Silverado (1985) Review:

By the 1980s, the genre of Westerns had pretty much died off. Unfortunately, due to the enormous failure that was Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate (1980), Hollywood not only reconsidered giving total control to directors of the projects, but also closed the curtain on big budget Westerns in general. They were seen as time consuming, costly and returned little revenue. Despite this, the genre went on but continued to see little financial success. Such goes for this film which not only had its set reused for other films that came later, but also manage to gain critical acclaim for how it was handled then. This is baffling even more when considering who took part and how the story was executed. It's really surprising the genre didn't bounce back with films like this.

Glover, Costner, Glenn & Kline

The plot is about a group of rag tag strangers who end up crossing paths and manage to develop a good working relationship with each other. All who end up passing through the city of Silverado. Written by Mark Kasdan, with co-writer and director Lawrence Kasdan heading the project, this western is one that not only has a fun story but also features a number of familiar faces from back in the day. Emmett (Scott Glenn) and Jake (Kevin Costner) are brothers in hopes of making it to California. Emmett's a sharp gunslinger, as is his brother. However, Jake is much more reckless. On their journey, they meet Paden (Kevin Kline), a traveler recently robbed from another group he once was close with.

Then there's Mal (Danny Glover), a wanderer looking for place he can be accepted for who he is. His sister Rae (Lynn Whitfield) is a popular lady among the saloons and is good friends with Slick (Jeff Goldblum), a wealthy gambler. Also found in Silverado is also one of Paden's old associates; Cobb (Brian Dennehy) and Tyree (Jeff Fahey). All of these supporting characters come to a head as the story comes to a conclusion. The only aspect of the script that should've been twisted differently were backstories to certain characters who more often than not are put in difficult situations. Understandably so, some are unavoidable due to the time it takes place, but these kinds of scenarios do not always have to happen.

Supporting the cast are other well-known actors like John Cleese, Linda Hunt, Joe Seneca and Brion James. For anyone unfamiliar, Lawrence Kasdan was also known for writing Body Heat (1981), The Big Chill (1983), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). The action was staged well for this feature. Considering this is a western, it is expected to have the local bar fights, fist fights, gun fights and horseback riding. All of which are executed like everyone involved has been doing it all their lives. There's even a sequence involving a stampede, which no doubt is dangerous if not controlled properly.

"You know,....I knew a guy named John Rambo...."

The cinematography was shot competently too. Behind the camera for this feature was John Bailey. Capturing wide landscapes along with matte paintings helped greatly in giving the film that classic western outback look. Prior to this Bailey also worked on Premonition (1972), American Gigolo (1980), Cat People (1982), and The Big Chill (1983). Lastly, the music composed by Bruce Broughton was very well done. Having a revisited motif for the feature made it all the more the memorable. Using classic orchestra and tambourine, the sound of it matches the tone and setting of the story completely. Thankfully for Broughton, after the initial release, Intrada released an expanded score which makes the experience that much more enjoyable.

Aside from one subplot being rather common place for many westerns, the rest is an enjoyable trip back to the past. All elements like music, camerawork, acting and action all help make the feel of it as authentic as possible.

Points Earned --> 8:10

Agnes of God (1985) Review:

Mysteries arise because there's a lack of understanding as to how something happened. Depending on the situation, the mystery may be present due to the absence of witnesses. Or if people were around, the logical understanding behind what happened may not make sense. However, things can get even more baffling when it comes to faith based mysteries. The reason for this being that some may not feel there are logical answers to such phenomena. This unfortunately, becomes hard to make a case during court trials, paperwork and other such legal processes. That leads us to this particular film which deals with such a unique scenario that does not have an easily discernible answer.

Anne Bancroft

The story originally written for stage plays, is about novice nun Agnes (Meg Tilly) who is found with a dead newborn in her convent. The head of the convent, Mother Miriam Ruth (Anne Bancroft) is assigned psychiatrist Dr. Martha Livingston (Jane Fonda) to understand how such an event could have happened. Along the way, Livingston begins to learn more and more about what happened and just how much she relates to the setting around her. The screenplay was adapted by the same person who the wrote the play, John Pielmeier. Together, he and director Norman Jewison make a film that not only raises good questions, but really makes the audience think.

What makes the story so interesting to watch is seeing the clashing ideologies between Dr. Livingston and Mother Ruth. One is a trained psychiatrist, who looks to logic for answers. Solid, irrefutable evidence that allows one to solve such a strange anomaly. The other is a believer of God and feels sometimes things are not so easily explainable. Pitted between the two is sister Agnes, who remembers certain things, while other times doesn't remember the whole story. What's even more important is that while there is closure, there are moments left up to the audiences' interpretation. Giving the story another level of depth when it comes how things actually happened and why. The only part that doesn't really add up is just how the pivotal discovery was handled in such a short window of time.

