News

I’m old enough to remember when Jacques Rivette films were the domain of dark-web networks and substandard DVD rips, a conspiratorial network worthy of his cinema. It’s still a little strange seeing that April will feature a 10-film, one-short Criterion Channel program that combines of his canonized masterpieces with decidedly lesser-seens––plus Va Savoir, which I really hope is the recently unearthed four-hour cut for which there’s no substitute. Penélope Cruz is also subject of a retrospective in April, which––more than making me pine for a Rivette collab that never was––will include both Abre Los Ojos and Vanilla Sky, some Almodóvar, and another in the Channel’s ongoing let’s-add-a-Woody-Allen-movie campaign, Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

For themed series, J. Hoberman has curated a series on the dangers of ’60s and ’70s New York that runs from Michael Roemer’s recently restored The Plot Against Harry and...

In 1967, Clint Eastwood's career took off overnight with the U.S. theatrical releases of "A Fistful of Dollars," "For a Few Dollars More" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." This trilogy of newfangled Spaghetti Westerns directed by the brilliant Sergio Leone transformed Eastwood from a TV cowboy (as Rowdy Yates on CBS' "Rawhide") to a gunslinging antihero. The genre was reborn, and Eastwood was suddenly John Wayne for the Baby Boomer generation. He expanded his range and bolstered his popularity the following year by genre-hopping from Western "Hang 'Em High" to cop flick "Coogan's Bluff" to World War II spy thriller "Where Eagles Dare." By the time 1969 rolled around, he could do just about anything — and he did the unexpected.

Though musicals and traditional Westerns were declining in popularity, Paramount thought it could give them both a jolt by mounting a big-screen adaptation of the popular Alan Jay Lerner...

Die Hard and Terminator 2: Judgment Day are often brought up when discussing the most influential action films of all-time, but the 1971 cop thriller Dirty Harry deserves to be in the conversation. While its premise alone isnt that different from a multitude of other police procedural and murder mystery films, Dirty Harry succeeded in launching Clint Eastwood as the most iconic American movie star of his era. Eastwood may have courted an overseas marker with his work on The Man With No Name Trilogy, but it was thanks to his work with director Don Siegel that Dirty Harry became so acclaimed. Dirty Harry ended up inspiring four direct sequels, but the first time, Eastwood and Siegel first worked was together on the neo-western action thriller, Coogans Bluff.

Quick Links Movies Coming to Prime Video Movies Coming to Peacock Movies Coming to Hulu Movies Coming to Shudder Movies Coming to Max Movies Coming to Netflix Movies Coming to Paramount+

Cinephiles love nothing more than a great movie, with each genre offering a distinct sense of excitement, whether it's a spine-chilling horror or a mind-blowing thriller. Furthermore, seeing them on the big screen provides an entirely different experience compared to viewing them on a mobile device or laptop. However, if you want to forgo the theater this month, you can watch new films on the abundance of streaming services that release a slew of new movies each month. To help you keep track, we've compiled a directory of every movie available on major streaming services in September 2024, including Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, and more.

Movies Coming to Prime Video

Columbia Pictures/Republic Pictures/Studio Canal

Here's every movie...

After a busy August with the Season 2 premiere of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” which continues throughout September with new episodes through Oct. 3, “Batman: Caped Crusader,” and more, Amazon streaming services Prime Video and Freevee will have a comparably quiet September.

Most of the action for the month will come from Prime Video’s sports options. After the Sept. 5 Kickoff Game at Arrowhead Stadium with the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs going up against the Baltimore Ravens, Prime Video’s third season of Thursday Night Football begins with AFC East champs Buffalo Bills taking on the Miami Dolphins in Miami. The WNBA and Nwsl also continue their seasons on Prime Video, with matches all month long from New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, Angel City Fc, and more top teams.

But Prime Video will welcome a few new series this month, including the highly publicized...

Clint Eastwood's role in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly solidified his status as a Western genre icon. Lee Van Cleef's portrayal of the ruthless Angel Eyes added depth to the Spaghetti Western trilogy. Eli Wallach's comedic relief as Tuco balanced out the serious tone of the iconic film.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is a standout film whose cast elevated it to greatness and is the third movie in Sergio Leones iconic Fistful of Dollars trilogy. The trilogy began with A Fistful of Dollars in 1964 and was followed up by For A Few Dollars More the next year before culminating with 1966s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The films are part of the Spaghetti Western tradition, which was a subgenre of Westerns that used Italian teams to make American Western-genre films.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is arguably the...

