Rango (2011) - M7.4/E8

I almost didn't see this movie.  The only reason I ended up seeing it (and so soon) is that it is currently on Nexflix Instant!  I'm glad I saw it too.  Despite the negative reviews from others (including Uncle Orson), I really enjoyed this movie, though would not recommend it for young kids, even though it is an animated PG-rated film (again, no thanks to the MPAA for consistency).

[Slight Tangent: How do movies like Kung Fu Panda, Despicable Me, How to Train Your Dragon, and Tangled get mixed up with movies like Rango and Shrek (1,2,3,4) - all rated PG?  Well, for one, there's never a clear line between one rating and another other than the types of swear words allowed, and that seems to be it. (I know Shrek didn't have much, if any, swearing; but the bathroom humor and off-color jokes were rampant).]

Rango has it's fair share of swearing for a PG-rated animated flick as well as some inappropriate comments for younger kids; but for those of us desensitized or mature enough, there's plenty to enjoy.  The number one thing I loved about Rango was the musical score provided by the mariachi owls.  I just might go out and buy the soundtrack.  It's not filled with popular music, but a vivid latin/mariachi sound that really draws you into the story and brings you right a long for the "riiiiidde".

I struggle with writing about the morality of movies.  People don't go to a movie to be educated or morally uplifted, they go to be entertained.  Hopefully the people that actually read my posts are looking for more than entertainment, but are actually looking for ways to deepen their movie watching experience.

There's a big difference in being entertained by a sporting event or the circus and watching a movie or reading a book.  The latter two have a lot of power to influence our lives for good or bad.  The spectrum of evil and good in these media is so much greater than in any other venue for entertainment.  This spectrum of Good and Evil is necessary to help us learn, it provides a laboratory where our thoughts can see the consequences of good/evil without us actually experiencing the consequences (providing the director/screen writer/author are competent enough to do this).

So, back from another tangent, there were a few quotes that really helped the movie make a lot of sense in my mind and really brought the "ride" to a point.  Of course, it all comes when Rango has hit bottom; he's been revealed for who he really is, just a lonely lizard who never had any real friends and not a gun toting sheriff.  He finally meets the Spirit of the West and is taught some important lessons that are not just trite platitudes, but really bring all the events of the story together.

The alabaster-carriage-driving Spirit says to Rango, "No man can walk out of his own story."  Rango's experience in Dirt wasn't an imaginative experience, even though he was acting the majority of the time he was there.  His actions and confidence touched real people and made real differences, it wasn't just one of his plays he rehearsed back in his lonely terrarium.  He needed to realize that.

Secondly, Rango's told that the people saw what they needed to see.  They needed a hero, so that's what they saw in Rango.  He filled that part well, even if he didn't believe he was a hero from the start.  Sometimes we need to get outside ourselves and be there for people in need.  When we stop lamenting about how pointless our life is and try in some measure to fill the voids in others' lives, we actually become somebody. (I'll have to watch the movie again to figure out exactly what was said and to whom it was said, but I think this covers the gist of it).

Last word, check it out, you might enjoy it.

Midnight in Paris (2011) - M6.4/E7

I was looking for a DVD to spend my free Valentine’s Day promo code from Redbox. It had to be something semi-romantic, just for tradition’s sake. The choice was between Midnight in Paris and Captain America. A Woody Allen flick is easily passable, but I have to say that Captain America had probably one of the best/most realistic movie relationships ever depicted (at least as well as can be depicted in an action flick). Midnight won out, and it was a well spent 90 minutes of our evening.

Don’t let the PG-13 rating fool you, this is as tame as any PG movie I’ve seen. The trailer was a little puzzling, it really didn’t go much beyond saying that something magical happens at midnight in Paris, and then flashes some images of women not seen earlier in the trailer...hinting at some sort of infidelity. While there is some sleeping around, it’s completely off screen, and not even really implied.

Gil is a writer in search for meaning in his life. He thinks he’ll be able to work things out by going to Paris with his fiance and future in-laws (very unlikeable characters). Out of desperation, boredom, and just getting plain lost, Gil somehow finds himself in 1920’s Paris with the likes of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Salvador Dali, Gertrude Stein, Picasso, Cole Porter, and more. We see a common trend of people unhappy with living in the present, and it’s made clear that even if we were to live in the era of our dreams, that era would soon become the present and we would wish we were somewhere else again.

The only other Woody Allen film I’ve seen is The Purple Rose of Cairo, and it is very similar to this one; both are well worth watching. No strong moral message, but definitely not a negative one. It’s just a feel good story that depicts a lost character finding his true happiness by shedding the less important things in his life that keep him from it.

