Post by drystyx on Oct 22, 2018 0:52:57 GMT
Just the ones I remember seeing and remember enough about.
#1 with a bullet: FORT APACHE 1948. His portrayal of Colonel Thursday leaves no doubt he is portraying Custer. Due both to his performance and the most credible "Custer" script ever, it is a classic. Made before people tried to rewrite the West to fit Hollywood's hate formula, we see a three dimensional villain, easily Fonda's best performance as a villain. One has to remember that in 1948, there were still some old folks who at least knew many of the types of characters from the old West, plus some old hands from the West. That's why we get so much authenticity of character. Everything about this film is awesome. The stately dance scene is one of the most emotional scenes ever, as we know it's truly a last dance for the soldiers.
10/10
#2. THE OX BOW INCIDENT 1943 Classic film about the lynching. Although the original story depicts only five nay votes, here the two anti heroes played by Fonda and Morgan join the naysavers. Morgan actually plays the narrator, and Fonda the rough and tumble semi hero. It doesn't deviate much from the classic story. Great character study.
10/10
#3. TOO LATE THE HERO 1970 During this period, Fonda was like Robert Ryan, playing officious characters whose star power added to the allure of the film while not making the star do too much work. The film follows Cliff Robertson along a war misadventure, and true to war, it is all misadventure, a series of mistakes and mishaps.
9/10
#4. MISTER ROBERTS 1955 Just a work of craft, this story of non combatants wanting to enter combat. A mix of comedy and tragedy, we almost know where it's headed. It certainly foreshadowed a certain MASH episode that as a result we were not surprised at, not those of us who saw this film.
9/10
#5. TENTACLES 1977 the most chilling and risk taking of the "sea monster" films of the times. Totally unpredictable all the way through in a "no respecter of persons" script.
9/10
6. THE TIN STAR 1957 Could have been a run of the mill Western if not for the awesome directing. The final showdown scene between Brand and Perkins is a cinematic masterpiece, second only to the final gunfight of RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY, perhaps tied with the only other serious contender of 7 MEN FROM NOW.
8/10
7. THE WRONG MAN 1956, typical Hitch, which is good.
8/10
8. FIRECREEK 1968 Easily Fonda's second most credible performance as a villain. The only weakness of the film is that the lawman played by Stewart confronts the professional gunmen instead of a more realistic scenario of hiding and then getting affadavtis that would make the gunmen have a more uncomfortable future. The other characters are all quite credible.
8/10
9. 12 ANGRY MEN a fascinating drama, a mainstay in school productions for which this is the model. Expertly written, which is the problem, because it has inspired too much injustice in letting killers go, because too many people want to believe in this.
7/10
10. THERE WAS A CROOKED MAN is a magical sort of film that pivots around many directions with black humor surrounding many believable characters. The constant change of POV works quite well here as we get the stories of many individuals in the prison.
7/10
11. BATTLE OF THE BULGE some purists complain about inaccuracies, but the story gels around all the characters quite well.
7/10
12. THE SWARM is a good disaster film with an all star cast, but there's nothing special about it, and we get too many of those outrageous shots, like the men on fire, that are meant to appease the geeks and Beavis and Butthead crowd, with no other real purpose. Cut those scenes out and this is a very good film.
7/10
13. MY DARKLING CLEMENTINE is a mixed bag. One of the most inaccurate in terms of who died at the OK Corral, it is the most accurate in authentic characters of the times. Again, being closer to the actual era, and seeing how John Ford actually spoke with Wyatt Earp, as he revealed in an interview, we get credible characters, which is more important. Compare this to the inferior modern versions like Tombstone, where you see Hollywood brats playing cowboy between video games (certainly the impression one gets).
7/10
14. IN HARM'S WAY one is inclined to compare to his other one, "Midway". "Harm" is clearly superior, as we get the despair and seeming defeat that is actually a victory in battle.
7/10
15. THE STORY OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL an old fashioned bio film that keeps us interested.
7/10
16. THE GRAPES OF WRATH has its moments, but the beginning where Fonda's character brags about being a killer is something that doesn't fit with his anti hero role later. And he does brag. And such people don't become "reasonable". Poor Psychology, no savvy in this work.
