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Welcome to Studentfilms.com, the online film discussion forum for filmmakers and students who are applying to film school, attending film school, need advice on making films, or just want to share their films with the world.
Anyone else been watching this? As a big fan of the western genre, my eyes have been GLUED to this show since it started. Great stories and great characters, and good with historical context and whatnot.
The show is on HBO every Sunday night, 10PM EST. Check it out!
Posts: 2281 | Location: LA | Registered: September 18, 2003
I don't like this show at all. IN another topic we discussed the use of foul language in films, I think this is a perfect example of unnecessary foul language. They say ,"cock-sucker" after everyother word and it always sound puthetically lame. Its like they don't know how to develop mean gritty characters, so by having them constantly say "cock-sucker" and wear dirty clothing its like......yeah, there's all the character deveopment, we automatically know what kind of character this is. Great thing about old Westerns (John Ford to Howard Hawks to Sergio Leone) is that they never used foul language like that, and the most unexpected characters were filthy swines.
I dunno, the whole series doesn't seem "Western" to me, historical or not.
Posts: 3950 | Location: Sacramento, CA | Registered: July 21, 2003
I guess the reason why it appeals to me so much is because I'm familiar with the history of the time period and everything. Deadwood was a real town, all the characters were real people, a lot of the events actually happened (Battle of Little Big Horn, assassination of Wild Bill, etc). I'd say it's actually more of an American frontier story than a Western (the difference being that this is actually about the gold rushes and the western expansion of the 1800's and the conflicts with Native Americans and competition with business and the introduction of the labor unions, etc, etc). I find it really interesting.
HBO needs to go basic cable and make themselves king once and for all. They have such an awesome record of making great shows. However I watched a part of Deadwood yesterday and was totally unimpressed. But that's just me.
P.S. Someone needs to make another Western like Sergio Leone. Last "western" i saw was Wild Wild West. Excuse me while I go vomit
So little time, so little money, so much vision
Posts: 173 | Location: Panama City, Florida | Registered: February 06, 2004
Nah I haven't seen it, I have had enough of Kevin Costner and his repetitive character roles. But I might have to rent it and then I can talk about it.
So little time, so little money, so much vision
Posts: 173 | Location: Panama City, Florida | Registered: February 06, 2004
yeah, but I doubt they would ever be able to bring back the spaghetti western genre, that was a miracle itself. Great directors, great actors, great composers - All making GREAT films in a small period of Film History.
I just don't think they can bring back that kind of magic.
Posts: 3950 | Location: Sacramento, CA | Registered: July 21, 2003
I'm a really big western fan (THE SEARCHERS is one of my favorites), but I tried to watch DEADWOOD and it didn't hold my interest. I'm sure I haven't given it a proper chance and will try to do that.
As for the modern westerns - I though OPEN RANGE was pretty good, but I liked UNFORGIVEN and SILVERADO better. If Matthew will move over, I'll regurgitate with him for THE WWW.
I also like PALE RIDER, but it was a weaker carbon of SHANE (another favorite) - except instead of having a little boy crying "Shane, Shane! Come back Shane!", they took character's peni$ away and made him into a girl, turned "Shane" into a preacher and the stump into a rock!
Ok, maybe I oversimplified, but you get the idea! I think westerns make great movies and I'll always go see one when one comes out!
Check out Purgatory. It's this great made for t.v. western released in 1999 about a whole bunch of famous outlaws in a mysterious town. It's pretty cool.