A Coffin Full of Dollars Part 1

A COFFIN FULL OF DOLLARS

1863

The lone figure that approached the ghost town of Silverline moved with the grace of the undead. His clothes, which consisted of the usual tatters and rags of a drifter, were covered by a long black coat, that hung from his shoulders nonchalantly.  His black flat rimmed hat mirrored his head and pointed down to the dusty earth below.

Around his forearms were dark leather bracers that both had steel chains attached to them. Following along these chains, that stretch for three feet behind the figure, is a heavy oak coffin. It wears the scars that the hot landscape has inflicted upon it over it's journey. It's main distinguishing feature is the heavy, rusted lock in it's center. 

The man had traveled over 30 miles on foot with this burden and his face confirmed it. An educated guess would place this man in his mid thirties. The olive skin had been burned and damaged by the sun and sand. Across his jaw the straggling hairs that neither belong to stubble nor beard were wild and free.

He was well aware of the man that had been following him for the last ten miles. 

TNA Maximum IMPACT - London, Wembley Arena

 So for the second year in a row (Third Maximum IMPACT tour, the first was a house show in Glasgow) me and my friend Neil traveled down from Aberdeen to London via bus. A 13 hour bus journey each way is hell on the body and the mind.

Wembleeeey. Wembleeeey.

So anyway, quick rundown and opinions: (SPOILERS AHEAD)

We got to Wembley Arena just in time for the first match, the arena was packed and the crowd was hot as hell. There is a certain electricity that really comes off a British crowd.

Kenny King vs Zema Ion (Steel Cage Match):

Fantastic opener, my first ever live cage match. Ion has come on leaps and bounds since his arrival and Kenny King has the unlimited potential. Fun, fast match with plenty of good spots.King got the victory in nice fashion, springboarding off Ion and climbing out. Only criticism was the the length of time it took to take down the cage, it killed the momentum of the crowd.

Hogan came out to a killer pop and announced a mini tournament to establish a number one contender.

Christopher Daniels vs Magnus: 

Good match, two personal favourites. Crowd were hot for Magnus and Daniels/Kaz got plenty of good heat. Magnus got the victory.

Austin Aries vs Bobby Roode:

Hadn't seen any news from the Manchester tapings so was clueless that AA and Roode were the tag team champions. Fun match, very house show-esque. Loved the double fingerpoke skit. Match ended in double count out after a distraction from Chavo and Hernandez.

Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe:

First time seeing Kurt Angle wrestle (He missed the last two years for us), ending in a draw after interference from Wes Brisco and Garrett Bischoff (Aces and Eights)  Good match but having a second no contest result was a bit frustrating. 

Marty Scrull and The Blossom Twins vs Gail Kim, Tara and Jessie:

Good pop for Marty and the Blossoms (from myself included) Alright match, Jesse does not impress in anyway what so ever. Marty took a nasty bump when he overshot his corner suicide dive.

James Storm vs Rob Van Dam:

Good, short match. Not much to say about it really. 

Hulk Hogan came out again to address the new No 1 Contender before getting attacked by Aces and Eights, Sting and Bully Ray ran out to save the day and wrap up the first Impact taping.

Will post about the second taping shortly.

KRS

Not the Young Guns

So the new screenplay is coming along great.

Despite the two films being personal favourites, I have had to go to lengths to basically not re-write the Young Guns. Obviously basing a story off historical events means the two stories will be very similar, so here is five ways we have significant differences from the Young Guns movies (And to a lesser extent, Sam Peckinpah's "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid")

1. "Once Upon a Time in Lincoln-County" is NOT a Billy the Kid movie.

Shame when you're only photograph makes it look like a drivers licence. 

The biggest difference by far. Although Young Guns was about the Lincoln-County war and the other Regulators, it was still essientially a Billy the Kid movie. Our's simply shifts the focus onto the Regulators as a whole, with Billy just being another member. It's about as far apart from Peckinpah's plot as possible in that regard.

2. Different Regulators

Half of the Regulators were not members of the Brat Pack

Another seemingly obvious one is the different characters. With a large amount of members to choose from, it was very easy to choose which ones would fit with our vision. Some of them are the same - Doc Scurlock, Billy the Kid, Jose Chavez Y Chavez, Charlie Bowdre and Richard Brewer are on ours too. But we have added more into the main cast - Frank McNab, Tom O'Folliard, Yginio Salazar and Big Jim French. 

Young Gun's Regulator (and real life Regulator) Dirty Steve Stephens has been removed/merged with Dirty Dave Rudabaugh (Christian Slater in Young Guns II) While other real life members have also been omitted/merged - George and Frank Coe, John Middleton, Ab Saunders.

The characters also have varying differences in their personality's compared to other movies. We've been drawing from real life accounts as much as possible.

3. More realistic, not more accurate.  

I would wear this everywhere

Young Guns did have a lot of effort to get it historically accurate. Yes it's way, way, way off, but it's impossible to adapt months of reality into a 90 min movie and expect it to be bang on. Creative influence, pacing, character development all come into play to steer away the accurateness of the story.

Ours is no different, it is much more historically accurate than Peckinpah's but like Young Guns, we have had to take liberties to tell a better story. The biggest difference is our story is much more grounded and less romanticized . And no that does not always mean grittier and darker. It means it's less fantastical and helluva more depressing. Because that's life kids!

4. Pat Garrett.

James Coburn is the man.

Patrick Wayne isn't a great Pat Garrett (Why the fuck didn't they get him to play John Chisum!?) and as much as I love him, William Petersen ain't great as him either.

Neither can properly express the complicated nature of the character, although that could be because of the script too.

Our Pat Garrett is a much more complex, more obsessive and frighteningly efficient. Think of half James Coburn's Pat Garrett (From Pat Garett and Billy the Kid) and Daniel Day-Lewis' Daniel Plainview (From There Will Be Blood)

5. The Tone

Very simple, our tone and themes are extremly different from Young Guns. Sadder and darker, our story is a tragedy at heart. The doomed destiny of our protagonists are set in stone, we want to pity them and relate to them. They are more human, kids caught up in a world they were ill-prepared for. Fully aware of their impending fate and helpless to avoid it.

Famous ICT

FINALLY.

I found a decent recording of a Caley song. And now you must listen.

...

Done?

Good. Enjoy that? I'm glad you did and now we can still be friends.

Mon eh Jags.

KRS

A New Screenplay

Started work on a new screenplay with Neil A. Benzie called "Once Upon a Time in Lincoln County"

"It is 1877 in Lincoln-County, New Mexico. The American Civil War is quickly becoming a distant memory and slavery long abolished. Death lurks around every corner. A dark cloud is approaching the territory and tensions among it's citizens are boiling over.

The sun baked sands play host to battles between L.G Murphy - A corrupt businessman, his infamous gang; The Seven River Warriors and the Iron Clad Regulators, a group of youths, vagrants and runaways thrust into a clash they never wished for.

In a world where the law is but a word, The Regulators seek revenge on those who have wronged them. But a new threat is on the horizon, a man in a long black coat known as Pat Garrett, who will track and hunt them to the end of the earth.

Justice is coming."

Hope everyone had a good Christmas and a great hogmany/new year! 

KRS