Rango DVD review

Rango was so far under my radar, I didn't post ANYTHING about it on this blog.  I don't know why, but I really had no desire to see it.  It made a lot of money in the theaters and received a lot of praise in the process.  It received an impressive 88% positive reviews on RottenTomatoes.com. Well, I waited until the Blu-Ray came out and whoa... let's begin.

What I liked about the movie:
The Storytelling

Johnny Depp plays the loveable lizard in this animated western.  Depp plays Rango, a lizard who loves to act.  After a few twists of fate, and some clever acting, he ends up the Sheriff in a small town called Dirt.  The western aspect of the film ensues.  I don't want to talk plot, but the story is terrific.  Rango and his new found friends take off for a grand adventure.  What's beautiful are all the intricacies they built into the story.  For instance: It's the desert, so naturally, the currency for the city of Dirt is water.  Brilliant (sort of like The Book of Eli too, but don't tell anyone).  Those kinds of details are what made Pixar the juggernaut it is today.  There is so much adventure to be had, computer animation was the perfect medium for this story.  Well done. 

The Voice Actors

Depp is always awesome, but there are so many others in this film.  Isla Fisher plays Rango's pal Beans.  Also in the film: Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy and Timothy Olyphant just to name a few!  What's great about this movie is the way the voices were recorded.  The actors acted out their parts as if they were recording a live-action film.  This gave the actors the real feel for their characters' movements and speech.  

It's Smart!

I really wouldn't say this movie is for kids.  There are a lot of smart jokes that small children may not understand.  Granted the movie looks amazing, and that alone can keep a child occupied; but the jokes are so smart.  I know it sounds funny referring to Rango as a person, but the animators made him so interesting.  The dialogue is delivered beautifully by Depp.  And, the animators play off of a lot of western films' cliches. 

The Emotion

Maybe I'm getting a little soft in my old age, but I love the story of friendship.  The movie plays out very nicely and gives the characters an arc.  But what is great is the relationship between Rango and his friend Beans (Fisher).  She's the smart and savvy girl to save his butt in trouble.  I enjoyed the dynamic they created for them. 


What I didn't like about the movie:
The Stupid Birds

I'm not a fan of mariachi bands, so that's probably a large part of why I didn't like these characters.  They narrate the film through mariachi sing-song, and I didn't like it at all.  In fact, I was fast forwarding towards the end of the movie, right past them.  I know, I know I'm supposed to do that, but man they're annoying.

The Length
There are times when the movie is so slow.  It comes in at 107 minutes, that's a lot for an animated film.  ONLY A FEW TIMES, the movie had to fight to hold my attention, imagine a whiny kid at the theater, wow. 


The Verdict:
It's too good not to buy!
The story is engaging, the animation is beautiful, the actors kill it, what more do you want!  There's a moral to the story for the kids, and smart jokes for the adults.  Plus, there is so much to see on screen, a second and third viewing will be essential. 


The Blu-ray/DVD combo:
Tons of Goodies
There's an alternate ending, 10 deleted scenes, commentary, featurettes, a look at the real creatures in the movie, and and and.  There are so many goodies on this Blu-Ray.  I really enjoyed watching them all.  There are also some games for the kids to play with.  Overall, a great movie and an even better Blu-Ray offering.  Bravo.

Abduction poster, trailer... Taylor Lautner plays Jason Bourne's mini-me

I haven't really covered this movie on the blog yet. So here's the skinny.  The movie is Abduction, and has a pretty good cast.  The movie stars Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Jason Isaacs, Maria Bello and Sigourney Weaver.  Twilight alum, Taylor Lautner THINKS he knows who he is and where he's from.  Well, he couldn't be more wrong.  The movie looks like a The Bourne Trilogy crossed with Salt.. a younger, male Salt.  Check out the trailer and see what you think.  I'm iffy about it, you? 

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" Review... It's Bad, Really Really Bad

So, it's a few weeks late, but I avoided the critics and went to see The Sorcerer's Apprentice (SA). Maybe I should have listened? No! That's why we see movies ourselves, to develop our own opinions. So, here was my thinking.

Nicolas Cage, I like him. Jay Baruchel, I like him. Alfred Molina, I like him too. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, I love his movies. So far so good. The story of a sorcerer having to teach a young man the tricks of his trade, pretty cool idea. Let's get into what really happened, not what I was hoping to happen.


What I liked about the movie:
The Special Effects

This is no longer a factor strong enough to hold a movie up on its own. I remember the mid-1990's, terrible movies were AWESOME because we'd never seen special effects before, more specifically computer generated effects. SA has some incredible stuff in it. Nothing new per say, but it was visually stunning to look at. I especially loved the broom scene that was talked about so much before the movie launched.

What I didn't like about the movie:
The Story
I think there was a lot of potential wasted on this film. I know Hollywood is all about time=money, but this is ridiculous. The story of SA was there, the script was not! If they took the story, spent another 6-12 months tweeking it, I don't think I'd be writing this section of my review right now. Centuries ago, this person betrayed this person, then that person got locked away in a contraption, only to accidentally be released years later, blah freakin' blah. It was so stupid. This amazing sorcerer (Cage), can't stop a 9 year old little runt from fumbling and bumbling his way into trouble? What the hell man? Give us, the audience, some credit will ya?

