the high-minded ladies of the community. Lucy Mallory (played by Louise Platt) is the wife of a cavalry officer stationed in Lordsburg, and she's determined to be with him. Hatfield (played by John Carradine) is a smooth-talking cardsharp who claims to be along to "protect" Lucy, although he seems to have romantic intentions. Dr. Boone (played by Thomas Mitchell) is a self-styled philosopher, a drunkard, and a physician who's been stripped of his license. Mr. Peacock (played by Donald Meek) is a slightly nervous whiskey salesman (and, not surprisingly, Dr. Boone's new best friend). Gatewood (played by Berton Churchill) is a crooked banker who needs to get out of town. Buck (played by Andy Devine) is the hayseed stage driver, and Sheriff Wilcox (played by George Bancroft) is along to offer protection and keep an eye peeled for the Ringo Kid (played by John Wayne), a well-known outlaw who has just broken out of jail. While Wilcox does find Ringo, a principled man who gives himself up without a fight, the real danger lies farther down the trail, where a band of Apaches, led by Geronimo, could attack at any time. Stagecoach was nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Best Suppoting Actor, Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography, while winning 2 (Best Supporting Actor and Best Music) and it has a rating of 100% on rottentomatoes.com

9. Django Unchained

This film is slowly becoming my favorite Quentin Tarantino film and it is the best modern western out there. Django (played by Jamie Foxx), a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (played by Christoph Waltz). Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal: finding and rescuing Broomhilda (played by Kerry Washington), the wife he lost to the slave trade long ago. Django and Schultz's search ultimately leads them to Calvin Candie (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), the proprietor of "Candyland," an infamous plantation. Exploring the compound under false pretenses, Django and Schultz arouse the suspicion of Stephen (played by Samuel L. Jackson), Candie's trusted house slave. Django Unchained was nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Cinematography, Best Original Screenplay, Best Picture, Best Sound Editing and Best Supporting Actor while winning 2 (Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor) and it has a rating of 88% on rottentomatoes.com.

8. Tombstone

This film has an all-star cast and it is just an absolute epic film. Wyatt Earp (played by Kurt Russell) desiring to retire from law enforcement. With brothers Virgil (played by Sam Elliot) and Morgan (played by Bill Paxton), he arrives in Tombstone, Arizona intending to build his fortune. He discovers that long-time friend Doc Holliday (played by Val Kilmer) is there and that the town is run by a group of brutal outlaws called the Cowboys. Earp, frustrated with his laudanum-addicted wife, begins a romance with traveling stage actress Josephine Marcus (played by Dana Delany). Meanwhile, the Cowboys terrorize the citizens of Tombstone unchecked. When the town marshal is killed by a Cowboy, Earp steps in to prevent a lynching by an angry mob. He also refuses to hand the killer over to his fellows, beginning the enmity between the Cowboys and the Earp brothers. Virgil, overcome with guilt at doing nothing to help the Tombstone citizens, accepts the position of town marshal. With Wyatt and Morgan as his deputies, and the help of Doc, Virgil attempts to arrest several Cowboys, resulting in the famous OK Corral shoot-out. The Cowboys take revenge by ambushing two of the brothers and injuring Virgil and killing Morgan. The Earps leave town, apparently cowed. Wyatt returns, wearing the badge of a U.S. marshal, vowing to destroy every last Cowboy. He hunts them mercilessly, until the leader, Johnny Ringo (played by Michael Biehn) challenges Wyatt to a duel. Tombstone has a rating of 73% on rottentomatoes.com.

7. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

This film is just simply great and has a probably one of the best scores in film history. In the last and the best installment of his so-called "Dollars" trilogy of Sergio Leone-directed "spaghetti westerns," Clint Eastwood reprised the role of a taciturn, enigmatic loner. Here he searches for a cache of stolen gold against rivals the Bad (played by Lee Van Cleef), a ruthless bounty hunter, and the Ugly (played by Eli Wallach), a Mexican bandit. Though dubbed "the Good," Eastwood's character is not much better than his opponents -- he is just smarter and shoots faster. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly has a rating of 97% on rottentomatoes.com.

6. True Grit (1969)

This film is simply amazing becuase it is the movie that John Wayne won his only acting Oscar foe. Grumpy and pot-bellied U.S. marshal "Rooster" Cogburn (played by John Wayne), is hired by 14-year-old Mattie Ross (played by Kim Darby) to find Tom Chaney (played by Jeff Corey), who killed her father. The headstrong Mattie could have had her pick of lawmen, but selects the aging Cogburn because she believes he has "true grit". Also heading into Indian territory in search of Chaney is Texas Ranger La Boeuf (played by Glen Campbell), who wants to collect the reward placed on the fugitive's head for his earlier crimes. Complicating matters are Chaney's scurrilous cronies Ned Pepper (played by Robert Duvall), Quincy (played by Jeremy Slate), and Moon (played by Dennis Hopper), who have no qualms about killing a troublesome teenaged girl like Mattie. True Grit as nominated for 2 Academy Awards including Best Actor and Best Original Song while winning the award for Best Actor and it has a rating of 90% on rottentomatoes.com.

5. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

This film is probably the funniest serious minded western ever made. Witty pals Butch (played by Paul Newman) and Sundance (played by Robert Redford) join the Gang in successfully robbing yet another train with their trademark non-lethal style. After the pair rests at the home of Sundance's schoolmarm girlfriend, Etta (played by Katharine Ross), the Gang robs the same train, but this time, the railroad boss has hired the best trackers in the business to foil the crime. After being tailed over rocks and a river gorge by guys that they can barely identify save for a white hat, Butch and Sundance decide that maybe it's time to try their luck in Bolivia. Taking Etta with them, they live high on ill-gotten Bolivian gains, but Etta leaves after their white-hatted nemesis portentously arrives. Their luck running out, Butch and Sundance are soon holed up in a barn surrounded by scores of Bolivian soldiers who are waiting for the pair to make one last run for it. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Song, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Best Sound while winning 4 (Best Cinematography, Best Song, Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score) and it has a rating of 89% on rottentomatoes.com.

