Movie Review: Rango (2011)

Rango is basically one giant homage to all the great westerns, from the spaghetti west of Sergio Leone to the comedic parodies of Bob Hope. A multitude of references to a plethora of classics make an appearance throughout the film, and even those that don't recognize these oftentimes clever allusions will find entertainment in the action, sly comedy, and hilariously twisted character designs. Rango may be the typical fish-out-of-water protagonist trying to discover his own identity, but when transplanted into an old west town inhabited by miserly turtles, gun-toting rattlesnakes and hillbilly varmints, all while plagued by intermittent surrealistic visions, profound metaphors, and pessimistic narration from an avian mariachi band, his story seems anything but normal.
The desert town of Dirt finds itself in a crisis of epic proportions. A terrible drought has swept over the land, the bank's water supply is almost dry, and outlaws torment the town's citizens. Luckily for Dirt, the heroic lizard Rango (Johnny Depp) has just arrived to bring about a new order of justice and peace as the latest town sheriff. Unfortunately for both Dirt and Rango, the wily chameleon is actually just an aspiring actor desperate to play the role of a fearless gunslinger. When his theatrical antics find him appointed an official lawman, Rango must gather all his courage and acting savvy to save Miss Bean's (Isla Fisher) ranch, recover the town's precious water supply, and fend off depraved outlaw Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy).
The character designs in Rango range from comically bizarre to truly inspired and end up stealing the show from each creature's individually eccentric personalities. From bug-eyed toads and mangy cats to wheelchair-bound turtles and skeptical possums, the wide variety of animals are brought to life with such vivid visuals that you might find yourself laughing before they even speak. Many of the animals are hideously deformed and disfigured, or their characteristic features so exaggerated that you won't even be able to tell what creature they represent. A bird with an arrow in his eye, a rabbit missing an ear, and an overly hairy mouse mark just a sampling of the curious and intriguing creations that share the screen. The few humans that make an appearance are pure caricatures of their actor counterparts and nearly every design screams of innovation and ingenuity. In addition to the brilliant character designs, the texturing and animation reach a new level of authenticity thanks to the work of Industrial Light and Magic, a company known for their expertise in creating special effects.
With its clever references to classic western films and spattering of dark humor, Rango will almost certainly appeal as much to adults as to children. In fact, aside from the slapstick action sequences and goofy misadventures of the title lizard, the vast majority of jokes, surrealistic dream sequences, and intelligently intricate dialogue seem geared for a more mature audience with a firm appreciation for the genre the film so meticulously spoofs.

