In St. Louis, our newspaper has a Sunday section called A & E. Honestly I would have given up taking the paper if not for the small pleasure I get every Sunday morning while drinking my first cup of coffee and reading about the films and books our newspaper deems worthy of valuable column space. I sometimes agree with the book reviews but almost never agree with the ones written about the movies I've seen. I haven't seen Aliens and Cowboys yet, but this mornings review of it might just drive me to discontinue the paper...which I threaten to do almost daily anymore. Here's the review.
"Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford star as two cowboys who have to rescue humans from alien spaceships invading Arizona in the 1870's. Jon Favreau directs this genre-mashing story and provides some exciting sequences, but the film falls short ultimately because of its lack of originality."
I am totally perplexed and blurbubbled. How much more original can you get! I've not seen a movie set in Arizona with alien invaders before. Stephen King wrote the Dark Tower series, but it was such a mishmash of genres I don't think it could be considered aliens meet cowboys. It had fantasy, horror, science fiction and western all rolled into one. So it came to me as I stood over the garbage disposal shoving todays edition of the St. Louis Post Dispatch down the hole into oblivion, maybe it's a conspiracy to destroy westerns.
I never see a review of a western book. Come to think of it, I don't think in the 25 years I've taken the Post, they've reviewed one single western novel. When they review the western movies they are never favorable. Yet movies like Jackass 1 and 2 get rave reviews. That's it. It has to be. It has to be a conspiracy against westerns. And probably against cowboys too. We need to stand up and revolt. Take it to the streets and voice our complaints. And as for the guy who wrote today's review that got all this started, he should run for congress. Anytime I see someone who doesn't seem to be thinking very clearly I think they're great congressional material.
I'd have to agree with your irritation. Movies like Jackass don't deserve any review or notice to me. The movies go downhill today!
ReplyDeleteI have seen C and A this week! I wrote about it, but not a review, on my blog (at http://claudiapage-bookie.blogspot.com). I went into the movie as a summer adventure and was not disappointed. Hubby said they had all the great parts of a good western, why didn't they leave it at that? Well, audiences have changed and the backers with money go for the audiences who pay!
Daniel Craig did a fine job. I hope you see it soon and tell us if you don't have a new favorite cowboy!
Oh, and have you heard that C&A tied with Smurfs for first place at box office this week!
I agree with you, Lou, about most of the ridiculous movie reviews in the paper. I'm a little torn about a cowboy/alien movie, but I'm willing to give it a try, based on the actors! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try and see the movie this week. Apparently it's doing well at the box office, but getting snarky reviews. That tells me the people doing the reviews are like most politicians these days. They're so far out of touch they have no clue as to what nowmal people want or like. But my husband said the same thing as yours, Bookie. He said...I'd take you to see it if it was a "real" western. Haven't heard Dusty's opinion on the whole thing yet.
ReplyDeleteI thought of something else....when Titantic came out a few years ago, I heard some critics really blasting it. It's "Romeo and Juliet on a boat", one said. Another said something about another disaster movie, blah blah...And look how THAT turned out! It's all about what the people like....same as books!! :)
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