Viggo Mortensen

DVD Review: Bumpy Ride to ‘Appaloosa’ is Worth the Trip

BrianTT — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:32:26 -0700

CHICAGO – I expect “Appaloosa” to be one of the more hard-to-get movies at your local video stores for the next few months. It’s the kind of movie - action-driven and widely missed in theaters - that does very well on the home market. Renters will find an old-fashioned Western that may not transcend its genre but will certainly provide more than enough entertainment on a snowy winter’s eve.

With “Appaloosa,” the great Ed Harris steps behind the camera to direct for the first time since “Pollock,” and the result is an old-fashioned Western in the mold of “3:10 to Yuma” or “Open Range”. Harris shoots for the timeless quality of the genre, the one that makes “Appaloosa” feel like it could have been made fifty years ago without much change to the production at all. On one hand, it’s refreshing to see an ensemble as talented as the one in “Appaloosa” play with classic character types and themes. On the other, it’s hard to shake the feeling that we’ve seen “Appaloosa” before.

Appaloosa is released by Warner Brothers Home Video on January 13th, 2009.
Photo credit: Warner Brothers Home Video

Nearly every element of the story of “Appaloosa” is been shot before from the overly flirtatious woman who breaks up the true partnership of our hero’s life to the unshakable moral ground of our hat-wearing hero. “Appaloosa” is a familiar story told well.

Harris and Viggo Mortensen may have played enemies in the brilliant “A History of Violence,” but they’re partners in “Appaloosa” as Marshal Virgil Cole and Deputy Everett Hitch (a pair of great Western named from the author of the source material, Robert B. Parker, a man who knows the genre well). They are a pair of for-hire lawkeepers, men who are brought into restore order when evil threatens to destroy it.

Appaloosa is released by Warner Brothers Home Video on January 13th, 2009.
Photo credit: Warner Brothers Home Video

The lives of the life-long partners and friends is thrown into disarray by two people - Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) and Allison French (Renee Zellweger). Bragg has basically held the town of Appaloosa hostage, refusing to obey any law and keeping everyone ina state of fear. Harris opens his film with Bragg shooting the town Marshall. Cole and Hitch are brought in with the blessing of the townspeople to take down the nefarious Bragg. It gets complicated when a woman fresh off the train, Allison French, catches Virgil’s lonely eye. It’s not on the DVD, but the tagline in theaters was “Feelings get you killed”.

“Appaloosa” is the rare film that gives renters or buyers of the DVD exactly what they should expect from it, no more and no less. How many DVDs can you say that about? Yes, it can be argued, that we’ve seen “Appaloosa” too many times before, making it hard for the film to justify its existence, but the film does hardly anything wrong. It’s merely a matter of asking yourself if “not doing anything wrong” is enough.

“Appaloosa” looks and sounds fantastic on DVD, courtesy of Warner Brothers Home Video, still the most technically impressive studio in the game. The standard DVD is presented with both a widescreen and full screen version on one disc, making the picture slightly less vibrant than it could have been with just the widescreen version, but it’s still a very good transfer. Why anyone would want to watch a film like “Appaloosa” in full screen is beyond me.

As for special features, Ed Harris has been in the game for long enough that he’s a perfect candidate for an audio commentary track. He does one with screenwriter/producer Robert Knott and the two also speak about a few interesting additional scenes and everyone pops up on a great collection of insightful featurettes - “Bringing the Characters of Appaloosa to Life,” “Historic Accuracy of Appaloosa,” “The Town of Appaloosa,” and “Dean Semler’s Return to the Western”.

“Appaloosa” is a well-crafted, well-made, well-acted Western that never strives for anything as artistic as films like “Unforgiven” or “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” but succeeds at what it does attempt to be. Rent “Appaloosa” if you’re a fan of the genre or as an acting exercise for the great Harris and Mortensen, but don’t be disappointed that you don’t get much more than that.

‘Appaloosa’ is released by Warner Brothers Home Video and stars Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renee Zellweger, Jeremy Irons, Timothy Spall, and Lance Henriksen. It was written by Robert Knott & Ed Harris and directed by Harris. It will be released on January 13th, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Exclusive Portrait: Jason Isaacs on Red Carpet For ‘Good’ at Chicago International Film Festival

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:45:33 -0600

CHICAGO – Actor Jason Isaacs greeted the HollywoodChicago.com lens on the red carpet for “Good” on Oct. 29, 2008 on the closing night of the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival.

Isaacs has been featured in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” “The Tuxedo,” “Resident Evil,” “Reign of Fire,” “Black Hawk Down,” “The Patroit,” “Armageddon,” “Grindhouse” and TV’s “Brotherhood”.

Isaacs will also appear in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I” in 2010. Our exclusive portrait of Jason Isaacs on the red carpet for “Good” is below. Our exclusive portrait of Viggo Mortensen on the red carpet for “Good” can be found here.

Jason Isaacs greets the HollywoodChicago.com camera on the red carpet for the film Good on Oct. 29, 2008 on the closing night of the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival" title="Actor
Jason Isaacs greets the HollywoodChicago.com camera on the red carpet for the film Good on Oct. 29, 2008 on the closing night of the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival">
Actor Jason Isaacs greets the HollywoodChicago.com camera on the red carpet for the film
“Good” on Oct. 29, 2008 on the closing night of the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival.
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

Joe Arce – the professional celebrity photographer for HollywoodChicago.com – has also captured a “Good” group shot with Jason Isaacs, director Vicente Amorim, Viggo Mortensen and Chicago International Film Festival founder Michael Kutza. It follows.

