Silverado

“Silverado” is fun. A throwback western made at a time (1985) when people weren’t making many westerns. Fun for audiences. While it’s true to the genre, everyone plays it with a wink and a nod, especially Non-cowboyish actors like John Cleese, Danny Glover, Jeff Goldblum and Kevin Kline. Decked out in period costumes and riding horses, they go about their business with gusto instead of looking like fish out of water. But Kevin Costner has the most fun of all in a bouncing-off-the-walls supporting role as Scott Glenn’s fun-loving, trouble-making little brother who can spin a six-shooter in either hand.

 

The Right Stuff

“The Right Stuff” (1983) was nominated for Best Picture and lost to “Terms of Endearment.” Sam Shepard (who plays a badass test pilot) was nominated for Best Actor and lost to Jack Nicholson (who plays a pretend astronaut) from “Terms.” (I’ve never seen “Terms.”) “The Right Stuff” has slipped from the public consciousness. That’s unfortunate, because it’s a modern-day epic about the birth of the U.S. space program. It is also epic in length (193 minutes), which might be why it is overlooked. It’s worth sitting through just to learn Chuck Yeager’s story and peek behind NASA’s sanitized public image.