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.

"The Tourist" Trailer

Think Salt meets The Bourne Identity meets The Italian Job. All good movies, I might add. So what do those three movies make up? The trailer for the new Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp film, The Tourist. I have now watched the trailer four times and still don't know if I love it, or meh. Check it out and leave your thoughts in the comments section.

First Photos of Johnny Depp in "The Rum Diary"

Here are 2 new photos of Johnny Depp in The Rum Diary, the new film by Bruce Robinson.

As our friends over at Slashfilm put it: "Depp plays Paul Kemp, 'a freelance journalist who finds himself at a critical turning point in his life while writing for a run-down newspaper in the Caribbean. Paul is challenged on many levels as he tries to carve out a more secure niche for himself amidst a group of lost souls all bent on self-destruction.'"

The film also stars Aaron Eckhart, Giovanni Ribisi and Richard Jenkins.

Thanks to FilmTotaal for the pics!

Scorsese Wants De Niro and Pacino for a Sinatra Biopic

Martin Scorsese has been planning on making a Frank Sinatra biopic for a while now, and there is a lot of information about it so far. Some info is rumors, some is confirmed. Here's what we know so far. The film is to be called Sinatra. Universal has already made a deal with Tina Sinatra, Frank's daughter, and the Sinatra Estate and Warner Music Group to allow them to use any of Frank's original recordings, which may even include some unreleased material. Tina Sinatra is already on as executive producer of the project and given Scorsese full control of the project has stated that she trusts him to "present the truth" about the legendary singer. Deadline|Hollywood's Nikki Finke had previously stated that Universal's top pick to play the lead was Johnny Depp. However, in a recent interview Scorsese gave with The Hindu, a national Indian newspaper, he states "I'm yet to spot the actor who can bring back Frank Sinatra alive on screen. My choice is Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro as Dean Martin."



Scorsese also confirms in the interview that the initial script is ready, which was written by Academy Award nominee Phil Alden Robinson, who wrote and directed Field of Dreams.

In an interview with ShortList, Scorsese has stated the following about the structure: "in structure I’d like it to be more like GoodFellas. But like The Aviator, it only deals with certain times in his life. We can’t go through the greatest hits of Sinatra’s life. We tried this already. Just can’t do it. So the other way to go is to have three or four different Sinatras. Younger. Older. Middle-aged. Very old. You cut back and forth in time – and you do it through the music. See what I’m saying?"


What do you guys think? Is Pacino the right choice to play Ol' Blue Eyes?

Tonedog Review: "Alice in Wonderland"

Finally! The long awaited Alice in Wonderland has screened in thousands of theaters across the country. Now... how was it?! Ok, I've done this a few times before and it seems to get the best response. I'll go through what I liked and didn't like about the movie.

What I liked:

'Underland':
What did you expect from Tim Burton? Seriously, was there a doubt that this man was going to make 'Underland' anything less than magnificent? The world looks and feels familiar, yet so very different. It has a very eerie, Gothic feel, that makes you just a little bit uneasy... which I'm sure Alice must feel as she enters this strange world. The colors, the animals, creatures, all amazing. I don't want to focus too much on this point... but watch the film in 2D. My wife and I watched in 3D and to be completely honest, it took away from the movie for me. So many details are blurry (a big negative to 3D), that I would rather enjoy them in 2D.

The cast/characters:
Again, what did you expect? So much talent, so many unbelievable characters it's ridiculous. Let me start with Johnny Depp, he does an amazing job as the lovable, yet crazy Mad Hatter. He has to be charming enough for you to care, and goofy enough to make you think he's nuts... without being annoying. Great work.

Helen Bonham Carter STEALS THE SHOW! She's sooo good, she's so talented, so funny I couldn't wait for her to reappear onscreen. Pay close attention to the amazing acting she does with her face alone, because her body is slightly twisted for the movie. Mia Wasikowska does great as a curious, scared, confident Alice.

The characters were mostly CGI all of which are stunning. Great to look at, great voice acting and just overall a orgasm for the eyes. Anne Hathaway... I still think you're the most overrated actress in Hollywood, 'nuff said.



What I didn't like:

The story:
This is perhaps the deal breaker for me as far as giving this movie a thumbs up approval. The story is simple, and I understand that's good for families going to see the film, but come ooooon! I don't want to spoil anything, but I promise you this... you will leave asking yourself "who cares?" Seriously, why even make the movie with such a weak story? As I was watching the film, I thought to myself, "oh, this happened in the 1951 Disney cartoon. Oh those characters are in the cartoon. Oh that is a cool CGI version of the cartoon." There wasn't enough of a difference from the cartoon classic to consider this a true sequel, as much as a reboot with CGI. So disappointing there wasn't more meat to the story... SO DISAPPOINTING!

My own expectation:
Look, this is an interpersonal issue, and I understand that. But you're on our blog, so I'm assuming you care what we feel. I felt like I was so let down. I feel like it was such a lost opportunity to make something so special. The talent was there, the characters were there, the technology was there, but.... flat. So flat. A year now of solid anticipation and I walked out so let down.



