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

90s Movie Review - Dances with Wolves

Director: Kevin Costner
Genre: Drama/ Adventure/ Western
Runtime: 180 minutes
Year: 1990
Starring: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant, Floyd ‘Red Crow’ Westerman, Tantoo Cardinal, Robert Pastorelli, Charles Rocket, Maury Chaykin, Jimmy Herman, Michael Spears, Tony Pearce

Description: Lt. John Dunbar (Kevin Costner), exiled to a remote western Civil War outpost, befriends wolves and Indians, making him an intolerable aberration in the military.

Review: “Dances with Wolves” was one of the most remarkable and ambitious debut films, which got both criticized and was successful. Kevin Costner, who was only known for his acting, took on the role of director and producer as well for this project. At the time the movie came out, westerns were practically dead. It’s very courageous to make one that is three hours long.

A passion for the subject is very welcome. Costner always wanted to star in a western and he managed to do that in “Silverado”. With “Dances with Wolves” he could make another dream come true, by making one of his own.

Indians were always portrayed as barbarians the ‘white man’ had to overcome and defeat. “Dances with Wolves” breaks that tradition. It’s a revisionary western, where the role of cowboys and Indians are reversed. Others might say it’s just a milder version of the old western.

Kevin Costner plays the role of John Dunbar, a man we can easily identify with. We don’t know much about him, but together with Dunbar we are trying to find his true identity. Like him we are open to new experiences and all the new impressions are magical. We get a personal and unique connection with Dunbar.

The story isn’t very complicated, but it’s told in the most beautiful way. The visuals of the landscapes and the music by John Barry are just amazing. Director Kevin Costner tells the story in a calm and sometimes poetic way. He makes you care for the characters and keeps you captivated for all the three hours long. A very impressive directorial debut.

Rating: 5/ 5

90s Movie Review - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Director: Kevin Reynolds
Genre: Drama/ Adventure/ Action/ Romance
Runtime: 143 minutes
Year: 1991
Starring: Kevin Costner, Alan Rickman, Morgan Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantinio, Christian Slater, Geraldine McEwan, Michael McShane, Brian Blessed, Michael Wincott, Walter Sparrow, Jack Wild, Sean Connery

Description: When Robin (Kevin Costner) and his Moorish companion (Morgan Freeman) come to England and the tyranny of the Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman), he decides to fight back as an outlaw.

Review: In 1991 director Kevin Reynolds brought us one of the best movies based on the classic Robin Hood story. The cast is good and so is the soundtrack. The single “Everything I Do (I Do it for You)” by Bryan Adams was a huge hit (note: it’s my favorite song).
Kevin Costner portrays the historical hero Robin Hood, also known as Robin of Locksley. Costner doesn’t always convince, because of that accents, but proofs he is a great actor. His sidekick is Azeem, played by Morgan Freeman. As always Freeman manages to do this very well. But Alan Rickman is the scene stealer, as the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham. Very over the top, but a joy to watch. He is brilliant in his role.
Not only the actors are good, the décor is also amazing. It’s almost fairytale like. The locations are beautiful and spectacular. This also goes for the fight scenes.
“Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” is a movie that is still fun after watching it a couple of times (and believe me, I’ve seen it many times). Most people would rate it lower, but this movie always holds a special place in my heart.

Rating: 4,5 / 5

80s Movie Review - The Untouchables

Director: Brian De Palma
Genre: Action/ Crime
Runtime: 119 minutes
Year: 1987
Starring: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Patricia Clarkson, Charles Martin Smith

Description: During the era of Prohibition in the United states, Federal Agent Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) sets out to stop ruthless Chicago gangster Al Capone (Robert De Niro) and, because of rampant corruption assembles a small, hand-picked team to help him.

