cowboys and aliens (the movie)

[Dave (imported)]

Gee, there's actually a plot and character development.

A nice, very weird action flick with Indians and stagecoach robbers and the wild west guns...

scary aliens and scary alien experiments.

I suspect there's a good story because this started as an illustrated novel and those are always better written than mere sci-fi movie schlock.

[Cainanite (imported)]

Cowboys and Aliens is a surprisingly good movie to watch. I very much liked the story and the acting. Somehow it managed to be both a very fun western with all the conventions you'd expect, AND a great alien invasion film with all those elements intact and unaffected.

Usually when you try to combine genera like this, something suffers for it. Cowboys and Aliens manages to avoid those pitfalls and give a very solid story.

I expect there will be sequels to this movie, but I can already tell you, they will not be as good. There is no way they'll get this same cast back together, and the magic of this movie will be over.

As a stand alone movie, it is one of the better action movies I've seen. Grab it on DVD or Blu-ray if you can. It is well worth watching.

If there is a sequel, skip it.

[Riverwind (imported)]

Dave, do you remember a TV summer series that was I think called, cliff hangers? It was three different stories each 20 minutes long and one in beautiful black and white. All three were going from one death experience to the next.

If I remember right, the western which was in black and white dealt with aliens or am I wrong? Its been a long time ago, maybe late 70's.

Anyway the cowboys and aliens kinds of reminded me of it.

River

[Dave (imported)]

No, sorry River, I don't remember a TV series like that.

[Riverwind (imported)]

Found it,

Cliffhangers (TV Series)

Original run February 27, 1979 – May 2, 1979

Cliffhangers was an American (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) television series that debuted on February 27, 1979 on NBC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC).

Cliffhangers attempted to revive the genre of movie serials (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_(film)) in a made-for-TV format. Each hour-long episode was divided into three 20-minute (including commercials) segments featuring different storylines. During the series' run, three serials were featured - a mystery, a science fiction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction)/western (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_movie) hybrid, and a horror story:

"Stop Susan Williams": Susan Anton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Anton) stars as a beautiful TV journalist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalist) investigating the murder of her brother, and stumbling on a vast international conspiracy.

"The Secret Empire": the adventures of a U.S. marshal (Geoffrey Scott (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Scott_(actor))) in the Old West (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_West) who stumbles upon a futuristic underground city run by aliens.

"The Curse of Dracula": starring Michael Nouri (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Nouri) as Count Dracula (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_Dracula), who is living undercover as a college teacher in 1979 San Francisco.

The western was in black and white.

River

[Dave (imported)]

Well, in the movie, the aliens have four hands, live underground and there is not much of their encampment that looks futuristic except for the human dissection table and their spaceship plus a few flying machines. The rest is cowboys and Indians, horses and gold town with dirt streets. And there is a nice "hero rides off into the distance" scene which is considered prime western cliche and always has me wondering if the horse is going to raise its ail and drop a load which horses always seem to do from time to time. That's why barns stink.

[moi621 (imported)]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBVLMyi1OXM

Cowboys sans cows and the supernatural are a good mix.



clip from a story by Robert E. Howard of Conan fame. Did a wealth of historical fiction and Western fantasies in a collection called, "The Vultures of Wapleton" I believe. Good stuff. Some plots were inspired by Old South and slave horror stories. Has to do with Howard's breeding.

Moi

One and a half book shelves of Howard.

[Riverwind (imported)]

One and a half book shelves of Howard.

I am the same way with Heinlein and Asimov.

River

[Dave (imported)]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBVLMyi1OXM

Cowboys sans cows and the supernatural are a good mix.

.

I forgot about VALLEY OF GWANGI that was a good western with dinosaurs thrown in.

Trailers From Hell has some commentary - http://trailersfromhell.com/trailers/286

The trailer has tiny bits of the dinosaur versus elephant in the arena battle which is so much fun to watch.