Maybe I'm being harsh, maybe I "missed the point", but I really did feel let down. It's ok, Burton and company are going to be fine, because the movie is going to do well, VERY WELL. It was sold out 1:40 PM showing on Friday afternoon, a school day. So look for big numbers, check out the movie and lets compare scoring points.

6/10
C+
My thumb is down.

Awesome New "Imaginarium" Poster

The official website of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is displaying this awesome new poster for the film, which comes to the States on Christmas Day.

Enjoy!

Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides coming soon

All you Pirate fans, are you ready? /Slash film broke the news about the title of the fourth Pirates movie. They say it will begin shooting around April or May 2010 for a tentative Summer 2011 release. And Johnny Depp will of course reprise his role of Captain Jack Sparrow.

Loved the first film, really loved it. It was a dream Pirates movie. The second and third really didn't do it for me. I understand the money involved and the following, but I hope 4 is better than its predecessors. There are no plot details as of yet, but keep it here for info as it arrives.

Quickie: The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus trailer!

Set to be released October 16th, Heath Ledger's final role folks... it looks good. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law look great filling the role. I'm very impressed with the special effects, I heard some not so good things about it until I saw the trailer. I hope this movie does well. Picture courtesy of screencrave.com

Quickie: Pirates of the Caribbean 4 starts shooting next spring

We at AtD are fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but even bigger fans of Johnny Depp. Pirates of the Caribbean 4 is reported to start filming next spring reports comingsoon.net. Disney's head of production, Oren Aviv, had this to say:

We're going to shoot 'Pirates 4' in April or May of next year. We are going to release it hopefully in 2011 is the plan... hopefully be the first of another trilogy.

Sounds like we've got 4, 5 and 6 ahead of us!? Stay tuned for more!

Quickie: Alice in Wonderland Teaser Trailer!

'Alice in Wonderland' Teaser Trailer

Just enjoy!

Guest Review: Tanya M: "Public Enemies"

“Public Enemies” is one of the greatest ‘criminal’ movies I have ever seen.
Yes. That’s huge.
I loved so many things about this movie I don’t even know where to start.

Let's start with the story. The movie is about one of the greatest gangsters from the Depression era, John Dillinger (Johnny Depp). Based on a book about Dillinger, this movie is said to be the most accurate retelling of his life. Dillinger is a bank robber whose charisma and Robin Hood-like character make him the people’s hero, but his success and ability to jump prisons make him the law enforcement’s number one ‘public enemy.’ The FBI creates a special division to bring down Dillinger and his counterparts. The man they ask to head the division is Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale). That, without giving away anything, is the story.

The beauty of this movie is not so much the story but the way in which the director brings it to life. Michael Mann takes an epic movie and adds the artiness of an indie. He seamlessly weaves different forms of storytelling, with random shots that should seem out of place but instead just create a beautiful, eclectic piece of art. And that is what this film really is – ART. So, while I can understand how some people might find parts of the story a bit slow, or things a little too mismatched, I find that those elements made the story that much better.

Then there’s Johnny.
I was trying to explain this to someone but couldn’t but I’m going to try again. Ok. So, there’s a scene in the beginning of the movie and Johnny has to make this decision in the back of a getaway car (that’s all I’ll say) and after he makes the hard, but right, call he turns and just frowns… but I swear I’ve never seen this man’s face frown this way before. Like I’ve never seen his mouth bend down on the sides that way before. I have this innate ability to catch on to mannerisms in different actors but this man does what an actor is supposed to do and creates new mannerisms for each new character he portrays. I’m telling you, and I know how crazy this sounds, I saw this scene and my mouth dropped. I could go on about his accent, his walk, the way he jumps over the bank counter… but I’ll just say that Johnny Depp does not disappoint in this one. The same goes for Christian Bale, again, another amazing performance. Also, for the people who care, the scenes they share are fun to watch – but there aren’t nearly enough. The star-studded cast also includes the amazing Marion Cotillard. No one disappoints. Oh and for the fans of Channing Tatum – he’s in the movie! It’s short, because let’s face it the man has the looks but that’s about it at this point.

Something that really made the movie amazing for me is the way they played with the music and sound effects. Some scenes were eerily quite, reminiscent of “No Country for Old Men,” they rely exclusively on the power of the actor’s voice. Other scenes not only use music to explain things, the music becomes a part of the storyline. I can’t explain it better than that.

After the movie was over I learned some interesting things like the fact that the whole movie only covers a 13-month period – which doesn’t mean much until you see the film. Also, a number of scenes were filmed in the actual locations in which they occurred.

I went to see "Public Enemies" with two other girls who have very different tastes in movies, and all three of us loved the movie. I’ve read the reviews, I understand what the critics haven’t liked and I understand that this story has been told before, but I disagree with the argument that this movie is unneeded.

“Public Enemies” is a thoroughly enjoyable, well-made movie that serves as a much-needed break from this summer’s line of cheap commercial hits.