Clint Eastwood perfected the archetype of the witty, fast-shooting gunslinger in his Western films through collaboration with acclaimed directors. Not all Eastwood roles were deadly gunslingers; some showed complexity and romantic entanglements, like McBee in The Beguiled. Eastwood's portrayal of deadly gunslingers like Joe Kidd and The Stranger showcased intense, rough characters with layers of complexity.

Legend of the Western genre Clint Eastwood has played several deadly gunslingers across his acclaimed career. From Spaghetti Westerns to Hollywood blockbusters, Eastwood perfected the archetype of the witty, fast-shooting, lone anti-hero who was consistently embroiled in shootouts, standoffs, and vicious bar fights. Through Eastwood's work with acclaimed directors like Sergio Leone and Don Siegel, as well as the many movies he directed himself, Eastwood played countless intimidating, tough, and skilled gunslingers who left their mark on the often brutal and deadly landscape of the Wild West.

While Eastwood did appear in plenty of Western movies,...

Martin Scorsese rejected Beverly Hills Cop because he thought it was too similar to Clint Eastwood's Coogan's Bluff. Despite passing on Beverly Hills Cop, Scorsese ended up making a fish-out-of-water comedy called After Hours. After Hours was not as successful as Beverly Hills Cop, but some consider it to be an underrated film and a good move by Scorsese.

Martin Scorsese rejected the opportunity to direct an 80s film staple thanks to an old Clint Eastwood movie. Considered to be a multi-talented vanguard of cinema entertainment, Scorsese has maintained a distinguished record of filmography that dates back to the 50s and includes directed and/or producing credits on essential movies like Taxi Driver (1976), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and so many more. His history on big, and sometimes small, screens is characterized by an identifiable, signature style and the tendency to garner incredible...

Few American filmmakers of the last 40 years await a major rediscovery like Hal Hartley, whose traces in modern movies are either too-minor or entirely unknown. Thus it’s cause for celebration that the Criterion Channel are soon launching a major retrospective: 13 features (which constitutes all but My America) and 17 shorts, a sui generis style and persistent vision running across 30 years. Expect your Halloween party to be aswim in Henry Fool costumes.

Speaking of: there’s a one-month headstart on seasonal programming with the 13-film “High School Horror”––most notable perhaps being a streaming premiere for the uncut version of Suspiria, plus the rare opportunity to see a Robert Rodriguez movie on the Criterion Channel––and a retrospective of Hong Kong vampire movies. A retrospective of ’70s car movies offer chills and thrills of a different sort

Six films by Allan Dwan and 12 “gaslight noirs” round out the main September series; The Eight Mountains,...

Marc Eliot's 2009 biography "American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood" lays out the production of Don Siegel's 1971 cop drama "Dirty Harry" as a complicated affair. The first version of the film's script was violent and raw, telling the story of a cop who has to break the law in order to stop a dangerous serial killer. As the script was passed around, though, many became wary of its violence, and many actors expressed interest and dropped out. The rights to the film were once in the hands of ABC who aimed to adapt it for TV, but sold it to Warner Bros. when they realized just how violent the film had to be. Irvin Kershner was once hired to direct, with Frank Sinatra starring. Sydney Pollock, George C. Scott, Robert Mitchum, Steve McQueen, and many other famous people brushed up against "Dirty Harry" during pre-production. Even Terrence Malick purportedly wrote a draft.

Retro-active: The Best From The Cinema Retro Archives

By Lee Pfeiffer

Kino Lorber has released a new DVD edition of John Wayne's late-career detective flick "Brannigan". The 1975 film takes Wayne out of the saddle and deposits him squarely in central London ("The Duke's in London. God Save the Queen!" read the tag line on the film poster.). The "fish-out--of-water" crime thriller concept began with Don Siegel's outstanding "Coogan's Bluff" (1968), which inspired Dennis Weaver's hit rip-off TV series "McCloud". Still, the premise works well with Wayne's tough Chicago Irish cop Jim Brannigan sent to London to extradite a top crime figure, much as Clint Eastwood's Coogan was shipped to New York to bring a criminal back to Arizona. Wayne had gone the detective route the year before in "McQ". He had originally been offered the role of Dirty Harry but correctly assumed his fans would not stand...

