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| Bender General Store and Inn |
In the early
1870s, the Bloody Benders were a family of serial killers on the Kansas prairie.
The four members of the family could not be weirder. If they were a
family. The only thing known for certain is that there were four of them and
they killed over a dozen travelers that ate or stayed at their makeshift
general store located along a popular trail to the West. One more thing is
known, they escaped.
This is a fascinating
story and now The
Topeka Capital Journal reports that two Harvard
graduates are making an independent film about this grotesque
piece of Western lore. There may also be a Hollywood production about the
Bloody Benders. I’m rooting for the indie film.
When the resurgence occurs in
Western film, it will come from solid storytelling. My money is
on indie films because they can’t afford elaborate computer generated effects, so they have no choice but to concentrate on a great script. Western
enthusiasts keep hoping that movies like Cowboys and Aliens or The Lone Ranger
will rejuvenate the genre. Small films have a better chance.
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| Bender Knife |
IMDB reports
an estimated budget for Open Range of only $26 million, a pittance for a movie
with two bankable stars. Dances with Wolves was only $19 million. Quigley Down Under $20 million. And even the remake
of 3:10 to Yuma was only $55 million. On the other hand, films with nine figure
budgets have harmed the genre. Big losses sour Hollywood
powers-that-be on Westerns and they’re too dumb to figure out they threw away
their money on a lousy script because they believe CGI, fast cuts, and a pulsing
soundtrack were the key to a blockbuster.
Good
storytelling draws audiences into movie houses … and that’s the forte of low
budget films. Since Hollywood is blockbuster obsessed, we’ll have to rely on
indie films to have an enjoyable night at the movies with a box of hot, buttered popcorn.