Your Highness - David Gordon Green's Lowness

What happened to David Gordon Green? I remember seeing George Washington (2000) years ago on IFC and having my mind blown. Then I got to see All the Real Girls (2003) shortly after its release and I thought to myself, "This man is a genius." After Undertow (2004) and Snow Angels (2007), I could safely say that he was one of my favorite directors. Admittedly, I didn't care for Snow Angels at first, but it has grown on me over time.
Then we get Pineapple Express (2008), and while it doesn't fit in with the rest of his filmography, it's a solid film toting subtle homages to films Green loved growing up, and even he has said it's a film he wanted to get out of his system. But Your Highness? This is a strange inclusion to an otherwise flawless canon. I feel like he's lost himself, or fallen in with the wrong crowd.
I don't know if this is supposed to be a farce, a spoof, a straight comedy, or what. It's all played for laughs, which is a plus. No one takes any second of it seriously; perhaps if they had, it would have been funnier. I think the safest thing to call this film is a misguided effort from almost everyone involved. Danny McBride and David Gordon Green have been friends since college, which is common knowledge; Green has even helped produce and direct episodes of Eastbound and Down, McBride's brilliant television series. Pineapple Express was born of their friendship, and a mutual adoration for that sort of film, which worked purely because of their dedication to the material and Green's unique ability to put a satirical and sarcastic twist on even the most vile subject matter. He used to remind me of Atom Egoyan (Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter), and perhaps he might again, if he avoids further films like this.
The trailer made this seem like a pot comedy, kind of, and yeah, there's a bit of substance abuse here and there, but, mostly, the screenplay just seems to be trying too hard to shock people with absolutely constant "F" bombs and penis jokes, drug use, and for some reason there's a magical creature who is a pedophile and may have molested one of our main characters during their childhood (note: that pedophilia thing isn't anywhere close to a plot point; it's only something to laugh at for a couple of seconds). I'm not one to tell anyone that something dark can't be funny, but some things deserve not to be glossed over as something merely amusing. If there were an actual plotline to go along with the pedophilia, I'd be willing to laugh if someone said something funny. Instead, it's just a creepy mystical creature who smokes a lot of weed and touches little boys, or makes them touch him. It works in TV's Family Guy because of the overall blindness to it; it doesn't work here because of its obviousness. It gives the film an uncomfortable and greasy feel.
Natalie Portman is in this, if anyone's interested. I was, until I saw what she was required to do. Essentially, she's required to be Natalie Portman. She's a determined warrior princess, of the Xena type, and she says a slew of determined things, none of which build any sort of character around her. She's meant to be ogled by the audience and our heroes alike, and that's basically it. Zooey Deschanel, who worked with Green and McBride on the remarkable All the Real Girls, is there as the damsel in distress, kidnapped from James Franco's Fabious on their wedding night by the evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux) and threatened with being deflowered during the next eclipse.
Between Franco, Portman, McBride, Theroux, Deschanel, and even Toby Jones (who you might remember from his incredible performance as Truman Capote in 2006's Infamous), this seems to be a collective of people doing work extremely far beneath them. Theroux built his career out of a startling performance in David Lynch films and his satirical screenplays for films like Tropic Thunder (2008); Deschanel started off being that "it" girl that everyone loves. Natalie Portman has been earning her Oscar since she was a child, and she finally won last year for a devastating and transforming performance in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. Franco got his Oscar nomination last year for Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, an absolutely breathtaking piece of work. McBride is a comedian, through and through, and he's been much better than this, even with thinner characters, but, with the screenplay that McBride and co-writer Ben Best gave their cast, it seems that none of the focus was put on situational comedy or even dramatic irony. It seems to be more like "say a lot of foul things in a period piece. That's ironic, right? That'll be funny."
It's a film where we're expected to laugh at the threat of rape, looming pedophilia, wearing a penis around your neck, and extremely pointless foul language. I can laugh at those things, but only if you give me something to laugh about. Everything can be funny, I'd like to assume. You just have to work harder to find that angle for some of the more uncomfortable subject matter. That seemed to be the last thing on McBride's mind, but maybe this was some sort of contractual obligation and none of them gave a damn in the first place. I might sleep better at night believing that, and I wouldn't fear so much for the future of David Gordon Green if it were true.

Musicians For Hire - Reasons To Choose Wisely Before Booking Your Entertainers

Almost everybody who will be hosting an event has a vision on how it will turn out and wants their guests to have the best time possible, to ensure your event turns out for the best whether you're having a wedding or a party, the choice you make on who to entrust with the entertainment is of great importance.
What if you were having a wedding and you booked the services of a band that were poor or unreliable? If you hired a band that were really poor performers they're not likely to inspire your guests to get up and strut their stuff, if the band you hired deliver a poor quality performance your guests won't be impressed and they might even decide to get up and leave.
If you've taken a chance and booked a band you're not sure about without a contract and you've paid for them up front then keep your fingers crossed, hopefully you'll never fall into the mentioned situation but if you do it may be wise to create a backup plan for your events entertainment.
If you don't have a vision on how your event may turn out it would be wise to make a start by thinking about the ambience, do you want a classy affair with your guests seated enjoying food and drinks while your band plays mellow music in the background?
Perhaps you want something completely different and envision your guests having a fantastic time on the dance floor, the entertainers you choose can have a huge impact on the tone you want to set and there are lots of acts available to choose from.
When you're having a wedding the entertainers you choose really matters as it's a once in a lifetime event you'll remember for years to come, even though the average wedding ends in a single day you'll want to think back fondly on your own and the good times everyone shared.
Another aspect worth considering is the kind of people you are inviting to your event as their tastes will determine if they like your band, a band specialising in rock music may prove a hit at a party but at a wedding their talents and style may not suit all your guests.
Thankfully most of us now have access to the Internet so we don't need to rely on newspaper clippings when choosing a musician, when searching for an entertainer online you can expect to see videos and to hear sound clips of their performances, at the very least you can get to hear a bands talents and you can see what they look like before you even decide to give them a call.

