80s Movie Review - Silverado

Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Genre: Western/ Action/ Drama/Crime
Runtime: 133 minutes
Year: 1985
Starring: Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, John Cleese, Brian Dennehy, Rosanna Arquette, Jeff Goldblum, Linda Hunt, Jeff Fahey

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 9: A WESTERN
 
Description: A misfit bunch of friends comes together to right the injustice which exist in a small town called Silverado.

Review: Four cowboys brought together by fate arrive in Silverado. A series of events force them to face off against an overpowered force.

In 1985, director Lawrence Kasdan successfully attempted to bring back the big western to the silver screen. Even though he does not innovate the genre, he resumes authentic western mythology and creates an entertaining and adventurous old-fashioned western.

The main reason why “Silverado” is so long, is that each of the four main characters has their own plot line. But the movie does not bore for a moment. There is enough action and tension building to keep one’s attention. Only the subplot surrounding Rosanna Arquette’s characters seems a bit thrown away and isn’t fleshed out.

The four men are cast well. Kevin Kline is the main protagonist. He plays the dryly comic Paden, who tries very hard to put his past behind him. Scott Glenn is the very cool Emmett. His brother Jake is played by Kevin Costner (in his first major role), a young, carefree spirit. And Danny Glover is Mal, a more serious character partly because of his personal situation. But he was my favorite.

We get some great supporting roles by Linda Hunt as  the petite but feisty saloonkeeper Stella. Brian Dennehy as the corrupt sheriff Cobb. And John Cleese makes a brief appearance as a quirky sheriff in a town nearby Silverado.

What also lifts “Silverado” to a higher level is the music by Bruce Broughton. Which is also something I seem to love about westerns: its music. The film looks stunning. I believe that “Silverado” is a fine and sadly underrated masterpiece. Even if you’re not a fan of westerns. I loved it.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

80s Movie Review - Witness

Director: Peter Weir
Genre: Drama/ Romance/ Thriller
Runtime: 112 minutes
Year: 1985
Starring: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Earl W. Wallace, Lukas Haas, Josef Sommer, Danny Glover, Brent Jennings, Alexander Godunov, Jan Rubes, Viggo Mortenson, Patti LuPone

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 4: A FILM FROM THE 1980S
 
Description: While protecting an Amish Boy (Lukas Haas) - who is the sole witness to a brutal murder - and his mother (Kelly McGillis), a detective is forced to seek refuge within their community when his own life is threatened.

Review: We meet Rachel, who has just lost her husband. Together with her son Samuel, she lives in an Amish community. She is going to visit her sister and while waiting for their train in Philadelphia, young Samuel witnesses a murder. Detective John Book comes in and has to find out what Samuel saw. When he realizes, a cop was involved and even the man at the top can’t be trusted, John has to go in hiding. While protecting Rachel and Samuel, he takes refuge in their community.

I believe “Witness” is an underappreciated and overlooked movie. It’s a highly suspenseful thriller where the contrast between the city and the quiet and sober life of the Amish runs like a thread. The drama gets a bit woeful at times, but Harrison Ford’s brilliant, non-verbal, acting fills the gaps flawlessly.

I really enjoyed this movie, I never hear anyone talk about it.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

90s Movie Review - The Rainmaker

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 135 minutes
Year: 1997
Starring: Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Jon Voight, Mickey Rourke, Danny Glover, Roy Scheider, Claire Danes, Dean Stockwell, Andrew Shue, Mary Kay Place, Virginia Madsen

Description: An underdog lawyer (Matt Damon) takes on a fraudulent insurance company.  