Review: Due to the prohibition, the empire of Al Capone blossoms like never before. He is too big to deal with by the police. Policemen fear revenge if they would do it or have been bribed by Capone’s men. However, Eliot Ness is going to put a stop to this. He gathers 3 men around him who will go to extremes to get Capone behind bars.
The first of the three is Jim Malone, a street cop who happens to meet Eliot. However, he hasn’t been a street cop all his life and has a lot of knowledge of fighting crime and gives Eliot important lessons. Next there is agent George Stone, a very accurate and loyal policeman. The last is gent Wallace, who is an accountant by nature, and get some more insight on Capone’s finances.
The entire atmosphere, the setting and the characters are what make this film great. Old Chicago is portrayed beautifully. All main character have enough depth and development to gain sympathy for them.
The most memorable and iconic scene is the one in the train station. It’s filmed so well and it has so much tension. This is a lesson in film by itself. So is the scene at the round table, where Capone ‘deals’ with one of his guests and later the camera has an overview and you see what happened.
With gangster films like “The Godfather”, “Scarface” and “Goodfellas”, this is one you would easily forget or overlook and that’s a shame. Because it’s a fantastic crime film.

Rating: 4 / 5

Movie Reviews - The Highwaymen

Director: John Lee Hancock
Genre: Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson, Kathy Bates, John Carroll Lynch, William Sadler, Kim Dickens

Description: A pair of Texas Rangers (Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson) come out of retirement to catch the infamous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde.

Review: Former Texas Rangers Frank Hamer and Benjamin Maney Gault return from retirement to end the criminal duo Bonnie and Clyde.
Director John Lee Hancock has some historical dramas on his resumé, like “Saving Mr. Banks” and “The Founder”. In “The Highwaymen” he went into a different direction. It’s the tale of two heroes hunting for the world’s most infamous criminal duo.
The film’s strength is its depiction of the 1930s. Hamer and Gault are trying to fight their way though the country where, due to the economic crisis, the citizens have become more fond of murdering outlaws than the actual law.
How both characters respond to everything around them is very different. In this contrast we see the true characters.
“The Highwaymen” is not an action/ chase movie. Its power is set in the silent moments, where Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson get the chance to translate the historical story into words, facial expressions and motion. Both actors are definite favorites of mine and are excellent in this film.
We are actually missing Bonnie and Clyde here, but it was a conscious choise of Hancock to give them almost no screen time. The consequences of their actions, the search for them and the men hunting them are the focus of the story. And this makes “The Highwaymen” into a melancholic film experience.

Rating: 4/ 5

10s Movie Review - Molly's Game

Director: Aaron Sorkin
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 141 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Chris O’Dowd, Bill Camp, Graham Greene, Justin Kirk

Description: The true story of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain), an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.

Review: Molly Bloom is a strong woman, but not the school girl role model. As an Olympic skier, she gets into a terrible accident where the doctors tell her she will never ski again. But within a year Molly is back on the slope.
But her Olympic career isn’t for long, when Molly has yet another fall to recover from. She starts working for a shady guy in an equally shady office. Her boss is friends with some big shots and runs secret poker games. Molly starts out as his help and eventually climbs the ladder to become the so-called ‘poker princess’.
Molly Bloom’s biography is pretty outspoken and was released not long after Molly was charged for running illegal games. Aaron Sorkin saw something in it and decided to turn it into film.
Everything we see, really happened, Bloom only changed most names. Sorkin isn’t interested in the names, he’s not here to get out the dirt. He wants to show us Molly Bloom’s story, how she starts out and eventually how she runs exclusive high-stake poker games.
Jessica Chastain is probably my favorite actress of the moment. She plays Bloom fiercely, relentless and sharp. Bloom is smart, she plays it smart and she uses her feminine qualities in a very clever way. And it all works.
Bloom isn’t portrayed as some kind of superhero. Aside from the criminal activities, she is also a woman that can be broken as long as you keep looking for her weaknesses. But she comes back from it even stronger and the fact that people never really get close to Bloom, is just a side effect she accepts.
Chastain is amazing in her role, she makes this movie great. And Sorkin manages to create a biopic, where a feisty woman makes it in a man’s world. Strong film!

