FILMS TO WATCH FOR

JONAH HEX

Based on the legendary Graphic novel of the mysterious Jonah Hex. The movie centers around a last resort gunslingin bounty hunter, who has been given an ultimatum that he can't refuse. His life and history as it appears is dipped with myth and legend. his only real human connestion is with the beautiful Megan Fox who plays the brothel, ass kickin chick, who has a history of scars as well.

You will expect tons of western horses in this film, but not your typical western with cowboys and Indians. Jonah Hex has a way of doing things and they aren't your everyday pistol shooting Cowboy. Head Horse Wrangler is the ledgenary Rusty Hendrickson. He has worked on a multitude of horse films all the way from Dances with Wolves to Seabiscuit. Look forward to a unique comic book western.

The Eagle of the Ninth

This is a film that I'm really excited for. Based on the novel of the same name, set in the dangerous world of second-century Britain. 20 years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the Scotland Mountains, Marcus Aquila played by Channing Tatum, goes to solve this mysterious disappearance. His Father was the commander of the Ninth, so it seems to be more of a personal mission. This is a mission/journey film as Roman Knights enter into a world of savage tribes.

As horses go I have only heard of a little on the film, but there will be some fight scenes, and Channing will be riding and fighting. How I feel about that is undetermined. Until I see him I will not put it past him on his capability on riding, so we'll see.

PRINCE OF PERSIA THIS WEEKEND

Review coming soon

Will it disappoint?

Will Jake Gyllenhaal Delivery as an Equestrian?

Will the Black Friesian Measure up to the amazing Bucephalas?

Horse Film Review

Robin Hood

Vehicle Film

I'm going to say up front before I continue with the horse part of it and regardless of what the critics say this was a fantastic film. Coming from a film horse trainer and a script supervisor, I fell in love with it. Ridley Scott is a superb filmmaker, and painted a masterpiece with this film. Yes his other film are better, but man putting Russel Crowe on a horse is never a bad thing.

His masterpiece of course for me starts with the amazing equines in the film. This is not your typical Mythical Robin Hood story, its a real dictation of England and France and the altercations between them and how one man named Robin Longstride, formally known as Robin from the Hood, captivates his people and charges into battle with the men that stay loyal to him. Of course I believe European Films have some of the most beautiful horses, and of course Robin Hood should be a film carried by its horses.

Russel Crowe rides a beautiful Lipizzaner horse, from what I saw was played by 3 very specific and similar horses. I dab Russel Crowe one of the top riders in the film industry. He took my breath away literally...amazing ability. For those of us that do ride you might think that swinging a sword and holding a shield and having over 100 pounds of armour looks like an easy thing, well its completely not. Working with some of the top horse trainers in the film industry, they say its one of the hardest things to teach and only the truly talented can pull it off.

The lead white Lipizzaner was not the only stead to carry the film. Robin rides with three other guys played by Scott Grimes(ER) and Alan Doyle. The two of them rode two very exquisite Friesians. Little John played by a very funny actor Kevin Duran(LOST, 3:10 to Yuma) rides a buckskin Andalusian looking horse. In the beginning of the film the White Lipizzaner who belongs to King Richard runs free through the woods. I believe that this is not the hero horse (hero in film terms means the main horse or object used) that Russell uses, due to the smaller frame, he was basically the Liberty horse. Godfrey played by actor Mark Strong seen in films like Sherlock Holmes, The Young Victoria, and Stardust rides a beautiful Black Andalusian. He is a small horse but has some great shoots in the film. Mark Strong is also a good rider, and delivers a great performance as always. Of course there is the beautiful maid Marian played by the amazing Kate Blanchett, who Ridley displays as a hard working naturally beautiful women. She rides a very large bay Hanoverian looking guy, him and Kate looked great together.

Some scenes to watch for are of course the epic battle scene on the beach, but they have the French ships that invade the English shoreline and one of the ships has the soldiers and their horses. The camera gets low and shoots the horse jumping from the ships onto the ramp and into the water, it was such a cool shot. I really enjoyed a scene with actor William Hurt who works with a bay/brown Andalusian working with some different classical dressage moves. This is a very refined scene.

You can't make a medieval epic film that doesn't have some statuesque horses, its a given, but this one has moved up to one of my all time favorites. The actors delivered amazing riding abilities, the horses hit there marks and the tack and scenery looked stunning.

Check out more on the other animals in the film at Animals in Cinema

http://animalsofcinema.blogspot.com/

TOP KNIGHTS AND THEIR HORSES

Robin Hood countdown

On the heels of Robin Hood I thought I would bring you some of my favorite Knights and their trusty Steed's. Ridley Scott and Russel Crowe are teaming up again for the realistic story of Robin Hood. Robin Hood rides through the waves and rolling hills of Nottingham, on a gorgeous White Horse.