4. Rio Bravo

This film is flat out hilarious and it has some really great action. Presidio County Sheriff John T. Chance (played by John Wayne) is holding Joe Burdette (played by Claude Akins), a worthless, drunken thug, for the murder of an unarmed man in a fight in a saloon -- the problem is that Joe is the brother of wealthy land baron Nathan Burdette (played by John Russell), who owns a big chunk of the county and can buy all the hired guns he doesn't already have working for him. Burdette's men cut the town off to prevent Chance from getting Joe into more secure surroundings, and then the hired guns come in, waiting around for their chance to break him out of jail. Chance has to wait for the United States marshal to show up, in six days, his only help from Stumpy (playedd by Walter Brennan), a toothless, cantankerous old deputy with a bad leg who guards the jail, and Dude (played by Dean Martin), his former deputy, who's spent the last two years stumbling around in a drunken stupor over a woman that left him. Chance's friend, trail boss Pat Wheeler (played by Ward Bond), arrives at the outset of the siege and tries to help, offering the services of himself and his drovers as deputies, which Chance turns down, saying they're not professionals and would be too worried about their families to be good at anything except being targets for Burdette's men; but Chance does try to enlist the services of Wheeler's newest employee, a callow-looking young gunman named Colorado Ryan (played by Ricky Nelson), who politely turns him down, saying he prefers to mind his own business. In the midst of all of this tension, Feathers (played by Angie Dickinson), a dance hall entertainer, arrives in town and nearly gets locked up by Chance for cheating at cards, until he finds out that he was wrong and that she's not guilty -- this starts a verbal duel between the two of them that grows more sexually intense as the movie progresses and she finds herself in the middle of Chance's fight. Wheeler is murdered by one of Burgette's hired guns who is, in turn, killed by Dude in an intense confrontation in a saloon. Colorado throws in with Chance after his boss is killed and picks up some of the slack left by Dude, who isn't quite over his need for a drink or the shakes that come with trying to stop. Chance and Burdette keep raising the ante on each other, Chance, Dude, and Colorado killing enough of the rancher's men that he's got to double what he's paying to make it worth the risk, and the undertaker (played by Joseph Shimada) gets plenty of business from Burdette before the two sides arrive at a stalemate -- Burdette is holding Dude and will release him in exchange for Joe. This leads to the final, bloody confrontation between Chance and Burdette, where the wagons brought to town by the murdered Wheeler play an unexpected and essential role in tipping the balance. Rio Bravo has a 100% rating on rottentomatoes.com.

3. Unforgiven

This is probably the greatest western of all-time and it has a talented all-star cast. Disgusted by Sheriff "Little Bill" Daggett's decree that several ponies make up for a cowhand's slashing a whore's face, Big Whiskey prostitutes, led by fierce Strawberry Alice (played by Fisher), take justice into their own hands and put a $1000 bounty on the lives of the perpetrators. Notorious outlaw-turned-hog farmer William Munny (played by Clint Eastwood) is sought out by neophyte gunslinger the Schofield Kid (played by Jaimz Woolvett) to go with him to Big Whiskey and collect the bounty. While Munny insists, "I ain't like that no more," he needs the bounty money for his children, and the two men convince Munny's clean-living comrade Ned Logan (played by Morgan Freeman) to join them in righting a wrong done to a woman. Little Bill (played by Gene Hackman), however, has no intention of letting any bounty hunters impinge on his iron-clad authority. When pompous gunman English Bob (played by Richard Harris) arrives in Big Whiskey with pulp biographer W.W. Beauchamp (played by Saul Rubinek) in tow, Little Bill beats Bob senseless and promises to tell Beauchamp the real story about violent frontier life and justice. But when Munny, the true unwritten legend, comes to town, everyone soon learns a harsh lesson about the price of vindictive bloodshed and the malleability of ideas like "justice." Unforgiven was nominated for 9 Academy Awards including Best Pictures, Best Art Direction, Best Director, Best Sound, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematgraphy, Best Film Editing, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor while winning 4 (Best Picture, Best director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Film Editing) and it has a rating of 96% on rottentomatoes.com.

2. No Country for Old Men

This film is fantastic and the character of Anton Chigurh freaks me out still to this day. Llewelyn Moss (played by Josh Brolin) finds a pickup truck surrounded by a sentry of dead men. A load of heroin and two million dollars in cash are still in the back trunk. When Moss takes the money, he sets off a chain reaction of catastrophic violence that not even the law — namely aging, disillusioned Sheriff Bell (played by Tommy Lee Jones) — can contain. Moss tries to evade his pursuers, in particular a mysterious mastermind named Anton Chigurh (played by Javier Bardem) who flips coins for human lives, as the crime drama broadens. No Country for Old Men was nominated for 8 Academy awards including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Film Edting, Best Director, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay while winning 4 (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay) and it has a rating of 94% on rottentomatoes.com.

1. Blazing Saddles

This film is my favorite western, comedy and one of my favorite films of all-time. Vulgar, crude, and occasionally scandalous in its racial humor, this hilarious bad-taste spoof of Westerns, co-written by Richard Pryor, features Cleavon Little as the first black sheriff of a stunned town scheduled for demolition by an encroaching railroad. Blazing Saddles was nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Song and Best Film Editing and it has a rating of 90% on rottentomatoes.com.

So ladies and gentlemen what are some of your favorite westerns and what do you think of my list? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard

Jonah Sparks

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