Trailer Breakdown: DJANGO UNCHAINED

It's been three years since his last film, but Quentin Tarantino looks to come back with a vengeance with the Christmas 2012 release of Django Unchained. The first trailer for the film has finally been released, and I've taken the liberty of watching it a few times through to try to get a decent sense of what we may be getting once the film hits theaters. For starters, let's take a look at the trailer itself, shall we?

And now, let's talk about it a bit. I've come up with a few questions that came to mind while watching the trailer, and I'll do my best to answer them as accurately as I can. 

1. What is Django Unchained?

Although I'm sure many of you already know the basic plot outline, I'll recap what we're given from the trailer: 

A bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) enlists the help of a former slave (Jamie Foxx) to find a number of slave owners with bounties on their heads. In return, the bounty hunter will help the former slave free his wife (Kerry Washington) from the clutches of an evil plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio) who now holds her captive. 

Knowing Tarantino, there's definitely going to be a bit more to the plot than that, but there's a good starting point for those of you curious about the film's storyline. The film is inspired by the 1966 spaghetti western Django.

2. What's up with the music in the trailer?

The first thing I noticed is that the trailer holds quite a bit of more contemporary music than one would imagine for a film of this genre. Normally, I'd think nothing of it considering Tarantino's normally brilliant music selections, but after his 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, which utilized a number of more rustic scores for the soundtrack, I had a feeling he might be going down that road again this time around. Still, this is only the trailer, and we'll have to wait and see just what Tarantino has in store for the film's soundtrack, but we can be sure it'll fit seamlessly into his storyline. 

3. Christoph Waltz is back. Is this the start of an ongoing Tarantino/Waltz collaboration?

Christoph Waltz has been acting for years and years, but most of his work prior to 2009 took place in either Germany or his native Austria. His supporting role in Inglourious Basterds, which landed him an Academy Award, revitalized his career and brought him into the international mainstream. Since then, he's appeared in sub-par films like The Green Hornet, The Three Musketeers and Water for Elephants as well as the stellar Carnage, but his role in Django Unchained looks like it might rival the one he crafted for his Oscar-winning turn. And we all know that Tarantino has a penchant for keeping some actors around his films. We can see Tim Roth and Steve Buscemi in both Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. And I think everyone knows about the continued collaboration between Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson, who will also appear in Django Unchained. So, if Waltz wants to continue working with the director, I honestly have no problem with it.

4. Will this film revitalize Jamie Foxx's career?

I've generally liked what Jamie Foxx has managed to do as an actor, but since his Oscar-winning turn as Ray Charles in 2004's Ray, he's had much less success in garnering critical praise despite appearing in larger films like 2005's Jarhead and 2006's Dreamgirls. His last role was in 2011's Horrible Bosses where he portrayed a man named - and I kid you not - Dean 'Motherf---er' Jones. If anybody is in desperate need of a push, it's Foxx, and hopefully the role of Django can help push him back over the hill.

5. Is Leonardo DiCaprio playing a villain? 

All signs point to yes, although this isn't exactly a revelation. Tarantino hasn't been shy about letting the world know he's bringing the three-time Oscar nominee into the fray as the film's antagonist, and everything I've seen thus far makes it seem as though this could prove to be one of DiCaprio's best roles yet. It will also mark the first time in his acting career that he'll have portrayed a film's villain. Sure, he's played shady characters before, but to be the outright bad guy is something a little out of his area of expertise. But with his talents and with Tarantino's direction, this could be the surprise performance of the film.

6. What genre will Django Unchained fall under?

That's actually a pretty good question. It's currently being listed as a dramatic western, but if the trailer is any basis, then there should be an ample amount of comedy. Tarantino's screenplays often hold a legitimate level of humor, and that's part of what makes his films so entertaining and engaging. For example, the trailer shows two clips that offer the following two lines uttered by Foxx's Django: 

(when asked whether he enjoys bounty hunting)

"Kill white folks, and they pay you for it? What's not to like?

(when asked his name)

"Django. The 'D' is silent."

So I would say be prepared to laugh. At the same time, however, there should also be quite a bit of action. Django, the film that inspired this particular venture, was once billed as the most violent film of all time, and we all know just how much bloodshed Tarantino is willing to spill. Is it going to be the most violent film of all time? Certainly not; however, I would be prepared for a rootin', shootin' romp through the Southern countryside. 

*****

Ultimately, none of us will know just how good or bad the film might be until it hits theaters this Christmas. That being said, I personally have to say that I'm ecstatic to see this film. Having only in recent years come to the see the brilliance of Quentin Tarantino's filmmaking, I'm sure that Django Unchained will fit right into the canon of his filmography. I simply cannot wait.

