Best and Worst (2014)

(Please click the links to read the best and worst movies I reviewed in 2013, 2012 and 2011)

The best movies I reviewed in 2014 (10/10 stars, in no particular order):

1. Amadeus
2. The Bounty
3. Adaptation
4. Jaws
5. No Country for Old Men
6. The Long Good Friday
7. Master and Commander: The Far Side of theWorld
8. The Big Lebowski
9. The Departed
10. Chinatown
11. Things Change
12. Breaker Morant
13. Once Upon a Time in America

Honourable mention (9/10 stars, in no particular order):

1. Immortal Beloved
2. Hoop Dreams
3. The Bridges of Madison County
4. Q&A
5. Blood Simple
6. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
7. Swimming With Sharks
8. K-Pax
9. Lantana
10. The Fabulous Baker Boys
11. The Last Picture Show
12. Lake Boat
13. Deconstructing Harry
14. The Royal Tennenbaums
15. The Man Who Knew Too Little
16. Taxi Driver
17. Mean Streets
18. Ronin
19. Once Upon a Time in the West
20. I Heart Huckabees
21. Kelly’s Heroes
22. The Squid and the Whale
23. Diner
24. A Christmas Carol
25. Educating Rita

The worst movies I reviewed in 2014 (less than 5 stars, in no particular order):

1. The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox
2. Snow Day
3. Rancid Aluminum
4. Simpatico
5. Late Last Night
6. Navajo Joe
7. Rent-a-Cop
8. To Gillian, On Her 37^th Birthday (oh man, I hate this movie….)
9. Curse of the Starving Class
10. The Doors
11. The Out-of-Towners
12. For Richer, For Poorer
13. Brazil
14. Murphy’s Law
15. Lost and Found
16. Batman vs. Dracula
17. For the Boys 

Silverado (1985)

Synopsis: Hmm…Lawrence Kasdan, Kevin Kline, Jeff Goldblum and Kevin Costner. Oh my God, it’s The Big Chill on horseback! 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “A western like you’ve never seen before! Get ready for the ride of your life in SILVERADO – a fast-riding adventure story of four strangers drawn together on the Western frontier.” 

What Did I Learn?: 1) Chicago is not wonderful. 2) Wealthy cattle barons are nothing but trouble. Oh wait – I already learned that from Heaven’s Gate. And Open Range. And The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. And Rio Bravo. And The War Wagon. And…. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You have a snazzy Western belt buckle in your collection.

 

Really?: 1) Funny how the character of Hannah (Rosanna Arquette) is never really developed after she announces her innermost desire to set down roots and grow some crops. 2) So, wait….why exactly does Slick (Goldblum) decide to betray Mal (Danny Glover)? If it’s simply to curry favour with the villains, I guess I can understand that, but waiting at Rae’s bedside just seems a bit much. Personally, I think he would have simply high-tailed it out of town at the first sign of trouble. 

Rating: I wouldn’t call Silverado a great movie, but it is a rootin’, tootin’ romp that's a whole lot of fun. And holy cow, what a cast: Kline, Glover, Costner, Goldblum and Scott Glenn, as well as Brian Dennehy as a likeable villain, and John Cleese(!) in a memorable cameo. Check it out if you get the chance. 8/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090022/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast