Rango

There's A New Chameleon In Town

[Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Stephen Root, Ned Beatty, Bill Nighy]

image from BeyondHollywood.com

RANT: Today was an odd day. I did get to the gym early enough so that I would have time for breakfast and getting a good seat at the theater. I did get breakfast at 11am just when McDonald's was changing the menu boards. But my housemate met me for her Bacon, Egg and Cheese Bagel and we chatted until 11:30, which changed my arrival to the theater. Once in the theater, I was forced to switch seats four times to 1) escape bad angles to the screen, 2) escape kids kicking the back of my chair, and 3) get away from a seat that was being saved for someone.

SYNOPSIS: A chameleon falls out of the back of a car - and into the Mohave desert - where he comes upon a Wild West town with residents in need of hope, a sheriff and water.

Director of the first Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Gore Verbinski reteams with his Captain Jack Sparrow actor Johnny Deep to use his voice talents as a chameleon looking for adventure - and finding more than he bargained for in a Wild West town in the Mohave desert.

Writers John Logan, Gore Verbinski and James Ward Byrkit bring animation to the Wild West, and the classic western to animation. But serving Rango as an homage to the best of the genre is only the beginning. Sure, Shane, Blazing Saddles, and Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name films are cited or intertwined into the tale, but Gore Verbinski introduces other films to Rango as well. The trained (and untrained) eye will see Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Star Wars: A New Hope, Deliverance, Transformers, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - even The Day of the Triffids - somewhere along the tale. What results is pure pleasure and excitement!

Every character is so detailed and rich, every western film stereotype turned into something both recognizable and mesmerizing. In some cases, the character type is more quickly apparent then the desert creature playing it. From Alfred Molina's portrayal of a roadkill armadillo channeling Don Quixote to Bill Nighy's classic black hat honor-bound villain Rattlesnake Jake; from Ned Beatty's corrupt aged turtle politician to Isla Fisher's pure, tough, but naive lizard Ms. Beans; from Stephen Root's spot-on work with several western characters to Abigail Breslin's pig-tailed opossum child Priscilla hanging onto the hope of a strange new sheriff - every portrayal is captivating.

And as rich and detailed the characters, even more so is every plank, every dusty bottle hanging from a mobile, every grain of sand blowing through the dried out town. Every camera shot invokes classic western sensibilities, infuses modern action techniques like slow motion, humor or awe. Everything that Verbinski has learned is poured into this film.

Some of the humor is directed to children as deftly as a close range revolver shot, some more general and widespread like a shotgun blast of buckshot. When asked what name he goes by, Rango responds with avatars, pen names, and boasting one of the few men with a maiden name.

If you love westerns, go see Rango. If you love all of Johnny Depp's offbeat work, go see Rango. If you love well-crafted animation, go see Rango. If you love good cinema, definitely go see Rango!

Worth: Matinee and Blu-Ray

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I Am Number Four

Four is Definitely an Eight
[Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron, Callan McAuliffe, Kevin Durand, Jake Abel]

image from daemonsmovies.com

RANT: Sorry for the delay. The MacBook was at the Apple Store for maintenance. And because of that, I am way behind with my reviews. Just know that I have been agonizing about not getting the reviews to you as quickly as possible.

SYNOPSIS: Nine aliens were sent to Earth, each with a warrior protector. Now, year laters, they are been hunted down in ascending order by the Mogs - a warring alien race who decimated their planet.

D.J. Caruso, director of Shia LaBeouf's Eagle Eye and Disturbia, makes a cast change in favor of Alex Pettyfer for the this sci-fi action flick. Written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar from Smallville and Spider-man 2 credits, I Am Number Four is equal parts origin story, love story, sci-fi thriller and actioner.

Following the life of a young man, his life is turned upside during a beach party with friends when the emblem around his neck starts glowing in front of everyone. Henri, his protector and father figure, quickly erases all traces of their life and uproots them to Ohio. Now named John Smith, the young man is torn between staying off the grid to hide from the Mogadorians and blending in by going to school and socializing.

Alex Pettyfer as John or Number 4, is a flawless prettyboy who somehow manages to alienate himself and become a target by a group of bullies. Maybe it is because he is an alien. You feel for him because of his predictament and nomadic lifestyle, and root for him as he starts gaining his "legacy" powers. Timothy Olyphant as Henri brings all of his Justified and The Crazies charm to the role. Kevin Durand, from the 3:10 to Yuma reboot and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, plays the Mogadorian Commander who leads a team of his kind in the pursuit of eradicating the only beings that could stand in his way of destroying another planet. Durand is a chameleon of sorts in a lotof the roles he plays, but he always shows a a nonchalance and is at ease in the role. The cast is rounded out with love interest Sarah (Glee's Dianna Agron), loser alien hunter Sam (Callan McAuliffe), jilted ex-boyfriend Mark (Jake Abel) and experience teleporter Number 6 (Teresa Palmer).

The film starts strong, with the slaying of Number 3 in the rainforest. John and Henri's escape to paradise, Ohio sets the stage for John's coming into power and responsibility. But the introduction of the soon-to-be soulmate Sarah brings the mushy love and teenage angst about life in a small town and an escape of her own away from it all for something bigger. The story is a little choppy as we switch from sci-fi awakenings to teenage romance, but the third act's climatic battles between the Numbers and the Mogadorians makes up for most of the ealier shortcomings. And a gecko turned beagle brings plenty of chuckles to the mix as well.

The effects are slick and the story is suitable. One could sometimes mistake this alien sci-fi outing as more superhero cinema from a lost Dark Horse or Vertigo comic book series, but it fits the bill for fans of either.

Worth: Matinee or DVD

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