The Western is an American genre in literature and film. Westerns are art works – films, literature, television and radio shows, sculpture (particularly that by Frederic Remington), and paintings – devoted to telling stories set in the 19th Century American West (and sometimes Mexico, Canada or the Australian Outback, during the same time period), with the setting ocassionally portrayed in a romanticised light.

While the Western has been popular throughout the history of movies, it has decreased in prominence since the late 1970s.

Definition

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Westerns, by definition, are set in the Western United States during the period from the start of the US Civil War in 1860 to the end of the so-called "Indian Wars" at Wounded Knee in 1890. But this definition is very elastic. Some westerns incorporate the Civil War, which was essentially an "eastern" conflict (i.e., east of the Mississippi river). Westerns have crossed the US borders: frequently into Mexico, sometimes into Canada and even, famously, into Bolivia. The timeframe is stretched even further. The genre includes films about the Battle of the Alamo in 1836; and the Mexican Revolution as late as 1920.

More on [ Western (genre) ]

Movies Reviews

Review for The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience - Must Go! - Simply the Best Comic Movie Ever
What a tremendous film this was. When it was over, I really couldn't do anything except clap and shake my head. It transcendent of a comic book film and took more the shape of an urban crime drama, that incorporated certain fantastic elements. Though I think very highly of a number of films from this genre, this is the only one I rank a 10. It's just masterful. The character portrayals (especially as compared to their comic counterparts), the thematic messages, the action sequences etc. I was most impressed with the Batman/Joker dynamic; it's one of the finest rivalries in all of fiction and was a joy to see come to life in such a manner. The Dark Knight does live up to it's PG-13 rating. The violence, implied and shown, isn't really child's fare. However, for those of us who are into or beyond our teenage years, this is a sure treat. The message of heroism is resoundingly trumpeted in an end exchange that truly speaks to why Batman continues to captivate audiences.
Review for The Dark Knight - Must Go! - Blown away
This is a must see summer blockbuster. Full of plot twists and turns, plenty of action and drama, it kept me engrossed from beginning to end. I would make a strong recommendation,however, against younger viewers who might be affected by the late Heath Ledger's commanding yet incredibly dark portrayal of the Joker. Christian Bale gave a great performance as well, although the husky Batman growl began to bother me a bit after after awhile. The film itself is beautifully taking us along to the dizzy heights and the lower depths of Gotham. I loved every second of it from parts that choked me up to the parts that made me gasp out loud. I plan to work up the nerve to see it again in IMAX, because it is worth a second viewing. Enjoy!
Review for Tropic Thunder - Must Go! - Tropic Thunder
I thought it was insanely funny, the whole theater was cracking up especially the character simple Jack. With a team of comedians like that it had to be. The story and plot were great! But it is not a movie for those who are always taking movies too seriously like the PC's and the race rioters. If you want to laugh then go see this movie now.

L.A. Times - Movie Reviews

'Beautiful Losers' is a freewheeling portrait of modern artists
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Also reviewed: 'I Served the King of England'; 'Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!' The age-old question "What is art?" is again considered in the colorful and spirited documentary "Beautiful Losers," an absorbing look at how a circle of dispossessed young artists from the 1990s eventually found its way to mainstream success.
'Red'
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Small-town rifts are convincingly exposed as hatred is unleashed. In "Red," an elegant and deceptively straightforward dramatic thriller, Av Ludlow (Brian Cox) is out fishing one day with his old dog when a trio of teenagers comes along and shoots the pooch dead for no reason. That act of violence sets in motion a chain of events that profoundly changes the characters, with effects more far-ranging than any can imagine.
'Babylon A.D.,' 'College,' Disaster Movie' reviews delayed
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Film distributors decline to make the movies available for early screenings. "Babylon A.D.," a PG-13-rated science-fiction film starring Vin Diesel; "College," an R-rated comedy starring Drake Bell; and "Disaster Movie," a PG-13 spoof, open in theaters today. The films' distributors -- 20th Century Fox, MGM and Lionsgate, respectively -- did not screen the movies for critics.

Movies

Trouble the Water
Richard Brody Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:00:00 -0000
The Film File
Tropic Thunder
Anthony Lane Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:00:00 -0000
The Film File
Momma's Man
Richard Brody Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:00:00 -0000
The Film File