6/10
17. METEOR is a pretty good disaster movie, a little more formula than Swarm.
6/10
18. A BIG HAND FOR THE LITTLE LADY is a strange story in its anti climax, but still pretty engaging.
6/10
19. ROLLERCOASTER is a movie about a hunt for a deranged killer. Wouldn't rank this high except it's one of the few times you get to see and hear the underrated group of Sparks.
6/10
20. THE LONGEST DAY barely justifies the all star cast, mostly due to the paratrooper scenes.
6/10
21. WARLOCK tries too hard to be formula. The film would actually be better without the Fonda and Quinn demi god characters. Fonda and Quinn become the Hollywood formula part of the movie. Widmark makes his worth seeing.
6/10
22. MY NAME IS NOBODY. Slightly humorous, a one joke movie nonetheless.
4/10
23. FAIL SAFE very hard to stay awake for. Plods
4/10
24. ON GOLDEN POND another you won't be able to sit through in one sitting and stay awake for.
4/10
25. DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK starts promising, and has moments, but never really captivates the atmosphere it tries for.
4/10
26. THE CHEYENNE SOCIAL CLUB is where we're getting to serious boredom. It tries to be lightly humorous, but fails.
3/10
27. THE ROUNDERS boring on the order of Cheyenne Social Club
3/10
28. THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES. Nothing wrong with performance. It's the silly Hollywood Western story
3/10
29. JESSE JAMES another silly one
3/10
30. HOW THE WEST WAS WON a disjointed mess involving an all star cast being wasted. If these were unknown actors, I'd give it 5/10 for moderately trying, but a waste of resources brings it down to:
3/10
31. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST is one of the worst Westerns ever made. No motivation at all that we can empathize with. For instance, the hero wants the villain dead out of revenge, so he kills men who are trying to kill the villain. Believe it or not, there are crack heads out there who buy this.
1/10
32. WELCOME TO HARD TIMES. If you thought Once upon a Time was as bad as it gets, this is even worst, mostly because of how contrived it is to fit the completely stereotypical Hollywood formula ending. Most predictable movie ever made.
1/10
And now that it's here, it is OFFICIAL!
#1 with a bullet: FORT APACHE 1948. His portrayal of Colonel Thursday leaves no doubt he is portraying Custer. Due both to his performance and the most credible "Custer" script ever, it is a classic. Made before people tried to rewrite the West to fit Hollywood's hate formula, we see a three dimensional villain, easily Fonda's best performance as a villain. One has to remember that in 1948, there were still some old folks who at least knew many of the types of characters from the old West, plus some old hands from the West. That's why we get so much authenticity of character. Everything about this film is awesome. The stately dance scene is one of the most emotional scenes ever, as we know it's truly a last dance for the soldiers.
10/10
#2. THE OX BOW INCIDENT 1943 Classic film about the lynching. Although the original story depicts only five nay votes, here the two anti heroes played by Fonda and Morgan join the naysavers. Morgan actually plays the narrator, and Fonda the rough and tumble semi hero. It doesn't deviate much from the classic story. Great character study.
10/10
#3. TOO LATE THE HERO 1970 During this period, Fonda was like Robert Ryan, playing officious characters whose star power added to the allure of the film while not making the star do too much work. The film follows Cliff Robertson along a war misadventure, and true to war, it is all misadventure, a series of mistakes and mishaps.
9/10
#4. MISTER ROBERTS 1955 Just a work of craft, this story of non combatants wanting to enter combat. A mix of comedy and tragedy, we almost know where it's headed. It certainly foreshadowed a certain MASH episode that as a result we were not surprised at, not those of us who saw this film.
9/10
#5. TENTACLES 1977 the most chilling and risk taking of the "sea monster" films of the times. Totally unpredictable all the way through in a "no respecter of persons" script.
9/10
6. THE TIN STAR 1957 Could have been a run of the mill Western if not for the awesome directing. The final showdown scene between Brand and Perkins is a cinematic masterpiece, second only to the final gunfight of RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY, perhaps tied with the only other serious contender of 7 MEN FROM NOW.
