estival coverage continues. It ain't over till the fat lady sings and Rosie O'Donnell isn't scheduled to appear in Toronto. This could go on for quite a while.

Appaloosa
Dir: Ed Harris
Starring: Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renee Zellweger
Every few years it seems like the Western is dead, but then another film comes along that extends the lifespan of the ancient cinematic genre. This time it’s Ed Harris who managed to reinvent the wheel and make cowboys seem relevant again. In his second directorial outing (after the brilliant Pollack), Harris casts himself as a world-weary gun-for-hire who takes over as sheriff in a small town along with his hetero-life-mate Viggo Mortensen. Together they try to drive an evil Jeremy Irons (who struggles with an American accent throughout the film) and his band of not-so-merry men out of town. Oh, and of course Harris also finds love in a mysterious and beautiful piano player played by Renee Zellweger. The set up is little more than a collection of well-worn genre conventions, but Harris manages to overcome cliché by filling his movie with clever self-referential humor and knowing genre subversions. Harris’ aged gunslinger is not a wise old man but a threatening figure with limited intelligence who occasionally even relies on his partner to finish his sentences. Zellweger is no fantasy bride either, but a woman who views sex as a means of survival and uses he beauty to secure the support of the nearest alpha male. It’s very much a meta-Western in the vain of Unfogiven, but isn’t quite able to reach the heights of that film due to Ed Harris’ unfortunate limitations as a director. Ever since Sam Peckinpah and Sergio Leone had their way with the Western its been a director’s genre, defined by striking visuals, elaborate set pieces, and sheer cinematic style. Harris doesn’t quite have the directorial chops to make his film play on the epic scale that it should, but the script is so tight and the characters so well formed and performed that it still stands proud as a memorable entry in the ongoing history of the Western. I don’t even like Westerns and I enjoyed this one. That’s gotta be worth something, right?—PB

Berlin Calling
Dir: Hannes Stöhr
Starring: Paul Kalkbrenner, Rita Lengyel, Corinna Harfouch
With all the Film Festival madness, it's often easy to overlook some great non-TIFF selections. Such was the case with Berlin Calling. The Hannes Stöhr directed film was submitted for nomination for the festival, but was not chosen to the surprise of both Sabotage Films and electronic music fans. Despite the exclusion, the screening at the Royal Theatre felt like TIFF. From the sold-out theatre to the glitzed and glamoured crowd (including a well-dressed Sean Avery of the Dallas Stars), it would be easy to forget this is actually an Alterna-TIFF (I'm so sorry). Berlin Calling stars Paul Kalkbrenner as DJ Ickarus, a superstar neo-trance star in his native Germany. The narrative follows Ickarus through his highs and lows (but mostly lows) as he performs, gets laid, does a lot of drugs, and lands himself in "voluntary" drug rehab, which leads to a few One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest-esque scenes. Kalkbrenner, an actual neo-trance superstar, performs admirably in his first acting role, despite the fact he didn't have to stretch very far. As you might expect, the film pulses with quick editing and various cinematography tricks to simulate the feel of German mega-clubs and the drugs associated with them. Like the electronic music scene itself, this one is guaranteed to be a hit in Europe, but overlooked on this continent. I would advise you see it if you get the chance. - R.T.