Thursday Overnight Open Thread - June 25, 2026 [Doof]

From Julie Smith

Howdy Hordelings! Welcome to the Thursday ONT! Open thread, as always. Content supplied for those who are interested. What's on YOUR mind tonight?

[Top photo: Pigeon Point Light Station, a historic California landmark constructed in 1871]

Legend

87-year-old makes hole-in-one, takes legendary photo

Congrats to an 87-year-old man named Lee McFarland for making a hole-in-one—but also for taking one of the best hole-in-one photos ever.

McFarland made his ace at Chippewa Golf Club just outside Toledo earlier this week by knocking in a driver from 135 yards out. And did he celebrate his impressive accomplishment? Your damn right he did.

A beer AND a cigarette in hand by the time you pluck your golf ball out of the hole is amazing stuff. That guy was ready to rock.

And apparently, he kept up the good play as well. As you can see, Lee also shot his age.

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45 years ago

This one deserves a rewatch. Been a long time for me. How about you -- favorite scenes or lines?

Staying with movies, must be time for a Tombstone rewatch. Two different articles hit my feed recently.

The good one - Film Quote of the Day: The 'Tombstone' Line That Became Timeless Wisdom About Life's Uncertainty

I'm sure as writers we all feel the pressure of The Big Scenes—and we know when we're coming to them. Usually, they approach like a landmark in the writing process, if you visualize writing a script like traveling the Oregon Trail. You have to reach them and make sure they count.

These scenes are usually huge, pivotal character moments or the big confrontations. Sometimes they are dialogue-heavy, which I find is the bigger challenge than writing straight action. What are characters communicating in the silence between words? What are the minuscule differences between their potential word choices? How can you make sure it's both emotional and realistic?

That's why I love looking at scenes like this one from the end of Tombstone, in which Doc Holliday delivers one of the film's biggest gut-punches of dialogue: "There's no normal life, Wyatt. There's just life."

Val Kilmer was one of my favorite actors. This is a great example of why.

Now for the not so good article. Some AWFL writer from ScreenRant takes umbrage with Tombstone when viewed through modern day woke lenses.

8 Reasons It's Hard To Watch Tombstone Today

Whether it’s Val Kilmer’s legendary delivery of "I’m your huckleberry" or the sheer, kinetic energy of its iconic shootout, Tombstone feels like an immovable object in our collective pop culture consciousness. Who among us doesn't have a soft spot for this movie? It is a quintessential crowd-pleaser that demands to be watched on a loop, forever cemented as a high-water mark for the genre.

However, the nature of the movie—and the culture that consumes it—is inherently fluid. As the years have marched on, rewatching Tombstone through a contemporary lens reveals that even the most beloved classics are not immune to the passage of time. Looking back at the movie in 2026, it becomes clear that its status as a perfect western is complicated by evolving standards in storytelling, character depth, and the ways in which historical narratives are presented on screen.

This is not a condemnation of what Tombstone achieves, but rather an exploration of why certain elements that once felt like standard genre conventions now land with a bit of friction. By examining these aspects, we aren't trying to tear down a legend, but rather engaging with the reality of how our perspective shifts three decades later. Let’s look at the elements of this legendary film that make it a bit tougher to process through modern eyes.

You really need to read this whole thing for yourself. It's a hoot.

Female Characters Suffer From Lack Of Agency

Outdated Tough Guy Tropes Feel Cartoonish Today

Historical Accuracy Takes A Backseat To Myth

Those are just a few of the AWFL problems with Tombstone. Go read the article for the rest. And be sure to check out the comments - some of them could have been written by Hordelings!

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This guy needs to bring that beauty of a weapon to the ranch in October!

Seriously - how fun does that look?!?

Meanwhile - this is what we're going to be up against when Civil War II goes hot.

I can't even come up with a funny or sarcastic comment. One of you got anything?

DJ Doof - Another Easy Theme Edition

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posted by Open Blogger at 09:59 PM

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