tragabigzanda wrote:Bone Tomahawk. Jesus H. Christ, this movie. I thought it a sort of distant cousin to Ravenous for the first two acts, but it really became its own beast once we're in the caves. Awesome, awesome film.
I loved that there was not a single note of music until we hear the troglodyte howl in the cave; it's at this point they start using horns -- I think a tuba? -- as a musical cue whenever one of them howls. I only caught one other note of music towards the end. The silence works so well -- it makes the landscape more prominent, and I just loved the deliberate pacing of the dialogue.
Every actor was fantastic. It was really great to see Richard Jenkins in a different sort of role, and he was a hoot in this. "It is the opinion of the backup deputy that..." made me laugh every time. His pondering the possibility that the flea circus might be fake when he's in the cell, and he's just so tickled when Lili Simmons tells him that in this one particular case, yes, they were -- great scene, this one.
Michael Douglas is doing his best work these days, and I love the gravel in his voice. "Quiet! Ask about horses again and I'll slap you red!" and "Strike a match so we can see you clear or we'll light things up with our guns!" were both so fantastic.
Nice bit part by Fran Melamed.
The evisceration scene was brutal; I had to look away once they started tearing him in half.
A couple questions:
1. When Kurt Russell asks Lili Simmons how many troglodytes there are, she sort of shudders, and there's a beat of understanding between everyone. My take was that she hadn't been raped yet, but was aware that it would probably happen. Does this sound right to you?
2. Before Patrick Wilson extracts the "whistle organ" from the troglodytes throat, he says, "Is that jewelry?" This sort of threw me -- could you actually see some sort of appendage or something near his adams apple?
Fuck, I loved this film. Best thing I've seen since Mad Max: Fury Road, and quite possibly my favorite western ever.
And they say that a hero could save us
I'm not gonna stand here and wait
Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Sun January 11, 2026 12:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Sun January 11, 2026 12:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
tragabigzanda wrote:Now I'm thinking about how much I love the original Young Guns, because it's sort of trippy at times. And I'm thinking I love westerns that take the setting and do something vaguely fantastical or unexpected with them. Any other movies that would fit this bill?
Lots of them. Particularly acid westerns. Check out El Topo and The Great Silence.
Guys, be honest with me. You all know me pretty well at this point. I tend to feel fairly meh about Westerns. And excessive violence. Should I watch Bone Tomahawk? Is there a good chance I'll like it?
Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Sun January 11, 2026 12:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Sun January 11, 2026 12:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
durdencommatyler wrote:Guys, be honest with me. You all know me pretty well at this point. I tend to feel fairly meh about Westerns. And excessive violence. Should I watch Bone Tomahawk? Is there a good chance I'll like it?
It's a realist, slow-burn of a movie, with the last 20 mins being complete bonkers. There is exactly one scene that is gory and tough to take, and it lasts for about 90 seconds.
Oh. Really? I don't know what I thought this was something totally different. I'll check it out. Slow burns are my jam.
Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Sun January 11, 2026 12:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Violence on screen, for me, is fine if it makes sense in the film. It's when it gets gratuitous or when it's excessive (without further commentary) that it starts to lose me. I can handle it. I just find that too many artists use it as a crutch and it feels limiting sometimes.
Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Sun January 11, 2026 12:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
