We watched the old John Wayne oater “El Dorado” last night just for a laugh. A typical Howard Hawks effort and basically a remake of “Rio Lobo”, but with Robert Mitchum instead of Dean Martin as the drunken sheriff. Ed Asner as the greedy land owner! And I spotted Johnny Crawford (Mark McCain in the old “Rifleman” TV series) in a bit part five years after the series ended. Also Paul Fix (Micah in The Rifleman) as the doctor. A pretty good effort by Wayne and a youngish James Caan.
You’ve got your titles backwards. Rio Lobo is the remake, with Robert Mitchum and James Caan. El Dorado is the original, with Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson.
By the way: this conversation is pretty much verbatim, in “Get Shorty” with John Travolta and Renee Russo.
I think that’s actually Rio Bravo.
Oh crap, you’re right.
Rio Bravo: original with Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson.
El Dorado: remake, with Robert Mitchum and James Caan.
Rio Lobo: completely unrelated John Wayne movie.
Remind me, which one did Duran Duran appear in…?
Barbarella.
Was that the Dean Martin Barbarella or the Robert Mitchum Barbarella?
Brain fart.
I get ‘em mixed up, too, pardner.
Rio Bravo was made in 1959, around the end of the second Red Scare, Hollywood blacklisting and Wayne’s involvement with the House Un-American Activities Committee. In that context, there’s a line in the film that’s loaded with subtext. After chasing a would-be assassin into a saloon:
“We’re looking for a man that ran in here.”
“Nobody’s run in here.”
“We’ll remember you said that!”
Rio Lobo had a young and smoking hot Sherry Lansing (future Chairperson of Paramount Studios) as a woman disfigured by the sheriff. Even John Wayne had to step back to let her get her revenge.
How is Rest Stop Toilet Paper like John Wayne?
Rough, Tough, and don’t take Shit for Nobody!
Thank you sir!! May I have another!!
My other John Wayne joke is a physical bit. You gotta be here to see it.
The Card Counter by director Paul Schraeder (First Reformed, Taxi Driver, American Gigolo)
Starring Oscar Isaac as a former soldier who learned how to count cards while serving 8 1/2 years in prison for crimes at Abu Ghiraib.
I’m not entirely sure what to think of this film. It wasn’t what I expected, and I think the trailer (as well as the title) give the wrong impression. It looked like a film about poker, counting cards, a gambling money heist type thing, with a player who was (perhaps??) a hitman of some sort? It was produced by Martin Scorsese and coming off of The Irishman, that was the vibe the trailer set. It’s nothing like that.
Is this a poker film? Is this a revenge film? It’s really neither. It’s more about guilt and traumas of the past. In fact all the poker and counting cards and casino footage end up not really even mattering. What real point did they even have to the plot at all? I found myself getting very annoyed at all the questions the film kept bringing up and then never going back to. Like what the fuck was up with wrapping all the furniture? There are many scenes of Isaac slowly, methodically, and almost fetishistically wrapping every piece of furniture and appliance in his hotel room in linens, and slowly tying them with twine. Why you may ask? Is he prepping the room for a hit? (Which is what it looked like in the trailer.) No, that’s not it. Is he trying to not leave any forensic evidence he was there? No, he touches other things, so it’s not that. What does it mean? Who the fuck knows? It’s never even brought up. And then when Willem Dafoe comes home at the end, we see that his home is also wrapped up the same way. It did not look like Isaac did it because Dafoe does not look at all perplexed to see things wrapped up, he sets his keys down like normal right onto a wrapped table. So was it something they did because of Abu Ghiraib? And why? Does it actually have meaning or is the director just fucking with us?
Why really is Isaac is dragging the Kid all over the East Coast? Why did he care about him so much? I thought there would be something where he was friends with his father but other than just knowing his name there didn’t look to be any relationship there. It didn’t seem like he knew the mother either.
It almost felt like this film was a first draft that needed more rewrites. Several times the audio mixing was quite poor, I don’t know if it was rushed or if they couldn’t get the actors back to fix lines because of COVID. Tiffany Haddish seems so out of place here. I have no idea why of all the actresses out there they landed on her. She was terrible. This role just does not suit her, it seemed like she thought she was in Ocean’s 11 while Isaac was more Taxi Driver. Their relationship was so stilted. It probably sounds like I hated it, but I didn’t. Oscar Isaac was phenomenal, his performance is the best thing about the film. I wouldn’t be upset if his name comes up around awards time. There were several scenes with really captivating cinematography and lighting.
I’d be really curious to know what others thought. The film really opens today, I saw it last night at the first showing, so I don’t expect many others have seen it yet.
(Sidenote, maybe I will start a new thread just about this film? I really dislike this giant thread when actually trying to discuss specific movies, it is really not conducive to ongoing conversations. I feel like most movies mentioned here just get lost.)
I haven’t seen The Card Counter yet (but it’s going on my list) but I agree that separate threads for individual movies works better. Not that this isn’t great for checking in and getting recommendations. I guess I’m just saying I’d welcome more threads about specific movies. Worst that happens is it gets little or no response.
Since card counting is a blackjack technique, I’d be surprised that poker was involved at all.
Agreed. That was another problem I had with it. It’s called “The Card Counter” and yet almost every gambling scene is poker. I didn’t really get why being able to count cards would also automatically translate into him being some great poker player.
Yeah…it wouldn’t. Card counting is predicated on the ability to see all the cards that have been dealt (and thereby getting a clue to what remains in the deck) – which is just the opposite of how poker works.
Kate (Netflix), which was a pretty decent action film, and Sweet Girl, which was not.
Annihilation.
Got great reviews, so my expectations were pretty high.
Turned it off at the halfway point. What a turd.