Rating: 4 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 99: Hidden Figures

Director: Theodore Melfi
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 127 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali

Description: The story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.

Review: “Hidden Figures” is based on true events. About three African-American women who served a vital role in NASA. This inspiring period in recent American history is combined with the systematic injustice that was going on.
“Hidden Figures” is set in the early sixties, a time that is notable because for America’s optimism. The central characters are Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, who each exceed in mathematics and technically do the work that computers do now. But the race difference and the fact that they are also women, constantly put them behind. Even though they excel at what they do.
“Hidden Figures” shows us that it’s not just the so called rednecks that act racist, but also the schooled brainiacs did it, without realizing.
The story is really inspiring and it rubs off because of the fantastic performances by all three ladies. And it’s also great to see Kevin Costner in his role as project manager Al Harrison. He fits the Kennedy era perfectly.
“Hidden Figures” maybe feels a little bit too Hollywood, but it’s a beautiful story that I’m happy to learn about.

Rating: 4/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Kevin Costner Movies

Maybe not today, but he once was one of the best actors. An actor I loved and adored to watch. And Kevin Costner does have some amazing movies. Here are my five favorites.

5. A Perfect World

Costner plays an escaped convict who kidnaps a little boy names Phillip. It’s one of his best performances, navigating the waters between hardened criminal and Phillip’s protector. A delicate performance, which makes “A Perfect World” such a pleasure to watch.

 

 

 

4. JFK

I just love movies about conspiracy theories, and “JFK” is one of them. It’s an epic drama, with an amazing cast and wonderfully directed by Oliver Stone. Great performance by Costenr, as Jim Garrison.

 

 

 

3. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Call me silly, but I’m literally in love with this movie. There was a period in my life that this was my most beloved movie. I watched it so many times, I can dream it back and forth. Probably not one of his best, but definitely one of my favorites.

 

 

 

2. Field of Dreams

This movie….. tears every time I watch it. It’s such a beautiful film and it grabs me every single time. And I’m not even a baseball fan.

 

 

 

1. Dances with Wolves

He didn’t only star in “Dances with Wolves” he also directed this beautiful picture. It’s a heart breaking movie, his greatest performance and the best film he made.

 

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: The Bodyguard, Tin Cup, Untouchables, Bull Durham

Movie Moments: "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves"

I’ve seen this movie so many times, I don’t even need to rewatch it to tell you what my favorite scenes are. “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” is still, in my opinion, the best movie about Robin Hood. Okay, maybe not the best, but the most fun and memorable. And it has my favorite song of all-time on its soundtrack.

Moment # 1: Robin fighting, Azeem praying
After Robin Hood and his new friend Azeem have escaped, they are headed to see Robin’s father. While danger is on the way, Azeem starts praying, instead of helping out Robin.

Moment # 2: Robin’s father
Robin arrives at his father’s home and sees it has been burned to the ground. He’s looking for him and finds him…. hanging. He want to avenge his father’s death.

Moment # 3: Fighting a masked knight
Robin visits Marian, who he thinks changed very much. Then he’s attacked by a masked knight. During the fight, Robin finds out he’s fighting a woman. When he takes off her mask, Robin sees it’s the real Marian.

Moment # 4: Binoculars
Robin and Azeem see the enemy approach. Azeem hands over binoculars to Robin, who has never seen it before. When he looks through, it scares him how close the enemy has come. He doesn’t understand it’s purpose.

Moment # 5: Crossing the river
Robin thinks it’s easy to cross a shallow river. Well, think again. The people who live there, led by John Little, don’t want him to cross and they won’t leave without a fight.

Moment # 6: “I’ll cut your heart out with a spoon”
Robin has entered the walls and is planning on stealing from the rich. Along the way he meets up with Marian, who advices him to take a bath. And also the Prince John, who has a rather unconventional method of trying to kill Robin.

Moment # 7: “Keep the stitched small”
After his unlucky meeting with Robin Hood, the Prince John has a big cut on his face. He orders the doctor to keep the stitches small. Later they also added the scar to his most beloved statue.

