Author Archives: Max West

Crashout (1955)

Posted on August 3, 2020 by Max West

Score: 4/5 Terrific hidden gem, B-movie thriller made by Standard Productions and directed by Lewis R. Foster. A cross-genre film, with some parallels to Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Prison breakout film, w film starting at the point of breakout. … Continue reading →

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Mad Debating Skilz

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Max West

A great blast from the past. You couldn’t make this shit up if you tried. “The 2014 Cross Examination Debate Association’s national championship was held at Indiana University.  The all African American female team from Towson University defeated the all … Continue reading →

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3:10 to Yuma (1957)

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Max West

SCORE: 4/5 Loosely based on Elmore Leonard’s far leaner 1953 short story, 3:10 to Yuma (1957) is a superb adaptation directed by Delmer Daves. Shot gorgeously in crisp black and white, Director of Photography Charles Lawton Jr. effectively deploys Tolland/Wellesian-styled … Continue reading →

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Lenny (1974)

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Max West

SCORE: 4/5 Lenny (1974) is Bob Fosse’s well made, black and white biopic of Lenny Bruce (born Leonard Alfred Schneider), which is itself based on a play by Julian Barry. Dustin Hoffman does a terrific job channeling the manic energy … Continue reading →

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How the West Was Won (1962)

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Max West

SCORE: 3.5/5 How the West Was Won (1962) was a big budget, ‘5-part’ Western was co-directed by Henry Hathaway, John Ford, & George Marshall. Its all-star cast includes James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Karl Malden, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Debbie Reynolds, … Continue reading →

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The Molly Maguires (1970)

Posted on March 1, 2020 by Max West

SCORE: 4/5 Directed by Martin Ritt, with great leads and a solid supporting cast. Based on the real-life, Irish immigrants who were an extension of Ireland’s secret-society ‘Molly Maguires’, this extension being present in Pennsylvania’s coal-mining towns of the 1870s. … Continue reading →

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Lonely Are the Brave (1962)

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Max West

Of his own work in the movies, Lonely Are the Brave (1962) was Kirk Douglas’s favorite film, and for good reason. Douglas secured the rights to the film after reading the source novel, The Brave Cowboy (1956) by Edward Abbey, … Continue reading →

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Uncut Gems (2019) and Jewish Neuroticism

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Max West

I have an essay on this recent Adam Sandler film over at The Occidental Observer. An excerpt: The phenomenon of Jewish neuroticism, while often joked about in Jewish humor (e.g., Woody Allen, Larry David) or elaborated upon in Jewish literature … Continue reading →

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Watchmen: S01E07

Posted on December 2, 2019 by Max West

For those keeping track, here are my quick notes on S01E07: Episode opens with old newsreel footage of Dr. Manhattan’s origins. Against inspirational footage of the Statue of Liberty, etc., it is implied that he is the child of Jewish … Continue reading →

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The Wire (2002-2008)

Posted on November 30, 2019 by Max West

Some high-level, overview thoughts on The Wire (2002-2008) — After seeing this show often listed with The Sopranos and Breaking Bad as the triumvirate of the Third Gold Age of Television, I recently watched all 5 seasons of The Wire … Continue reading →

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