No this isn’t a motel review, this is my list of my favorite Western Films ever. Below you’ll find their posters along with a reason or two of why I like the film or what makes said movie worth watching again and again. When starting a list of the best (IMO) Westerns of all time you can start with one of two actors- John Wayne or Clint Eastwood. I’m going to start with John Wayne in the epic directed by John Ford- The Searchers. You can’t go wrong with John Wayne crossing the United States in search of justice.

Clint Eastwood’s Academy Award winning Unforgiven, like manygreat Westerns, boasts an all-star cast including three Oscar winners Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman and Eastwood himself as well as Oscar nominated Richard Harris. This film, for me, marks the beginning of Eastwood- the great director.

In my life Tombstone is to Westerns what Tommy Boy is to comedies and Terminator 2 is to science fiction. One of the first films I ever purchased with my own money. One of the first live action films I could quote without missing a beat. It also marked the first time the thought crossed my mind, “mustaches are cool and Sam Elliot has the best mustache I’ve ever seen.”

The next three films also hold a special place in my memories. I grew up in a family that didn’t really watch movies so when we did it was a rather memorable event and when my parents actually enjoyed a movie… well, that was “the bee’s knees.” Based on my experience every filmmaker should try to make a movie for adults but safe enough for children as well. That said, ¡Three Amigos! and The Shakiest Gun in the West were two films that my parents watched, with the kids, and laughed at. They also introduced me to the greatness of Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short and Don Knotts. Then there was the film that my best friend’s family considered one of their favorites- Blazing Saddles. Again, the wild West is a great place for comedy especially in the hands of Jew from Brooklyn.

In recent years the Western has seen a dramatic drop off from popularity at the local megaplex but a few instant classics have made it to the projector room, the Australian Western The Proposition is one of those films. Again, again if this cast doesn’t make you wanna watch this movie before your next meal then I don’t know what will. The Proposition stars Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, John Hurt, Emily Watson and was written for the screen by Nick Cave.

Clint Eastwood spits on a dog in The Outlaw Josey Wales.

Once Upon a Time in the West is just one of the many tremendous contributions to the genre made by Sergio Leone. Every aspect of this film is perfect. I’m not using hyperbole. The cast-  Bronson, Robards, Fonda and the beautiful Claudia Cardinale. The visuals, thanks to Leone, and score composed by Ennio Morricone. Watch this movie and just try to refute my claim.

I know many would say Rio Bravo was better but I saw El Dorado first. And I like the name nickname “Mississippi.”

Eastwood, Leone, and Morricone started the sub-genre “Spaghetti Western” with one of the greatest movies of all time- The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. If you haven’t seen this movie, see it now.

I would have thought seeing the spoof (Three Amigos) of a film first would have ruined the viewing of the film being spoofed but The Magnificent Seven is that good. Also I have to mention another Western that didn’t make this list but still holds a place in my heart (yeah, I said that) The White Buffalo (it’s a bison) starring The Magnificent Seven‘s Charles Bronson. If you watch The White Buffalo then you’ll know why I love the film and why I couldn’t put it on this list.

The other modern classic along side The Proposition is The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. This film gave me hope that the genre had not all but been forgotten by Hollywood.

You know you’re watching a Western when a moral decision is at the heart of the story. Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly star in High Noon, I need not say more.

Finally Paul Newman and Robert Redford star in what I call a disco-Western, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Interested? I thought you would be- let me know what you think after you’ve seen it.

I have to mention There Will Be Blood which for some reason unknown to me I have trouble calling a Western. Am I wrong? What are some of your favorite Westerns?

Here’s the first movie trailer for writer/director Vincenzo Natali (Paris, je t’aime): Splice, starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley.

Official synopsis: Two young scientists (Brody and Polley) achieve fame by splicing human DNA with the DNA of different animals to create a new creature. In the process they ignore their society’s ethical and legal boundaries. The scientists name their creature “Dren”, which is initially a deformed female infant; however it rapidly develops into a beautiful but deadly winged human-chimera.