Moment # 8: Fighting and making weapons
John Little and all his people decided to tag along with Robin’s plans. Together they make weapons, like swords and arrows, and they are thought to fight properly.

Moment # 9: The arrow
Robin Hood is known for his archery. We see it up close and personal, while from the point of view of the arrow.

Moment # 10: Friar Tuck
The jolly, singing and always drunk Friar Tuck passes by. Robin and his group try to get the beer that he’s transporting. Friar Tuck doesn’t corporate and almost gets away, but he’s not that smart.

Moment # 11: Marian visits Robin
Marian wants to see Robin, who has been taken her advice. She sees him ‘taking a bath’ and is rather hypnotized by what she sees. When Robin eventually approaches her, she doesn’t know what to say.

Moment # 12: The blow
Robin is trying to teach the villagers how to shoot a bow and arrow while being distracted. Marian wonders if Robin can. While everyone is trying to distract him, Robin stays focused. Until Marian blows gentle into his ear.

Moment # 13: The kiss
Marian says goodbye to Robin, but before she gets into the boat Marian kisses him.

Moment # 14: Brothers
Robin wants to know why Will hates him so much. He reveals that they are brothers and that their father loved Robin more than him.

Moment # 15: The hanging
Prince John has captured John Little’s son. Together Robin and his people come up with a plan to rescue him.

Moment # 16: The final fight
In order to rescue Marian, Robin has to fight Prince John. And they both aren’t willing to give up.

Moment # 17: The wedding
Off course they will live happily ever after and Robin and Marian get married. King Richard also arrives and celebrates with them.

Favorite Moment: Moment # 5 : Crossing the River

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 117: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Genre: Thriller/ Crime/ Action
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh

Description: Jack Ryan (Chris Pine), as a young covert CIA analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack.

Review: Jack Ryan is the most well-known character developed by author Tom Clancy. Alec Baldwin portrayed him in “The Hunt for Red October”, Harrison Ford did it in “Patriot Games” and Ben Affleck also played the CIA agent in the movie “The Sum of All Fears”. Now, over ten years later, Chris Pine has the honors to take over the role of CIA analist Jack Ryan. He has proven before that he can give a beloved character a new life, just look at Captain Kirk in the “Star Trek” reboot. Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley and Kenneth Branagh join him. Branagh is also responsible for directing the flick.
Jack Ryan decides to join the military after seeing the 9/11 footage. During his service, Ryan is injured and during rehabilitation he’s recruited by CIA agent Thomas Harper. A few years later we see that Ryan works on Wall Street as a CIA mole. Some suspicious transactions lead him to the Russian Victor Cheverin.
Unlike James Bond and Ethan Hunt from “Mission Impossible”, Jack Ryan isn’t an action hero. He’s is an intellectual who has to take the role of hero against his will. In “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” that intellect is hardly present and a lot of physical action shows us that we are dealing with a reboot hoping to be a blockbuster. You also notice it’s not a direct adaptation of the first Tom Clancy novel; the character is a bit superficial. The story misses intrigue, but is fluent and doesn’t bore you.
The choice for Chris Pine is successful. His presents is fresh and Keira Knightley, with a doubtful American accent, is also solid. Kenneth Branagh’s accent is a bit over the top, but his performance as villain is really good. Then it’s easy to ignore that cheesy accent. Kevin Costner has the most pleasant role, as the wry CIA agent harper. He’s often the viewers perspective.
Not great, but pretty good, that’s what “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” is.

Rating: 3/ 5

Best & Worst: Kevin Costner

Back in the days he was actually one of my movie heroes. If you got him as your leading man, you got a solid movie. But nowadays he has to be happy with a supporting role. Here is my choice for best & worst Kevin Costner movie.

