Westerns, The Sea and violence---

This week was one for outdoor activities. So not as many films, but the quality was pretty good! I saw:

Fort Apache (1948) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040369/
The first of John Fords cavalry films, all starring John Wayne and made in the Monument Valley of New Mexico and Utah. Great cinematography. 9/10

Rio Grande (1950) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042895/
The final film of the trilogy about the cavalry. Maureen O'Hara costars for the first time with the Duke - John Wayne. Great cast and good story. 9/10

Down To The Sea In Ships (1949) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041313/
A favorite in my collection that I watch every year of so. Lionel Barrymore is Capt. Bering Joy, taking his grandson to sea for the first voyage, even though he is past retirement age. Richard Widmark is the young guy the company wants on the voyage for insurance and the Capt. puts him in charge of the boys 'schoolin'. Wonderful characters, great story and the ships never looked better. 10/10

Angels In The Outfield (1951) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043286/
A little girl from an ophan home sees angels helping her team and their blustery manager, Paul Douglas. Janet Leigh is a smart reporter from the womans page assigned to get something 'interesting' to women from the team. Not too good, but not too bad. Just ho-hum. 6/10

Sling Blade (1996) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117666/
Very interesting story and an unrecognizable Billy Bob Thorton. A retarded man is released from an insane assylum he has lived in since killing his mother and her lover when he was a boy. Turned out with nothing and nowhere to go but the lawnmower repair shop where he is to work. His employer will let him sleep on a cot in the shed. He wanders around his home town and is befriended by a young boy who takes him home. The boys mother invites him to live in their garage. The story becomes increasingly hard to watch as, with dread, you realize what will happen. I give it an 8/10

No Country For Old Men (2007) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477348/maindetails
Tommie Lee Jones is wonderful as the old sheriff trying to make sense of the senseless killings in the drug deal that went bad. He can't and it is through his eyes and sensibilities that we are seeing this story.
Out on the brown and tan windswept plains of west Texas, a young man (Josh Brolin) out shooting comes upon 5 or 6 vehicles and through his scope sees no one alive. When he gets to the area, all are dead and there are bags of drugs, and after following a trail of blood to a man, he finds a satchel full of money. Does he take it? Of course. And sets in motion a manhunt with a madman(Javier Bardem) after him, plus various and sundrae lawmen and others. One is Woody Harrelson as a bounty hunter sent by the big wigs to get the drugs and money back.
A violent film, lots of killing, but the setting and the stars make it worth watching. And as a bonus, a few laughs. You can't help it - it's a Coen film, after all! 9/10

Time for beer, ice tea and/or the beverage of choice and another film. Not a bad deal at all.