Review: Writer John Grisham is a star. A film adaptation of one of his legal thrillers guarantees commercial success. That must have been the motivation for Francis Ford Coppola. But with “The Rainmaker” he delivers a pretty standard courtroom drama.
John Grisham’s books have sold millions of copies worldwide, he is a very successful author. And many of his films have been turned into movies, also successfully. Films like “The Firm”, “The Client” and “The Chamber” are all movie I personally enjoyed, just as much as the books.
“The Rainmaker” centers around Rudy Baylor, a nearly graduated lawyer who haas the best interests of the correct person at heart. He is looking for work in Memphis, hoping to become a so-called ‘rainmaker’: a lawyer who makes the money. Both for the client and for himself, because in the U.S.A. a third of the compensation goes to the lawyer. Rudy initially starts at a little law firm ran by a freebooter who doesn’t take the law too seriously. as so-called ‘ambulance-chasers’, they sour hospitals looking for victims who might want to file a lawsuit against the instigators of the harm.
One of them is Mrs. Black, the mother of a young leukemia patient. She files a lawsuit against the insurance company Great Benefit, because it refuses to pay for an operation that could save her son’s life. Meanwhile Rudy decides to set up his own firm, along with colleague Deck Shifflet, a unlicensed lawyer who has failed his court exam several times. a battle ensues between Rudy and Great Benefit.
The film is structured very standard. There are some strong performances, because “The Rainmaker” has a great cast. But overall the film doesn’t have anything special to offer. It’s a solid film, just not the exciting.

Rating: 3/ 5

10s Movie Review - Jumanji: The Next Level

Director: Jake Kasdan
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 123 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Awkwafina, Nick Jonas, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Rhys Darby, Colin Hanks, Rory McCann, Marin Hinkle, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Madison Iseman, Ser’Darius Blain

Description: The gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to rescue one of their own, the players will have to brave parts unknown from arid deserts to snowy mountains, to escape the world’s most dangerous game.

Review: After their adventure in the world of Jumanji, the students Spencer, Martha, Bethany and Fridge try to pick up their lives again. However, Spencer is struggling with his life as a student in new York and longs for a new adventure in which he can take on the form of the tough professor Bravestone. When Spencer goes missing, his friends soon know what happened. Especially when they discover that Spencer has never thrown away the videogame Jumanji. All they can do to save their friend is venture into the world of Jumanji again. But this time, not only the students get sucked in, also Spencer’s grandfather and his elderly friend join the adventure, and Bethany is left behind. Once again, they have to join forces as their old avatars in order to return from the world of Jumanji.
“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” was one of the biggest surprises. A movie I thought I would hate, but actually came to love. So to repeat that success, Sony Pictures (of course) created a sequel. And although it’s much of the same, “Jumanji: The Next Level” still offers a lot of fun-filled and action packed scenes.
With the same game, the same avatars and the same students its more of the same. But the creators made a few adjustments to make it a bit fresher. Danny DeVito and Danny Glover are added and they end up in the avatars that Dwayne Johnson and Kevin hart embody. I’m not the world’s biggest Kevin Hart fan and he was my least favorite in the first film. Because he was being his loud an annoying self, instead of another character. Here his character is taken over by an elderly, slow-talking man that over-explains things. And I loved that! He actually outshines Dwayne Johnson for once.
“Jumanji: The Next Level” is not a necessary sequel, but a welcome one. Because I had tons of fun watching it. Even though it was much of the same, I enjoyed this film.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

Movie Review - The Dead Don't Die

Director: Jim Jarmusch
Genre: Comedy/ Horror
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tom Waits, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Caleb Landry Jones, RZA, Rosie Perez, Tilda Swinton, Selena Gomez, Iggy Pop

Description: The peaceful town of Centerville finds itself battling a zombie horde as the dead start rising from their graves.

