The Lone Ranger (2013)

Another Disney disappointment.

In the 1930s, an elderly Tonto tells a young boy the story of John Reid and how this man of the law turned into the Lone Ranger. John Reid, together with his brother and other rangers are in pursuit of the notorious Butch Cavendish but find themselves ambushed and left for dead. Tonto, a Comanche, reluctantly helps John Reid with the insistence of a white horse that is said to be a spirit. John Reid is brought back to life by the white spirit horse and together with Tonto, they must bring Butch Cavendish to justice. But as they go on their journey, they soon find out that they have more enemies to face aside from Cavendish himself.

I would like to believe that the short summary I wrote here sounds very exciting and would make me want to see the movie. That's my way of making me feel better whenever I think about this movie.

Straight to the point, what makes this movie a failure is its bland and draggy script. To think this is an action only makes it worse. It had a lot of nerves to run for more than two hours but cannot even keep up to its promise of keeping the audience entertained and alive. 30 minutes into the film, I felt obligated to finish it just for my money's worth. The film did not have that emotional drive for the audience to relate to. I felt like there was an invisible wall between me and the screen when I was watching it. Very ironic since the two main characters had to go through a lot of hell in their lives yet you would feel no sympathy for them at all. You are very much aware that this is only a movie and none of this is real. That's probably the main reason why it felt so long and draggy. Another reason would have to be in relation to the main character himself, the Lone Ranger. It took more than an hour for him to realize that the mask means something to him. The character development was so slow that by the time he finally accepts the title of the Lone Ranger, everyone watching it would only say "Finally!" It would always come to a point wherein I would start looking for something that it missed or something that is supposed to be there but is taking too long to be revealed. As a result, during the climax of the movie, some of them felt cliche and predictable. As I mentioned, you already know what will happen, you just need to have the patience to wait for it.

However, not all is worth despising. Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp made a good team. Their humor would most often give a few laughs and giggles whenever the movie would start to go downhill. The fact that they can keep the audience awake is already worth praising. Johnny Depp portrays the role of the Comanche Indians quite well. It was impressive since he actually learned how to speak the Comanche language. Just can't help but feel that somehow, a little Jack Sparrow made his way into this movie. Armie Hammer on the other hand did a commendable job with his acting skills. It could have been better but good try nonetheless. 

I did find one aspect of this movie witty and worth noting. The story is told by an elderly Tonto so obviously the entire movie is a flashback sequence. However, once in a while, it would shift back to the present where we see the elderly Tonto still telling the story to the little boy and the little boy asking questions at the same time. It's like the movie is snapping its fingers at the viewers and keeping them all awake. It's its way of telling the audience that this is only a story being told by some American Indian to a boy at a fair in San Francisco. I find their approach of using the 'unreliable narrator' a smart move. It gives more variety and an explanation to all the plot holes in the film. By the end, you would be as confused as the little boy if the entire story was real or not. But just as Tonto replied, "Up to you."

Rating: 2/5

Monsters University (2013)

Needs more schooling.

Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are the best of friends and partners for life. But of course that wasn't always the case. Flashback to when they were younger, college to be exact. When Mike and Sulley first saw each other, the only mutual understanding between them is to hate one another. Hence, their college life began. Flash further back, it focuses on Mike and how he always wanted to be the best scarer ever. Things don't go smoothly for him in Monsters University as he has to prove himself to everyone that he is capable of being a scarer.

There was so much excitement the moment this movie was first announced. The 2001 film Monsters Inc. Is one of Pixar's most prized jewels and I bet they thought that an additional jewel wouldn't hurt. Well... let's just say it stumbled a lot and got a few bruises on the way. However, I would choose Monsters University any day compared to the last film Pixar released which is the 2012 film Brave. Ironically enough, both films currently have a 78% rating in Rotten Tomatoes.

When Pixar officially announced Monsters University, I figured it carried two burdens on its shoulders. The first one would have to be its audience. Yes, this is an animated film intended to be watched by children. How about the children at heart though? One particular sector in the demographics that will absolutely be watching Monsters Univ. are the young adults or specifically college students. The children who watched Monsters Inc. back in 2001 will surely not miss out on a prequel of a movie that was part of their childhood. So pleasing the children and the young adults is a difficult task that Pixar definitely must have considered. The second burden that I thought of primarily concerns the plot itself. In the trailers, it is established that Mike and Sulley were not on good terms before they became the best of friends. Thing is, even before watching this movie, majority, if not all, of the entire human population might have watched Monsters Inc. already and know that they are friends. So the question that a viewer has on his mind when about the watch the film is that "How are you gonna tell the story and how are you gonna make me stay and watch?" Because technically speaking, the entire movie is spoiled to us already because of the first film. The latter of the problems I mentioned should have been carefully thought of because as I was watching the movie, I found myself checking for the time. Definitely not a good sign when you're watching a movie.