Movie Review: 3:10 TO YUMA

3:10 TO YUMA

2007
R


"For a one-legged rancher, he was one tough son-of-a-bitch."
-- Charlie Prince

3:10 to Yuma is a 2007 western directed by James Mangold that serves as a remake of the 1957 film of the same name. When downtrodden rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale) learns that he will lose his ranch within a week if he cannot pay off his debts, he agrees to assist in the escort of a captured robber named Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) in order to earn enough money to keep his family alive. The posse takes Wade across the Arizonan desert on their way to Contention, where he will be boarding the 3:10 train for Yuma Prison. Along the way, however, the strong-willed and incredibly violent Wade attempts to deter his captors both physically and psychologically, placing Evans in a battle of wills unlike he has ever experienced. To make matters worse, the rest of Wade's gang, led by Charlie Prince (Ben Foster), continually tries to retrieve their boss before he can be sent to the hangman's noose.

I hadn't seen this film in its entirety since I saw it during its initial theatrical release, but after seeing the DVD on sale recently, I knew I had to pick it up. I remembered it as being one of the better westerns I had seen in recent years, so to have the chance to sit down and watch it again was quite a treat. Now I know that the idea of a remake could potentially turn you away, but I think in this particular case, all the pieces fall into place, and we're given a rather fantastic film to enjoy.

To start, we're getting a great screenplay that offers both twists and turns as well as some great character development. One of the things I liked best was that the film wastes no time in introducing the characters and explaining their individual plights. From the very outset, we understand Dan Evans' reasoning behind joining the posse to escort Ben Wade. It's this well-crafted characterization that draws you into the story, and from there, we're able to see the pieces as they fall into place. The story itself is simple, but the well-rounded characters and the spot-on dialogue make it entirely enjoyable and even a tad bit profound from time to time. Ultimately, this film rests heavily on the laurels that are its screenplay.

That being said, a lot of credit has to be given to the film's cast. I was originally wowed by Crowe's performance as the central villain - or even as the anti-hero, depending on how you want to look at the film. There was something very subtle but brilliant about his portrayal of Ben Wade, and I was thoroughly surprised to see him excel in this particular genre. After this second viewing, however, I have to give a lot of credit to Bale as well, who manages to bring one of his more emotional performances to the screen. At a time when he was scoring as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan's superhero franchise, it's a wonder to see him go in the opposite direction and bring out a fantastic character. We're also getting a slew of great supporting performances in the film, starting with Ben Foster who manages to steal the show as the true "villain." Also on the cast list are the great Peter Fonda playing a bounty hunter helping escort Wade to Contention, as well as Logan Lerman, who portrays Dan's hot-headed son William. Also be on the watch for familiar faces in Gretchen Mol, Alan Tudyk and Luke Wilson, who make small but important appearances.

At the end of the day, 3:10 to Yuma is both one of the better westerns released in recent years as well as one of the better remakes. By blending a great screenplay with a fantastic cast, the audience is getting a a film that fires on all cylinders. I do warn, however, that if you're not a fan of the western genre, then this may not really be for you. But for those of you who are, then chalk this one up as a must-see if you haven't already done so.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: A-
1.5 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

1969
Not Rated


"You just keep thinkin', Butch. That's what you're good at."
-- Sundance Kid

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 Academy Award-winning western directed by George Roy Hill that tells a loosely-based-on-fact tale of the two titular criminals. After making a successful career for themselves, Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) finally find themselves in a bit of a pickle. After attempting to rob the same train on two consecutive trips, the railroad owner decides to organize a special team to stop the bandits. This crew of the best lawmen and trackers in the West chases Butch and the Kid all over the terrain, eventually forcing them to consider going abroad to escape. And so, with the Kid's woman Etta (Katharine Ross) in tow, the trio sets their sights on Bolivia, where they once again start their bank-robbing ways. As they gain notoriety in the Spanish-speaking country as well, it's only a matter of time until they start to worry that the aforementioned crew of lawmen and trackers finds them there as well.

Despite its massive success and popularity, I had actually never seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid until I sat down to watch it today (I'll pause for a moment while you question my movie-watching prowess). Having always been partial towards Newman and Redford, it's all the more surprising that I hadn't taken this one in just yet, but having finally sat down to watch it, I can honestly say I'm glad for the experience. That being said, however, I did not think it was the greatest movie I had ever seen.

