A Reel Review - HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA CHAPTER 1

Not unlike The Duke, actor and director Kevin Costner has appeared in several, high-profile Westerns over the years. He directed DANCES WITH WOLVES to a Best Picture win in 1990, played the most famous peacemaker of them all in WYATT EARP in 1994, and helmed the well-received OPEN RANGE in 2003. He’s done it all, and this year he takes his biggest swing yet with HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA CHAPTER 1. 

 

In 1859, the frontier settlement of Horizon is raided by the Apache. Now a widow, Frances (Sienna Miller), falls under the protection of the U.S. Army, led by Lt. Trent (Sam Worthington). Meanwhile, Ellen (Jena Malone), and her friend Marigold (Abbey Miller), are driven out of their home by bounty hunters over a custody dispute, forcing Abbey and Hayes (Costner), on the run. Meanwhile, a wagon train led by Matthew (Luke Wilson), makes their way across the frontier headed for Horizon. 

 

Written and directed by Costner, HORIZON often feels like three, or even four different films rolled into one. There are several storylines at work, most of which have no connecting tissue other than a history, or a future with the settlement town of Horizon. It’s an episodic film, and requires a lot of patience to keep up with the many moving parts. 

 

With so much going on, and despite the three-hour run time, characterizations are on the light side, and are done in broad strokes. It works, but there’s not much to emotionally latch onto. Still, it is a marvel to see the many moving pieces working so well. Filmed in southern Utah, the locations of HORIZON are stunning and demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible;  Costner films a classic looking movie here. Action is very good: the shootouts are loaded with tension and the Apache raids are absolutely terrifying. The score by John Debney is outstanding. 

 

Acting is also outstanding. Costner spends most of his time behind the camera, and doesn’t appear in the film until almost an hour in. The ladies steal the show; Sienna Miller, Jena Malone, and Abbey Lee are excellent. Michael Rooker and Sam Worthington also stand out in the large, ensemble cast.

 

It is no great spoiler to say that the many characters are on their way to the settlement town of Horizon, and even after three hours they still don’t get there (it’s like watching INDEPENDENCE DAY and turning it off before everyone gets together). While that may be a bit frustrating, it’s clear that Costner is focusing on journey over destination, and although there is still a long trail ahead (he’s planning on three more of these), there is a lot to look forward to. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: See it 

 

 

A Reel Opinion: The Horizons of the Old West

This weekend, the Old West returns to the big screen. Kevin Costner, who once helmed the frontier-exploring DANCES WITH WOLVES to a Best Picture win in 1990, directs, stars in, (and self-finances), HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA  - CHAPTER 1. It is the first of a planned four-film franchise, with CHAPTER 2 arriving this August. 

 

HORIZON will be the only major motion picture in 2024 set in the Old West. This is far cry from the glory days of the genre. For nearly 100 years, the Old West, with its glorified cowboys, Indians, outlaws, peacemakers, shanty towns and vast frontiers…captured the hearts and imaginations of cinema audiences. The genre goes back to the silent era, with the British short KIDNAPPING BY INDIANS from 1899 firing the gun that would echo for over 100 years. In 1903, the genre really took off with THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, which would set the template for the Western on the big screen and small. 

 

The Western was able to be made cheaply and it reflected American history. It launched more than one generation of audiences (as my grandpa used to say, “put the cowboys on”), and became a breeding ground for Hollywood legends. Director John Ford would elevate the Western with his masterful films STAGECOACH (1939), FORT APACHE (1948), THE SEARCHERS (1956), and THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (1962). And along the trail, he would make a mega-star out of John Wayne. Other stars would follow Wayne: Henry Fonda, James Stewart, Gary Cooper, and Gene Autry…to name a few. 

 

In the 1960’s, Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone would set a new standard for Westerns and make an icon out of Clint Eastwood with his trio of “Spaghetti Westerns”. Over time, the Western would cross over into comedy with Mel Brooks’ BLAZING SADDLES (1974), and later, THE THREE AMIGOS! (1986). Action films would take hold of it with YOUNG GUNS in 1988. 

 

Just two years after Costner would win Best Picture for DANCES WITH WOLVES, Clint Eastwood would bring home another Best Picture for the Old West with his masterful UNFORGIVEN. Other notable films in this era would include TOMBSTONE (1993), THE QUICK AND THE DEAD (1995), and the Costner-led WYATT EARP (1994). The Old West would play a vital role in the BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy, and Pixar would create the iconic character of Woody based on several rootin-tootin cinematic cowboys. 

