'Appaloosa' comes out firing on DVD
"Appaloosa" Hollywood should make more Westerns. I know they don't attract the crowds that superhero flicks do these days, but recent entries like "3:10 to Yuma" and now "Appaloosa" show that the genre's six-guns can still fire.
Ed Harris directs and stars in "Appaloosa," a moody study of the friendship between two guns-for-hire nearing the end of their professional road. Virgil Cole (Harris) and Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) are hired to protect a town from local bad guy Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons). Complicating matters is the arrival in town of Allie French (Renee Zellweger), a mysterious widow who immediately catches Virgil's eye. True to the genre's rules, things don't get resolved without hearts being broken and blood being spilled.
"Appaloosa" looks great and boasts pitch-perfect performances by Harris and Mortensen, both of whom clearly have a ball exchanging the movie's spare but witty dialogue. A few lifeless action scenes and an awkward performance by Zellweger keep "Appaloosa" from reaching the heights of classics like "Unforgiven," but it's still a solid example of what the Western genre has to offer. The DVD comes with a nice set of bonus features, including an informative commentary with Harris and co-writer Robert Knott, making-of featurettes and a selection of deleted scenes. (R; Warner Home Video, $28.98)
"Breakfast at Tiffany's" (Paramount Centennial Collection) Paramount's celebration of its hundred-year heritage continues with a solid new release of the 1961 Blake Edwards comedy starring the incomparable Audrey Hepburn. More than 45 years after it first hit theaters, "Tiffany's" still charms with witty dialogue, a lush score and Hepburn's dazzling performance as Manhattan party girl Holly Golightly. The one misstep is Mickey Rooney's infamous portrayal of Holly's Japanese neighbor, a performance that grows more grotesque and offensive over time. To its credit, Paramount addresses that head-on in the special features, bringing a group of Asian commentators together to discuss it. This new DVD release also includes a commentary with producer Richard Shepherd, a making-of featurette and plenty of other behind-the-scenes material (much of it retained from previous DVD releases of the film). Note: "Funny Face," a musical starring Hepburn, is also released this week under the Centennial Collection banner. (NR: Paramount, $24.99)
"Mr. Mike's Mondo Video" Here's an odd little item. The late Michael O'Donoghue, an offbeat writer who was one of the main architects of "Saturday Night Live," created this bizarre sketch-comedy film as a television special in 1979. The network rejected it, but it gained a cult following after a short theatrical release. This week it arrives on DVD for the first time ever. O'Donoghue's comedy is an acquired taste, to be sure. Consider the sketch about a school that teaches cats how to swim by throwing them into a pool. Or a short piece in which Dan Aykroyd, one of several "SNL" cast members to appear in the film, offers his webbed toes as proof that he's a genetic mutant. If these sound like your thing, then check out "Mr. Mike's Mondo Video." If not, I'd suggest staying away. The DVD includes a few of O'Donoghue's "SNL" skits and an interesting commentary with co-writer Mitch Glazer. (R; Shout Factory, $19.99)