This weekend I took a break from my typically genre based viewing and went all in on the western front. Yes, I know ‘western’ is a genre: shut up.
I’d been reading about a new Netflix show called Godless that sounded pretty darned good, and with it being only 6 or so episodes long I saw a chance to binge the whole thing over the weekend . Of course, I didn’t realise until I got started that each episode was abut 70 minutes long, but I got halfway in and got thoroughly hooked.
I’d also treated myself to a couple of new blu-rays in a 2 for $20 deal: Tombstone (which I’ve only seen once, but loved and have meant to add to my collection for a while now) and Heat (another film I’ve wanted to rewatch for a while). For my Saturday evening viewing I initially chose Heat, but switched it out at the last moment in favour of Tombstone, which seemed a more appropriately themed choice. It was definitely the right decision: Tombstone has so many great lines and great moments, plus a career-best performance from Val Kilmer, and I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting it.
There’s also a difference between Heat and Tombstone which swung my choice. Tombstone has a rich vein of humour and ‘spirit’ running through it; it’s a film that takes absolute joy in the story that it’s telling. Heat, conversely, is a relatively cold and passionless affair–not necessarily the thing you want for a Saturday night.
(For the record, I did find time to settle down in front of Heat on Sunday afternoon – and also thoroughly enjoyed it).