Rolling Stone Movie Reviews

Trouble the Water
Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:31:14 -0700
Starring: Kendall "Wink" Rivers, Scott Roberts Review: A star is born. Her name is Kimberly Rivers Roberts. Your never heard of her. Not yet. Roberts didn't write or direct Trouble the Water, the behind-the-camera artistry in this wallop of a movie is handled by the extraordinary team of Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. Trouble the Water is a documentary, an unforgettable one. It's an account of Hurricane Katrina from the inside. Kimberly Rivers Roberts and her husband Scott Roberts were stuck in New Orleans, without the money to get out. So they stayed and helped their neighbors and shot footage of Katrina as she attacked, footage like you've never seen, jaw-dropping scenes of the city before, during and after Katrina struck. The heroism on view here is indisputable. You never see fear as Kimberly, 26, rushed to help her friends and... Rating: 3.5 Stars
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:51:48 -0700
Starring: Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Scarlet Johansson Review: Woody Allen goes latin (you heard me), and the romantic, richly comic result — powered by a dream cast — is his sexiest movie ever. Shooting in Spain has loosened up the Woodman. You want plot? Two American girls, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), spend the summer at the Barcelona hideaway of Vicky's pals, Mark (Kevin Dunn) and Judy (the ever-glorious Patricia Clarkson). No sooner do the girls spot Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), a bedroom-eyed painter, than he's hitting on both of them. So far, so predictable. What sparks the movie is Penélope Cruz as Maria Elena, the painter's ex-wife, a fireball given to strong emotions — hell, she once stabbed Juan Antonio during an argument. You haven't lived till you've heard Cruz and Bardem trading Woody Allen o... Rating: 3 Stars
Hamlet 2
Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:46:18 -0700
Starring: Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener Review: Don't expect a night with The Bard. This cuckoo farce asks: Can an L.A. actor stuck doing ads for herpes cures find happiness by moving to Tucson and teaching drama to high schoolers? Probably not. But you'll be wearing a happy face for two hours watching the brilliant Brit comic Steve Coogan play him. Him being Dana Marschz (pronounced Mars-chhh-zzz by those who dare), a sterile recovering alcoholic who gets slagged regularly by a snotty kid critic for staging movies (Dead Poets Society, Erin Brockovich) as plays. "He fisted us," cries Dana. Pumped by the addition of Latin students to his class of whitey Christians and closeted gays, Dana rouses himself — not with his wife (the dry, dazzling Catherine Keener), who's boinking their friend (David Arquette), but by creating an original... Rating: 3 Stars

Rotten Tomatoes: Top Movies

84% Tropic Thunder
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:05:02 -0700
With biting satire, plenty of subversive humor, and an unforgettable turn by Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder is a triumphant late Summer comedy.
40% The House Bunny
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:05:02 -0700
Anna Faris is game, but she can't salvage this middling, formulaic comedy.
40% Death Race
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:05:02 -0700
Mindless, violent, and lightning-paced, Death Race is little more than an empty action romp.

NPR Topics: Movies

'Year Of The Fish': A Cinderella Story, In Chinatown
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:15:00 -0400
A pretty, plucky heroine, a wicked massage-parlor proprietress, and a handsome-prince figure more perceptive than most — this modern fairy tale stays breezy, brisk and down to Earth.
Summary Judgment: Yet Another 'College' Movie?
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:00:00 -0400
Do we really need another SuperBad-esque comedy? Slate.com's Mark Jordan Legan tells us what the critics are saying about College as well as the latest sci-fi flick, Babylon AD starring Vin Diesel and Traitor starring Don Cheadle.
'Trouble The Water' Captures Katrina On Camcorder
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:05:00 -0400
As New Orleans' levees buckled, Kimberly Rivers Roberts turned her video camera on marooned friends, relatives and neighbors. Roberts' footage has been adapted into a powerful documentary that is as much about America as it is about the deadly storm.

NYT > Red Carpet

The Lawsuit Over Producer Credit for 'Crash' Gets Personal
SHARON WAXMAN Thu, 09 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0400
A top executive of the movie academy described one of the producing team behind the best-picture winner, "Crash," as throwing a tantrum in suing over credit for the film.
News Analysis: Los Angeles Retains Custody of Oscar
DAVID CARR Tue, 07 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0400
Los Angeles, a place where race is discussed rarely, saw itself in "Crash," a film where encounter and understanding are just a random fender-bender away.
'Crash' Walks Away With the Top Prize at the Oscars
DAVID M. HALBFINGER and DAVID CARR Mon, 06 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0400
In a stunning twist, the motion picture academy turned its back on "Brokeback Mountain," awarding the Oscar for best picture to "Crash."

Village Voice | Films

A Dreyer Duo—Day of Wrath at the IFC and Vampyr  on DVD
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Before there were Luis Buñuel, Robert Bresson, Ingmar Bergman, or Andrei Tarkovsky (not to mention Lars von Trier, Carlos Reygadas, and Guy Maddin), there was Carl Theodor Dreyer (1889–1968), the original solitary, uncompromising film artist. A product of the Danish film indu...
Disaster Movie
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
In the Adam Sandler vehicle Little Nicky, Hitler spends eternity in Hell in a frilly smock getting pineapples shoved up his butt. Compared to anyone watching Disaster Movie, he got off light. Rushed into production with no better drape for its threadbare gags than Cloverfield
...
John Carpenter Lives in a BAM Retrospective
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
I'm not sure if John Carpenter ever actually spoke the oft-reproduced quote: "In France, I'm an auteur; in Germany, I'm a filmmaker; in England, I'm a genre director; in the U.S., I'm a bum." But as an Old West newspaperman once advised a certain U.S. senator: "When the legend becomes fact, print...

Film News from Times Online

Dial M for must-see crime movies
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:37 -0000
The ten best crime movies
The Wackness
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0000

Badlands
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0000


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