Movie stuff:

My favorite westerns are "High Noon", "The Shootist" and the Clint Eastwood movie “The Unforgiven”. I would give honorable mention to "My Darling Clemintine" and "The Big Country". In "The Unforgiven" the kid (wanabee gunfighter) remarks to Eastwood’s character (old, hardened gunfighter) that some guys they had shot “had it coming”. Eastwood replied “We all 'got it coming' kid.”

I saw an interview with Clint in which he was asked if he realized his films were seen all over the world. He said he was once on a street in some remote corner of some 3rd world country when people recognized him and began calling out “Cleent! Cleent!”. I have come to realize that American films and TV are seen everywhere and our stars are as well known overseas as they are here. Unfortunately, a lot of films put the U.S. in a bad light and probably account for some of the anti-American feeling abroad.

Saw a biography and interview of Charles Bronson. He was an old man at the time. In a discussion of his ‘tough guy’ image, especially in the “Vigilante’ films, he took pains to point out he was just playing a role. He said “I’m not like that. It was just a part I played." The young or unsophisticated audience confuse actors with their roles. I guess this is part of the fun of being a movie fan for some. Charles Bronson did a workmanlike job. He had the good fortune to have interesting looks and the determination to develop his physique and his craft. Interestingly, at one point Bronson was the most popoular film star in the world outside the USA. He was asked how he made it out of the small coal mining town in Pennsylvania where he was born. He said he made good choices.

I now realize that film makers are in the business of telling a story and an actors job is to assist in that. A good film that can pull you in requires a good story, script and character actor support as well as lead actors. To be a good actor, it has been said, means remembering your lines and not bumping into the furniture. Director Ridley Scott, well known for films like ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Gladiator”, said he is in the business of ‘creating other worlds’. I enjoy these ‘other world’ epics the most of any type of film.