Appaloosa

It seems like lately that Hollywood is obsessed with action packed superhero movies full of flashy special effects. It's nice to see that they haven't forgotten the good ol' fashioned Western. This looks like it might have some promise:

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809942136/video/9187628

Wow...great cast- Viggo, Ed Harris, Jeremy Irons, and Lance Henriksen...looks pretty good overall.

It _could_ be a golden age for the Western if audiences would just wise up to the fact that the Western is a great, great genre that never should have dropped off. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD was one of my top three films of last year- and the other two (NO COUNTRY and THERE WILL BE BLOOD) had very Western-ish elements.

Baz Luhrmann's upcoming AUSTRALIA (no relation to that awful Kramer game) has some very Western-y looking bits to it as well.

Alright, looks like PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID is tonight's movie...

Wow! Looks good!

What a surprise by Ed Harris!

The only problem I see is that the picture looks like it might take itself too seriously.

I hope Ed doesn't try to prove some historical revisionist pansy point and just sticks with 6 gun enterttainment.

As a side note, check out "Wild West Guns" on the Wii! I love it!!!

Have to remember to check Appaloosa. This starts to look promising indeed for the western. I was hoping something like this would happen when I saw the Proposition a few years ago.

Anyone check this out yet?

Think I may go later in the week. I've enjoyed the past few westerns released and I too wish Hollywood never dropped the genre, as the western saga is a uniquely American experience.

The Robert B. Parker novel it's based on is excellent, too. It's an exercise in spare prose that manages to be a bit deeper than it initially appears. Some classic themes (loyalty, dedication, obsession) are explored and there's also some nice Western action. I've read it twice, and enjoyed it quite a bit both times.

Ed Harris seems like a good choice for the Virgil character. I remember thinking during my first read, "this role will be a tough one to cast," because Virgil is largely silent but carries with him an unmistakable presence. Not every actor could pull it off, but it seems like a role that suits Harris just fine.

Hmmm...I'll have to go check this out. I'll have to check out the Jesse James one too.

I like many Westerns but I guess they are too American for the glitterati.....Samurai are much cooler for the i-net geeks.

The remake of 3:10 to Yuma surprised the hell out of me. Christian Bale still annoys me no end but I thought it was extremely well done overall.

For my "old school western" fix, though, I find myself going "eastern" every time. I'd rather watch mild-arterial spray katana flicks over gut-clutching 6-shooter movies--Zatoichi films as well as just most Mifune movies have nearly all the same tropes as your classic Hollywood western without the obligatory American jingo bullshit. [Now, they are, of course, chock full of obligatory Japanese jingo bullshit, but, since I'm neither Japanese, nor a particular student of their culture, it's not nearly so obvious or irritating to me...]

It's funny that you mention the Japanese movies since they are pretty much ripped off from Westerns. In some cases right up to the camera angles and what not.

mikoyan wrote:

It's funny that you mention the Japanese movies since they are pretty much ripped off from Westerns. In some cases right up to the camera angles and what not.

It does cut the other way too (e.g., 7 Samurai became the Magnificent 7; not the other way 'round), but, yea, that's why they fill that "old hollywood western" fix for me. They're essentially the same as the old westerns in tone and theme [and you're right--even down to the cinematography]--it's just a taste thing in my case. The old US westerns generally leave me cold where the old samurai flicks don't.

I do like the Saumurai movies but I'm not going to prop those up and say Westerns suck since they are pretty much the same thing.

mikoyan wrote:

I do like the Saumurai movies but I'm not going to prop those up and say Westerns suck since they are pretty much the same thing.

Gotcha. Don't mean to be bashing the westerns as a genre on the whole; I just personally have a hard time getting into them myself; they just don't grab me in the same way (part of it likely stems from way too many years of US history graduate studies that have left me overly sensitive to some elements of the old westerns, while my basic ignorance of japanese culture lets me gloss right over the same sort of shit in their films).

I wont lump you into the category of people who think something is way cooler because it is Japanese then...

I saw "Appaloosa" opening night. I saw the movie with a friend of mine in Houston and I was interested to see how many cowboy hats would be in the audience but there was only one.

I am a huge fan of the western and it was so good to see a western back in the theatres.

Ed Harris plays Virgil Cole and does a great job, his expressions and one liners are priceless but the real star for me was Viggo Mortensen as Everett Hitch.

Mr. Hitch plays the sidekick to Virgil Cole and really steals the movie. To me the movie was a nod to the sidekick and his steadfast loyalty.

Playing the fickle female is Renee Zellweger and she has NEVER looked uglier. No doubt they are giving a nod to the weather worn western woman look made famous by "Big Nose" Kate, Doc Holliday's woman in real life. But to me they went overboard here, but you can judge for yourself if you see it.

The movie's pace is slow in parts and its relaxed front porch conversations seemed forced in some spots and do not come off as natural as in the classic westerns.

But overall I liked the movie, I would give it 3 stars out of 4 with a big nod to Mr. Hitch and his 8 guage gun!!!

the*mad*gamer wrote:

Mr. Hitch plays the sidekick to Virgil Cole and really steals the movie. To me the movie was a nod to the sidekick and his steadfast loyalty.

Interesting. Everett is actually the first-person narrator of both books in the series (Appaloosa and Resolution).