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Tag: Western

  • Natalie Portman Film, ‘Jane Got A Gun,’ Delayed Due To Paris Attack

    The Natalie Portman film Jane Got a Gun had faced numerous issues during the course of its filming, including changes in casts, conflicts among the team and conflicts in release dates. It has been in the works since 2012 but only managed to have a final international release date this year. Now that it is finally here, however, the upcoming French premiere of the film is going to be rescheduled following the gruesome Paris terror attacks.

    This means Portman and the rest of the cast will have to wait for another release date again before their film can make it to the theaters. The film had been rescheduled several times before. Jane Got a Gun was supposed to debut on November 25 but Mars Distribution, the company that will be distributing the film in France, announced on Monday that the film will be moved to a later date. Likewise, film screenings and press interviews that were reportedly scheduled on Sunday and Monday were pushed back.

    Natalie Portman Plays One Tough Lady In ‘Jane Got A Gun’

    The red carpet premiere of the film was scheduled for November 16 but Natalie Portman and the rest of the team had to cancel the event following the series of shootings and bombings in several Parisian establishments, which claimed 129 lives. Jane Got a Gun will hit U.S. theaters in February of next year. Natalie Portman stars alongside Ewan McGregor and Joel Edgerton. The French premiere schedule will be announced soon. Reports claim that cinemas in the City of Lights were closed on Saturday afternoon but have since been reopened.

    The French premiere of the Bridge of Spies, which stars actor Tom Hanks was also put off over the weekend according to EW.  Several musical acts such as Motorhead, Marilyn Manson, and U2 also canceled their scheduled concerts in Paris.

  • Tommy Lee Jones Is A ‘Total Softy’ Says Hilary Swank

    Some of us may remember Tommy Lee Jones as the no-nonsense U.S. Marshall from his Academy Award-winning performance in The Fugitive.

    Others may know Jones as the tough and stubborn Captain Woodrow F. Call from the beloved miniseries Lonesome Dove

    On screen, Tommy Lee Jones is more likely to portray characters that are steely-eyed and perhaps a bit intimidating.

    But his co-star in the Western movie Homesman has a secret.

    According to Hilary Swank, Jones is actually a big “softy”.

    “He shows what he wants to show to the press or to the world,” said Swank, “[Y]et he comes alive on set in a totally different way.”

    Hilary Swank also said that she considers Jones a “visionary” and “artisan”.

    Said Swank, “I [was just] a sponge in his presence.”

    When told about Hilary’s comments, Tommy Lee didn’t exactly disagree.

    That’s not a word that I would use to describe anybody, much less myself,” said Jones “But it sounds positive right?”

    Jones then reportedly smiled and said, “All right, I’m a ‘softy’. Yeah, I’ll accept that.”

    Even though Tommy Lee Jones isn’t really the stern, tough guy he comes across as in many of his movies, that doesn’t mean you should underestimate him.

    “[Jones] doesn’t suffer fools,” said Swank. “That’s a really good way to say it.”’

    She added, “”I think his time is precious, [a]nd he just chooses specifically how he wants to spend it.”

    Tommy Lee Jones is both the director and star of The Homesman, a movie that is described as being in the tradition of True Grit.

    In the movie, he plays a claim jumper and mercenary named Brigg who is hired by a plain-faced devout Christian and rancher named Mary (Hilary Swank) to transport three pioneer women who have gone insane back to civilization.

    Although the character taps into an image of Tommy Lee Jones that we’ve come to know, at least we have the reassurance that underneath all of it is more or less a rather gentle soul.

  • Dan Blocker Beach Is Opened To Public After 35 Years

    For the first time after decades of not being used, Dan Blocker Beach in Malibu has been opened to the public. The beach, which was named after actor Dan Blocker, star of Bonanza, also has a Dan Blocker Beach scenic viewpoint that overlooks it and was unveiled on Friday, November 14.

    LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky reportedly rushed to finish the project before the end of his term after decades of being on the backburner. Dan Blocker Beach scenic viewpoint was completed just 17 days before Yaroslavsky was set to leave office.

    “Public access to our coastline is about making sure that our beaches and our coastline are for everybody, and so this is a great day,” said Yaroslavsky at the dedication ceremony for Blocker.

