Appaloosa is another gritty western that seems to be coming out every few years. Ed Harris wrote, directed, produced, and starred in Appaloosa, based on a Robert B Parker novel that I haven't read. Harris has come a long way since I first saw him as John Glenn in The Right Stuff. He's one of the best actors in film today. He's excellent as the somewhat-less-than-benevolent city marshal and he assembled a mostly-terrific cast. Viggo Mortensen is fantastic as the always loyal deputy and sometime narrator of the story. Jeremy Irons is an always reliable bad guy and Bob Harris, Ed's father, does a terrific job in a relatively small role as a judge. Renée Zellweger didn't belong, though. She almost always bothers me and is not, in my opinion, the same caliber of actor as Harris, Mortensen, or Irons. Just about any one of the girls that appeared in Deadwood would have been better-suited to this film. As a fan of westerns, I enjoyed Appaloosa a lot despite that one casting quibble. It gave us fans everything we wanted. It had shootouts, a bar fight, a chase, a final confrontation, and even a cowboy riding off into the sunset. What else is there? It is very much worth your time.
Do you know anyone who has a Kindle? They seem to be all the rage but I haven't actually seen one yet. I wonder if they're easy on your eyes. I wonder why anyone would pay so much for one and then pay additional charges for content. The one pictured is the DX $499 model but the more popular Kindle is $299. I wonder why anyone would want to read a book, a magazine, or a newspaper like this. I wonder if it could ever be like turning the pages in a good book, an essential life experience in my view. Does this thing appeal to anyone but gadget lovers? I'll pass until the device and the content gets considerably more affordable but I'll especially want Amazon to stop deleting content from Kindles without their owner's consent before I even consider taking the plunge.
Very sad to hear of an old friend's passing last night. David Owens was a good friend of mine and we hung out together quite a bit in the 70s. His sister came across the foosball page and dropped me a line. He died a few days after Hurricane Katrina. I didn't know. When foosball died down, we both went on to other things and drifted apart as we got older as people sometimes do. That's two friends that I've heard about in the last month or so. Been a bad few weeks here. R.I.P., David.
I offer one from the CrabAppleLane backyard on this overcast and dreary Sunday. Any idea when they turn to lemony yellow?
CrabAppleLane Lemon Tree - August 9, 2009
32 days until football season ...
Quote of the Day
No, it doesn't, and mostly innocent people don't get busted up, and if they do, it's because of who Virgil Cole is and what he is, and you hired him to be Virgil Cole.
Everett Hitch, Appaloosa
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "There's not much to the story. And in an era of revisionist westerns, this is a throwback to a style that offers little more than cowboy posturing and quicksilver gunplay. It's Harris's movie, and he does his usual solid stuff, while Viggo sits back on cruise control. Both are a pleasure to watch. But Zellweger's role is so underwritten you wonder what she's doing in the movie."
I liked Appaloosa a lot. I have the same feeling about Rene Zellweger. I have never cared for her because of the way she looks and the way she talks and everything else besides. I did not know the judge was Ed Harris' father -- now I will have to watch the movie again just to see what he looks like because I don't remember. I liked Viggo Mortenson a lot and liked the role he played. I've never seen him before. What country does he come from? He speaks without accent but I think he's from one of the Scandinavian countries.
Not so much any more because Ed Harris really hasn't aged very well, but he and Scott Clayton looked a lot alike back in the day. When I told Scott that 20 years ago, he said he had been told that a number of times and I think that continued until Harris got so old and tired looking.
I liked Zellweger in Leatherheads and Cold Mountain so I'm not completely done with her. Mortensen is originally from New York, Mom, but he's moved around a lot. His bio at IMDb tells his story: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001557/bio
I don't think Harris has aged much at all. He does seem a little more gaunt in the face but not a lot. He has the square jaw and stern face like Scott. They could pass for brothers.
Can't think of anything I didn't like Ed Harris in. Although, his character in "Just Cause" seriously disturbed me.
I think Kindle would be wonderful replacement for text books. But, I don't know if text books are being published for it, yet. I think I'd like one of the bigger ones.
Lemon tree very pretty...
Haven't seen Just Cause, Marie, but I will seek it out. That's an amazing cast.
I think a Kindle would be a great replacement for textbooks, too, but I imagine theft would be a serious problem. There's a limited market for a "pre-owned" History of Western Civilization textbook but a Kindle is a hot commodity.
Totally agree re Renee. A serious piece of miscasting. I liked her in Cold Mountain, but anything that sees her cast as ultra feminine, she just seems to come across fake and somewhat...silly.
I agree, Fi. Part of that, for me, is a matter of taste in women, I suppose.