Calamity Jane (1953) - M7.8/E8

This a fun family film. This movie is probably the main reason I’ve never really enjoyed Doris Day in other movies; her character in this movie is just ingrained in my mind as who she must really be. The music is good and the comedy keeps coming. The relationships are believable and true, almost standard; yet at the same time fresh interpretations of love and friendship.

The majority of the movie takes place in a bar/gentleman’s club, which isn’t the best setting for a family film. I had to explain to my daughter what it was that every one kept drinking (is telling her that it’s juice bad? In reality I doubt they had real alcohol on the set...) She knows that drinking alcohol isn’t good for us, but at her age it doesn’t matter who the person is, that person is a bad person if they’re doing something that my daughter is told not to do. So for the sake of allowing her to enjoy the movie, we fibbed. She’ll figure it out soon enough.

The movie focuses a lot on the female image. Calamity is a rough, saloon-frequenting, stage-protecting woman who is often confused for a man. It isn’t until she begins to understand what it is men actually want to see in a woman (and her own growing gender-awareness) that she feels that it’s time for her to change if she ever hopes of winning the heart of her Danny.

To some, this idea of femininity may seem appalling. However, I think it’s important for women to focus on their own natural characteristics instead of trying to become and do everything that a man is and does. Men and women are different for a reason, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Sure, the world tends to paint the picture as man being “better” just because they tend to be stronger and bigger, but if you rely on the world for your definition of man and woman and don’t have a strong understanding of your own individual self-worth and identity, it’s easier to give in and clamor for equality.

At any rate, this is a great show for the whole family. Music, Indians chasing a stage, gun fire, drinking, dancing, you name it... Check it out while you still can on Netflix Instant.

Crazy Stupid Love (2011) - M7.4/E9

Don’t be fooled by the trailer. If you enjoyed Date Night or Dan in Real Life, you’ll probably like CSL. The trailer made it seem like there would be a lot of sex and raunchy humor, and while there was plenty of implied sex and some coarse humor, it was totally in support of good relationships and striving to make marriages last and not giving up on your spouse (or the one you love). The only reason I pursued watching this was because of Orson Scott Card’s glowing review of the movie.

Cal and Emily’s relationship has reached a potential breaking point. Jacob helps Cal realize that one of the main reasons he “lost” Emily was because he lost his manhood. He had forgotten what was required to be a husband, a father, and ultimately a man. While this fact was very true at its roots, Jacob twisted it and suggested that the solution was to become a tomcat, like himself. Basically, that manhood is nothing more than knowing how to treat women as objects for your own gratification. Jacob’s character may seem very offensive to some, but it’s so obviously satirical, that you can’t take it at face value.

Cal follows Jacob’s advice and does end up reinvigorating his manhood, but knows that anything more than focusing on trying to win his wife’s affections again is unimportant. Amazingly Jacob ends up coming to the same conclusion, though through no searching on his own...it kind of just comes at him like a big, wet kiss. Jacob’s transformation, possibly because it’s so radical, is one of the most inspiring moments of the film. As he’s able to trust someone else with details about his own life, we see the wild tomcat tamed and domesticated.

The pining of the 13-year old for his 17-year old baby sitter was a well created, typical middle school crush (though a mere kiss at the end would have sufficed, those pictures should have been destroyed). I enjoyed how most of the truth and goodness in the movie came from the 13-year old and his faith that his parents would end up back together (and mostly that his father would do anything to get his soul-mate back.)

As mentioned before, there is a lot of coarse dialog and language and some scenes that weren’t necessary. That aside, this is easily one of the best films I’ve seen in the last year.

State Fair (1945) - M7.0/E6

Entertainment Rating: 6 of 10

This was world’s better than Rodger and Hammerstein’s Carousel, though not terribly entertaining for kids under 5 or 6 - not enough goofiness (with exception to the pickle judging, which our kids loved) or action or dancing. If you’re in the mood for a nice musical, this one’s worth a watch.

Moral Rating: 7.0

Margy doesn’t get stuck with her nerdy admirer, but ends up with the ever more experienced and worldly news reporter, who has decided to stop all his gallivanting around because he’s actually fallen in love this time. I find this rather lame and if anything, morally degrading, because this is not how love or relationships really work out in the real world. Young women should avoid the likes of the journalist, no matter how much they swear the young woman has made them re-think their life. Marriage is too long a commitment to not have both people fully prepared for it, before saying “I do.”