261 – The Keeping Room (2014)

spacetime coordinates: the american south, 1865

The Keeping Room is a 2014 American  western | thriller film directed by Daniel Barber and written by Julia Hart. The film stars Brit Marling, Hailee Steinfeld, Muna Otaru, Sam Worthington, Amy Nuttall, and Ned Dennehy.

Left without men in the dying days of the American Civil War, three Southern women—two white sisters and one African-American slave—must fight to defend their home and themselves from two rogue soldiers who have broken off from the fast-approaching Union Army.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2488778/

258 – Westworld (TV Series 2016– )

Westworld is an American science fiction western thriller television series created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy for HBO. It is based on the 1973 film of the same name, which was written and directed by American novelist Michael Crichton, and to a lesser extent on the 1976 sequel Futureworld. It is the second TV series based on the two films, the first being the short-lived 1980 series Beyond Westworld. Nolan and Joy serve as executive producers along with J. J. Abrams, Jerry Weintraub, and Bryan Burk, with Nolan directing the pilot. The first season premiered on October 2, 2016, concluded on December 4, 2016, and consisted of ten episodes.  In November 2016, HBO renewed the show for a ten-episode second season, planned for a debut in early 2018.

The story takes place in the fictional Westworld, a technologically advanced Wild West-themed amusement park populated by android hosts. Westworld caters to high-paying guests, who may indulge in whatever they wish within the park, without fear of retaliation from the hosts.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475784/

253 – The Dark Tower (2017)

The Dark Tower is a 2017 American science fantasy western film directed and co-written by Nikolaj Arcel. A continuation of Stephen King‘s novel series of the same name, the film stars Idris Elba as Roland Deschain, a gunslinger on a quest to protect the Dark Tower—a mythical structure which supports all realities—while Matthew McConaughey plays his nemesis, Walter Padick, the Man in Black, and Tom Taylor stars as Jake Chambers, a New York boy who becomes Roland’s apprentice.

Intended to launch a film and television franchise, the first installment combines elements from several novels in the eight-volume series, and takes place in both modern-day New York City and in Mid-World, Roland’s Old West-style parallel universe. The film also serves as a canonical sequel to the novel series, which concludes with the revelation that Roland’s quest is a cyclical time loop; the presence of the Horn of Eld, which Roland carries in the film, indicates that this is the next cycle.

#Television_series

#Sequel

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1648190/

221 – The Magnificent Seven (2016)

spacetime coordinates:  the mining town of Rose Creek 1879 

The Magnificent Seven is a 2016 American Western action film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk. It is a remake of the 1960 western film of the same name, which in turn was a reimagination of Akira Kurosawa‘s 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai. The film stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lee Byung-hun, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett, and Peter Sarsgaard.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404435/

182 – The Legend of Ben Hall (2016)

spacetime coordinates:  New South Wales, Australia,   1860’s

The Legend of Ben Hall is a 2016 Australian Revisionist Western film. Written and directed by Matthew Holmes, it is based on the exploits of bushranger Ben Hall and his gang. The film stars Jack Martin in the title role, Jamie Coffa as John Gilbert, and William Lee as John Dunn.

Writer-director Matthew Holmes made a determined effort to make the film as historically accurate as possible. Holmes worked closely with New South Wales historian and author Peter Bradley since 2007, who acted as an historical advisor on the script to ensure the film’s accurate portrayal of events. Peter Bradley is a descendant of Ben Hall’s younger brother, Henry Hall. Much of the dialogue used by Ben Hall, John Gilbert and John Dunn within the film comes directly from newspaper articles and eye-witness accounts. The film’s story is based on real life events that occurred between August 1864 and May 1865.

Cast members were chosen to physically resemble their historical counterparts, with their personalities, wardrobe and hair based on descriptions or photographs of the real person.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3844876/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Ben_Hall

0126 – Jauja (2014)

spacetime coordinates: 1882, remote outpost in Patagonia, Argentina

Jauja is a 2014 historical drama film / art-house Western directed by Lisandro Alonso. The film stars Viggo Mortensen who also co-produced it and co-wrote the musical score. This is a period film that involves realistic costumes and the kind of beautifully crafted tools used by explorers and the military in the 1800s.

read about Jauja & the legend of the Land of Cockaigne.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2514338/

0083 – Ravenous (1999)

spacetime coordinates: 1840s in the Sierra Nevadas // the Mexican-American War 

Ravenous is a 1999 Czech-American black comedy horror-suspense film directed by Antonia Bird and starring Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, Jeffrey Jones and David Arquette. The film revolves around cannibalism in 1840s California and some elements bear similarities to the story of the Donner Party and that of Alferd Packer. Screenwriter Ted Griffin lists Packer’s story, as recounted in a couple of paragraphs of Dashiell Hammett‘s The Thin Man, as one of his inspirations for Carlyle’s character. The film’s darkly humorous and ironic take on its gruesome subject matter have led some to label it simply as a black comedy or a satire. The film’s unique score by Michael Nyman and Damon Albarn generated a significant amount of attention.

watch trailer here

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the wendigo (Algonquian folklore)

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