SENSITIZE ©

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
A review by Louis P. Burns aka Lugh - Independent Media Producer.

I've never liked cowboy and western films. All that testosterone flying around all over the place, men spitting in buckets or on the floor. Or hitting each other over the head with bottles. Ten gallon hats. Horses falling over or the whacked out notion that killing Native Americans was somehow cool, always made me angry.

Not forgetting that cowboy and western films are probably single-handedly responsible for some very sick people's love of guns. Well, them and war movies of course. Add to this that they frequently got screened on miserable wet saturdays when I was young. So I associate them with damp and dreary days growing up in rain-beaten Derry, here in Northern Ireland (shudders).

All of that aside. Two westerns have recently blown my cowboy and western-movie hating mind. One is; No Country For Old Men which is simply brilliant. The other; The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford written (screenplay) and directed by Andrew Dominik, and adapted from the novel by Ron Hansen should get every award available in my opinion.

Internet Movie database (IMdb) details here:

http://imdb.com/title/tt0443680/

Superb acting from all of the cast of; The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. With particular reference to Brad Pitt as Jesse James, Casey Affleck as Robert Ford and Sam Rockwell as Charley Ford. Utterly gripping performances from them all.

The cinematography in; The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is something to truly behold. A genuinely dazzling experience. Beautiful exterior panoramic / wide angle nature shots capturing the colder regions and landscapes of the U.S. in combination with highly authentic and excellent interior shots. Those set around the dinner table or homesteads so real I could feel all the tension being portrayed and at one point I thought I might get shot myself. Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my drift.

My last but indeed not least homage to The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford has to be for the exceptional soundtrack. Even if you're like me and don't like westerns generally. Any film that has the very lovely and wonderful Mr. Nick Cave (of; Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) playing the part of a bar room story-telling folk singer doing his much slower rendition of a song originally made popular by Shane McGowan and The Pogues (on; Rum, Sodomy and the Lash back in the 80's) has to be worth watching. Right? Yip. I thought you'd agree. Cave's appearance just added to the sheer pleasure of watching The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. The scene in which he appears, is one of the most memorable and heartbreaking scenes of the film. Some kind soul has seen fit to post this clip up to YouTube, although I bet it gets pulled for copyright infringement. In the meantime, you can watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikam-i4_J_k

I could rant (and frequently do as I'm sure many will testify to if asked) more about The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford but I'll close for now by saying: If you don't go and buy a copy of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford on DVD, then there is something very seriously wrong with you and you should seek the help of caring and well intended professionals immediately ...

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Purchasing details);

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_d_h ... esse+james

Enjoy ...

Louis P. Burns aka Lugh / Bold...

Shane Meadows' Somers Town Wins Top Edinburgh Award:

http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0 ... 67,00.html

Link forwarded to me from a writer friend of mine - Brian Gillespie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fq0-QIgJt0

A modern day masterpiece. This entire section is just a sample of the storyline but by no means defines it. I first watched it nearly 2 years ago (nice one Brian) and it has remained etched on my mind ever since. A constant source of both inspiration and perspective.

I challenge other creatives not to be inspired to put pen to paper or brush to canvas after watching Land of the Blind. I honestly believe you can do nothing but be inspired to disharge art and make something new. To summon from out of nowhere, reflections of the world we're in right now...

Radiohead - House of Cards:



John Hughes just emailed me this link to Radiohead's video for House of Cards and I fully agree with him that it is exceptional. I'd say anyone with a keen eye for art and image manipulation, or CGI representations will be facinated by how it all came about. You can read more about the video's production here;

http://www.ateaseweb.com/2008/05/10/rad ... n-florida/

Powerful stuff

Lugh...

Terminator 4 - Salvation (Scheduled Release - 2009)

I am drooling with anticipation about this movie. I've been a fan of the Terminator movies since they came out in 1984 and I love the spin-off series (Terminator - The Sarah Connor's Chronicles) now into its second season.

According to the trailer which you can watch on YouTube by hitting the red title up above, the storyline has somehow changed and the world at Judgement Day (2018) is different from the one foretold by Sarah Connors, mother of John Connors - leader of the Resistance. Now humanity is outnumbered by the machines that eventually adapt and perfect themselves into Terminator cyborgs (outwardly human) ... To read more about Terminator - Salvation then please click on the next link:

http://terminatorsalvation.warnerbros.com/

THE END BEGINS

A good friend linked me to this closing theme song from; In The Electric Mist and has said that the film is getting some great feedback. I've yet to see it but I really admire Tommy Lee Jones' acting and to read that he's up against another magnificent actor. The mighty; John Goodman has sold In The Electric Mist to me.

I've loved Bluegrass, Blues, Cajun and R&B for years although I'm no expert on it all, and my friend tells me these styles also feature heavy on the soundtrack. Sounds like a great experience to me.

What do you folks think of it?

I'm really into this song and I've only heard it three time tonight. That's a good sign

A few noteworthy movie recommendations for 2010 from my good friend John Hughes aka Sean Óg:

"Check these out. 2010 looking like a great year for films."

Inception;


Shutter Island;


Robin Hood;


Clash of the Titans;


Prince of Persia;


The Book of Eli;


The Expendables;


Alice in Wonderland;


The Road;

Possible Blade Runner Sequel to be Produced:

Borys Kit - Reuters wrote:LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The production company behind the Sandra Bullock hit "The Blind Side" is looking to bring the world of "Blade Runner" back to the big screen.

The 1982 cult classic, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, was set in a future where man has created clones called replicants who are used for dangerous work. When they rebel on a space colony, replicants are banned and hunted down.

Read the full article here: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/ ... AQ20110303

LOVE/HATE Season 3 - RTE Television, October 2012.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IipMYjcStwg

YES Season 3 of this absolutely magnificent and hard hitting Irish drama series airs this month on RTE Television. I can't wait. Sheer roller-coaster ride through the criminal underworld of modern day Dublin. Exceptional 10 / 10 ...