The great director discusses some of his favorite movies with host Josh Olson.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

The Alzheimer Case a.k.a. Memory of a Killer (2003)

Memory (Tbd)

The Protégé (2021)

You Only Live Twice (1967)

Cast A Deadly Spell (1991)

The Mask Of Zorro (1998)

GoldenEye (1995)

Casino Royale (2006)

Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)

Slap Shot (1977) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

Salt (2010)

Atomic Blonde (2017) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing

The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

Oliver Twist (1948)

Dr. No (1962) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary

The Guns Of Navarone (1962)

The Dirty Dozen (1967) – Ed Neumeier’s trailer commentary

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s 70mm reissue review

The Spy Who Loved Me...

Buddy Van Horn, a stuntman who often doubled for Clint Eastwood and directed the actor in the films Any Which Way You Can, The Dead Pool and Pink Cadillac, died May 11, his family announced. He was 92.

Van Horn worked with Eastwood and his Malpaso Productions on nearly three dozen movies over more than four decades.

A charter member of the Stuntmen’s Association of Motion Pictures and member of the Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame, Van Horn began as Eastwood’s stunt double on Don Siegel’s Coogan’s Bluff (1968).

They were paired on other Siegel-helmed films like Two Mules for Sister ...

Buddy Van Horn, a stuntman who often doubled for Clint Eastwood and directed the actor in the films Any Which Way You Can, The Dead Pool and Pink Cadillac, died May 11, his family announced. He was 92.

Van Horn worked with Eastwood and his Malpaso Productions on nearly three dozen movies over more than four decades.

A charter member of the Stuntmen’s Association of Motion Pictures and member of the Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame, Van Horn began as Eastwood’s stunt double on Don Siegel’s Coogan’s Bluff (1968).

They were paired on other Siegel-helmed films like Two Mules for Sister ...

Writer, producer, director Lee Daniels discusses some of his favorite films with Josh & Joe.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Infested (2002)

Shadowboxer (2005)

The United States Vs. Billie Holiday (2021)

A Star Is Born (1937)

Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

Lady Sings The Blues (1972)

Island In The Sun (1957)

Carmen Jones (1954)

Claudine (1974)

Mandingo (1975)

Drum (1976)

Caligula (1979)

Gloria (1980)

The Exorcist (1973)

Abby (1974)

Blacula (1972)

Scream Blacula Scream (1973)

Cabaret (1972)

Lenny (1974)

Sounder (1972)

All That Jazz (1979)

I Am A Camera (1955)

Travels With My Aunt (1972)

The Emigrants (1971)

Star 80 (1983)

Harold And Maude (1971)

The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather Part II (1974)

Pickup On South Street (1953)

In The Mood For Love (2000)

Leave Her To Heaven (1945)

Laura (1944)

Dragonwyck (1946)

The Baron of Arizona (1950)

His Kind of Woman (1951)

Explorers (1985)

Innerspace (1987)

Jack Reacher (2012)

Them (1954)

Revenge of the Creature (1955)

Tarantula! (1955)

Coogan’s Bluff (1968)

Going In Style (1979)

Going In Style (2017)

Judas And The Black Messiah (2021)

Stroszek (1977)

Fitzcarraldo (1982)

Land of Silence and Darkness (1971)

Cave Of Forgotten Dreams...

To mark Fabulous Films latest releases on 19th October, we’re giving away a DVD bundle including The Holiday, Green Street, Coogan’s Bluff, Green Zone and Rumble Fish on DVD.

The Holiday

Meet Iris (Kate Winslet) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz), two women who couldn’t be more different – one lives in a cosy English cottage, the other in a swanky Hollywood estate- but both are alike in their mutual bad luck with men. In desperate need of an escape, they meet online and impulsively switch homes. Both find the last thing either wants or expects- a new romance- and discover that a change of address really can change your life.

Rumble Fish

Two brothers whose desire to break out of their urban trap eventually leads to the death of one and a new beginning for the other.

Coogan’s Bluff

Walter Coogan (Eastwood), a soft-spoken, straightforward Arizona lawman, is

sent...

“Early Dirty”

By Raymond Benson

The filmmaker who made the iconic Clint Eastwood vehicle, Dirty Harry in 1971 also made something of an early test-run three years earlier in the form of a crime picture called Madigan. Starring Richard Widmark as a tough, cynical, and world-weary police detective in New York City, Madigan displays the same look, feel, and grit that the later Eastwood police procedural exhibits. And, like Harry Callahan, Dan Madigan doesn’t always follow the rules.

