Children of the Sun > TV
The Modern Western Discussion (was "sci-fi western discussion")
nacho:
Making this thread now just the generic wstern discussion. I hadn't heard of Hell on Wheels, but I grabbed the first few episodes and it's pretty awesome:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell_on_Wheels_(TV_series)
It's certainly no Deadwood. But the setting is perfect... 1865, and following the mobile town that crept along the Union Pacific as it plowed across the country. The transcontinental railroad was called for by Congress in 1864 and, when the war ended, there was this four year period of absolute insanity. From the very top where land and bonds and money traded hands, down to the whores, murderers, migrant workers, and general ne'er-do-wells who worked on the construction crews and forcibly cleared out indian tribes and proper, settled towns alike. Just about everyone involved in the rush to cross the continent lived in a lawless, lunatic money-grab that makes the Gold Rush look like child's play.
Against that backdrop is a tried-and-true western trope -- the maverick Confederate unable to properly fit in. In this case, he's looking to avenge the murder of his wife by a gang of Union soldiers.
nacho:
After reading an interview where Glen larson says he was trying to remake the Lone Ranger, except with a car instead of a horse, I'm now fully convinced that Knight Rider can go in the "sci-fi western" category.
Rewatching the titles with the western in mind makes it, of course, obvious... We open with the new lone ranger coming out of the desert, a "man with no name" intro monologue, followed by cowboy action.
RottingCorpse:
I've been to the movie theater a lot lately, and keep seeing this trailer for the History Channel's first scripted miniseries, Hatfields & McCoys. I'm as excited for this as I am any other movie coming out this summer.. It premieres Memorial Day weekend, which means I have to find somebody with cable to live with for three days.
I won't mention my man crush on Kevin Costner or how much I love Dances with Wolves, Open Range, and Waterworld, because it's too embarrassing. Instead I'll direct your attention to the fact that this story is tailor made for cinema yet I can't think of any previous versions. I know there's an outdoor theatre show in Beckley, WV that tells the story, but I draw a blank on movies.
Anyway, history!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatfield-McCoy_feud
nacho:
Hatfields and McCoys!
So the opening scene is 20 miles outside of Elkins -- the Confederate retreat from Phillipi. And it's awesome. We need more sideshow Civil War shit shot on a huge budget.
RottingCorpse:
Ooo... I want to see...
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version