There are some great Medieval movies out there but the ones with that partner relationship between knight and rider are my all time favorites. Horse and rider charging into battle, with no care if they will come out alive, just completely devoted to one another.

Heath Ledger in a Knights Tale didn't necessarily ride into battle but he did have a very trustworthy stead that jousted with no fear. A Draft Mix that belong to a little girl played the hero horse to William Thatcher. From what we see on the film he comes off to be a very calm and laid back guy, I can't say the same for the other horses in the film that the production had quite a hard time with. The Bay draft had no double horses and did everything without a hesitation.

Although Heath Ledger played a more realistic character as William Thatcher, Viggo Mortensen plays Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and has an extremely motivated steed in Bergo. After production of the films Viggo had such a real connection with this Bay horse that he ended up buying him. On his days off him and the horse would just take off and ride for hours. The film portrays a mystical connection between him and the horse where Bergo finds Aragorn almost dead by the river. Bergo helps Aragorn up to save Middle Earth.

Another very mystical Horse that helps a Knight is Pegasus in Clash of the Titans and I'm talking about the more resent film where Pegasus is played by a black Friesian. Although the traditional Pegasus is in the original movie they hid the real horse and by putting a deco fake horse at such a distance there was never really a real horse there. This massive, breathtaking ( and yes he took my breath away) horse stole the movie for me. Even if Sam Worthington didn't get along with the horse they seem to have great chemistry on film. If we are talking about Pegasus we have to talk about Unicorns and there is one knight that used a unicorn into battle. Peter and the Unicorn from The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe charged into battle un tacked. Ice is the young Andalusian named that played the unicorn and Peter played by William Moseley trained hard to ride with no saddle and bridle. With time he pulled it off and Ice helped him along.

King Arthur and Lancelot are some names that pop into our head when we think about Knights and their horses, and there have been some fantastic films when it comes to that concept. First Knight staring Richard Gere and Sean Connery is a film that show a close bond between horse and rider. Richard rides a very thin almost Andalusian looking black horse. At one point in the film he whistles to him and he comes running from out of the woods. I love this film because it also portrays Arthur's love for horses, which is something I have always thought about him and how he admires his horses. King Arthur the film from 2004 staring Clive Owen as King Arthur, show some incredible riding from this round table of actors, and not one of them have ridden before. This is some of the most talented riding I have seen from any actor in a film. Clive rides a very high strung white horse that I feel gave a little character to King Arthur and his horse.

Alexander the Great has the most powerful horse of all time, the most legendry horse of all time. A horse that some say protected him till his death in battle. The great Bucephalus. Giant, black beast that only Alexander could ride. Alexander notice the horse was scared of his own shadow and in return consumed the horses trust. Colin Farrel plays Alexander and who I have proclaimed the best rider in Hollywood, because a majority of the battle sequence he is riding bareback with a sword and shield, amazing! Bucephalus is played by a powerful black friesian and what some say is an actual scene this horse really rears up in front of a giant elephant how is also rear up facing him.

Knights love their horses they are their way of conquering titles and fights. A good horses means everything. In Gladiator Maximus, he gets them taken away from him when taken in to the arena but he expresses his love for them and how he got them branded into his chest plate. In the beginning of the film he goes into battle with a gorgeous horse Brown horse, dripping with armour.

My favorite barbaric knight has to be William Wallace, who shows us his untamed equestrian talent riding into battle on his bay horse. Although he uses a couple different horses he is the bravest. All these knights are brave and their horses trust them with their life, and this is what make for such powerful bond and epic battle scene.

Horses to Watch Out For

Horses in Centurion

Violent battle scenes means daring horse stunts, and a film set in the breathtaking Scottish highlands means scottish breed horses.

Centurion is set during the war between Roman soldiers and Pict tribesmen during the 2nd century Roman conquest of Britain. Michael Fassbender stars as Quintus Dias, Roman centurion and son of a legendary gladiator who leads a group of soldiers on a raid of a Pict camp to rescue a captured general played by Dominic West. The son of the Pict leader is murdered during the raid, and the Romans find themselves hunted by a seemingly unstoppable group of the Pict’s most vicious and skilled warriors, led by a beautiful and deadly tracker (Kurylenko), who are hell bent on revenge.

From the stills it looks like some risky horses stunts, that I hope are done tastefully. What most people don't know is that to do a horse scene it is a thoughtfully choreographed thing. When it's not done properly and safly, that is when you start losing horses physically and mentally.

What gives me hope for this film is that if you look at the still below you can see a wrangler holding the horse while the actor delivers his performance. A camera can cut around that and make it look like the horse is in action and fighting with his soilder rider.

Neil Marshall is the Director, and he ahs Doomsday, the Descent, and now the Centurion.