The cast to this film is a mix of American and Canadian actors. All of which have credible acting skills. Jane Fonda and Anne Bancroft both act very well in this feature. Their characters have an interesting dynamic considering their histories. Fonda is known for her roles in Barefoot in the Park (1967) and Coming Home (1978). While Bancroft is known for her roles in The Graduate (1967) and The Elephant Man (1980). Meg Tilly as Agnes also gives a captivating performance as the main focus of the investigation. She not only is a tragic character, but a troubled one. At the time Tilly's best known role was in Psycho II (1983). There's also appearances from Gratien Gélinas, Guy Hoffmann and Deborah Grover.

"So....you ever been to the Bates Motel?"

Visually speaking, the film has lots to offer. While the movie is by no means in the horror genre, there are some horrific scenes that involve blood that nobody should go through. Aside from this though, the shots whether it be internal or external are filmed well. Behind the camera was Sven Nykvist, who would also go on to help film Chaplin (1992). As for music, the sound was brought in by French composer Georges Delerue. Seeing that many films that involve religion tend to lend more vocals, Delerue ops to evenly blend this with romanticized orchestra. The tone is tragic and beautiful simultaneously and deserves a listen.

There's very little to find confusing about the story told here. Aside from one bit related to timing, the premise is a solid one that not only questions believers, but non-believers. Thanks to strong acting, emotional music and skilled cinematography, this film will keep its viewers watching with intrigue.

Points Earned --> 8:10

Scarecrows (1988) Review:

Films that are competently crafted and executed well sometimes don't get the recognition they want right away. Like other cult films that have grown in popularity over the years, this film is no exception falling into that exact same bucket. Majority of the time, very few people think of scarecrows as an actual intimidating thing. With their static nature and distorted bodies filled with straw, it's no real shock that anyone or anything would find them realistic. For cripes sake, the animals know the difference between these stuffed imitation humans versus actual living beings. Then again, most people don't make a very convincing scarecrow to boot. However, this film will make you think otherwise if you come across any scarecrow that looks like the ones shown here. And this is all kudos to a very special crew.

Victoria Christian, Kristina Sanborn & David Campbell

The plot is about group of criminals Corbin (Ted Vernon), Curry (Michael David Simms), Jack (Richard Vidan), Roxanne (Kristina Sanborn) and Bert (B.J. Turner) escaping with a large sum of money. With them are two air pilot hostages Al (David Campbell) and his daughter Kellie (Victoria Christian). To their dismay, Bert goes rogue making off with the money himself mid-flight and lands in what appears to be a deserted farm. Quickly catching up behind him, Bert's team have the hostages land the aircraft and search for him. Little do any of these characters know that the area they landed in has something much more sinister going on. Among the quiet fields are dreadful and human like scarecrows, of which they soon learn is more to them than what they think there is.

Directed by William Wesley, with a script co-written by Wesley and Richard Jefferies, this little horror film shows what can be accomplished with much minimalism as possible. First off, the premise. What an idea. Very rarely do stories actually make their villains the main characters but also sort of make a viewer feel for them (sort of). With a cast of less than ten actors, the story is kept tight with its focus and will keep the viewer at attention with all of its mysterious setups. If anything, the only things the screenplay suffers from is what feels to abrupt character motivation changes and an interesting backstory. Having a mysterious story is the right way to go, but when there are points to be made clear and they aren't, it begs the question what were the points? However, these flaws are far from a huge problem in the overall execution. In some ways, a viewer can forgive this just because of how well the story plays out.

The actors all have interesting scenes together whether it be in their respective groups or if it's protagonists vs antagonists. Surprisingly, many of these crew members to the film did not continue on after this. Ted Vernon, Richard Vidan and David Campbell continue to act in various projects. Michael David Simms would later be in X2: X-Men United (2003) and Eight Below (2006). However, Kristina Sanborn and Victoria Christian both dropped out of acting shortly after. As for B.J. Turner, he passed away a few years later. As a little gift though, Don Herbert from the Mr. Wizard show has a small role as a radio newscaster. Richard Jefferies has gone onto write for movies like The Vagrant (1992) and Cold Creek Manor (2003). What's more surprising is that William Wesley only directed one other movie which was Route 666 (2001). With making such a great debut, it's unfortunate he hasn't gone onto bigger projects.

"Don't mind me,....just hanging out...."

