Thanks to the pandemic, entertainment options are dwindling quickly. Usually I’m getting geared up for new fall shows about now, but this year, I’m scraping the streaming service barrels to try to find something new to watch.
I ran across a western called The Legend of 5-Mile Cave and thought I’d give it a try. It’s available to stream free for those who subscribe to Amazon Prime or you can rent it for $2.99. If you like sweet and clean, family-friendly movies, you’ll like this one. It’s a split-time story told both from the 1890’s and the Depression-era. It’s a dime novel romp come to life with adventure, romance, villains, and fancy gun play.
A mysterious drifter befriends a widow and her son just when they are about to lose their ranch to the bank. The boy loves to read pulp fiction and is immediately fascinated by his latest story – The Legend of 5-Mile Cave – and the missing gold that was never found. The drifter warns him he can’t always believe everything he reads and reveals that he knew Shooter Green, the main character of the story, and starts to tell the boy his own version of events. As they work to save the ranch, secrets are revealed that tie past to present.
This was a fun movie with a good story and subtle Christian overtones. It won’t be winning any Oscars, but it was worth the watch, especially if you enjoy wholesome westerns that remind you of the old-fashioned oaters of the 1950’s.
If you don’t have access to Amazon Prime, but do have access to Netflix, I’ll recommend another show involving horses. It’s not exactly a western. It’s more of a down under-ern.
Ride Like a Girl is the inspirational true story of Michelle Payne, the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup despite facing odds of a 100 to 1. She was the youngest of 10 children, raised without her mother who died when she was just 6 months old. Her father was in the racing business, so his children tended to gravitate to that world, but none more strongly than Michelle. I love watching stories about strong women who defy the odds, and if there are horses and Aussie accents involved, even better!
What have you streamed lately that you would recommend?
For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Karen is a firm believer in the power of happy endings. . . and ice cream. She is an avid cross-stitcher, and makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.
I don’t stream just check out dvd’s from the library.
That’s a great option, too. Many libraries have excellent selections of movies and TV shows on DVD.
I don’t stream but I did watch Wind River a few weeks back. I loved the Wyoming setting and the plot. It’s a western murder mystery about the Wind River Reservation and the ongoing issue if Native American girls/ladies who go missing and Most are never found. Very eye opening. It’s a Taylor Sheridan film, so if you love Yellowstone TV series, you are sure to love this one.
Where did you watch this at? Sounds like something I’d love!
I got the DVD from the library. I have been wanting to watch it ever since Linda Broday told me it was the perfect movie for me and I could not find it anywhere, until I went to the library.
How compelling, Tonya! I love a good mystery.
I don’t belong to any streaming services. it’s just something extra that we can’t afford. But I did hear about Ride Like a Girl and hope it will be free one day so I can watch it.
I hear you, Janine. Everything costs money, doesn’t it? You are wise to budget. Maybe these shows will make it to TV or to a library near you. 🙂
I’ll keep an eye out for them.
I haven’t done much steaming lately and I still need to catch up on Yellowstone. The Legend of Five Mile Cave sounds worth watching! Thanks for sharing!
You bet! I love hearing about hidden gems, so I thought I’d share a couple of my own.
no streaming due to limited internet to my phone – but love to watch Heartland!! Awaiting a new DVD to be released! Thanks!
Thanks for the recommendation, Teresa. It looks like that’s available on Netflix, too. I’m adding it to my queue. 🙂
Just discovered “Heartland” and love it. Also watching classic Westerns on MeTV and INSP. My husband and I watch “Wagon Train” in the late afternoon, I treat myself to an hour of “Gunsmoke” in the early evening, and I usually fall asleep to a serving of “The Virginian.” That’s up to six hours of television a day. I chalk it up to research.
Wagon Train was my very favorite western, Kathy! And I agree that it’s absolutely research. 😉
I haven’t found anything good lately to stream. I have already watched Heartland and McLeod’s Daughter’s which were both very good. I will be checking out these movies you mentioned.
I hope you enjoy them, quilt lady. 🙂
I don’t watch much tv. would rather read.
I love book people, Estella! 🙂 Reading is the perfect escape, isn’t it? My TV watching is usually centered around other activities. Such as cross-stitching, which is my favorite non-reading hobby. It’s more fun to do while watching something, though I have enjoyed listing to audio books while stitching as well. I also enjoy watching something while I exercise, and then I tend to watch some shows with my husband. But it does cut into my reading time. 😉
I don’t stream, don’t do Netflix, nothing like that. I read, so if there’s nothing on tv, a book suits me fine! I’ll be reading while watching, anyway!