From left to right: “Good” actor Jason Isaacs, “Good” director Vicente Amorim, “Good” actor
Viggo Mortensen and Chicago International Film Festival founder Michael Kutza at the premiere
of “Good” on the closing night of the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival on Oct. 29, 2008.
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Exclusive Portrait: Viggo Mortensen on Red Carpet For ‘Good’ at Chicago International Film Festival

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:48:55 -0600

CHICAGO – Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen posed for a HollywoodChicago.com red-carpet portrait on Oct. 29, 2008 prior to receiving a career achievement award at the U.S. premiere of “Good” on the closing night of the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival.

Mortensen has appeared in “Appaloosa,” “Eastern Promises,” “A History of Violence,” “Hidalgo,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “28 Days,” “Psycho,” “A Perfect Murder,” “G.I. Jane,” “Vanishing Point” and “Crimson Tide”. Our exclusive portrait of Mortensen is below.

Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen on Oct. 29, 2008 prior to receiving a career achievement award
at the U.S. premiere of his new film “Good” on the closing night of the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival.
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

7:01 p.m. update on Oct. 30, 2008: Joe Arce – the professional celebrity photographer for HollywoodChicago.com – has also captured a “Good” group shot with Jason Isaacs, director Vicente Amorim, Viggo Mortensen and Chicago International Film Festival founder Michael Kutza. It follows. Our exclusive portrait of Jason Isaacs on the red carpet for “Good” can be found here.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

HollywoodChicago.com Analyzes 10 Oscar Contenders For Best Actor, Actress

HollywoodChicago.com — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 17:15:41 -0700

CHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com film critic Adam Fendelman has analyzed the 10 nominated contenders (five men for best actor and five women for best actress) and reveals his selections for the top prize. Hosted by Jon Stewart, the 80th Academy Awards ceremony will be presented in one form or another on Feb. 24, 2008.

Best Actor Nominees

George Clooney for the character Michael Clayton in “Michael Clayton”
Adam Fendelman says: Clooney upgrades himself from the “A” list to an “A+” grade and his report card earns him a richly deserved fighting chance. Leading this masterful but underrated film the way a leading Hollywood man should, Clooney – led by first-time director Tony Gilroy – will fight for “blood” and come up short.

George Clooney in “Michael Clayton”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Daniel Day-Lewis for the character Daniel Plainview in “There Will Be Blood”
Adam Fendelman says: Like a bat, Daniel Day-Lewis goes into Hollywood hibernation and only comes out when the pickings are prime and perfect. “There Will Be Blood,” which is only his third film in the past decade, is a monster of an epic and he’s nothing short of brilliant in it. This best-actor shoo-in should fit snugly.

Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Johnny Depp for the character Sweeney Todd in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
Adam Fendelman says: Watch closely and you’ll see Depp in “Sweeney Todd” superbly slip back into his haunted, quirky “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” mindset. His vengeance, though, is bittersweet, his melodies serve justice to Stephen Sondheim’s music and Depp’s creative license merits a formidable runner up.

Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Tommy Lee Jones for the character Hank Deerfield in “In the Valley of Elah”
Adam Fendelman says: No. No. No. While Paul Haggis’ “In the Valley of Elah” pulls at your patriotic heartstrings on an important and niche topic, Tommy Lee Jones delivers an adroit but subdued lead performance that won’t compete with the memorable punch and power of the other gentleman in this year’s best-actor race.

Tommy Lee Jones in the film “In the Valley of Elah”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Viggo Mortensen for the character Nikolai Luzhin in “Eastern Promises”
Adam Fendelman says: Viggo Mortensen has clout and solid industry backing in his “Eastern Promises” performance and especially earns theatrical kudos for a particularly difficult and raw fight scene in the nude. Mortensen, though, deserves to stay among his mammoth peers on the best-actor nominee list.

Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Best Actress Nominees

Cate Blanchett for the character Queen Elizabeth I in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”
Adam Fendelman says: Yes. Yes. Yes. After winning best-supporting actress for “The Aviator” in 2005 and being recognized as not only one of the most successful actresses by Forbes but one of the most influential people in the world by Time, it’s Cate Blanchett’s time to shine in this year’s best-actress limelight.

Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Julie Christie for the character Fiona Anderson in “Away From Her”
Adam Fendelman says: Julie Christie in “Away From Her” authentically portrays the ghastly and evocative battle that is Alzheimer’s disease with conviction, reality and heart. She’s making lists across the U.S. as a best-actress nominee but has at least two adversaries who deserve the ultimate prize more.

Julie Christie in “Away From Her”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Marion Cotillard for the character Édith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose”
Adam Fendelman says: Chicago and Boston film critics along with various film festivals say she’s their best actress. She’s nominated by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the British Academy of Film & TV Arts. Industry experts speak loudly: Marion Cotillard is this year’s top foreign-language selection.

Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Laura Linney for the character Wendy Savage in “The Savages”
Adam Fendelman says: Any daughter who deals with a dad who literally writes wall messages with poop is a fine sibling indeed. In “The Savages,” though, her somewhat memorable performance is trumped by the always dominating Philip Seymour Hoffman, which reminds you she’d more appropriately be up for a supporting role.

Laura Linney in “The Savages”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Ellen Page for the character Juno MacGuff in “Juno”
Adam Fendelman says: Though many haven’t heard of the meek Ellen Page until now and interpret her “Juno” performance as a breakout, she actually broke out in “Hard Candy” in 2005. In 2007’s “Little Miss Sunshine”-like film you can’t help but love, she’s the underdog with a shot at being recognized for coming full circle.

Ellen Page in “Juno”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Discuss this on our discussion boards here!

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com