Don Siegel had been a solid craftsman since the 1950s, responsible for such works as Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954), the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), the admirable remake of The Killers (1964), and Coogan’s Bluff (1968). Likewise, Madigan is a well-made thriller with a hard-boiled plot and realistic characters portrayed by an excellent cast that includes Henry Fonda, Inger Stevens, and James Whitmore.

The tale begins when Madigan (Widmark) and his partner...

Manhattan detective Richard Widmark is up the creek without his .38 special — a maniac killer has stolen it. He’s desperate to get it back, while his personal and professional problems pile up. Henry Fonda, Inger Stevens and Harry Guardino give sterling performances, but the assured direction of Don Siegel is what keeps us on edge throughout. The classic crime saga pushed the limits of the incoming Ratings System — yet provided a style template for a decade of Universal cop shows. Siegel utilizes blunt jarring cutting effects to make its violence feel extra-intense — and for warped screen villainy, Steve Ihnat’s Barney Benesch has no equal — he has less than three minutes of screen time, but you’ll never forget him.

Madigan

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1968 / Color / 2:35 widescreen (Techniscope) / 101 min. / Street Date November 12, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Inger Stevens, Harry Guardino, James Whitmore, Susan Clark,...

Actor Seymour Cassel has passed away. He was 84-years old. Cassel died Sunday, April 7th in Los Angeles of complications from Alzheimer's disease, according to his son, Matt.

The actor was best-known for appearing in several John Cassavetes projects over the years and worked with Wes Anderson on Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. Cassel was also known for being a versatile talent that made him an admired character actor in the entertainment industry.

Seymour Cassel got his start in acting after studying with Stella Adler at Carnegie Hall. It was there he saw an ad for "Free Scholarships - John Cassavetes Workshop, Variety Arts Building," which changed his life forever. He went and met up with Cassavetes, spoke to him for an hour, and then went to the set to watch the iconic director work and ended up with a job as a cameraman.

Frank Sinatra shines in a story of police corruption that tries to say it like it is -- or like it was in 1968, just before the ratings system came in.  The well-intentioned, suspenseful story is burdened by odd censor choices,  Sinatra's conservative self-image, and rudely retrograde attitudes toward gays. In a sparkling new transfer with Jerry Goldsmith's jazzy score isolated on its own track. The Detective Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1968 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 114 min. / Ship Date December 8, 2015 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Frank Sinatra, Lee Remick, Ralph Meeker, Jacqueline Bisset, William Windom, Al Freeman Jr., Tony Musante, Lloyd Bochner, Robert Duvall, Horace McMahon Cinematography Joseph F. Biroc Art Direction William J. Creber, Jack Martin Smith Film Editor Robert L. Simpson Original Music Jerry Goldsmith Written by Abby Mann from a novel by Roderick Thorpe Produced by Aaron Rosenberg Directed by Gordon Douglas

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...

Feature Aliya Whiteley 16 Sep 2013 - 06:50

Between them, director Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood created some classic movie anti-heroes, including one Dirty Harry...

Let’s start at the end of this story.

Unforgiven (1992) is a film that builds on the groundwork of others, and takes the ideas of the past to a new level. In it, Clint Eastwood plays a once-vicious killer, William Munny, who chooses to return to the role of bounty-hunter in his old age. It's no wonder that the film is dedicated to the two directors who shaped the public image of Eastwood to such an extent that we can view Unforgiven as an extension of the mythology of his classic role- the anti-hero. One is Sergio Leone, who turned Eastwood into the Man With No Name. The other director is Don Siegel.

Siegel directed five films that starred Eastwood and was a great influence on him...

TCM's Dennis Adamovich, Robert Osborne and Jane Powell initiate the formal launch of the TCM Classic Film Tour. (Photo: Turner Classic Movies).

By Lee Pfeiffer

In true Hollywood style, it was an offer I couldn't refuse: an invitation from Turner Classic Movies to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony and inaugural roll out of the TCM Classic Film Tour of New York city movie locations.  This event, which took place on August 20, was restricted to the media and invited guests. TCM host Robert Osborne was there to greet everyone along with a Hollywood legend, Jane Powell, who was clearly delighted to participate. Osborne and Powell used giant scissors to cut the ribbon on the bus, which is distinctively branded with the network's logo (and appropriately enough, the ultimate New York City "big" star, King Kong). Joining them was Dennis Adamovich, Senior VP of Brand Digital Activation and the guru behind the Turner Classic Movies Film Festivals.

