Movie Delight Monday

I can't believe it's November.  Thanksgiving is in two and a half weeks, and Christmas is only four weeks after that! AHHH! 

I love fall, and especially all of the holidays crammed back to back, but I feel like I don't have time to prepare and decorate properly.  The good thing is, though, that starting on Thanksgiving Day, I can watch Christmas Vacation every day until Christmas! (It's a tradition,and yes, we watch it every single day between Thanksgiving and Christmas.)

Now that October is over, we can move away from the horror movie genre (yay!) and back to classic favorites of mine.  Today I'm sharing what is one of the best movies EVER, and also my favorite role Val Kilmer has played.  Yes indeedy, I'm talking about

 

Interesting Note:  Today is actually the anniversary of the death of the famous Doc Holliday. 

Aside from the awesomeness of Kilmer as Doc Holliday (I'm your huckleberry), the rest of the cast is really talented and the story plays out suspensfully and dramatically.  I can't praise this film enough to do it justice.

We start out with Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell), retiring from years of being a devoted and legendary peace officer, moving to the town of Tombstone, Arizona, along with his wife Mattie, bothers Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) and their wives. 

Tombstone is a bustling mining town with great potential.  Wyatt's good friend Doc Holliday happens to be in Tombstone as well, so their friendship picks back up with Wyatt becoming concerned as Doc's failing health becomes more evident.

A new theatre troup has also just arrived in town, sparking a flurry of excitement among the townsfolk.  Unfortunately, the outskirts of Tombstone are beging tormented by a gang called the Cowboys, and as they make their way into Tombstone, the local law enforcement begins a campaign to convince Wyatt to join the fight.    

Wyatt is loyal to his wife, but she's slowly becoming addicted to laudanum, and he's caught the eye of the beautiful actress who came into town with the theatre troup. 

Wyatt and his brothers attempt to start a gambling business and salon, and all is well until one of the Cowboys kills the local sheriff, prompting Wyatt's brother Virgil to sign on as new sheriff.  The outlawing of guns in the town leads to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral - one of the best scenes of the movie, and considerably the best-ever recreation of the event - which ends in death and rage on the part of the Cowboys.  A revenge ambush results in more death, which prompts Wyatt to join the fight against the Cowboys, and he's determined to end it once and for all.

If you're looking for a good film, Tombstone has it all:  romance, comedy, gunfights, cowboys, drama and Val Kilmer.  Excellence.