Then there's the GOD AWFUL love story, sub-plot garbage. This girl wanted that guy, not the other guy, so the other guy got jealous and joined the other girl in betraying the first guy. Did you get that? Yea I got it, but it's ludicrous. For God's sake, who cares?! Stupid. Monica Bellucci loves Cage's character, not Molina's character, blah blah, I don't care.

The Acting
Every actor/actress in this movie should be ashamed of themselves for the performances they phoned in. I want an apology from each and every one of the them, including the extras. OK, I'm being a bit dramatic, but literally every performance is forgettable. The one performance I was disappointed in most was that of Jay Baruchel's. I just gave him props when I reviewed She's Out of My League, and now I'm scratching my head. He plays the same, dorky, neurotic character in League that he does here in SA. I like Baruchel, but this movie will be the low-point of his acting career.

The Direction
It's not all the actors and writer's fault this movie was as bad as it was. Jon Turteltaub stunk up every scene in the movie. The pacing was off; within seconds we're running, then crawling, then running again. The editing was terrible, choppy and unorganized. The score SHOULD have been memorable and worthy of a summer blockbuster. It was forgettable at best. Shoot, even wardrobe sucked. Turteltaub is to blame for 80% of the movie's awfulness. Yes, movie making is a collaborative effort, but Turteltaub has the final say so.


I am not being "harsh" on this one, folks. Go see it and join my hatred for this film. I was so mad, so upset at the nonsense movie I saw, I literally text dozens of my friends my hatred for the film. It was a waste of time, money, and... time. I will never listen to the critics when it comes to my choice of films, but damn they were right. With a 42% on Rotten Tomatoes, you can see where my hatred is coming from. GOD I HATED THIS MOVIE!

Tony: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time review

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was awesome! We have all hesitated when hearing about a video game turned movie is announced, but this is an exception. As recently as standing in line for the movie, I Twittered to the world that I wasn't all that excited about the film. My wife and I were out and about yesterday and decided to see it anyway, and we both loved it. Let me dive right into the likes and dislikes.

What I liked about the movie:
The Action
Money obviously attracted Disney to this project, but there's more to it. The action portrayed in the video games made for a very interesting concept on screen. Director Mike Newell does a magnificent job with the action. The chase scenes, the Parkour (wall-jumping), the knife fights, etc. All of the above are shot incredibly well. The pacing of the movie is great; there isn't a dull moment in the film, it's always progressing. Thumbs up to Newell on this.

The Actors
At first I thought to myself, "Jake Gyllenhaal with an English accent is just not going to work". Well I stand corrected, and Gyllenhaal is awesome in the lead role. He's physically insane in the movie and demands the spotlight. Gemma Arterton does well in the lead female role, and the chemistry between her and Gyllenhaal is great. They have a tough love thing going that works considering Arterton's role in the film. Alfred Molina gives some amazing comic relief in the movie. Not every joke, but for the most part his role is well played. Then there is Sir Ben Kingsley. At this point in his career, his name says it all. He does well considering he is surrounded by a cast half his age. Just great casting all around in this movie.

The Usually Forgotten
The scenery is grand, the sand dunes spectacular and the sets are terrific. The soundtrack is very fitting of a summer blockbuster. As were the costumes and extras. I know I'm gushing about this movie, but really, everything was well done. It has an epic feel to it, until you see the swashbuckling action, it kind of puts it back in perspective. But it has a large scale feel to it.


What I didn't like about the movie:
The Story
I know it's a Disney film aimed at families, but the story is a bit weak. It was too much of the same thing in different settings (albeit beautiful settings). The trailers pretty much give it away. "The dagger is important, follow the dagger." Problem is, and I hate when movies do this, "he has the dagger, no she has the dagger. No wait, he has the dagger. Wait wait, now that guy over there has the dagger." Enough!

Overall, very satisfied and would be willing to see it again if someone were to ask me. Be weary that it is aimed at kids and families and then you wont be disappointed. The action, the direction, acting and set pieces are all worth your 12 bucks. After you see it, let me know what you think.

Quickie: "Prince of Persia" posters!

The official posters of "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" have been released by Empire, and they look great.

I remember Tony being excited for this movie ever since the first pictures were released of Jake Gyllenhaal in costume. I myself rushed out and got my hands on a copy of the best-selling PS2 game to play before the movie comes out.

The film is being directed by Mike Newell ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"), so there should be a decent amount of story. It's being produced by action movie producer guru Jerry Bruckheimer, so I'm guessing that this movie will most likely feature cool looking acrobatic moves over the story. The movie, after all, is based on the Ubisoft video game series, which itself is based on a classic side-scrolling game. I hope these posters will prove me a bit wrong...

The movie will co-star Sir Ben Kingsley Alfred Molina, and Gemma Arterton as the Princess.

Let's hope the film's look and feel match the artsy feeling of these posters.
Awesome work from Disney here.