 

By the time the 2000’s rolled in, the genre was sadly beginning to disappear from the big screen, but we would still be treated to excellent yarns such as 3:10 to YUMA (2007), the masterful THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (2007), and the Coen Brother’s remake of TRUE GRIT (2010). Kevin Costner would return to directing cowboys with OPEN RANGE in 2003. 

 

In the last ten years, the Western has vanished from our big screens just as quickly as the frontier did, replaced with shiny and flashy things that attract eager pioneers. Costner, with his HORZION films, could very well re-ignite the genre if he manages to strike gold. But it could also send our beloved cowboys riding off into the sunset for the last time. 

 

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HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA - CHAPTER 1 releases June 28^th, with previews set for June 27^th. Costner directs and stars, and he is joined on-screen by Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Danny Huston, Michael Rooker, Jena Malone, Luke Wilson, Will Patton, and Thomas Haden Church. 

A Reel Review: THE BIKERIDERS

Director Jeff Nichols has a string of critically acclaimed films that wind up on Top 10 lists every year; SHOTGUN STORIES (2007), TAKE SHELTER (2011), MUD (2012), MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (2016), and the Oscar-nominated LOVING (2016). Here in 2024, Nichols gets back in the saddle and hits the road with THE BIKERIDERS. 

 

In 1950’s Chicago, Johnny (Tom Hardy), starts a motorcycle club (MC), called the Vandals. With his good friend Benny (Austin Butler) at his side, the club goes through many changes over the years as it expands across the country.

 

Directed by Jeff Nichols, THE BIKERIDERS does not have much by way of plot. Based on the 1967 photo-book of the same name by Danny Lyon (who rode with, interviewed, and photographed the real club for years), the film traces the club’s evolution (and de-evolution), as they go from a 1950’s greaser fun-times MC to a representation of the late 1960’s American counter-culture; outlaws and screw-the-man rebels. While the film stays local and doesn’t leave the greater Chicago area, the growing membership means as goes the Chicago vandals, as goes the rest of the biker community. 

 

The film is set within the framework of Danny Lyon’s interviews and photographs. The story is told through the eyes of Kathy (Jodie Comer), who marries Benny. This really works as it takes an outsider to explain the MC, as not even the long-time members can explain why they are so drawn to the lifestyle. This also offers an intimate look at the men (and women), who swear loyalty to the MC and each other. What’s missing in plot is more than made up for in character. 

 

Nichols uses Lyon’s photo-book as a heavy reference, re-creating the photographs in moving pictures…and every single frame in THE BIKERIDERS is gorgeous (some side-by-sides are shown in the credits…the recreation is stunning). And the cinematography doesn’t look like 2024, it looks like 1950 in a beautiful way. The outstanding soundtrack, a collection of blues and rock n’ roll from the time period, helps us mark the passage of time. 

 

Acting is tremendous. Tom Hardy and Austin Butler command the screen in looks and performance. The show is stolen by Jodie Comer who magnificently rises above the testosterone. The rest of the ensemble cast is also excellent: Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, Emory Cohen, and Norman Reedus. 

 

THE BIKERIDERS ultimately comes down to balance. It is light on story but heavy on character, and small in scale on paper but huge in the long run…and it all runs like a well-oiled and cared for twin engine. The story here is ultimately a tragedy, as it captures the downfall of the American MC, and that reflects heavily on the boys on the bikes. Jeff Nichols has given us an important, overlooked slice of U.S. history here, one that should be studied and learned from. This is a ride that needs to be taken. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: See it 

 

 

Donald Sutherland: 1935 - 2024

Actor Donald Sutherland has passed away at the age of 88. 

 

Born in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1935, Donald Sutherland studied at Victoria University, with a double major in engineering and drama. In 1957 he left Canada for Britain and studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. 

 

After time on the stage, he began to gain small roles in British films and TV, and was featured alongside Christopher Lee in horror films such as CASTLE OF THE LIVING DEAD (1964), and DR. TERROR’S HOUSE OF HORRORS (1965).  In 1967 he landed his breakthrough role in the American war film THE DIRTY DOZEN, where he starred alongside Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, and George Kennedy. 