Horses in Your Highness

I went to a screening of the comedy that will be released in October of "Your Highness." The film is set in Medieval times with some really remarkable horse actors. Its the story of two brothers played by James Franco and Danny McBride that set out on a journey to rescue the princess played by Zooey Deschanel. On their adventure they come across Natalie Portman, who joins them on their quest. The dialogue was great and very funny, and the actors fit their parts perfect.

The film is hilarious, but other then it being it hilarious, the horses were breathtaking in it. Tons of different breeds and colors. James Franco enters the movie on a gorgeous grey Andalusian. So beautiful and majestic, with his forelock draped in his face, he really fit the part. In the beginning scene Franco rides into the castle along with his knights. One of his knights played by Damian Lewis, who is a pretty big TV actor, rides in on a very angelic Black Friesian. This guy was a very thick Friesian, who had to be a stud due to the size of his body and neck. I thought this was a weird touch of film choice of horses for the two actors, because the Friesain towered over the Andalusian. But this was a comedy and James Franco played a very goofy guy.

The movie had some huge carriage scenes, but my favorite is an exquisite 4-up team of Freisians. It really took my breath away when they entered the frame. Later in the movie Damian rides his black Friesian through the woods after a 2-up team of Friesains galloping pull a very large carriage. How this horse moved was really refined and graceful. I could watched the whole movie over and over again if it was that horse gliding through the woods like he did in that scene.

Considering the movie was a real comedic mocking of the medieval times, it did some real justice to the steeds. I was thoroughly impressed!

Production Stills

Winter in Wartime

The movie centers around 14-year-old Michiel who becomes involved with the Resistance after coming to the aid of a wounded British soldier, near the end of World War II. With the conflict coming to an end, Michiel comes of age and learns of the stark difference between adventure fantasy and the ugly realities of war.

Looks like some great horse action scenes. This is the first look at the film; no trailer yet.

Horses in Dear John

Autism and Horses in The Romantic Film Dear John
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom and based on the novel by best-selling author Nicholas Sparks, "Dear John" tells the story of John Tyree played by Channing Tatum, a young soldier home on leave, and Savannah Curtis played by Amanda Seyfried, the idealistic college student he falls in love with during her spring vacation. The movie and book spans over the next seven years, the couple is separated by John's increasingly dangerous deployments. While meeting only sporadically, they stay in touch by sending a continuous stream of love letters overseas--which eventually triggers fateful consequences.

What the trailers don't tell you is a story about a young autistic boy who has a certain fondness for Savannah played by Amanda Seyfried. Savannah introduces the young boy to horses, and he builds a bond that gives him extreme hope and courage. The young actor that plays the autistic boy is actually autistic, young autistic actor, Braeden Reed. Livestock Coordinator Dan Hydrick took extreme care in this project. Hydrick had to find the right horse for the job. He visited many different barns looking for the right horses for the film. He went to a friends barn, who's husband had died six months earlier from Alzheimer's, but his wife, Annie Caroline, showed him the different horses, and he told her what he was trying to do. He looked at a horse named Honey. Honey was a smaller horse, just a Quarter Horse, a regular riding school horse. So they introduced the horses that he picked for the role and Braeden come out and fell in love with Honey. And within 10 minutes, He knew it was going to work."


Other films that incorporate the beauty of horses and autism together to the big screen is a Documentary called The Horse Boy and the HBO show called Temple Grandin. Both of these stories are touching and take the lives of these unique kids and the caring nature of the horse and touches them in a way no other could.

Horses in Wolfman

Inspired by the classic Universal film that launched a legacy of horror, "The Wolfman" brings the myth of a cursed man back to its iconic origins. Oscar® winner Benicio Del Toro stars as Lawrence Talbot, a haunted nobleman lured back to his family estate after his brother vanishes. Reunited with his estranged father Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins), Talbot sets out to find his brother... and discovers a horrifying destiny for himself.

The Horse were breathtaking in the film. Mostly Drafts, and Emily Blunt rides a Grey Andalusian, and I might add she rides it quite spectacular. It is obviously that is is winter, due to the fact that every single horse has a thick winter coat.


There were a couple of Friesians. Actor Hugo Weaving rides a pretty small black Friesian, but had a pretty gate. There is a scene where he rides in a full out gallop through the woods after Emily Blunts character who is riding a gorgeous grey Andalusian. Emily completely impressed my with her riding ability. At one point in the scene she rides into camera then crosses out, and this beautiful Spanish horse prances the whole time. It was a great shot!

I was really disappointed in Benicio Del Toro, he was horrible at riding, he was just all over the place. Other then that the horses were casted great and they looked great. Tons of carriages and old English Tack. Great Horse film.

The Top 12 Best Horse Films of all Time

1 The Black Stallion

2 Sylvester

3 Black Beauty

4 Man from Snowy River

5 The Electric Horseman

6 Seabiscuit

7 Phar Lap

8 National Velvet

9 Horse Whisperer

10 Into the West

11 Dreamer

12 Hildalgo