8/10
7. THE WRONG MAN 1956, typical Hitch, which is good.
8/10
8. FIRECREEK 1968 Easily Fonda's second most credible performance as a villain. The only weakness of the film is that the lawman played by Stewart confronts the professional gunmen instead of a more realistic scenario of hiding and then getting affadavtis that would make the gunmen have a more uncomfortable future. The other characters are all quite credible.
8/10
9. 12 ANGRY MEN a fascinating drama, a mainstay in school productions for which this is the model. Expertly written, which is the problem, because it has inspired too much injustice in letting killers go, because too many people want to believe in this.
7/10
10. THERE WAS A CROOKED MAN is a magical sort of film that pivots around many directions with black humor surrounding many believable characters. The constant change of POV works quite well here as we get the stories of many individuals in the prison.
7/10
11. BATTLE OF THE BULGE some purists complain about inaccuracies, but the story gels around all the characters quite well.
7/10
12. THE SWARM is a good disaster film with an all star cast, but there's nothing special about it, and we get too many of those outrageous shots, like the men on fire, that are meant to appease the geeks and Beavis and Butthead crowd, with no other real purpose. Cut those scenes out and this is a very good film.
7/10
13. MY DARKLING CLEMENTINE is a mixed bag. One of the most inaccurate in terms of who died at the OK Corral, it is the most accurate in authentic characters of the times. Again, being closer to the actual era, and seeing how John Ford actually spoke with Wyatt Earp, as he revealed in an interview, we get credible characters, which is more important. Compare this to the inferior modern versions like Tombstone, where you see Hollywood brats playing cowboy between video games (certainly the impression one gets).
7/10
14. IN HARM'S WAY one is inclined to compare to his other one, "Midway". "Harm" is clearly superior, as we get the despair and seeming defeat that is actually a victory in battle.
7/10
15. THE STORY OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL an old fashioned bio film that keeps us interested.
7/10
16. THE GRAPES OF WRATH has its moments, but the beginning where Fonda's character brags about being a killer is something that doesn't fit with his anti hero role later. And he does brag. And such people don't become "reasonable". Poor Psychology, no savvy in this work.
6/10
17. METEOR is a pretty good disaster movie, a little more formula than Swarm.
6/10
18. A BIG HAND FOR THE LITTLE LADY is a strange story in its anti climax, but still pretty engaging.
6/10
19. ROLLERCOASTER is a movie about a hunt for a deranged killer. Wouldn't rank this high except it's one of the few times you get to see and hear the underrated group of Sparks.
6/10
20. THE LONGEST DAY barely justifies the all star cast, mostly due to the paratrooper scenes.
6/10
21. WARLOCK tries too hard to be formula. The film would actually be better without the Fonda and Quinn demi god characters. Fonda and Quinn become the Hollywood formula part of the movie. Widmark makes his worth seeing.
6/10
22. MY NAME IS NOBODY. Slightly humorous, a one joke movie nonetheless.
4/10
23. FAIL SAFE very hard to stay awake for. Plods
4/10
24. ON GOLDEN POND another you won't be able to sit through in one sitting and stay awake for.
4/10
25. DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK starts promising, and has moments, but never really captivates the atmosphere it tries for.
4/10
26. THE CHEYENNE SOCIAL CLUB is where we're getting to serious boredom. It tries to be lightly humorous, but fails.
3/10
27. THE ROUNDERS boring on the order of Cheyenne Social Club
3/10
28. THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES. Nothing wrong with performance. It's the silly Hollywood Western story
3/10
29. JESSE JAMES another silly one
3/10
30. HOW THE WEST WAS WON a disjointed mess involving an all star cast being wasted. If these were unknown actors, I'd give it 5/10 for moderately trying, but a waste of resources brings it down to:
3/10
31. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST is one of the worst Westerns ever made. No motivation at all that we can empathize with. For instance, the hero wants the villain dead out of revenge, so he kills men who are trying to kill the villain. Believe it or not, there are crack heads out there who buy this.
1/10
32. WELCOME TO HARD TIMES. If you thought Once upon a Time was as bad as it gets, this is even worst, mostly because of how contrived it is to fit the completely stereotypical Hollywood formula ending. Most predictable movie ever made.
1/10
And now that it's here, it is OFFICIAL!