Clint Eastwood reunites with Don Siegel after Coogan's Bluff (but before Dirty Harry) and buddies up Shirley MacLaine for this engaging comedy western. In the Mexican desert, there's an adventure behind every cactus for a grouchy drifter and the nun he rescues from a gang of rapists. Great chemistry between the two, plus Ennio Morricone's playful score makes this a tremendously enjoyable ride, and the final twist delivers a real donkey kick.

Reel Important People is a monthly column that highlights those individuals in or related to the movies who have left us in recent weeks. Below you'll find names big and small and from all areas of the industry, though each was significant to the movies in their own way.   Conrad Bain (1923-2013) - Actor best known for his TV roles as Phillip Drummond on Diff'rent Strokes and Dr. Arthur Harmon on Maude. He also appears in the films Bananas, Postcards from the Edge, Coogan's Bluff and C.H.O.M.P.S. (see him in the trailer below). He died on January 14. (Deadline) Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (1936-2012) - Composer nominated three times for the Oscar for his scores to Far from the Maddening Crowd, Nicholas and Alexandra and Murder on the Orient Express...

Read More...

Highlights Of Issue #24:

Major celebration of The Poseidon Adventure's 40th anniversary with articles by David Savage, Tom Lisanti, James Radford and Chris Poggiali. Includes many rare photos, international movie posters and interviews with Carol Lynley and Mort Kunstler, the legendary artist who created the movie poster. Kunstler also provides his original sketches for the ad campaign, reproduced in this issue for the first time.  40th anniversary tribute to Deliverance. John Exshaw visits director John Boorman at his home in Ireland for exclusive interview about working with author James Dickey on the landmark film. Gary Giblin takes an in-depth look at another classic film celebrating its 40th anniversary: Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy, complete with rare stills from sequences that the Master cut from the final version of the movie. Matthew R. Bradley looks at one of the screen's legendary baddies, James Bond nemesis Blofeld in both literature and cinema.

With four Grammy Awards, a Cable Ace Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it's mind boggling to think that the legendary Lalo Schifrin is still without an Oscar, despite being nominated six times. The 80-year-old hasn't slowed down for a moment, with a catalog so vast that there is plenty for the devoted cinephile to explore and discover. And a holiday season treat is just around the corner. Aleph Records has put together a 4 CD box set that covers Schifrin's entire career, putting together a tracklist of selected film work as well as various jazz and classical pieces. Of note to film buffs will be prevoiusly unreleased pieces from Schifrin's work on the Don Siegel films "Charley Varrick" (an undersung little '70s gem), "The Beguiled" and "Coogan's Bluff" in addition to tracks from George C. Scott's "Rage" and John Sturges' "Joe Kidd." Of course,...

Issue #24 of Cinema Retro is being hailed by many readers as the very best in the eight years we've been publishing. What makes it so special? Consider the wide range of great films covered in this one, diverse issue:

Major celebration of The Poseidon Adventure's 40th anniversary with articles by David Savage, Tom Listanti, James Radford and Chris Poggiali. Includes many rare photos, international movie posters and interviews with Carol Lynley and Mort Kunstler, the legendary artist who created the movie poster. Kunstler also provides his original sketches for the ad campaign, reproduced in this issue for the first time.  40th anniversary tribute to Deliverance. John Exshaw visits director John Boorman at his home in Ireland for exclusive interview about working with author James Dickey on the landmark film. Gary Giblin takes an in-depth look at another classic film celebrating its 40th anniversary: Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy, complete with...

In the credits to his masterpiece "Unforgiven," Clint Eastwood included a dedication: "for Don Siegel and Sergio Leone." Leone was a no-brainer, one of the great filmmakers who worked with Clint on a trio of films ("The Good The Bad And The Ugly," "A Fistful Of Dollars" and "For A Few Dollars More"). But Siegel was less beloved of cinephiles. A cosmopolitan Chicago native who studied at Jesus College, Cambridge, he started directing montages at Warner Bros. (including the opening scene of "Casablanca"), before breaking into features, with a string of B-movies with everyone from Robert Mitchum to Elvis Presley (the latter on 1960's "Flaming Star"), but became most notable for his work with Eastwood on five pictures from 1968's "Coogan's Bluff" to 1979's "Escape From Alcatraz."

Siegel was an unpretentious, unprecious director, best known for tough, muscular crime movies, but he never became an auteur favorite, despite his obvious...

