FRUIT DESIGNS

Director:Michel Gondry
Genres:Action, Comedy
Rating:PG-13
Release Date:2011 January 14
Screenwriter:Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Starring:Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz, Jay Chou, Seth Rogen

What Worked?

In an industry that churns out dark, brooding, muscle-bound superheroes every other year, the Green Hornet switches up the beat at just the right time. Making an odd combination, Seth Rogen and Michel Gondry fuse their talents to produce an oddly entertaining action pop-corn flick. Utilizing the talents of Gondry, with his whimsically creative cinematic vision, and Rogen, with his slacker-style comedy, the film rests upon the strengths of the creators, making for a highly enjoyable ride in the tricked out Black Beauty.

Gondry, director of Science of Sleep and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, lends his surreal, fantastical eye to this offbeat superhero flick. There are many moments of unorthodox flare that make certain parts of the film visual eye-candy. He uses a time lapse, a horde of split-screens, and slow-mos all in Gondry-style. Although Gondry tones himself down, there are certain parts where he’s unplugged; for example, a wonderfully done montage to make the “piecing the puzzle” scene more interesting by way of what plays out like a cinematic scrapbook. Not to mention, the action scenes are hyper-realistic junk food that hit the spot more often than not. Kato kicks ass, and we get to see everything from his mindset, targeting the threats in red like the terminator and disposing of them.

Seth Rogen as a superhero doesn’t quite work on paper no matter how you look at, and he doesn’t play the role of Britt Reid as a typical super hero. Rogen approaches the role from the strength of his comedic side, and inserts moments of heroism, but it’s refreshing to see a superhero that’s cracking jokes left and right. Kato, played by Asian pop-star Jay Chou, meshes well with Rogen as Britt Reid. Chou is slick, quiet, and dangerous as Kato, and distances himself from Bruce Lee’s version of Kato by his comedic interactions with Britt. The duo works because they have a brotherly interaction in which they argue and scuffle, yet truly look out for one another. Christoph Waltz as Chudnofsky/Bloodnofsky is on cruise control playing a vicious villain in a slight mid-life crisis. In addition, there are also a couple of cameos that are wonderful.

It’s not a film that many will remember down the road, and it’s not exactly a groundbreaking superhero film; however, the Green Hornet is pure entertainment. The gadgets, the mostly humorous rapport between Rogen and Chou, and the violent cartoon action make for a fun, brainless journey. Britt and Kato become two gents that you wouldn’t mind partying with, taking care of some crime in between time.

Potential Drawbacks:

The film doesn’t even attempt to escape the usual cliches of the superhero plot, and nothing is truly surprising about where the film goes story-wise. The transition from regular joes to heroes is a bit contrived, as we never really understand why Britt and Kato decide to take on criminals for a living. The death of James Reid? Nope. Was it boredom? Maybe.

Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures presents “Rango” in theaters now. A sheltered chameleon lizard in a terrarium leads a lonely and sheltered existence. He then starts a journey in the desert with a new fraudulent image as the tough hero he longs to be in a town called “Dirt”. “Rango” is about the struggle of this lizard to be a hero and save a town that needs justice and water.

“Rango” is well written and includes some highly memorable dialogue. The story line is great up until the ending of the movie that lacks cohesion. The story includes interesting implicit commentary on American corruption and American urbanization.

Juvenile comic relief attempts to stop the film from seeming overly intense. After the comic relief, the movie is still too intense and dark for the average viewer of movies. The comic relief fails to make the film appealing to children and teens, but it does humanize the protagonist for the audience.

The film is visually dazzling at times and can seem unappealing aesthetically at other times. Rango himself is an ugly character against the gorgeous desert backdrop. The characters are mostly in a somber color scheme and the casts include unseemly pests as talking humanized characters and characters in unseemly rags. The town appears to be in the same somber color scheme as the characters. The town’s appearance suggests poverty and seems unclean.

However, the use of brilliant colors in the movie’s desert backdrop is reminiscent of the most beautiful animated scenery in classic films. It is too beautiful to be compared to the desert scenery in classic western films. Visual details like the dripping sand or the color choices made the desert scenery appear to be an inspired interpretation of the remote American Southwest by cartoonists.

Johnny Depp adds great energy and charm to the main character with his tones of voice, volume, cadence, and vocal pacing. His perfect enunciation of words also fits Rango since Rango is a well-educated lizard. The supporting actors also perform excellently. The acting in this film surpasses expectations for a film targeted to children. However, most of the acting lacks subtlety. There is some subtlety in the portrayal of the evil mayor.

“Rango” is an attempt at a children’s movie that is instead an intriguingly dark and satirical western film with a political bent. Do not see Rango if you are looking for a family friendly film that is lighthearted. See “Rango” if you are looking for a uniquely odd film that has the fast pace and focus on scenery of lighter classic Disney films. This film is more adult than most films in theaters even though it does not have too much of risque material for a PG rating.

• Director:Tony Goldwyn
• Genres:Biography, Drama
• Rating:R
• Release Date:2010 October 15
• Screenwriter:Pamela Gray
• Starring:Hilary Swank, Melissa Leo, Minnie Driver, Sam Rockwell

What Worked?

Betty, a working mother, selflessly puts herself in law school in a bold effort to represent her brother who has been wrongfully convicted of murder, chasing justice for 18 years. This film, inspired by a true story, works in a formulaic way. However, the familiar territory didn’t significantly taint the film because the performances elevate the film from being just a standard disposable drama.

Conviction revolves around the relationship of Betty and Kenny Waters. Their troubled childhood helped the two develop a close bond with each other; although, Kenny develops a reputation of notoriety because of his free-spirited temper, leading him to end up in a 6 by 8 metal cage. The film is done in a simple manner, letting the actors shine in the backdrop of a cold Massachusetts.

Tony Goldwyn’s direction of the actors and the level of talent the actors display really make this film effective. Hilary Swank, Minnie Driver, and Melissa Leo all come in with their A-game; however, Sam Rockwell as Kenny “Muddy” Waters really shines. Kenny Waters is a lost soul with an erratic temper. Rockwell perfectly portrays those aspects, but also adds a layer of loyalty and jovial spirit to the character, showing us that no person can be defined by one characteristic. Rockwell naturally makes the audience want to see Kenny find hope, leading us to reinforce our connection with Betty in her journey to free her brother. Simply put, Rockwell deserves an award or two for this film, if not the gold.

The film shows us the importance of family, and the power of perseverance. Standard themes, I know, but sometimes we tend to overlook the essentials and need to be reminded that they exist.

Potential Drawbacks:

The pieces fit snug, and it works well enough to be an easy emotional investment, but there’s nothing completely refreshing about the film. This usually happens with all films based on a true story, to some extent; it’s evident that this true story was pushed through the Hollywood cookie-cutter.

Although the acting is excellent, there are times that the film feels manipulative and unnatural. The story itself is inspiring, but if it were told in a different manner that didn’t occasionally feel like Oscar-bait, it might have been a better film. The film falls in the section of mediocrity because the inspiring story was weighed down by a somewhat schmaltzy interpretation.