Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!: Appaloosa (2008) - Best traditional American western in 16 years

9/06/2013

Appaloosa (2008) - Best traditional American western in 16 years

♥♥♥♥♥

+ Best Train Movie of the Year + Best Western of the Year

Renée Zellweger's rotund figure seems to an object of disagreement between the two male stars on this poster for Ed Harris' Appaloosa

Cole and Everett are two lawmen/peace-keepers. The town of Appaloosa hires them and gives them power to rid them of Bragg, the town's murderous tyrant. The situation is tense, when an intriguing dame by the name of Allie enters the town.

Great New Jerseyite co-writer/co-producer/director/co-star Ed Harris (Pollock (2000)) has made a shining, old-fashioned western that is as pure as snow in its genre: Appaloosa is a rock solid horse opera with real charm and a great, classic story. And that's not all he does here: That he handles so much behind the camera as well as his own lead part in the film as Marshall Cole is nothing short of inspirational.
Appaloosa is beautifully shot on real film in a simple, no-nonsense concept by cinematographer Dean Semler (Last Action Hero (1993)), and it sports a solid ensemble cast that also features Renée Zellweger (White Oleander (2002)), Viggo Mortensen (The Reflecting Skin (1990)), Lance Henriksen (Hollows Grove (2014)) and Jeremy Irons (Correspondence (2016)), all great, with Zellweger standing out as Allie, a woman battling the feelings caused by deprivation in her past.
Appaloosa has friendship and the decision to give all your love to another (flawed) person as themes. It takes great advantage of the rugged landscapes it was shot in, and it has a section in and around a train that is irresistible for any train-in-movies fan (such as me.) I reckon' that it's the best traditional American western since Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven (1992).
Another added bonus is the fine score by Jeff Beal (He Was a Quiet Man (2007)) and the superb end credit song You'll Never Leave My Heart that features Harris singing!
Appaloosa is co-written by Harris and Robert Knott (Riverbend (1989), actor), adapting the same-titled 2005 novel by Robert B. Parker (Potshot (2001)). Harris proves with this his second effort as director-star that he is a hugely capable talent in both disciplines.

Related posts:

Ed Harris: Virginia/What's Wrong With Virginia? (2010) or, A Woman's Struggle (actor)

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2008 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2008 in films - according to Film Excess

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 20 mil. $
Box office: 27.6 mil. $
= Big flop (returned 1.38 times the cost)
[Appaloosa premiered 5 September (Toronto International Film Festival, Ontario) and runs 108 minutes. Shooting took place in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, including Austin, from October - November 2007. The film opened #28 to a 248k $ first weekend in 14 theaters. It peaked at #5, behind new release Beverly Hills Chihuahua, holdover hit Eagle Eye, new release Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and holdover hit Nights in Rodanthe, and in 1,290 theaters (different weeks), grossing 20.2 mil. $ (73.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Spain with 2.7 mil. $ (9.8 %) and France with 2.5 mil. $ (9 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch harder than this review. Harris has not returned with as a director after the film, but returned as an actor in Once Fallen (2010). Mortensen returned in Good (2008), Zellweger in New in Town (2009), and Irons in The Pink Panther 2 (2009). Appaloosa is certified fresh at 76 % with a 6.7/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Appaloosa?

No comments:

William Friedkin has died

Born in Chicago, Friedkin accrued TV credits prior to his advance to the big screen as the director of Good TImes (1967), The Birthday Party (1968), The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) and The Boys in the Band (1970) before his major breakthrough, The French Connection (1971), for which he won his only Oscar. He followed it up with the even bigger smash, The Exorcist (1973), arguably the best horror film of all time, for which he was Oscar-nominated. Later credits include Sorcerer (1977), Cruising (1980), To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), Rampage (1987), Rules of Engagement (2000), Killer Joe (2011) and The Devil and Father Amorth (2017, documentary). Friedkin passed away at age 87. R.I.P.

Louise Fletcher has passed away

Born in Alabama to deaf parents, Fletcher got her first credits in late-1950s TV-series.She took a 10 year-long sabbatical to devote her time to motherhood after the release of A Gathering of Eagles, but then came back and soon saw her career's most important part, as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), for which she won her sole Oscar. Later credits include Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), The Lucky Star (1980), Brainstorm (1983), Two Moon Junction (1988), Cruel Intentions (1999), A Perfect Man (2013) and many more. Fletcher passed away at age 88. R.I.P.

