Kevin Costner Sits Down With Cyndy Drue

Academy Award winner Kevin Costner was in town the other day to talk about his latest film called Horizon: An American Saga. It’s set to open in theaters on June 28, the first of four films he plans to make.

I had the opportunity to see the film in advance to prepare for an interview with the Director, producer, co-writer, and star – Kevin Costner, during his recent visit to Philadelphia.

Horizon: An American Saga is a western dealing with Civil War-era America, specifically 1861 to 1865. Costner’s other successes of this ilk include Dances with Wolves (1990) and Open Range (2003).

Horizon is a historically fictional place early settlers heard about that offers the promise of America. There are indigenous tribes already there. The heart of every western has to be that the cowboys and Indians don’t play well together. Therefore, there’s a lot of violence in this movie.

The flyer we see describing Horizon says, “If you want a farm or home, the best thing in the West is in the town of Horizon. The best grazing land in the world. The richest land! Premium virgin land. Pure and abundant water.”

This is the lure of the Wild West that this film focuses on.

Kevin and I discuss the intensity of the scenes. How challenging a film it was to make. He directed lots of people on horses, fights, stunts, gun violence, and fires, all in the wide-open spaces of southern Utah.

Being an actress myself and a member of the Screen Actors Guild, I can appreciate the amount of time and effort that goes into making a film, one scene at a time. Horizon: An American Saga is a masterful example of good filmmaking.

And there’s more to it because the second film will open in August. The final two have yet to be made but Kevin has convinced himself and Warner Brothers that this will be a four-part series to run in theaters.
We’re used to television series or streaming series. But not so much a four-part series made for the movie theater.

After we talked about the film, I wanted to ask a question about something else. Since this interview was going to be posted on the website of WMGK, Philadelphia’s classic rock radio station, I wanted to know who Kevin’s favorite classic rock artist is.

He didn’t mention a specific artist, but he said he was listening to “My Back Pages” earlier that day and was taken by the lyrics.

That’s the Bob Dylan song recorded by the Byrds where the lyrics say,
“But I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.”

Horizon: An American Saga is a must-see for lovers of westerns. The same goes for the three other films in the series.

The smell of summer and the end of allergy season is so close, we can almost taste it (and breathe again). Whether it is to cool down from the rising temperatures or to escape those dreaded allergies, streaming services are gearing up with some hot titles this summer.

Streaming giant Netflix is keeping passions hot with two dating reality shows this month. First up is Love Is Blind, this time taking place in Brazil. The popular global show is an experiment where prospective singles are paired up with blind dates and don't get to see each other until they accept a marriage proposal. Last season's Love Is Blind was full of drama, and it is to be expected with the South American hotties from the looks of the trailer. The season premieres on June 19th.

Another popular reality dating show is Perfect Match, with the show's second season airing on Netflix on June 7th. This show is a lot steamier and sleazier than Love Is Blind, so for those looking for that extra spice, you should check it out. Former Love Is Blind contestants are also participating in Perfect Match season two, including Jessica, Trevor, Izzy, and Micah.

Another highly-anticipated series lands on Max this month with the second season of the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon. The show is set nearly 200 years before the events of GoT, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys I Targaryen's children battling for control of the Iron Throne. The cast includes Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Targaryen, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon, Phia Saban as Helaena Targaryen, Bethany Antonia as Baela Targaryen, and Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen. The season premiere is on June 16th, with subsequent episodes dropping every Sunday.

Over on Amazon Prime Video, The Boys returns for the show's fourth season. On June 13th, our favorite band of misfits will reunite for the first three episodes of the new season. In season four, the world is on the brink. Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the super-powered thumb of Homelander (Antony Starr), who is consolidating his power. Butcher (Karl Urban), with only months to live, has lost Becca’s son (Cameron Crovetti) and his job as The Boys’ leader. The rest of the team is fed up with his lies. With the stakes higher than ever, they have to find a way to work together and save the world before it’s too late. The rest of the cast includes Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, and Colby Minifie. Season four will welcome newcomers to the series Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

For Star Wars fans, Disney+ has a new series called The Acolyte, premiering with the first two episodes on June 4th. In the series, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….The series also stars Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.

Inspired by the unbelievable true story, a straight-laced professor (Glen Powell) uncovers his hidden talent as a fake hit man in undercover police stings. He meets his match in a client (Adria Arjona) who steals his heart and ignites a powder keg of deception, delight, and mixed-up identities. The film was inspired by a Texas Monthly story by Skip Hollandsworth. Powell’s character, the now-deceased Gary Johnson, was a real guy who worked as a fake contract killer for the police, but the film makes sure to clarify that its bigger plot twists are completely fictional. The noir comedy premieres on Netflix on June 7th.

In this A24 comedy film, the story follows Alejandro (Julio Torres), an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador who's struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast named Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton) becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream. The rest of Problemista's cast include RZA, Greta Lee, Catalina Saavedra, James Scully, and Laith Kakli. The film drops on Max on June 7th.

Jessica Alba makes her return to television in a new action thriller film called Trigger Warning. The Honey star plays a skilled Special Forces commando named Parker, who takes ownership of her father's bar after he suddenly dies and soon finds herself at odds with a violent gang running rampant in her hometown. Trigger Warning also stars Mark Webber, Tone Bell, Jake Weary, Gabriel Basso, and Anthony Michael Hall and premieres on June 21 on Netflix.

In this romanc/thriller, Stranger Things star Joe Keery plays the role of recently-incarcerated Baron. He strikes up a friendship with his new cellmate, Otis (Aldis Hodge), a man with a history of prison breaks. As they hatch a plan to escape, Baron recalls how he met the love of his life, Marmalade (Camila Morrone), and how they came up with a scheme to rob a bank. Marmalade is available to stream on Hulu on June 21st.

In another action-thriller, Orlando Bloom stars as Cash, a man trying to live an honest and quiet life taking care of his recently orphaned niece Savannah (Chapel Oaks) in the Appalachian town of Odim County. When the sadistic kingpin Big Cat, (Andie MacDowell) who runs the town, forces him back into her services, Cash learns he’s capable of anything – even killing – to protect the town and the only family he has left. As the journey gets harder, Cash is drawn into a nightmare that blurs the lines between good and evil. The film streams on Hulu on June 28th.

A surprising romance kicks off comic consequences for a young woman named Zara (Joey King), her mother Brooke Harwood (Nicole Kidman) and her former movie star boss Chris Cole (Zac Efron) as they face the complications of love, sex, and identity. Zara finds herself in a horribly awkward position when Chris Cole falls in love with her mother, and she does everything she can to protect her from him. Kathy Bates is also part of the cast, playing Leila, Brooke’s wisecracking mother-in-law and a voice of wisdom in Brooke and Zara’s lives. A Family Affair debuts June 28 on Netflix.