"Think ya used enough dynamite there, Butch?"

Somewhere, during yesterday's snowday, we crossed the 6k hit mark for this blog.  Thank you!

Tales From the Script comes to you today by way of Bolivia.  ??  As you may recall, I celebrated completing Nano by watching “The Croods.”  Later that evening I made it a double feature and, since my partner-in-crime was ready to fall asleep on the couch, I went to that section of the Netflix queue where the "study" films are.

Those are the movies that I haven't seen but are always referenced in articles about screenwriting, or have scenes used as examples.  You should have them in your queue too, if you want to be a screenwriter.

I still think Brad Pitt looks like Robert Redford.

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" was one such movie.  I'd read some great things about it. I was pretty excited about watching it.  Paul Newman and Robert Redford.  And, interestingly enough, the woman who voiced the mother-in-law in “The Croods” was also in it! (Cloris Leachman, she played Agnes, the lady of the night that wouldn't stop talking.)

There were a few things that struck me about BCSK, but I think the first was that I should probably take a hit of something if I really wanted to appreciate it.  Man.

I hate to say it, but this is not a film that clicked with me.  I might even go so far as to say that I didn't get it.

It didn't bother me the way it did my [mostly] sleeping partner, but I failed to understand what all the fuss was about.  It was long, several bits and pieces seemed random, and it lacked a suitable antagonist.  I understand Butch was fighting himself, but he was also fighting the railroad, the bounty hunters, and the Bolivian authorities.  It wasn't bad, but... again, what was all the fuss about?

I did think that the two main characters were developed very well.  Especially Butch and I thought it was interesting that the #1 rule of horror films was demonstrated in this movie (you're safe until you do something immoral).  The montages done with still photos and cantina piano were interesting. Long, but a nice artistic touch.  Lastly, the climactic scene of the story was well played.  I think it may have been the original blaze of glory, I couldn't think of an older film example but I've seen that seen done a few different times since.

So what did I think?  I was disappointed, but westerns are not my genre and it had some great moments.  I doubt I'll watch it again but I am glad to have finally seen it.  I also suspect that, if I had seen it when it came out, I would feel a little differently about it.  Sort of like reading “A Catcher in the Rye.”