Old Reviews: Once Upon a Time in the West and Duck Soup

Classics.

Sergio Leone's 1968 "Once Upon a Time in the West" is one of the best westerns, "spaghetti" or otherwise, of all-time. This is as stylized as westerns get; everyone is a super badass. Watch this and learn where Tarantino gets his inspiration for characters and cinematography. Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, and Claudia Cardinale are so good in this movie. Pacing is super important to me, and this movie nails it. Leone is more interested in the rituals before acts of violence. The camera lingers on such rituals before a duel. No dialogue. No action. Just a stare down and then suddenly a burst of violence and it's over. And, of course, let's not forget about the awesome score! It's on Netflix Instant!

Leo McCarey/The Marx Brothers' 1933 classic crazy comedy "Duck Soup" is one of the funniest movies ever made. I'm not a huge fan of the Marx Brothers, but this is a must see for anyone who enjoys comedy. The "mirror" scene in particular provides one of the biggest laughs in film history. Oh and the street vendor scenes are some of the best physical comedy ever portrayed as well. I'd say it's as good as other great war comedy movies such as Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" and Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove," albeit less memorable. If you like those, though, you'll probably like this. It's on Netflix Instant! Who knows, you might become a Marx Brothers fan afterwards!