It’s very long, but anything but dull. It’s a fantastic movie, which Kevin Costner also directed. Here he show how great of an actor he actually is.
Honourable mentions: “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”, “Field of Dreams”, “JFK”

This is the proof that Kevin Costner was on his way back. I can’t believe he agreed on participating in this movie. I mean, I love Jennifer Aniston, but it’s a weird combination. Costner is too good for this. Oh yeah, to make it even worse, his name in this movie was Beau. God…
Dishonorable mentions: “The Postman”

Top 5 Thursday: Movie Archers

I recently saw "Brave" for the first time and that made me think of this top 5. The best movie archers.

5. Clint Barton/ Hawke Eye (“The Avengers”)
He is part of the ensemble, but doesn't have any superpowers. His bow and arrow do the trick.

4. Neytiri (“Avatar”)
She is the Na'vi princess of the Omaticaya clan. She is good with her bow and she can quite do some damage because of the size of the arrows.

3. Princess Merida (“Brave”)
Merida is a character with a strong will and a young woman who just wants to make her own decisions. Her mother doesn't like it that Merida is so good at archery.

2. Katniss Everdeen (“The Hunger Games”)
Katniss taught herself to shoot a bow and arrow, just for the simple reason of survival. As you can see, it can come in handy. Katniss really rocks this weapon.

1. Robin Hood (“Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”)
Robin Hood is the most well known archer in the history of the world and also in the movie history. My favorite indeed!

They almost made the top 5: Kili ("The Hobbit")

Best of... Kevin Costner

When I was younger, me and a friend from High School were huge Kevin Costner fans. Basically because of one film, but we sort of had a crush on him. Now I really don't remember why, but he's still a very attractive man. And off course he is a great actor. Here are my favorite Kevin Costner films.

"The Untouchables"
Besides "Scarface" this is definitely Brian DePalma's best work. Brilliantly directed and Oscar-worthy performances by Costner, De Niro and Connery (who actually did win an award for this film). The movie also brought us some classic scenes, like the one with the baseball bat.

"Bull Durham"
There's one thing Costner does best. He can star in great baseball movies, with this being one of them. The love triangle between Annie, Crash and Nuck is told in a both beautiful and funny way. Tim Robbins has the best role, but Costner has great chemistry with Robbins and Susan Sarandon.

"Field of Dreams"
I haven't seen it in a long time, but I still know this is his best baseball movie. What a beautiful film this is. It's not just a movie about baseball, it's actually about second chances, something I truly believe in. Kevin Costner is absolutely great here, very strong and natural.

"Revenge"
Probably not one of his best, but it's one of my favorites. A very exciting movie about infidelity and what happens when the 'victim' finds out.

"Dances with Wolves"
His best movie so far. This is one of those very long movies, but it doesn't bother me one second. It's such an amazing picture, beautiful and sad. Perfect.

"Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves"
This is that movie me anf my High school friend were obsessed with. I saw it a gazillion times and I still love it. I know that most people think Costner wasn't a good Robin Hood, and I know his accent was kinda ridiculous. But come on, this movie is awesome and highly entertaining.

"JFK"
Oliver Stone's directing is as good as it gets and you can see that he has a passion for the subject, which is very controversial. And what a great ensemble cast: Kevin Costnerm Joe Pesci, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones.

"A Perfect World"
You really don't see this one very often and it's certainly underrated. Costner gives away a nice performance as badboy Butch and great supporting roles by Clint Eastwood and Laura Dern. I really want to see this movie again.

"Message in a Bottle"
A romantic story, based on a book by Nicholas Sparks. When I saw it for the first time, I remembered why I had a crush on Costner back in the days. He's one of those well aging men. Very beautiful love story, not a brilliant movie but entertaining for us romantics.

"For the Love of the Game"
Just a very enjoyable film that captivated me.

"Mr. Brooks"
Not as good as I expected it to be, but still very solid. We see Costner from a different side, as a cold blooded killer with a double life. He does that very well.

No, I don't have a crush on him anymore, but he's still an actor I enjoy to watch, especially in the projects he did in the 90's.