What I Watched in July 2024

The financial failure of the excellent western HORIZON (2024) will be examined for years to come. There are so many questions. Why was such a well-made, engrossing, beautiful film unable to find an audience in the summer of 2024? Some people have surmised that perhaps the genre is out of step with today’s tastes and there might be something to that. The only successful western of the past few years was the more arthouse effort POWER OF THE DOG (2021) which garnered critical acclaim and award nominations but was only a moderate money maker. But it becomes difficult to gauge popular interest in the genre when there are relatively few data points in the range of films being given wide theatrical release. Westerns seem to still do well as home video or streaming releases but those movies tend to be of smaller scale and budget. And there, I think might be part of the problem with HORIZON.

This was an expensive project and was deemed risky enough from the beginning that star Costner ponied up a share of the budget himself. That speaks clearly about his belief in the story but the huge scale of the production made it a necessity for the film to become a major hit to guarantee the star/co-writer/producer/director’s vision could reach completion. And there is the bigger problem this entire affair had from its conception. Explaining to the movie going public that this was only the first part of a longer saga may have doomed its box office appeal. Audiences are accustomed to serialized story telling at home with binge-watching being a standard way of absorbing television shows. But knowing that this three-hour movie is only the first chapter of a multi-part epic that can’t be watched over the next couple of nights might have been a deal breaker. I can imagine a large number of interested western fans opting to wait for the home streaming release with the binge capabilities under their control at the click of a play button. And, considering the appeal the genre has to older viewers, I’m sure the thought of three hours without a bathroom break might have seemed an unnecessary gamble for some as well!

Regardless, I loved the movie. I found it to be a fascinating beginning to the type of sprawling tale that doesn’t seem to have been made for the big screen in decades. There have been some excellent westerns made over the past three or four decades but none with this size and scope. This is very much a HOW THE WEST WAS WON (1962) or ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968) style story and I suspect Costner’s hoped for four film series will now not get made. That is a shame, but I do hope to at least be able to see the already completed second movie theatrically one day soon. These films are crafted to be best appreciated on the biggest screen possible.

The List

HOUSE OF ROTHSCHILD (1934) – 7 (story of the rise of the banking empire with Karloff as villain)

JUNGLE MANHUNT (1951) – 6 (Jungle Jim with stolen giant lizard footage and men in skeleton suits)

MAXXXINE (2024) – 7 (the weakest of the trilogy but still quite good)

THE GNOME-MOBILE (1967) – 7 (fun little live-action Disney adventure)

SAFARI (1956) – 6 (British adventure that uses the Mau Mau uprising as a backdrop – kind of tasteless)

FOOD OF THE GODS (1976) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)

DANGER: DIABOLIK (1968) – 9 (rewatch on Blu)

FROGS! (1972) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)

MERCENARY FIGHTERS (1988) – 5 (exactly as generic as the title - Cannon actioner)

HORIZON (2024) – 8 (excellent western - part 1)

COBWEB (2023) – 4 (horror effort is ‘meh’)

TALES OF MANHATTAN (1942) – 8 (excellent portmanteau tale of a cursed coat)

IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE (1958) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

LONGLEGS (2024) – 8

COLOR OUT OF SPACE (2019) – 8 (rewatch)

THE MARK OF SATAN (1957) – 5 (Mexican western about supernatural axe murders)

THE BLOODY FISTS (1972) - 7 (exciting fights make for a fun Hong Kong action film)

PLAYBACK (1962) – 7 (sharp Edgar Wallace adaptation)

MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS (1958) - 6 (rewatch on Blu)

ELEPHANT WALK (1954) – 6 (well mounted melodrama with good cast)

HELLRAISER (2022) – 8 (shockingly good sequel/reboot)

JUNGLE WOMAN (1944) – 5 (rewatch on Blu)

RAMBO: LAST BLOOD (2019) – 6 (routine revenge tale that hopefully wraps this thing up)

THE BARBARIANS (1988) – 5 (Deodato’s stab at the genre with non-acting twins)