Oscar-nominated cinematographer who worked on Lenny, Dirty Harry and The Beguiled

The American cinematographer Bruce Surtees, who has died aged 74, became known as "the prince of darkness" for his muted and often lugubrious style of lighting. However, while Surtees was well-suited to the nocturnal street scenes of Dirty Harry (1971), the Rembrandt-esque arrangements of The Beguiled (1971) and the claustrophobic interiors of Escape from Alcatraz (1979), all directed by Don Siegel, he was also at home with the wide open spaces of the western Joe Kidd (1972) and the surfing movie Big Wednesday (1978).

His deceptively simple black-and-white scheme for Lenny (1974), Bob Fosse's semi-documentary biopic of the comedian Lenny Bruce, earned Surtees an Oscar nomination. The film's compelling stand-up sequences owe almost as much to the expert lighting of the nightclub as they do to Dustin Hoffman's performance. As Hoffman paces the stage, chased by his own shadow, the light captures wisps of...

Harry Hanrahan is back this week with his latest. The video editor who brought us The 100 Greatest Move Insults of All Time , The Other 100 Greatest Movie Quotes and Nicolas Cage: Losing His Sh*t, among many others, debuts the spectacular 100 Greatest Movie Threats of All Time, a collection of the funniest, meanest, and most profane ass-kicking threats in the history of cinema.

Enjoy (Language Nsfw)

(Hat Tip: Pajiba Readers for filling in the blanks)

-----

Here is a list of the movies being quoted from:

0'04 - The Limey, Law Abiding Citizen, Cape Fear (1962)

0'33 - Fargo, Scarface, Back to the Future Part III, Tombstone

1'02 - Coogan's Bluff, They Live, Laughing Policeman, The Dead Pool, Casino

1'33 - Full Metal Jacket, Major Payne, In the Loop, Good Morning Vietnam

2'05 - Midnight Run, The Departed, The Big Lebowski, The Blues Brothers

2'33 - Coming to America, Punch-Drunk Love,...

Where did the western go? The cowboys and gunslingers of yore passed the baton to cops and detectives, hitmen and astronauts

True Grit is going great guns at the American box office, making it the Coen brothers' highest-grossing movie ever. Some might see this as a sign that the western is making a comeback. But, honestly, I don't think it ever really went away.

Observers have been predicting the genre's demise for a hundred years; Edward Buscombe, in The BFI Companion to the western, quotes a trade reviewer who in 1911 dismissed it as "a gold mine that had been worked to the limit". But by 1953 westerns were making up more than a quarter of Hollywood's output, and much of television's, too; my generation was weaned on The Lone Ranger, Gunsmoke and Rawhide.

In the 1960s, that figure went into a slump from which it never recovered, though there were still...

He made his mark in the HBO western Deadwood. Now Timothy Olyphant is playing another lawman in the upcoming Justified

Timothy Olyphant is thinking about the Sex Pistols. "I was at an Arlo Guthrie show at UCLA last week," he says, rolling his eyes at the thought of the ancient singer of the hippy anthem Alice's Restaurant. "I just remember thinking, 'Man, if [former Pistols guitarist] Steve Jones was here he'd start booing,' and I really, really wanted to do the booing for him. Man, that show was a snore – I just didn't believe a word that came out of their mouths."

Punk credentials firmly established, Olyphant sips his latte, which has a perfect heart sculpted into its milky surface. The Steve Jones connection isn't so odd. For years, the ex-Pistol had the lunchtime spot ("Jonesey's Jukebox") on La radio station Indie 103.1. The show before that had Olyphant as its on-air, unpaid sports commentator.

By Lee Pfeiffer

The Warner Archive, which offers a treasure trove of burn-to-order DVDs for consumers, has made available Soldier in the Rain, the 1963 comedy starring the oddball pairing of Steve McQueen and Jackie Gleason as two U.S. Army con men who live the easy life on a military base by swindling virtually everyone they encounter. Gleason is the top sergeant and the brains of the operation, while McQueen, playing against type, is his doofy Gomer Pyle-like right hand man. The two manage to connive their way out of doing any heavy lifting during their work day, and in the evening find ways to seduce impressionable women. The film was not well-reviewed in its day and was considered rather racy, with its abundance of sex jokes. However, I've always found it very enjoyable, even though McQueen is miscast. The centerpiece of the film is really Gleason, who is in...