Taylor Swift - How to Get Great Tickets Closer to Taylor

Taylor Swift is one of the hottest performers in history. Many of her concerts sell out immediately, but there are safe ways to get great seats for any Taylor concert.
Taylor is a unique artist. A big part of her appeal is that she writes and performs very personal songs that many girls her age relate to. They relate so much that many of her fans want to meet her, hang out with her, or know her better. It is safe to say that Taylor is aware of this and reciprocates by making herself one of the most approachable stars in history. Taylor holds meet and greets, talks to her fans in airports and even invites fans backstage. So naturally, most of her fans want to be close to her when she performs. But how does one get great seats for sold out concerts such as this? First let's look at how tickets work.
You wait until the day the tickets are released, you go online ready to get great seats but sadly your tickets are way up in the nosebleed section. Why can't you get good tickets?
This is roughly how it works. Ticketmaster is usually the host for Taylor Swift tours. The host reserves a large number of tickets for media representatives, news people, fan club promotions and credit card pre-sales. So right from the start, many of the best seats just aren't available. If the host at some point feels they have reserved too many tickets, they may release a lot of tickets later at what is known as a "ticket drop". Next the hosts software starts selling tickets with the main objective of selling out the show. Therefore it is not going to release the best seats first. Especially if you are only looking for one or two seats. So with all of this, I'm sure you can see how difficult it is to get good seats for a super hot concert. Fortunately, there is still a way to get great seats. The best way to get great concert tickets for Taylor Swift or any other popular artist, is through a ticket broker.
Ticket brokers are often mislabeled as "scalpers", but that is far from the truth. It is true that buying through a ticket broker will probably cost you more than face value of the ticket, but sometimes it is not that much more. The ticket broker is in effect a middleman between a seller and a buyer. The broker doesn't set the price, the seller does. The broker adds a percentage for themselves for the transaction, and for other services they provide. The most important service they provide is to make sure that the tickets being sold are genuine. This is very important.
I do not suggest buying tickets from an online auction, or from an individual on Twitter. That is far too risky. The ticket broker uses technology to make sure you get authentic tickets. The best procedure is to check a ticket broker a number of times, to find the best deals. I've seen Taylor tickets for less than forty dollars, of course if you are able to pay more, you can find great seats very near the stage. The ticket broker lets you look through the venues sections and pick seats anywhere you find desirable. Another important benefit from any good broker is the guarantee. The better brokers back up your purchase with a guarantee, many times more than the original purchase price. Some will even intercede at the box office if you have a problem.
Another quick tip is that once you have purchased tickets from the broker, keep them in a safe place. Be sure not to wrinkle or fold your tickets as this can cause problems at the box office.
Another great thing about Taylor Swift is that she plays from several spots in the audience. This creates an interesting ticket situation. If you find out that Taylor is performing from a particular section, you can use the ticket broker to get seats there. These are seats that will be less expensive, but could turn out to be excellent seats right near Taylor.
Any Taylor Swift Tour is an unforgettable memory for any fan. By researching, and working with a respectable ticket broker, you have the opportunity to get great tickets to an amazing concert event.

South Scope Cine Awards 2010 Launch Stills, South Scope Cine Awards 2010 Photo Gallery

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