 

He then appeared in two more war films, starring as the original Hawkeye in Robert Altman’s MASH in 1970. In that same year, he had one of his most famous roles as Oddball alongside Clint Eastwood in KELLY’S HEROES. 

 

His filmography would eventually have over 200 film and TV roles. His big screen credits would include KLUTE (1971), ANIMAL HOUSE (1978), INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978), THE FIRST GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (1978), ORDINARY PEOPLE (1980), JFK (1991), BACKDRAFT (1991),BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (1992), OUTBREAK (1995), A TIME TO KILL (1996), SPACE COWBOYS (2000), THE ITALIAN JOB (2003), COLD MOUNTAIN (2003), PRIDE & PREJUDICE (2005), AD ASTRA (2019), and THE HUNGER GAMES franchise (2012-2015). 

 

He received an honorary Academy Award in 2017, an induction into the Canadian Walk of Fame in 2000 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011. He was the father of actors Kiefer Sutherland, Rossif Sutherland, and Angus Sutherland. 

 

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This Blogger’s introduction to Donald Sutherland came in n the early 1980’s, when I saw KELLY’S HEROES for the first time. The role of Oddball was perfect for him, and his immortal line, “why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves”, has been adorned on t-shirts, posters and social media memes for years. After Oddball, his versatility was proven time and time again. From his dedicated public servant in BODY SNATCHERS, to his mysterious Mr. X in JFK, and his chilling pyromaniac in BACKDRAFT. He could be lovable, he could be evil, and he was always great. 

A Reel 20: HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN

“For in dreams, we enter a world that is entirely our own. Let him swim in the deepest ocean or glide over the highest cloud.”

 

This month marks the 20^th anniversary of HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN. 

 

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron and based on the third book in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN was also the third film in the series, coming in after THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (2002), and THE SORCERER’S STONE (2001). The film followed young Harry Potter in his third year of school at Hogwarts and his quest to uncover secrets of his past, including his connection to the escaped Azkaban prisoner, Sirius Black. 

 

The first order of business to bring AZKABAN to the big screen was to find a director. Chris Columbus, who had helmed the first two films, had decided to move to a producer role. Considered for the job would be Guillermo del Toro, Kenneth Branagh, Marc Forster, and M. Night Shyamalan. The task would eventually fall to Alfonso Cuaron. 

 

Daniel Radcliffe would reprise his role as Harry, as would Emma Watson and Rupert Grint as his best friends, Hermione and Ron. Returning cast members would include Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, and Maggie Smith. Newcomers to the franchise would include Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, and Michael Gambon would slip into the robes of Professor Dumbledore; taking over for the late great Richard Harris who had passed away in late 2002. Also new to the series would be David Thewlis, Timothy Spall, and Emma Thompson. 

 

Filming would begin in February of 2003 and last into November. AZKABAN would be the first film in the series to extensively use real locations, with sets built at locations all over Scotland. John Williams would return to provide the score. 

 

THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN would be the first in the HARRY POTTER franchise to be released on both IMAX and conventional screens. It would be greeted with excellent reviews, with many critics and fans considering it to be the best in the series. It would finish as the second-highest grossing film of the year, behind SHREK 2. It would earn two Academy Award nominations (Best Score for John Williams, and Best Visual Effects), and four BAFTA nominations. Alfonso Cuaron would go on to become an Oscar-winning and acclaimed director, helming hits such as CHILDREN OF MEN (2006), GRAVITY (2013), and ROMA (2018). 

 

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HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN was This Blogger’s gateway into the magical world that had been populating movie screens and bookshelves all over creation in the early 2000’s. Working as a film projectionist back then, one of my duties was to preview the new film prints the night before release, and AZKABAN would be the first HARRY POTTER film I would ever see. Although I was slightly lost in places, hints of a greater and bigger mythology was there, and although I couldn’t say I was hooked on the spot, I was definitely curious and down the hole I went for the next 20 years. 

 

Looking at the film from afar and how it fits into the overall series, this is the film where things began to turn darker for Harry, his friends, and that magical world. Where the first two films were child-like wonder full of color, AZKABAN got serious and was presented in shades of grey. The film represents the perspective of children becoming adults, or at the very least dealing with adult problems. Hints of even darker times would be given, but always with a luminous light to lead the way. 