Review: With "The Dead Don't Die", director Jim Jarmusch adds a dry-comic zombie film to his oeuvre. The film was declared dead in Cannes, but that doesn't spoil the fun.
Agents Cliff and Ronnie make their daily rounds through the sleepy town of Centreville ('A Nice Town', as can be read on the place name sign) when something strange strikes them. It just doesn't get dark. And then there are all kinds of reports of missing pets. Could it have something to do with the 'solar fracking' that is being reported about, a peculiar phenomenon that causes the poles to shift? Be that as it may, it doesn't take long before the dead start to get up. What makes these zombies different is that they fall into old habits. One has an uncontrollable urge to drink, the other is diligently looking for a wifi signal.
The film takes place in the fictional town Centerville USA, where Sheriff Cliff Robertson, deputy Ronnie Peterson and officer Mindy Morrison form the police force that has to protect the villagers from zombies. The dry-humorous Bill Murray and the cool Adam Driver make no attempt at convincing the villagers as policemen. On the contrary: the central joke in “The Dead Don't Die” lies in the idea that the actors were asked by director Jim Jarmusch to play in a zombie film. Murray and Driver literally mention this aspect and these characters are aware they are in a movie. And two actresses emphasize it with the names of their characters: Rosie Perez is called Posie Juarez in the film and Tilda Swinton plays undertaker Zelda Winston.
Their laconic struggle against the corpses is thus comical enough for less than an hour, but when the joke is worked out and Jarmusch and the actors repeat themselves, the thoughts go out to all the zombie comedies that did shake from start to finish. There are too many of them to mention. Maybe that's Jarmusch's biggest problem: he tells a joke that was long dead and buried. And he kept coming back.
The horror comedy is one of my favorite genres, but “The Dead Don’t Die” didn’t give me what I wanted. It has a few funny moments and a fantastic cast, but this movie was super disappointing.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

80s Movie Review - The Color Purple

Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 147 minutes
Year: 1985
Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, Laurence Fishburne

Description: A black Southern woman struggles to find her identity after suffering abuse from her father and others over four decades.

Review: Right after “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, director Steven Spielberg turned into a different direction, by adapting the novel “The Color Purple” to film. It was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, but won none.
We follow the story of Celie, a young black Southern woman. She has to deal with an abusive father. She gives birth to two of his children, whom he then takes away from her. Celie is forced into marrying a much older brute and she is separated from her sister. The one person she loves more than anything.
When you look at the synopsis, the story can easily go into too much sentiment an become overly dramatic. Spielberg manages to dose the drama, making it dramatic but not too sentimental.
It surprising to see Whoopi Goldberg, who was a stand-up comedian before this, in such a strong performance. This is her best role to date. The same goes for Oprah Winfrey, as the broken Sofia. Really strong as well.
It’s not Steven Spielberg’s best movie, but it’s a movie worth mentioning and viewing.

Rating: 4 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 7: Be Kind Rewind

Director: Michel Gondry

Genre: Comedy

Runtime: 98 minutes

Year: 2008

Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz, Sigourney Weaver

Description: Two bumbling store clerks (Jack Black, Mos Def) inadvertently erase the footage from all of the tapes in their video rental store. In order to keep the business running, they re-shoot every film in the store with their own camera, with a budget of zero dollars.

Review: ‘Be Kind, Rewind’, today’s kids don’t even know what that means anymore. The time before movies appeared on shiny discs but were sold on big, black rectangle VHS tapes. And when the person before you didn’t rewind the film, it was very frustrating. The store in “Be Kind Rewind” only sells VHS tapes and off course that’s hopelessly old fashioned. But this is a fun film for people with big imaginations.

Jack Black plays Jerry and believes the factory next door brainwashes people. When he unsuccessfully tries to sabotage it, he gets magnetized. This causes for every VHS tape to erase in the store that his friend Mike works at. Mike is responsible for the store after his boss left in order to save the store. One of their regular costumers really wants to see “Ghostbusters” on video, not DVD. Jerry and Mike decide to recreate the film themselves and it’s such a success that many other movies follow.

It’s very clear that director Michel Gondry had loads of fun making “Be Kind Rewind”. The cheap ways to recreate expensive special effects of some of our favorite movies. Those are the most fun parts of the film, when they are shooting the movies. Sometimes hilarious. And for someone who is creative herself, I can appreciate the creativity behind it all.

Jack Black is very typical Jack Black, Melonie Diaz doesn’t really get much to do and Mos Def is okay. So don’t see this for the acting. This film was made with love and enthusiasm and is very enjoyable.

Rating: 3/ 5