    Actors Michael Landon and Lorne Grenne reportedly bought the beach and named it after their co-star Blocker, who played the character of Hoss on Bonanza. Landon and Greene donated the beach, which runs one mile from Latigo Shore Drive east to Corral Canyon Road along Pacific Coast Highway, to the state in 1979. After purchasing adjacent pieces of land, the state apparently donated Dan Blocker Beach to the county in 1995.

    Dan Blocker Beach remained an eyesore, however, as time passed without development. Tattered fencing reportedly kept out the public yet did not deter passersby from littering Dan Blocker Beach with trash. Yaroslavsky reportedly spearheaded the beach’s development in 2011 after receiving pressure from city officials.

    “As a family, as a whole, we’re very honored,” said Blocker’s son, Dan Blocker. “We are so happy to have it for our kids, to say, ‘This is for your grandpa,’ instead of just a fence.” He also thanked fans from around the world who dedicated funds for a plaque for his father.

    “It’s been a really long time coming. I think it’s just a wonderful place to stop, it’s a great view point,” said Carol Baker, spokesperson for Beaches and Harbors.

  • Tommy Lee Jones Makes Directorial Return With “The Homesman”

    Tommy Lee Jones may just have made his own feminist take on the western. The western is an iconic genre that has been around since the early days of American cinema, and while it’s a genre that’s mostly peppered with hard-living cowboys and bounty hunters, it’s rare that we get to see the female perspective regarding the old west. The Homesman, Jones’ latest directorial effort, opts to shine the light on the plight of the average American female during the Wild West.

    The Homesman is about Mary Lee Cuddy (played by Hilary Swank) who takes it upon herself to transport three women who were driven mad by the harsh realities of frontier life to the care of a woman in Iowa who has offered to take the women in. Cuddy and the three women are escorted by a deserter named George (played by Tommy Lee Jones) and together they face Native American tribes, freighters, and many other threats.

    Jones claimed that he is not interested in the western as a genre. “What I do have an interest in is making movies about the history of my country, where I live. Anyone who wants to be an artist makes work about where he lives,” Jones said about the film’s style and subject matter. He added, “The Homesman isn’t a western movie, but a movie that is about the history of women in my family. I don’t think there is a woman around who hasn’t been objectified or trivialized because of her gender.”

    Ever since debuting at Cannes, The Homesman garnered mixed to positive reviews. The New York Post praised Jones’ direction and called the film “a rare 21st-century Western without shootouts or explosions”.  Film blog The Playlist, however, called it a flawed but enjoyable film that still has its merits. According to the review, “It’s an odd enough bird that it’s more than worth the watch”.

  • Lone Ranger’s Colt .45 Pistol Acquired By Wyoming Firearms Museum

    A Wyoming museum has acquired an old colt .45 pistol that belonged to John Hart. In 1952, Hart became the second actor to play the title role in the The Lone Ranger series . Hart replaced Clayton Moore for one season after Moore demanded a higher salary. The western-themed television show was considered the highest rated program on the ABC network in the 1950s. It ran for eight seasons from 1949 to 1957. Although Hart portrayed the role for only a short time, he made an appearance as the Lone Ranger in the series Happy Days when one of the characters met his childhood hero.

    Hart, known for acting in western shows, had used different types of firearms in the course of his career, but the colt .45 stood out among the rest. The single-action revolver has an intricate vine and leaf design and an ivory grip with a buffalo skull that set it apart from other pistols and firearms, and many consider it a work of art.

    The curator of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s Cody Firearms Museum, Warren Newman, said that the pistol is beautiful and the detailed engraving makes it even more striking.

    According to reports, the museum was able to get the pistol for $18,150 at an auction that was held in October. Newman did not confirm the price, but he said that they hope the pistol will be a popular item among their visitors.

    Aside from the pistol, the museum also got their hands on a cookbook entitled Cowboys in the Kitchen that Hart authored in the 1990s. The cookbook consists of advice from Hart and stories from Hollywood. It even has a segment dedicated to “women and liquor.” There are also autographed pictures of Hart wearing his Lone Ranger costume. Hart died in 2009 when he was 91 years old.

