The Running Wild Blog
Articles on the craft of filmmaking and the films we create.
MOVIE MONDAY: Reviews of The Yakuza, Old Boyfriends, and Obsession
My weekly movie reviews. You can also read these on letterboxd. This week focuses on three films written by, but not directed by, Paul Schrader. The Yakuza (1974) Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars As I continue to study Paul Schrader's directing work chronologically,...
MOVIE MONDAY: Western Movie Reviews – Week 192 – Bucking Broadway
Each Monday, I continue to share Western movie reviews. For more of my movie reviews, click here to follow me on Letterboxd. Week 192: Bucking Broadway (1917) This early John Ford effort is not a traditional Western in terms of focusing on pioneer life...
MOVIE MONDAY: Reviews of Rolling Thunder, Nails, and Brainscan
My weekly movie reviews. You can also read these on letterboxd. This week focuses on three films directed by John Flynn. Rolling Thunder (1977) Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars Movies hit differently depending on when they're watched and this one hit me hard on this...
BONUS WESTERN MOVIE REVIEW: Chisum (1970)
There are still a few John Wayne Westerns I've yet to see and Chisum has been at the top of that list for a while. Would it be a disappointment like some of Wayne's final films or could it be a late-career gem like Big Jake and The Train Robbers? The...
MOVIE MONDAY: Western Movie Reviews – Week 191 – The Heart of an Indian
Each Monday, I continue to share Western movie reviews. For more of my movie reviews, click here to follow me on Letterboxd. Week 191: The Heart of an Indian (1912) Thomas H. Ince fascinates me more than any other silent Western filmmaker and recent...
BONUS WESTERN MOVIE REVIEW: A Tale of Two Westerns – Gunfight at Rio Bravo and The Five
This past weekend I watched both Gunfight at Rio Bravo and The Five for the first time. I say first because even though I participated in the production for both films, on one of them as a background extra and, in the case of the other, I produced/directed for...
MOVIE MONDAY: Western Movie Reviews – Week 190 – The Battle at Elderbush Gulch
Each Monday, I continue to share Western movie reviews. For more of my movie reviews, click here to follow me on Letterboxd. Week 190: The Battle at Elderbush Gulch (1913) Admittedly, my knowledge of D.W. Griffith's work is limited to viewings of The...
BONUS WESTERN MOVIE REVIEW: Ravenous (1999)
Before Bone Tomahawk came along, Ravenous sat on the throne as the best Western-Horror film ever made. A rewatch of the film the other night only confirmed the movie's worth. What I love about Ravenous: the brutality, the dark humor, the eccentric score, the...
BONUS WESTERN MOVIE REVIEW: Comanche Station (1960)
Like Howard Hawks did with Rio Bravo, El Dorado, and Rio Lobo, Budd Boetticher and Burt Kennedy recycled elements of The Tall T and Seven Men From Now over and over again. Some viewers take no issue with this. Some even enjoy Ride Lonesome and Comanche...
MOVIE MONDAY: Western Movie Reviews – Week 189 – Tumbleweeds
Each Monday, I continue to share Western movie reviews. I have now launched a podcast about the making of Westerns and the overall filmmaking process. Click here to listen. Week 189: Tumbleweeds (1925) Going through some of William S. Hart's most popular...
