"Judy"

Brilliantly done, Zellwegger is beyond good in her portrayal of Garland - it's the last years of her life, so the movie is "hard" to watch - I cheer for Garland, but self-destruction seems inevitable, rooted in the evils of the studio system when she was introduced to drugs, to maintain her weight and then help her sleep while filming The Wizard of Oz. It's quite the story, and a movie worth seeing. And she does her own singing, too, and it's remarkable; she really embodies Judy Garland.

Appaloosa

If ya' like Westerns, pardner, you'll like Appaloosa.

Written, produced and starring Ed Harris, it felt like a vanity film. I've got a story to tell, and I've got the money to make it. Sort of life self-publishing these days.

Up front, the sheriff who's gunned down in cold blood by the bad guy (Jeremy Irons) speaks his lines so poorly, I might have shot him, too, had I been the director.

Every Western cliche is used here, but I enjoyed it - a pleasant afternoon diversion.

But then I love Westerns. Two of my all-time favorites stand tall in the saddle: Silverado and Red River - both, in my judgment, flawless, and by such standards I judge all other efforts. By comparison, Appaloosa has the feel of a "B" western. But, hey, I love Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, too. Just glad Harris and Mortensen didn't pick up a Gee-tar and start pickin'.

Renee Zelweger is delightful as a woman who can't make up her mind - she loves the nearest top dog, whoever the dog may be. Getting to the top, so to speak, is her mission in life, and like women then, and still too often today, a woman has to pay the piper - somewhere I read, a man loves in order to get sex; a woman gives sex in order to be loved. Zelweger's face is utterly unique - sincere, innocent and selfishly dangerous, all at the same.

The side-kick deputy (Viggo Mortensen) does exceedingly well, as does Harris, although even here, there was a certain dark passion missing. Hard to put my finger on it, but it's like a loaf of home-baked bread that didn't have enough salt in it.

Mortensen's character is the most complex - a man of unceasing loyalty to the Sheriff (Harris) - he wants Allison French (Zelweger) who makes a play for him, but walks away for the sake of his friend. There's a quiet passion in the character, and Mortensen conveys it, mostly.

Sometimes the feel of good actors saying mediocre lines telling a formulaic story.

Other pieces fit well - the costuming, the music, the cinematography.

Worth seeing?

Sure, why not? Bang, bang!

Leatherheads

I really like George Clooney and I really like Renee Zellweger ... but ... this was only an okay movie, some funny moments ... clever story ... but it never really got off the ground.

Zellweger had a great part, and played it well - sharp-tongued and brash, full of spit and vinegar.

Clooney has the capacity to make fun of himself, but I wasn't quite sure where it was going to go. I've seen him funnier, and I've seen him play himself with a little more panache. Oh well.

Jonathan Pryce plaid a semi-scummy character, but lacked the sinister greed to make this character a bit more colorful.

A relatively minor role - the first football commissioner (Jack Thompson) had some character to it - tough and commanding, making it clear that he held all the cards in the new game.

Jonathan Krisinski did a fine job of playing Carter Rutherford, a Princeton grad and a "war hero" - with a story bigger than it was. This was a serious thread running through an otherwise comedic film. Krisinski handled it thoughtfully. We will see more of him.

Overall, I couldn't find enough energy in it.