Weekend At Crombie's

It's 1988 and the decade has not been kind to the Western genre. Fortunately the Brat Pack have been corralled to save the day with a Billy the Kid tale for the MTV generation. Opinions are divided with this one, but we keep spitting facts and tobacco juice until dust settles.

A film so momentous that we have broken the tradition of reviewing long-buried films and turned our gaze to Christopher Nolan's epic biopic, starring Cillian Murphy and every other actor drawing breath. But what did we make of such a universally-acclaimed film? Could it live up to the hype? And what exactly is a helium bomb?

It's 1976, a decade not known for its Westerns. Clint Eastwood took the helm as actor-director and created this classic and surprisingly moving tale. Sadly, Wales does not feature anywhere in it. But there's plenty of tobacco juice. Ach y fi.

It's 1964, and we treat ourselves to a big portion of the Spaghetti Western that started them all: Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars, starring Clint Eastwood in his iconic laconic role. The other two films in the Dollars trilogy also get a viewing, as the genre travels so far West, it circles the globe, and lands in southern Europe, via Japan.

We gallop into the 1960s with this star-stuffed cast of Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, James Coburn, Horst Buchholz and Eli Wallach. The accents are all over the place with this one, and that's just James and Huw reviewing it.

It's 1956 and the two titans of the classic Western, John Ford and John Wayne, combine forces once more for this acclaimed epic. Our boys are trekking into perilous ground here, as they cast a critical eye over 'one of the greatest and most influential films ever made'. Will they lose their trail? That'll be the day.

It's 1952 and we mosey on down to watch one of the true classics of the Western genre - Gary Cooper confronts his fate at High Noon! For a straightforward story, there's a lot going on in this one. And for such a renowned film, both James and Huw had their expectations thoroughly confounded.

It's 1946 and we continue our trek through the Westerns. Once again, John Ford is at the helm, with Henry Fonda and Victor Mature as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday. This was the first major portrayal of an event that became one of the greatest legends in the folklore of the West, so holster your pistols for the Gunfight at the O.K. Horse Pen!

It's 1939 and John Ford, master of the American Western, rolls out a classic tale that launches the legend of John Wayne - all aboard the Stagecoach! James has set himself a colossal challenge and Huw is broadcasting from inside an empty can of frijol beans. We're changing the Weekend at Crombie's format for 2023, so saddle up for a year-long trek across the history of Western cinema!

Raincoats on, as James fires up his statistics cannon and prepares to hose us down in data. Our two gentlemen philosophers take a look back at the films of the past year, the whole series, and reflect on how real-world events (how dare they) may be affecting the ranking of our films.

You can't handle the truth.   Part 7 of the Rob Reiner run.

You dirty bird.   Part 6 of the Rob Reiner run.

I'll have what she's having.   Part 5 of the Rob Reiner run.

As you wish.   Part 4 of the Rob Reiner run.  

I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve.   Part 3 of the Rob Reiner run.

We speak each other's unspoken language... fluently.   Part 2 of the Rob Reiner run.

These go to eleven.   Part 1 of the Rob Reiner run.

It's 2018 and Regina Hall leads an ensemble cast of the Double Whammies dining experience, in a much-overlooked, but well-regarded character study. Our two gentleman philosophers don their shortest shorts to discuss whether this film really should have received a wider audience.

The year is 2022 and civilisation has collapsed ... at least, that's the premise of this 1973 dystopian thriller starring Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson. Find out what music James would pick for his own euthanasia, and why we decided that, maybe the Soylent Corporation are the real heroes of the story.

It's 1989 and Nicolas Cage is about to be unleashed upon the screens in this horror-comedy about a New York yuppie who believes he is becoming a vampire. We have mixed feelings about this one, but both agree that, while it may not be the best Nicolas Cage film there is, it is certainly the most Nicolas Cage film there is.