Today, the men in my family took advantage of the rain and ventured to the Cedar-Lee to see "The Good, the Bad, the Weird". BTW, the title had nothing to do with the three of us. As one would expect, this was a similar story to "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly". But we had to read it, because this Western was done Korean style.

What a ride this Western set in 1930's Manchuria was. As one would expect, it pits three men who are pursuing each other for different reasons, but meet under the pretense of chasing down a map that allegedly holds the secret of a buried treasure. Eventually the Japanese army (who are occupying Manchuria) and some other freedom fighters join the chase, as well.

From the opening train robbery here, the action is as good as any you will find. The Bad guy is considered the nation's most ruthless killer. And he gets to kill a bunch of folks via some master gunplay and superior knife work. The Good guy is an awesome marksman and some of his scenes brandishing his rifle while on horseback are a throwback to the oaters of long ago. The Weird guy lives up to his billing and has an uncanny way escaping what always appears to be certain doom. They converge near the end in a classic three-way showdown.

I absolutely loved this movie. The action is top-notch, the story keeps you interested to see how it ultimately shakes out, and any of the three leads are what you want in a villain, hero or anti-hero. I know it's a couple of years old, but this Western was definitely worth the wait. The genre lives on spectacularly with this one.

"The Good, the Bad, the Weird" Intro



Meal of Links

On Memorial Day, please reflect on the ultimate sacrifice of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. All wars for that matter.

You could have used the holiday weekend for any of these afternoon projects. Uh, maybe July 4 would be better.

Woman sues Google for bad directions. She had no inclination walking down a state highway was asking for trouble.

Two big TV anniversaries today. It is the 20th anniversary of "Seinfeld", not "The Seinfeld Chronicles", which premiered on July 5, 1989. And it's also the 10th anniversary of "Survivor".

Exercise Yard

The Indians still suck. Anyhow, here are 11 choice beers from nations in the World Cup. Feel free to drink them during any Cleveland sporting event.

Visitor

53 Across: Born 5/31/1930, entertainer associated with the phrase formed by the starts of 20-, 31- and 41-Across (13 letters) Answer: Clint Eastwood

"The Good, The Bad and the Ugly"