Jean-Luc Godard has passed away

Born in Paris, France, Godard lived much of his life in Switzerland. He wrote for French film criticism magazine Cahiers du Cinema and became foundational for the New French Wave that inspired new waves in scores of other countries across the world with his Breathless (1960). Later credits include A Woman Is A Woman (1961), Vivre Sa Vie (1962), Le Petit Soldat (1962), Contempt (1963), Alphaville (1965), Pierrot le Fou (1965), 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (1967), Weekend (1967), Every Man for Himself (1980), King Lear (1987), Century of Cinema (1995, documentary), Goodbye to Language (2014) and many more. Godard died of assisted suicide at age 91. R.I.P.

Wolfgang Petersen has died

James Caan has died

Caan was born the son of Jewish immigrants from Germany in New York. He got his start on TV in the early 1960s. His credits include El Dorado (1966), The Rain People (1969), Brian's Song (1971, TV movie), The Godfather (1972), - for which he earned his only Oscar nomination, - Slither (1973), The Gambler (1974), Funny Lady (1975), Rollerball (1975), Silent Movie (1976), Hide in Plain Sight (1980), - the only film he also directed, - Thief (1981), Misery (1990), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Bottle Rocket (1996), Eraser (1996), Dogville (2003), Elf (2003), Las Vegas (2003-07), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and many more. Caan passed away at age 82. R.I.P.

Jean-Louis Trintignant has died

Born in Vaucluse, France, Trintignant's theatrical debut as an actor was in If All the Guys in the World... (1955). Later credits include ...And God Created Woman (1956), The Seven Deadly Sins (1961), Inferno (1964), A Man and A Woman (1966), My Love, My Love (1967), A Man to Kill (1967), The Great Silence (1968), Z (1969), The Assassination (1972), Three Colors: Red (1994), Amour (2012), Happy End (2017) and many more. He also wrote and directed two films in the 1970s. Trintignant passed away at age 91. R.I.P.

Ray Liotta has died

Adopted from an orphenage at a young age, Liotta got hooked on acting in high school. He had various TV credits in the late 1970s and early 80s, with his film debut in The Lonely Lady (1983). Later credits include Something Wild (1986), Field of Dreams (1989), Goodfellas (1990), Cop Land (1997), Hannibal (2001), Blow (2001), Narc (2002), John Q (2002), Identity (2003), Observe and Report (2009), Youth in Revolt (2009), The Details (2011), Killing THem Softly (2012), The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), Shades of Blue (2016-18), The Simpsons (2018, TV-series), Marriage Story (2019), The Many Saints of Newark (2021), Black Bird (2022, TV-series) and many more. Liotta passed away at age 67 in his sleep while on production in the Dominican Republic. R.I.P.

Philip Baker Hall has died

Born in Ohio, Hall didn't start acting until he was 30. His long list of credits include Zabriskie Point (1970), Miami Vice (1987, TV-series), Midnight Run (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), Cheers (1993, TV-series), Hard Eight (1996), The Rock (1996), Air Force One (1997), Boogie Nights (1997), Seinfeld (1991-98), Rush Hour (1998), The Insider (1999), Magnolia (1999), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Bruce Almighty (2003), Dogville (2003), The Zodiac (2005), Zodiac (2007), Curb Your Enthusiasm (2004-09), Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011), Modern Family (2011-12) and many more. Hall passed away at age 90. R.I.P.

William Hurt has passed away

Born in Washington D.C., Hurt's first film role was the lead in Altered States (1980). Later credits include Body Heat (1981), The Big Chill (1983), Gorky Park (1983), Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), for which he earned his only Oscar as Best Actor; Chilrdren of a Lesser God (1986), for which he was also Oscar-nominated; Broadcast News (1987), for which he was again Oscar-nominated; Smoke (1995), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), A History of Violence (2005), for which he was again Oscar-nominated; The Good Shepherd (2006), Into the Wild (2007), Robin Hood (2010) and many more. Hurt passed away at age 71. R.I.P.

Ivan Reitman has passed away

Born in Chechoslovakia, now Slovakia, Reitman's family fled the Soviet regime to Austria, then Toronto, when he was 4 years old. Reitman broke into movies as a director with Foxy Lady (1971). Later credits include Cannibal Girls (1973), Meatballs (1979), Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984), Twins (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), Kindergarten Cop (1990), Junior (1994), Father's Day (1997), Evolution (1998), No Strings Attached (2011), Draft Day (2014) and more. Reitman's son Jason Reitman is also a great filmmaker. Reitman passed away at age 75. R.I.P.

Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!

Eagerly anticipating this week ... (6-24)

9/06/2013

Appaloosa (2008) - Best traditional American western in 16 years

No comments:

Post a Comment

Eagerly anticipating this week ... (5-24)

My Blog List