Thank You for Listening
westernswithdad's podcast
I’ll just say it outright: After a two year battle with pancreatic cancer, my father has passed away. I don’t know what words can do it justice, but here’s quite a few anyway. I’ve recorded a final episode, the bulk of which is a conversation with my immediate family about my father’s legacy, and a lot of talk about what kind of man he was. I think it more or less speaks for itself, and I understand if it’s not something you want to listen to, but I do believe the episode itself is less depressing and more affirming than you might imagine. You’ll hear about the things Dad loved,...
info_outline
GODLESS!
westernswithdad's podcast
On this episode, we’ll be discussing the new limited series on Netflix, Scott Frank’s Godless! The small mining town of LaBelle becomes the battleground for a conflict between two outlaws, one good, one very bad, and the population, mostly widows, find themselves in a war for their way of life. Real western stuff! Despite appearances to the contrary, this is much more of a straight-up western in the old tradition than you might expect, and on those terms, it succeeds quite well. Topics of conversation include the confused doctrine of madman villain Frank Griffin, the winning performances...
info_outline
BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID!
westernswithdad's podcast
Finally, an episode we’ve been looking towards since the start, one of the most beloved American Westerns and a film listed on the AFI’s list of Hundred Best Films: 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, featuring the classic pairing of Paul Newman and Robert Redford in the titular roles. An affable, seriocomic romp through the end of the legendary Old West, the film features two of the greatest movie stars in history defining and perfecting their screen personas. The film, a loose ramble about the adventures of two infamous bank robbers, features countless iconic scenes, a...
info_outline
EBENEZER!
westernswithdad's podcast
Merry Christmas, everyone! On this special holiday episode of Westerns With Dad, we’re discussing the little-seen 1997 Canadian TV production, Ebenezer! Starring noted Western stars Jack Palance and Ricky Schroeder, it’s an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ oft-adapted classic, A Christmas Carol, reset in the Old West. Utterly inessential, clearly not intended for posterity, and fairly half-assed in every aspect of production, it works best as a clear demonstration of both Jack Palance’s dynamic charisma and the utter indestructibility of the Dickens story. This ends up being a bit of a...
info_outline
TRUE GRIT 1969 & 2010!
westernswithdad's podcast
On this belated episode, we are talking about both versions of the Charlie Portis novel True Grit! The original, from 1969, is famously the film that won John Wayne his Oscar, and the 2010 remake from the Coen Brothers! Both are great, as it turns out, and surprisingly similar in a number of ways (largely owing to the use of Portis’ dialogue, we assume, having not read the original book). Both are largely esteemed classics of the genre, well worth your time, although they’re so beloved you’ve probably seen one or both already. Topics of conversation include a merciless comparison of each...
info_outline
DEAD MAN!
westernswithdad's podcast
Jim Jarmusch’s utterly bizarre 1995 ‘Acid Western’ Dead Man is the subject of this episode, featuring Johnny Depp at his height as a tenderfoot traveling into the Frontier and also, potentially, the reincarnation of the poet William Blake. Shot in B&W and featuring a unique Neil Young soundtrack, Dead Man defies easy description and is a strong contender for strangest film we’ve covered on the show. And while I reveled in the unusual, avant-garde style and philosophical explorations, Dad found the whole remarkably interminable, a word that will come up more than a few times when...
info_outline
JUBAL!
westernswithdad's podcast
Coming from director Delmar Daves, 1956’s Jubal tells a story of sexual obsession on the open plains, highly reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Othello. Starring Glenn Ford as stoic loner Jubal Troop, it has come to more prominence lately, possibly owing to a fine Criterion restoration, and features a cast of beloved character actors sinking their teeth into some high melodrama with aplomb. An unusually adult 50s western, it’s worth a look for its maturity and as usual, its glorious location photography, as well as a divisive Rod Steiger performance as the Iago of the piece. Topics of...
info_outline
GRIM PRAIRIE TALES!
westernswithdad's podcast
To finish out our October tradition of Spooky Westerns, we wanted to talk about Near Dark, the cult classic vampire western from academy award winning director Kathryn Bigelow, but due to a lack of streaming options, we were unable to easily find it and instead watched a forgotten anthology Horror film no one remembers or cares about, Grim Prairie Tales! In truth, I’ve always been curious about this bizarre title, starring terrific character actors James Earl Jones and Brad Dourif as wandering cowboys sharing a campfire and swapping ghost stories. And it’s not really that good, I’m...
info_outline
HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER!
westernswithdad's podcast
Once again, October means that we’re talking about Horror and Horror-Adjacent movies on Westerns With Dad, and this time, it’s Clint Eastwood’s 1973 allegory about Divine Justice, High Plains Drifter! Taking the form of a more traditional yarn - in this case, a town, threatened by villains, hires a gunslinger to defend them - this film slowly reveals itself to be far more diabolic than it initially seems. Topics of conversation include John Wayne’s habit of letting you know when he’s been offended, old Tales From the Crypt comics, the ugly sexual politics of the film’s infamous...
info_outline
LITTLE BIG MAN!
westernswithdad's podcast
Arthur Penn’s rambling, whimsical approach to the Western, Little Big Man follows the long life of Dustin Hoffman’s Jack Crabb, a white man raised amongst the Cheyenne Indians, and observes the wave of Manifest Destiny rise, crest and recede in the American frontier! One of the early examples of the Revisionist Western, this film takes on the Native American genocide in America directly and yet still manages to be a sly, satirical comedy, while making its point crystal clear. We really liked this one, especially me, as I had never had the experience of seeing it before. A really smart,...
info_outlineIn attempting to examine the breadth of the Western genre, we want to focus on films from all eras, and that includes the modern movie landscape. So this week, we’re taking a look at The Salvation, a genre exercise from only a few years ago! Starring acclaimed actor Mads Mikkelsen, this is a modern version of the familiar Revenge thriller, set in the old west. It features a pretty terrific cast and a solid set-up, but both Dad and I feel it doesn’t quite do enough to distinguish itself, especially in failing to fully embrace the things that make it unique. In particular, the character’s status as Danish immigrants, a tantalizing plot and thematic idea that ends up not going much of anywhere. Topics of conversation include the Dogme 95 movement and provocateur filmmaker Lars Von Trier, the constant use of dark, oily filters, the sometimes in-your-face nihilism of the chosen subject matter, how terrific Mads is as the new Hannibal Lector, how terrific costar Eva Green is on her own TV show, Penny Dreadful, the surprisingly nasty and evil townspeople presented in the film, the enigma of the titular Salvation, and my speculation that the film is actually about what drives people who have been constantly victimized to survive, although that may actually be reaching a bit. This has a bit more digressions than usual, but then, it’s not a film with an excess to discuss, I’m afraid.
At the end, we discuss Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and its very charismatic use of Tombstone actors in prominent roles. There’s also a bit of talk of the new Dark Tower trailer, and the ways it may overlap into the Western genre. Please visit us online at westernswithdad.com, where you can hear back episodes of the show, and also hey, how about leaving us ratings and reviews on iTunes? That’d work out great for us! Next time, we'll be talking about the middle film in Sergio Leone's Man With No Name Trilogy, For a Few Dollars More!
The Salvation was directed by Kristian Levring and stars Mads Mikkelsen, Eva Green, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Jonathan Pryce.