COUCH THEATER

PICK OF THE WEEK

Jeremy Irons and Viggo Mortensen in "Appaloosa" . "Appaloosa" - I'm not a huge fan of Westerns, but there are two — John Wayne's "The Shootist" and "Tombstone" with Val Kilmer — that I absolutely love. So, it's always a pleasant surprise when I come across a Western that really entertains me. "Appaloosa" is one of them.

"Appaloosa" stars Ed Harris, who is also the director of the film. You can tell this is a labor of love for him; his passion for the genre and this story comes through in every frame. Also starring is Viggo Mortensen. The two men play Virgil Cole (Harris) and Everett Hitch (Mortensen), guns for hire in the Old West. They go from town to town, running out desperados and bringing peace to simple folk who just want to start a new life.

Which brings them to the town of Appaloosa. The marshall (an old friend of Cole's) and his deputies are murdered by a sinister rancher named Bragg. Cole and Hitch take on the rancher and his crew, but things get a little complicated when a widow (Renee Zellweger) moves to town and begins a love triangle with the two lawmen.

"Appaloosa" is an entertaining, wellacted and — directed film. Fans of Westerns will definitely want to add this DVD to their libraries, and it is well worth a rental for folks like me who aren't fans of the genre.

DOG OF THE WEEK

. "Swing Vote" - Kevin Costner stars in this ridiculous election-year comedy about the presidential election hanging on the vote of one man. And I use the term "comedy" quite wrongly.

What was intended to be a satire of the American political process and a sort of Frank Capra-esque love letter to America is instead an overacted, Pollyanna-ish glop of treacle with all the bite of an earthworm. "Swing Vote" is a waste of your time and my time, and every copy of this DVD should be used to construct a prison for Costner so he never makes another movie again.

Not for the faint of heart

"Tokyo Gore Police" - From the same demented crew that brought us "The Machine Gun Girl" comes "Tokyo Gore Police," an over-the-top action-horror flick about a group of engineers who can grow weapons out of any wound inflicted on a person. The results are perverse, grotesque and shocking. The Tokyo Police Department therefore trains a special squad to combat these hideous and sadistic criminals — with gory and spectacular results. Fans of cult Japanese cinema will definitely want this in their collection.