 

“…happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Reel Review: INSIDE OUT 2

In 2015, famed animation studio Pixar dropped their masterstroke INSIDE OUT; a story about emotion that was done so well, that parents and psychologists used it as a learning tool for kids. An Oscar-winner and often regarded as one of the best animated films ever made, the film has become one of Pixar’s finest moments. This year, Pixar and Disney try it again, with INSIDE OUT 2. 

 

Riley (Kensington Tallman), is 13 years old and hitting puberty just as she heads to hockey camp with her best friends. As she juggles trying to impress the cool girls, her familiar emotions; Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phylis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Liza Lapira), and Fear (Tony Hale), get bottled up and sent to the depths of Riley by new emotions; Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Embarrassement (Paul Walter Hauser), and Ennui (Adele Exarchopoulos). 

 

Directed by Kelsey Mann, INSIDE OUT 2 continues the story of Riley inside and out, staying very true to the first film. As Riley as grown, things inside her have changed to, with a brand-new Sense of Self system, built on good memories, installed. Once Anxiety comes in and takes over, her old Sense of Self goes away and begins to rebuild, only this time built with bad memories. 

 

Just like its predecessor, the inner workings of Riley are presented in brilliant metaphors. Things like bottled-up emotions, the Sense of Self system, Stream of Consciousness, Deep Dark Secrets, and even Anxiety Attacks. The manipulation of these effect Riley as she struggles with her new emotions during her hockey camp; trying to impress the coach, the cool kids, while moving away from her good friends. 

 

Emotion is of course the key word, and Pixar hits all the right buttons. Laughs and tears come right where they are supposed to, and the film finds a real-world, I-have-been-there grounding that really works. The entire cast is excellent, as is the soundtrack by Andrea Datzman. 

 

What this all turns into is another brisk, and clever adventure that is a lesson in the way we let our emotions control our actions and reactions. Without being preachy, INSIDE OUT 2 brisk fully and (ahem), joyfully tells a tight coming-of-age story, which once again can be used as a teaching tool. Pixar has delivered another masterstroke. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: See it 

A Reel 40: June of 1984

This month marks the 40^th anniversary of four classic films released in June of 1984. 

 

Beaming in first would be the third feature film in the STAR TREK franchise: STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK. Serving as the second part of a three-film arc that began with the towering WRATH OF KHAN (1982), THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK would pick up the pieces with the surviving crew of the famed Starship Enterprise setting out on a dangerous, off-the-grid mission to save their friends. Directed by Leonard Nimoy, THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK would reunite the famed Enterprise crew, along with Christopher Lloyd and John Larroquette as two Klingon bastards. The magnificent score would be provided by the late great James Horner. On release, THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK would be a hit with critics, and would finish as the ninth-highest grossing film of the year. 

 

Busting in theatres just a week later was the born-to-be-classic GHOSTBUSTERS. Directed by Ivan Reitman and sporting the iconic cast of Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts, GHOSTBUSTERS would be a critical and financial hit, finishing as the highest grossing film of the year and earning two Oscar nominations; including Best Original Song for Ray Parker, Jr. 

 

Hatching in the same week as GHOSTBUSTERS was GREMLINS. Directed by Joe Dante, GREMLINS followed young Billy who receives a strange yet cute creature as a pet, only to have it reproduce into thousands of terrible gremlins who unleash hell on the town. Produced during a time when combining comedy and horror was popular, GREMLINS would finish as the fourth-highest grossing film of the year, and would win Best Horror Film at the Saturn Awards. 

 

Kicking in next would be THE KARATE KID. Directed by John G. Avildsen, KARATE KID followed a young Daniel (Ralph Macchio), who moves to a new California town and befriends Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), who teaches him karate to help defend himself against a karate-school full of bullies. Based on the autobiography of screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen, THE KARATE KID would finish as the fifth-highest grossing film of the year, and Pat Morita would be nominated for Best Supporting Actor. 

 

Also releasing in this month would be Sergio Leone’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, Walter Hill’s STREETS OF FIRE, the spy-comedy TOP SECRET!, the Tom Hanks sex-comedy BACHELOR PARTY, along with THE CANNONBALL RUN II, and CONAN THE DESTROYER. 

