Sergio Leone Westerns Is the Pick of the Week

Honestly, legendary director Sergio Leone made me a fan of the Western. His take on the not-so-favorite genre is darker, grittier, and more violent than those from the John Ford, or Howard Hawks era. They aren’t fun or conventional; they’re full of bad people doing very bad things. Although the plots are not the best parts of the films; it’s the style, atmosphere, and obviously Ennio Morricone’s breathtaking music that takes center stage. With A Fistful of Dollars (1964); For a Few Dollars More (1965); his first masterpiece, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966); his second, Once Upon a Time in the West (1969); and his final western, A Fistful of Dynamite (1971), you haven’t truly seen a western, like a Sergio Leone “Spaghetti Western.”

The box set includes the five restored films, and tons of special features, including three commentaries by Tim Lucas, Sir Christopher Frayling, and one with filmmaker Alex Cox. There is also the commentary with filmmakers John Carpenter, Cox, John Milius, Bernado Bertolucci, Frayling, Dr. Sheldon Hall, and actress Claudia Cardinale from the previous release of Once Upon. There are also several documentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, interviews, image galleries, radio spots, double-bill/theatrical trailers, and so much more. If you don’t happen to own any of the films separately, then this box set should be right up there at the top of your wish list, especially if you love modern westerns and master Leone himself!

Other releases:

Dark Waters: Based on a true story, director Todd Haynes’ drama starring Mark Ruffalo as a corporate defense attorney who takes on an environmental lawsuit against a corrupt chemical company that exposes a shocking history of pollution.

Queen & Slim: Daniel Kaluuya and newcomer Jodie Turner-Smith play a couple whose promising first date turns into a nightmare after being pulled over by a police officer.

Kansas City: A jazz-scored portrait by legendary director Robert Altman exploring love, crime, race, and politics in 1930’s Kansas City.

Kinetta: A chambermaid, a BMW-obsessed man, and a photo-store clerk try to film and photograph several awful re-enacted events between a man and a woman at a Greek hotel.