Nearly three months since my last movies post? I must be slipping. I'm sure I've seen more movies than this. But then, not all of them have been memorable, have they?
Rango
My first real favorite for 2011. I'm a sucker for Looney Tunes cartoons, and there was a DEFINITE Looney Tunes vibe here. (The golf scene had me in tears, for instance.) And then there were the movie references. I'm pretty certain there was a nod to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas very early on. And Ned Beatty did a wonderfully creepy homage to John Huston from Chinatown (without, of course, any disturbing incest sub-text). [Just an aside here, but I wonder… does knowing Polanski's history make Chinatown any MORE creepy? Or is that just my mind going off on weird tangents?]. And then there's Timothy Olyphant's "Spirit of the West" moment… just brilliant. Johnny Depp, of course, disappears into the lead character's voice, while somehow Bill Nighy is immediately identifiable even when he's an animated rattlesnake (and that's a good thing). I'm sure there are more movie and character references I missed and I will watch this repeatedly once the blu-ray comes out, just to see what I can find. I may just have to head back to the theatre once more before it leaves.
Sucker Punch
Not sure how I feel about this one now. Visually, I loved it, and my first reaction to the movie was basically positive. But as Dani and I discussed it, and started breaking down the things that bothered both of us, I ended up less impressed. The story's problematic (and not just from the "oh it's just a big videogame" aspect — a not-unwarranted accusation). But there are deeper issues, like a major unresolved storyline from the beginning of the film that nags at you by the end. There's a dependency on the fantasy aspects that actually leaves you wanting some of the real world injected to the movie. Everything in the movie, after the main character is taken to the asylum, takes place in one of two fantasy worlds... the primary world, a kind of noir gangster setting complete with corrupt mayors, sleazy club owners and exotic dancers with hearts of gold; and the fantasy world that Babydoll enters when she dances, a universe where she and her sisters from the club are superheroes, charged with capturing the keys that will help them escape. These scenes are the most visually and aurally impressive (the soundtrack may actually be the best thing about the movie), but without tying them back to the real world, it all ends up feeling empty by the end. ESPECIALLY once you get surprised by the change-up at the end of the movie.
(SPOILER ALERT: the hero doesn't get away, and the voiceover you've been listening to is the character you've likely been least involved with, and cared the least about, through the entire movie.)
This is the thing that left me most troubled by it all. At first, I blamed it all on the director/writer, assuming the inability to tell a coherent story that so many of our most visually inventive directors seem to share plagues Mr. Snyder as well. But when I thought more about the ending, I realized that this was, in all likelihood, exactly what he intended, with exactly the right amount of surprise and shock from the audience. The movie is, after all, titled Sucker Punch… and what did the film do but deliver the audience a sucker punch before the end credits? I'm just not so sure I enjoy being the butt of that joke.
Animal Kingdom
Decidedly dark, with a pitch-perfect ending. The film's title becomes clear as soon as the opening credits roll, with a series of shots of a frieze of lions showing a lioness in full protective mode. I immediately knew why Jacki Weaver picked up the nomination, and when her character's claws come out, you're surprised and yet it all makes perfect sense. The story is grim, but the performances are all strong, and when a movie this good culminates in an ending so perfect, it's hard to find anything wrong with it all.
Unstoppable
I missed this one in the theater, and I regret that now. A truly exciting movie, the tension ramps up early and doesn't let up till the end. Rent this one now, pop up a big bowl of popcorn and sit back for a real thrill ride. (On this runaway train. There, I couldn't resist the cheese factor).