    Memorabilia for The Lone Ranger is on display in the museum’s  “Hollywood Guns” section.

     Cody Firearms Museum

    Image via YouTube

  • Quentin Tarantino’s New Western Gets A Title

    Quentin Tarantino has reportedly completed the script for his upcoming western, titled “The Hateful 8”.

    The filmmaker has a thing for the western genre and spoke about the desire to make another when he was done with “Django Unchained”, saying, “I haven’t told anyone this publicly, but I will say the genre: It’s a western. I had so much fun doing Django, and I love westerns so much that after I taught myself how to make one, it’s like ‘OK! Let me make another one now that I know what I’m doing.’”

    There’s happy news for fans of his previous films, as Christoph Waltz has reportedly been promised a role in the movie. As terrifying as he was in the role of Hans Landa (“Inglorious Basterds”), he was equally charming as a German bounty hunter in “Django”, proving he can bring whatever is needed to the role in the moment.

    Also in talks for the film is veteran actor Bruce Dern, who was nominated for a Golden Globe this year for “Nebraska”. Though nothing has been confirmed yet, the web is buzzing today about the project.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Quentin Tarantino & Next Project: on ‘Tonight Show’

    By far, one of the most prominent screenwriters in Hollywood is Quentin Tarantino, who is in the process of making yet another movie. On Tuesday, November 26, 2013, he discussed his next film project on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. “It’s not a Django sequel, but it’s a western,” remarked Tarantino. Fans of Django Unchained have been forewarned. Though he stated how he could not delve into the plot details, he explained his inspiration toward writing and directing another film in the same genre as his hit from last year.

    Tarantino told Leno, “I had so much fun making Django and I love westerns so much, that after I taught myself how to make one I thought, it’s like, ‘Woo, okay,’ now let me make another one. Now I know what I’m doing.” Filmmakers often do not announce any details of a forthcoming project on late-night television shows, but it is apparent that Leno’s show holds a special place in his heart. It is also the show’s last season. With news of Tarantino’s next film project, it may be surprising to most, that his greatest takeaway from his appearance was his new mug.

    As explained by Tarantino, he has collected mugs from his ‘Tonight Show’ visits over the last twenty years, which began with his first appearance when he received a mug, marked “Guest 4.” He was still a video clerk in Manhattan Beach and his first film, “Reservoir Dogs,” had not yet been released when he made his first talk show appearance with Leno in 1992. He has collected mugs ever since.

    Over the years, Tarantino marked his successes in Hollywood by acknowledging which guest number he was on his ‘Tonight Show’ mug. For his last appearance, Leno made Tarantino a special, personalized mug, marked “Best Director.”

    Tarantino also promoted the release of his graphic novel, which is based off of Django Unchained. It is a seven-part comic series, now released in a single hardcover volume, that includes untold stories that did not make it into the film’s final product, in addition to the film’s entire tale. He partnered with Vertigo, an imprint of DC Comics, an American-comic book publisher. He also collaborated with Django producer Reginald Hudlin and other artists, including R.M. Guera, Jason Latour, Denys Cowan, Danijel Zezelij, and Jim Lee.

    The Tonight Show with Jay Leno airs from Monday through Friday, at 11:35 p.m. on the NBC network.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Fistful Of Rupees Is The Zelda Western We Never Knew We Wanted

    I love The Legend of Zelda franchise. Likewise, I love Westerns. I never thought that the two would meet, but my subconscious desire has now been fulfilled thanks to a fan film.

    The Game Station has taken it upon themselves to produce Fistful of Rupees. It’s the story from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but set in a Western setting. It seems like an odd fit, but it totally works. The casting is top notch with nerd goddess Lisa Foiles taking on the role of Zelda. What really makes the genre bending work is that Link is the silent hero, just like the greatest Western heroes.

    I hope the trailer wets your whistle for more Zelda Western action. The premier of Fistful of Rupees will go up on YouTube on August 7. It’s also worth noting that this is only the first in a series of three short films.

    Now that Zelda has a Western adaptation, it’s time to start thinking about what’s next. I think we can all agree that a steampunk Zelda film, or game for that matter, would be about the most amazing thing that humanity could ever achieve.