So was it a bad film? No it wasn't but Pixar could have definitely have done better. I appreciate how the movie makes the viewers, especially the old ones, nauseous of the first film and makes them go "Oh look! It's..." during the movie. I also like how they put certain twists and unexpected situations that negates the first film but explains it in the latter part of the film. It offers great historical background on the characters of Mike and Sulley. You get to know more about the two of them and why they act like they do in Monsters Inc. 

Moreover, certain themes and subject are also present in the movie such as the idea of false hope versus chasing your dreams despite all odds. Would you fight and pursue or give up and find something better? This is probably one of those rare films that tell you to give up something which you're not good at. Majority of the films keep on telling you to just keep on believing in yourself no matter what the people around you say. Idealism vs. Realism.

One of the things I look for in animated films is the character development. There must always be a character development or else there would not be an emotional hook to the audience. Monsters University manages to execute great character development not only in the two protagonists but also in the supporting characters. It deserves a round of applause since it's quite rare for the supporting characters to also undergo development. Now with regards to the emotional hook I mentioned, I find it weird that despite the character development in the film, it lacked the emotional drive present in the previous works of Pixar. It didn't have a single scene where it made me go "Awwwwwwww..." (hope you read this the way I wanted it to sound)

In conclusion, the movie despite some shortcomings is still great and manages to bring out laughs and enjoyment from the audience. Just needed a better way to keep the viewers interested not only in certain parts of the film but as a whole.

Rating: 3/5

P.S.

Before Monsters University started, a Pixar short "The Blue Umbrella" was really cute and entertaining. As a matter of fact, 6 minutes of it gave me more feels than the movie I came for.

Movie Review: Skyfall & Wreck-It-Ralph

 The name's Bond... James Bond

 "Probably the best Bond film yet..."

I just went to the cinemas earlier today and watched Skyfall, and may I just say that I completely love it. The James Bond franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and the film Skyfall is a great gift to all James Bond fans out there.

What I loved about Skyfall is that first of all it's not your typical James Bond movie that people have been seeing for the last 50 years. This time, the movie focused on James Bond's past, his relationship with M and how he grows and develops in the entire duration of the film.

 If I were to ask you "what comes into your mind when you hear James Bond?" You would probably say: "action, women, sex, cars, gadgets" don't get me wrong, Skyfall has all that but the movie took on a more classical approach. It's like a classic film meant to be watched in 2012. The story was well thought of, it had an emotional-undertone to it, then development of the character was given importance, the action scenes were thrilling, the editing and cinematography (especially the last part) was superb.Not to mention the actors, Daniel Craig really fits the James Bond character so well. Only with the span of three films, he made James Bond come to life and made a name for himself as well.

"It's like a classic film meant to be watched in 2012."

What's been always difficult for action movies is that sometimes, the story gets left behind and is overshadowed by the action sequence. But this is definitely not the case for Skyfall. The action scenes had good harmony with the story and none of them overshadowed one another. Another thing I liked in this film is the locations where they shot the movie. One was in Turkey, another was in Shanghai, next was Macau, and the last one was Scotland. Each location had different vibes into it. I liked Shanghai and Macau the most. The film showed how beautiful the two cities are in the night. I also have to give a thumbs-up to Adel for singing the theme song of the movie. It's really good. :)

I'd give Skyfall a rate of 9 out of 10. I really liked it and it's probably the best Bond film yet in my opinion. :) I've been a fan of the franchise since Pierce Brosnan and thanks to HBO last time, I was able to watch some of the older films. :)

                                      "I'm Gonna..."

"I'm bad, and that's good, and that's not bad, there's no one I'd rather be than me"- Wreck-It-Ralph

Another awesome film from Disney. The movie revolves around the life of a "not-so-bad" bad guy of an arcade game. Sick and tired of being bad and always the loser, he goes against the rules and finds himself and his purpose in the process.

This is one great family film and even before the start of the movie, Disney presented a short film entitled Paperman which was quite entertaining as well. The movie Wreck-It-Ralph would definitely bring nostalgia especially to the 90's kid because it surely did bring me one. Seeing those old video game characters all in one movie made me realize how old I am already. So yes, the setting for the movie really worked out well and it's sure to bring lots of audience from different age groups.

The voice actors did a good job in this film.I have to say my favorite is Jane Lynch giving life to Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun, a badass female soldier with an attitude. Of course Ralph also had a great voice actor thanks to John C. Reilly. What I really appreciate in this film is that with the presence of various video games, the voice must be well-coordinated to the character or else it would seem awkward, and Wreck-It-Ralph did a good job in the casting of their actors.

"You don't need a medal to prove your worth"

A few criticisms though, there would be times that it would get a little boring and the world of the arcade is not much explored in the movie. Perhaps a sequel would improve this? It has the tendency to lean into the cliche moment but otherwise it's really good. I recommend everyone to watch this especially children. It would teach you that you don't need a medal to prove your worth. 

Watch Skyfall and Wreck-It-Ralph and share your thoughts about the movie below :)

Skyfall: 4/5

Wreck-It-Ralph: 3.5/5