 

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In recent years, this Blogger has written several times about the release strategies of studios today (even pre-pandemic), where films are released weeks apart. Compared to today, June of 1984 is an amazing month to look at, when we had four…four goddamn films that were destined to become classics releasing within weeks of each other. STAR TREK III was an emotional blast, GHOSTBUSTERS and THE KARATE KID would become cultural icons, and GREMLINS, which despite not lasting long as a franchise, is still fondly remembered today. This was a huge month; it busted, it kicked, it grew...and it was one to remember. 

 

 

A Reel Review: THE WATCHERS

THE WATCHERS is the directorial debut of Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of famed filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan. It is a closed-quarters thriller, saturated with Irish mythology and packed with all of the tricks that M. Night has used over his career. How does it all work, let’s watch…

 

Mina (Dakota Fanning), gets lost in the thick Irish woods and is chased into an isolated bunker, occupied by three others (Georgina Campbell, Oliver Finnegan, Olwen Fouere). There, they must obey the strict rules set by the The Watchers; mysterious and deadly creatures roaming the woods. 

 

Directed by Ishana Night and based on the novel of the same name by A.M. Shine, THE WATCHERS spends a lot of its time setting up the all-important, plot-driving rules that the four captives must follow. Every night they must “present themselves” to The Watchers for observation (using some creepy two-way mirrors), and they must not be outside after dark or venture into the deep burrows where they live. Escape from the forest is impossible as daylight hours are short, and every path eerily seems to loop back. 

 

Mina, as the newcomer, looks to break some rules and this leads to consequences for them all. Mina herself is dealing with some old childhood trauma, and her new captivity brings all of her old fears back to the surface. Ishana Night is exploring themes of guilt, and for the most part it works. 

 

Ishana Night uses deep Irish mythology to build her creatures, and employs every old horror movie trick there is to give them dread. Jump scares and keeping the creatures out of sight for most of the film are old tricks that do work well here, although the film does get bogged down a lot with explaining the Irish myths that the creatures hail from. Cinematography and camera-work is very well done (being lost in the woods has never seemed more scary), and Ishana also gets excellent performances from her entire cast. The score by Abel Korzeniowski is haunting. 

 

The big question stuck on any Shyamalan film is, is there a twist? It’s no great spoiler to say there is. It’s not a gut-punch of a reveal, and it is dragged out forever by the laziest trope of all time (a goddamn video recording that dumps everything at once). But the film then moves into one or two more surprises that mostly make up for it…leading to a creepy ending that sticks and will have us looking over our shoulders at all times. THE WATCHERS has a few bumps in the night (too much exposition, dragged-out ending), but nothing that ruins it. For this Night, it is darkest before the dawn. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it 

A Reel Preview: The Year in Film 2024 - Episode VI

The Summer Movie Season for 2024 will be a light one, as we will be seeing the direct results of last year’s strikes. But June has a lot to offer; some long-awaited (and dreaded) sequels, the return of an American icon, and some horror. Here’s what’s coming to the big screen this month:  

 

 

BAD BOYS 4: RIDE OR DIE – Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return in their buddy-cop roles for the fourth time, this time going outside the law to clear their names. Vanessa Hudgens co-stars, and it is helmed by the directing duo of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. 

 

 

THE WATCHERS – Ishana Night Shyamalan (daughter of M. Night), directs her first feature film in this horror flick where Dakota Fanning plays an artist stranded in an untouched forest in Ireland.

 

 

INSIDE OUT 2 – The sequel to Pixar’s heralded INSIDE OUT from 2015. This time, our familiar emotions of Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust have to welcome new emotions into the inner-workings of young Riley…including Anxiety (voiced by Maya Hawke). 

 

 

THE BIKERIDERS – Most-excellent director Mike Nichols (MUD, TAKE SHELTER), returns to the big screen with this drama about a biker gang. The cast includes Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Norman Reedus, and Jodie Comer. 

 

 

THE EXORCISM –Russell Crowe plays a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a horror film. Sam Worthington co-stars. 

 

 

HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA – Kevin Costner directs and stars in this first part of a planned four-part Western saga set during the American Civil War during the expansion of the West. The cast includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Danny Huston, Michael Rooker, Jena Malone, Luke Wilson, and Thomas Haden Church. 

 

 

A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE – The action-horror series A QUIET PLACE gets the prequel treatment, with this film taking place during the initial alien invasion. Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn (TV’S STRANGER THINGS), stars. 

 

 

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Next month: Reel Speak previews the month of July.