In case you were wondering as I was, a Chimera is a mythological creature that has the head of a lion (guessing a male lion) the body of a goat (probably doesn’t matter male/female) and the tail of a snake (where does a snake’s torso end and tail begin?) if that’s not bad enough the Chimera also breathes fire. Watch the trailer below and tell me what you think.

I was hooked until the creature started looking like a beautiful woman because I could rent Species for less than the price of admission to my local cinaplex and Species starred two Oscar winners- Sir Ben Kingsley and Forest Whitaker whereas Splice, in theaters June 4, 2010, must share Oscar winner Adrien Brody with another sci-fi summer release Predators (July 9, 2010). What do you think?

Robert De Niro will star in the leading role as Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi in the upcoming ESPN Films feature Lombardi. Early reports say that the National Football League is involved with this project and a script has been written by Eric Roth.

Roth also penned for the big screen the sports-related stories Ali, Munich, and Forrest Gump. De Niro won an Oscar for his role as boxer Jake La Motta in 1980′s Raging Bull. ESPN Films produced 2002′s Junction Boys based on legendary college football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant’s takeover and turnaround of Texas A&M University’s football team. Although De Niro has been a shell of his former self and turned into a better comedic than dramatic actor of late this “Super Bowl” role could go either way, laughable caricature or serious biopic a la once-destined-for-Country-Music-Television Crazy Heart.

Though I’m not predicting the same jump from made-for-TV to the big screen for Lombardi like we saw with Crazy Heart nor am I foolish enough to presume De Niro has an Oscar-worthy performance left in him, I will cross my fingers and hope for the best.

The trailer you’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. Sure, you could have seen it preview before Alice in Wonderland this past weekend but you were really waiting to see it online — after all, where else would you want to view this “legacy?” It’s only fitting that we all get a good look at yet another great Jeff Bridges project just as he’s won his first Academy Award — “The Dude Abides!” I know, you’re here for this . Pretty awesome. My anticipation for this film couldn’t be greater. I may send Disney and Jeff Bridges a handwritten thank-you letter on December 18, 2010. Anyone out there not impressed? And why? Two more questions for the impressed and depressed: what is your favorite Disney movie? What is your favorite Jeff Bridges movie? My picks: The Sword in the Stone and The Big Lebowski.

Pre-production has begun in Hawai’i for The Descendants, based on the book by Kaui Hart Hemmings. Academy Award®-winning writer/director Alexander Payne teams up with Clooney for the first time in what should have the audience saying “mahalo” by the time the end credits roll. The Descendants is Hawai’i native Hemmings’ first  novel; the production marks a return to the director’s chair for Payne, whose last full-length feature was 2004′s award winning Sideways. Payne has been busy, writing 2007′s I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and producing HBO’s Hung starring Thomas Jane. In theaters right now you can see Clooney starring in Jason Reitman’s Golden Globe-winning Up in the Air. It should be noted that The Descendants will have company in the 50th state, as Pirates of the Caribbean 4 will also be filming there. Anybody else curious as to whether Clooney and Johnny Depp will shoot hoops or rock out together while sharing the same chain of islands?

Even though to some people this might not be a suitable Under the Radar, there are still a fair amount of people (even among my peers) who have no idea what it is when someone mentions Shane Acker’s 9. Being pumped up by Focus Features, 9 is a cgi animated movie that seems, to this reporter, to hold a mix of Coraline and a sprinkle of Tim Burton within the layers of this post apocalyptic feature. Originally coming from the short animated film of the same titling that was nominated for an Academy Award in 2005, the creation coming from up and comer director and writer Shane Acker will be storming into theaters.

9 takes place in a world parallel to our own, in which the very legacy of humanity is threatened. A group of sapient rag dolls, living a post-apocalyptic existence find one of their own, 9 (Elijah Wood), who displays leadership qualities that may help them to survive. The conflicted but resilient group includes 1 (Christopher Plummer), a domineering war veteran; 2 (Martin Landau), an aged inventor; 5 (John C. Reilly), a stalwart mechanic; 6 (Crispin Glover), a visionary and artist; and 7 (Jennifer Connelly), a brave warrior.

9 will be released in theaters everywhere on September 9th, so show your love for Under the Radar and see it when it comes out.