Ha! I do that, too, Trudy. I used to be able to read on commercials, but now that we fast-forward through everything with Tivo, I mostly read during my husband’s sporting events. He loves baseball, and it’s great to read too. The drone of the crowd noice is not very distracting, and if something exciting happens, I can look up for a few minutes before turning back to my book. 🙂
I have been watching a game show from the UK -Tipping Point
I’ve heard of that but haven’t seen it, Debra. I’ll have to look it up. I’m also a big fan of cooking competition shows, so I watch a lot of those as well.
These movies sound good, Karen! I really want to watch The Legend of 5 Mile Cave. I don’t stream, but I see you can rent it on Amazon.
Yep – It’s pretty cheap to rent if you decide to give it a try, Sharon. Hope you enjoy it!
we saw Ride Like a Girl. It is a very good movie. The top movie sounds interesting also. will check it out. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed Ride Like a Girl, Lori. I’m a sucker for true stories. 🙂
Like many others here, I don’t stream and definitely don’t do Netflix, nor do I watch TV. That said, I do love to watch DVD’s and have many of them, although nowadays am so busy, I rarely even drag out the DVD’s. Love your post.
Life is crazy busy, isn’t it, Kay? I don’t watch a lot, but I do enjoy relaxing with a cross-stitch project and a show to watch in the evenings every now and then. If only there were more hours in the day! (Who am I kidding? I’d fill those hours up, too. Ha!)
I’m watching Hallmark movies both the romance and the mysteries channels; and of course, game shows … the older the better. Thanks for a fun blog, Karen.
I flip to the Game Show network every now and then, too, Phyliss. Family Feud and America Says are two we enjoy. They are fun to play along with.
No Netflix or streaming for me unless one of our girls is visiting and brought a download on her laptop. This past weekend we watched a movie, not exactly a western, set on a dairy goat farm in Texas Hill Country titled “The Lost Husband”. I was a little confused by the title but the story was cute and had no violence, a little mystery. We wondered if it had been a Hallmark movie.
I like to watch movies while working in the kitchen which I do a lot of this time of year while freezing and canning my garden produce. I watched Wind River last month. I have the DVD. It is excellent. The issue of missing Native American girls and women has been featured on our local news thanks to the efforts of a group of women on the Yakama Reservation.
You are the second person to recommend that movie, Alice. It sounds like a very timely story.
The Lost Husband was adapted from Katherine Center’s book. It was never a Hallmark movie. It was released VOD in April before going to Netflix.
I don’t stream but our library has an excellent selection of movies, Thanks for these suggestions!
You’re welcome, Connie. I love hearing so many are seeking out movies from their libraries.
I’d like to see Ride Like a Girl. I’m usually reading not watching TV or movies.
Reading is an excellent past time, Caryl. 🙂
That movie is an INSP production and airs there if you have cable.
I mostly watch Hallmark.
Thanks for sharing that, dholcomb. I did see that it was from INSP, but I didn’t realize they had their own cable channel. Nice!
It’s a faith-based channel out of South Carolina. Their content varies with a lot of Westerns, some original programming, and a few original movies each year.
denise
I have only been watching a soapy in spanish on TV , it has been taped so I can watch episode after episode until it is over, and it is about Ranchers , I really like it. Probably after it is over I will see what movies to watch, only problem is there are way too many movies to pick from. Thank you for posting about these 2 movies, they really do sound intriguing . Have a Great rest of the week and stay safe. God Bless you.
So are you fluent in Spanish, Alicia, or are you watching the Spanish soaps to help you gain proficiency in the language? My kids took Spanish in school and they were told to watch Spanish soaps to help them with their language learning. 🙂
We don’t stream programs. We do have Amazon Prime, but I have never checked into it. We would enjoy The Legend Of Five Mile Cave, so I will have to check into it. We have a stack of movies we still haven’t watched, so there is always something to watch. We use summers to watch shows on channels we do not usually watch because all our regular shows are in reruns.
Take care, stay safe and healthy.
Like you, Patricia, I invested in Amazon Prime for the free shipping, but then I started exploring their other offerings included for no extra cost. Prime Video was a big bonus. I’ve watched several things there. I use Prime Photo too for digital photo storage. Makes me feel like I’m getting my money’s worth from my Prime subscription. 🙂
We just watched it as a family last night! Thanks so much for the recommendation. We loved it.
Yay! So glad you and the family enjoyed it, Susan. 🙂