“There's no way to escape the fact that we've grown up in a violent culture, we can't get away from it, it's part of our heritage. I think part of it is that we have always felt somewhat helpless in the face of this vast continent. Helplessness is answered in many ways, but one of them is violence.” Sam Shepard wrote those words which have become a potent mirror to our country’s mindset since ... more >
ARCHIVES
Lesley Manville rules the screen in “Let him go” | REVIEW
Adapted from Larry Watson's namesake novel
Diane Lane, Kevin Costner and Lesley Manville
Directed by Thomas Bezucha
WHEN LESS IS MORE: Talking with John Lee Hancock, director of “THE HIGHWAYMEN”
The Texas-born filmmaker previously directed "The Blind Side" (2009), "The Rookie" (2002) and "Saving Mr. Banks" (2013)
"The Highwaymen" stars Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson and Kathy Bates
We all remember the slow-motion ballet of bullets that closed Arthur Penn’s 1967 “Bonnie and Clyde,” with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway’s gangster-lovers meeting their violent demise on a rural Louisiana highway. It remains one of the most grippingly awful endings to a film, and as you watch it, it feels like it goes on forever. In reality it was just sixteen seconds. More than a ... more >
Here’s the nicer NFL (“Draft Day”)
Here comes the nicer NFL
Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner and Ellen Burstyn
Directed by Ivan Reitman
With two first-round picks in the 2012 NFL draft the Cleveland Browns were favorites to trade up to the number two overall pick and land the rights to Heisman trophy-winner Robert Griffin, III. They were outbid by the Washington Redskins, whom Griffin would lead to the playoffs. The Browns kept their picks and chose running back Trent Richardson and quarterback Brandon Weeden. Two short years ... more >
Swing Vote
Controlled chaos: but is it good?
Kevin Costner, Madeline Carroll and Paula Patton
Directed by Joshua Michael Stern
Unlike some films, Swing Vote wastes no time whatsoever in announcing exactly how wretched it expects to be. Within the first ten minutes, it finds ways to insult everyone from Hispanics to hayseeds, as Uncle Walt’s studio once again teaches us how to mix juvenile tendencies and condescension. Kevin Costner plays Bud Johnson, possibly the laziest slouch with the largest house in the world. It’s ... more >