As for visuals the movie has got what a horror fan could want. The makeup and practical effects are fantastic. With help from the late J.B. Jones (Shoot to Kill (1988), The Crow (1994)) and Norman Cabrera (Spawn (1997), Hellboy (2004)), the scarecrows on scene are legitimately creepy. This is also thanks to Peter Deming as the credited cinematographer. Much of Deming's shots linger on the scarecrows to show just how insidious they really are. Deming would also shoot for Evil Dead II (1987) and The Cabin in the Woods (2011). Lastly, music was another great aspect thanks to the late Terry Plumeri. Featuring a small orchestra of strings, bass clarinet and piano, the themes used in this score are very effective in bringing on the uneasy tone. There are no stings in this score whatsoever and it is quite the listening experience. Too bad he is no longer with us.

Backstory and the unwinding of the history is not done very well but that is nothing compared to the rest of the film. The premise is solid, with a focused script, credible actors, great looking special effects, camerawork and music. This is one horror film to watch if viewers are looking for something pleasantly unsettling in a fun way.

Points Earned --> 7:10

Staying Alive (1983) Review:

John Travolta's breakout role in Saturday Night Fever (1977) was a highlight not only for himself but for the decade it came from. During the 1970s, discos were very much the place to be during that time. And while the film itself had much of that to feature, the story of a regular young adult looking to make the most of their time enjoying life had interesting points to make. The story not only felt real but also understandable. Anyone trying to work from the ground up can relate to the struggle of making ends meet and trying to make something of yourself. That's what Tony Manero's story was all about that Travolta played. Weirdly enough, this sequel commits to furthering that story but only half way. It really doesn't make complete sense of everything which is unfortunate, but it is certainly not a terrible sequel.

Rhodes & Travolta

Directed by Sylvester Stallone, with a script co-written by him and Norman Wexler (from the first film), the story follows Tony Manero to Manhattan where he seeks to continue his passion for dancing on Broadway with support from his new main squeeze Jackie (Cynthia Rhodes). Although after one night seeing Jackie in rehearsal he comes across Laura (Finola Hughes) the lead dancer and decides to come on to her. Unfortunately, this leads to complications between his current relationship with Jackie and his passion for dancing. Aside from that, the narrative is kind of light. Unlike the first film which had lots of characters to play off of and add layers to Manero's life, now it feels almost empty. Not sure exactly what happened during the writing process but the film feels awfully long for such a short story.

It seems almost as though Stallone got too caught up in the production and visuals to bother actually helping to write a sequel that further developed the main character. First off, the only character to return from the first film outside of Tony is his mom played by Julie Bovasso. What happened to Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney), Annette (Donna Pescow) or any other part of his family? Part of the reason why the first film worked so well was that family dynamic and how they interacted with each other. Instead much of time is dedicated to confusing character motivations between Tony and Laura, or Tony and Jackie. These interactions don't make a lot of sense because all in all there's a lot of pivoting which makes the viewer disoriented in what the character's actually want.

This sadly leads to uneven character development, which is hard to watch since there are so few cast members this time that are of focus. However, this doesn't mean the actors involved are not credible. John Travolta still plays Tony like he did in the last film, still a goofball but quite talented when he's puts his mind to it. Cynthia Rhodes as Jackie is a kind person who deserves the most for herself. Even Finola Hughes is a good actress, but it's her character’s motivations which throw much of the story off. Rhodes would later star in Dirty Dancing (1987) and Hughes would go on to play in General Hospital. There's even a few shots of Kurtwood Smith poking around directing dancers on a stage, but he doesn't say anything.

"Hello, my name is Laura...."

Choreography however is probably the most perfected aspect about this film. More than likely this was Stallone's focus as well. No matter if it's the dance numbers on the stage with several extras or just one on one between main characters, the dance skills filmed are undeniable. Travolta not only maintains his skill but bulked up for it as well. Kudos to Dennon and Sayhber Rawles for their work as they would later help choreograph for Bugsy (1991). Cinematography also went well with that taken care of by Nick McLean. McLean would also shoot for City Heat (1984) and Short Circuit (1986). Even music was okay, while The Bee Gees were a main highlight before, the main singer to much of the songs is Frank Stallone (not surprised). Since this film was from the 80s, it's better than featuring disco music anyway as that fad was gone.

It's not as bad as critics called it, but it definitely lacks the kind of narrative that made the original so interesting to watch. Here, it's just the same character being sillier than before and trying to make it big, but nothing deeper than that. Stallone's directing and writing isn't the best. However, acting, camerawork and music are all fine.

Points Earned --> 5:10