![Unstoppable [Blu-ray]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v9g4lNJ-DZTXt5TWTRm_noEbk8gqVO5dhf763kpdTBcEgsKhKvJLn2gmlkvvbmu-R9J4gaB0UBKwcKN9Z_5CY536g9g5WkMrVJIBKZHf7J8Nc2WorO-e29W98aN5V8v-kcsc9p9A0whTC1EgbmkD2OpryrzTDtrM90oPdZKdMVhQoOcKP9cOCCuUPRkjCl09mLfpOZHuck7lo-qr9OFlLMLJgcf-iS2IQ=s0-d)
![Animal Kingdom [Blu-ray]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uninIy1xJ2wkzDThRHJndrEYQTjORuEkk9HxMTjsYB2fPtmobNbOup_bdiB3aOptho9oZSmg7f7YKhk7TqhGRuL76HbUb929a--oToOlwaJdScBy33XEBpc46vRRtpuqC6SuKlH63RjwCJSfSGzpOZJAUfrr9x2yQWJLYhR0YO-x2PkuL4neGKaxFNvl19zUcwNkMYEo9nV4nZz6Q43P7eQPB5tpdGfQk=s0-d)
Rango
My first real favorite for 2011. I'm a sucker for Looney Tunes cartoons, and there was a DEFINITE Looney Tunes vibe here. (The golf scene had me in tears, for instance.) And then there were the movie references. I'm pretty certain there was a nod to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas very early on. And Ned Beatty did a wonderfully creepy homage to John Huston from Chinatown (without, of course, any disturbing incest sub-text). [Just an aside here, but I wonder… does knowing Polanski's history make Chinatown any MORE creepy? Or is that just my mind going off on weird tangents?]. And then there's Timothy Olyphant's "Spirit of the West" moment… just brilliant. Johnny Depp, of course, disappears into the lead character's voice, while somehow Bill Nighy is immediately identifiable even when he's an animated rattlesnake (and that's a good thing). I'm sure there are more movie and character references I missed and I will watch this repeatedly once the blu-ray comes out, just to see what I can find. I may just have to head back to the theatre once more before it leaves.
Sucker Punch
Not sure how I feel about this one now. Visually, I loved it, and my first reaction to the movie was basically positive. But as Dani and I discussed it, and started breaking down the things that bothered both of us, I ended up less impressed. The story's problematic (and not just from the "oh it's just a big videogame" aspect — a not-unwarranted accusation). But there are deeper issues, like a major unresolved storyline from the beginning of the film that nags at you by the end. There's a dependency on the fantasy aspects that actually leaves you wanting some of the real world injected to the movie. Everything in the movie, after the main character is taken to the asylum, takes place in one of two fantasy worlds... the primary world, a kind of noir gangster setting complete with corrupt mayors, sleazy club owners and exotic dancers with hearts of gold; and the fantasy world that Babydoll enters when she dances, a universe where she and her sisters from the club are superheroes, charged with capturing the keys that will help them escape. These scenes are the most visually and aurally impressive (the soundtrack may actually be the best thing about the movie), but without tying them back to the real world, it all ends up feeling empty by the end. ESPECIALLY once you get surprised by the change-up at the end of the movie.
(SPOILER ALERT: the hero doesn't get away, and the voiceover you've been listening to is the character you've likely been least involved with, and cared the least about, through the entire movie.)
This is the thing that left me most troubled by it all. At first, I blamed it all on the director/writer, assuming the inability to tell a coherent story that so many of our most visually inventive directors seem to share plagues Mr. Snyder as well. But when I thought more about the ending, I realized that this was, in all likelihood, exactly what he intended, with exactly the right amount of surprise and shock from the audience. The movie is, after all, titled Sucker Punch… and what did the film do but deliver the audience a sucker punch before the end credits? I'm just not so sure I enjoy being the butt of that joke.
Animal Kingdom
Decidedly dark, with a pitch-perfect ending. The film's title becomes clear as soon as the opening credits roll, with a series of shots of a frieze of lions showing a lioness in full protective mode. I immediately knew why Jacki Weaver picked up the nomination, and when her character's claws come out, you're surprised and yet it all makes perfect sense. The story is grim, but the performances are all strong, and when a movie this good culminates in an ending so perfect, it's hard to find anything wrong with it all.
Unstoppable
I missed this one in the theater, and I regret that now. A truly exciting movie, the tension ramps up early and doesn't let up till the end. Rent this one now, pop up a big bowl of popcorn and sit back for a real thrill ride. (On this runaway train. There, I couldn't resist the cheese factor).
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