Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

I remember hearing that there were two "Robin Hood" films in production, about a year before the one with Kevin Costner was released.  To this day, I don't think I've ever seen the other one (a British production, which ended up going straight to TV).

Movie poster for "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (1991)

"Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" was another movie that I saw with friends at Sussex Centre.  The opening credits, with close-ups of the Bayeux Tapestry and that awesome score by Michael Kamen, really set the mood.

"800 years ago, Richard 'The Lionheart' King of England, led the third Great Crusade to reclaim the Holy Land" and just like that, one is transported back in time, the muezzin's call to prayer echoing over Jerusalem at sunset, 1194 AD.

My interest in the Crusades, sparked by Indiana Jones and his quest for the Holy Grail, was enhanced by this movie.  (Years later, I would retrace the path of the Fourth Crusade across Europe with my family, but that's another story).

I wasn't yet aware of the BBC TV series "Robin of Sherwood", but the soundtrack by Clannad introduced me to it.  When I watched the series on DVD, I realized just how much the character of Azeem, played by Morgan Freeman, was inspired by Nasir.

Seeing a particular movie more than once in theatre automatically qualifies it for my list of favorite movies of the year.  I saw this one again with my sister, later that summer, (I remember that we got yogurt at TCBY, afterwards.)

Dances with Wolves (1990)

The first three cultures I became interested in and wanted to learn more about (apart from my own) were the Japanese, the Russian, and the "Native American" (as we used to refer to the indigenous peoples of North America, back then).

Movie poster for "Dances with Wolves" (1990)

I've always held a reverence for what we now call the First Nations.  As a kid, one of my favorite books was "Eagle Feather" by Clyde Robert Bulla (illustrated by Tom Two Arrows).  Later, in Grade 7, we read "Agouhanna" by Claude Aubry.

I went to see "Dances with Wolves" with a large group.  The theatre was packed, so my friend Vince and I had to sit all the way at the front and to the left (probably the worse seat I've ever had in a theatre), but we soon got swept up in the film, anyway.

The movie has an interesting pedigree, in that it started out as a screenplay, which was turned into a novel (published in 1988), that was then adapted into the film, winning the Oscar for Best Picture.  A sequel to the novel was written, published in 2001.

In recent years, "Dances with Wolves" has been criticized for being a "white savior" movie.  While an important perspective, there are narrative benefits to the approach, in that Dunbar serves as the viewpoint character for a predominantly white audience.

This is one of those movies that I really enjoyed and that left a lasting impact, although haven't seen since.  My kids are getting old enough to perhaps be interested, particularly my daughters.  Perhaps I'll try watching it again, someday soon.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

We didn't see "Raiders of the Lost Ark" until March Break of 1982, and didn't see "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" in theatre, at all (although rented both movies, on VHS, several times, before seeing "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"). 

Movie poster for "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989)

We saw the movie at Sussex Centre Cinemas in Mississauga, in operation from May 1987 until 2001, and a popular choice to see the latest film, at the time (although it was easy to get lost in their underground parking garage).

As unbelievable as it sounds, I had only just learned about the Crusades, a couple of years previously.  I'm not sure that I even knew very much about the legend of the Holy Grail, back then (although both would eventually become major interests of mine).

The movie pushed all the right buttons.  It was set during the first half of the twentieth century, involved travel to Europe and the Middle East, dealt with Judeo-Christian tradition, and was filled with spectacular action scenes.

I've seen "Last Crusade" again, many times.  I once watched it with my grandmother, who could only speak Greek, and so needed a steady stream of translation.  I remember that she really enjoyed it, particularly the ending.

I didn't see "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" when it came out, but rented it, a few years later.  I thought it was fairly well done, but didn't warrant repeat viewings.  I'm curious to see whether the rumored fifth film gets made.

Above The Law (1988)

I remember seeing a movie poster for "Above The Law" late one night, at a TTC subway station.  The movie hadn't generated any pre-release buzz that I was aware of, but something about the ad piqued my interest.

Movie poster for "Above The Law" (1988)

Perhaps precisely because I had so few expectations, I was totally blown away.  The black and white photographs accompanying the semi-autobiographical intro, followed by the Aikido demonstration with slo-mo sequences, were magical.

Having seen "Platoon" a year or so previously, the scenes in Vietnam possessed a visceral quality.  I could feel the heat and humidity of the jungle, and smell the fear.  I had learned that anything could and did happen during that conflict.

The bulk of the movie takes place in Chicago, a city I knew well (we have lots of family in the area, and I'd been there as recently as the year before).  The plot elements dealing with crime and corruption were eye-opening to my naive, young mind.

Steven Seagal was cool back then (I could never stand Jean-Claude Van Damme).  Casting blaxploitation star Pam Grier as Nico Toscani's partner was genius.  The movie also featured Sharon Stone in an early, minor role.

I ended up seeing "Above The Law" three or four times, followed by each of Seagal's next four movies when they came out.  I lost interest after "On Deadly Ground", although by then, it had become clear that Seagal was kind of a jerk.