TIFF 2021: The Power of the Dog dir. Jane Campion

Combining intimate drama with dramatic landscapes has been a signature of Jane Campion’s work, and in her latest film, The Power of the Dog, which she also wrote, that mixture still holds true, giving us a different kind of western. Set in Montana, 1925, the film centres around two ranching brothers, the hard-edged, Phil (Benedict…

The X-Files (1994) – Shapes, and Darkness Falls

Agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) head to Montana to investigate a murder, which Mulder believes may tie in with older x-files he has regarding the Native American myth of the manitou. Written by Marilyn Osborn, Shapes first aired on 1 April, 1994. I’m not the biggest fan of this episode, because I…

Miami Vice (1988) – Badge of Dishonor, and Blood & Roses

Crockett (Don Johnson) and Tubbs (Philip Micheal Thomas) go after a group of cops that are robbing and murdering drug dealers in Badge of Dishonor and a homeless woman, Montana (Michele Shay) may be the key to trapping them. But she may not be all that she seems to be… just like the cops who are…

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) – Michael Cimino

The 101 Action Movie list brought me this one, which feels like a bit of a misfire to me, though it does lay the groundwork for future buddy movies. There’s an all-star cast, Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, Geoffrey Lewis, Gary Busey, Catherine Bach and George Kennedy, with some wonderful chemistry between Eastwood and Bridges, and…