The storyline offers an interesting tale of two aging criminals who just might be at the end of their career, and yet they're doing their best to cling onto what little they still have left. If that means running off to another country in order to find their fortune once again, then that's exactly what they feel is necessary. The story is interwoven with some fantastic dialogue, especially when it comes to the conversations between Butch and the Kid. The screenplay itself is bitingly hilarious, and it offers quite a few laughs for those of you paying close enough attention. That being said, I did think that the story dragged on a little bit here and there, and the film feels every bit of its 110-minute run-time. That's not really the best thing for a film that's simply offering pure entertainment.

We are getting a couple of stellar performances from our two leads, and the chemistry between Newman and Redford is probably the selling point of the film. The performances seem so natural, and their relationship in the film seems so genuine, that it's easy to fall into the characters and believe them from the start. To be fair, when you have two big-time actors like Newman and Redford, you really shouldn't expect anything less, but they make this film everything that it is. Ross does well in a limited supporting role, but her character isn't offered a lot with which to work. And because there are no other truly central characters, a lot of the film rests on the shoulders of Newman and Redford, who definitely step up to the plate and deliver.

One of the biggest issues I had with the film was with its soundtrack, which has received numerous accolades. Both the score by Burt Bacharach and the original song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" earned Academy Awards for the film, but I personally couldn't see how any of the film's music helped craft or enhance the film experience as a whole. It's almost as though this film is a western that doesn't quite know it's a western, if that makes sense. It seemed to throw a little too much of the contemporary atmosphere into its constructs, and I personally thought that detracted from the film as a whole. Fortunately, the film's screenplay does help salvage the film, offering a decent story as well as a fantastic final shootout sequence.

Although I didn't think Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was one of the best movies I have ever seen, I do see why it has found such an honored place in the annals of American cinema. Accompanied by fantastic cinematography and a true sense of entertainment, this film does offer quite the enjoyable experience. Yes, it has its flaws, but if you can focus on the performances of our two leads, I'm sure you'll find plenty to like about this western.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: A-
1.5 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III

BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III

1990
PG

Back to the Future Part III is the third and final installment in the Back to the Future franchise directed by Robert Zemeckis. It picks up just where Part II leaves off, with Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) stuck in 1955 and Dr. "Doc" Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) stuck in 1885. With the help of the 1955 Doc, Marty unearths the hidden DeLorean, fixes it up and takes it back to the Old West to bring the Doc back to the future after learning that he's going to be shot and killed by a notorious gunslinger named Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson). Marty arrives in the past and finds the new township of Hill Valley, taking on the name "Clint Eastwood" around the townsfolk. After a brief run-in with Tannen, Marty finds Doc and tells him of his fate. The two start to plan their escape back to the future, but things become complicated when the Doc finds himself falling in love with a schoolteacher named Clara Clayton (Mary Steenburgen). As the two try to plan their way home and deal with the ever-present threat from Tannen, twist after twist comes to pass, making their trip home all the more difficult.

Literally everyone I've talked to about the Back to the Future franchise has told me that this third installment is the bad egg of the bunch. Considering our heroes were being sent way, WAY back in time, I can imagine why so many people would think so. Still, I went in with an open mind considering I've loved the franchise thus far, and to be honest, I loved this one almost as much as the rest. I'll admit that the screenplay isn't quite at the standard of the previous two films, and that magical aura that was presented in the original flick doesn't quite permeate into the sequels, but I thought that Part III was original enough to make an entire film devoted to life in the 19th century. The storyline is relatively predictable, but the film carries that lightheartedness that the rest of the franchise has had, so you're still in for an enjoyable adventure.

One of the things that I liked most about this installment is the fact that we get to see a more human side of Doc Brown. In the first two installments, Christopher Lloyd is damn-near brilliant as the manic scientist, and it plays well for the time. However, seeing him lose touch with logic because of a woman presents the real man inside the machine, giving us an emotional touch to a character we thought we already knew. Don't worry - he doesn't completely toss logic out the window, but Part III works well to add another dimension to his character. I also rather enjoyed the outlaw turn that Wilson takes as 'Mad Dog' Tannen this time around. In the past two films, Wilson was always a sore spot for me because I felt like his style of over-acting was just a little too much at times. I loved his Biff, but I could only take so much of him. However, as this gun-toting Western bad guy, you can hardly see the resemblance, and the over-acting is pitch-perfect for the setting. It's the best performance Wilson has given in the trilogy, and I think he should be commended for it.

As I did during my review of the second film, I'd like to commend Alan Silvestri for his musical composition for this installment. A lot of it is the same as we've heard, but we also get some of that western-style twang inserted throughout, and it gives the setting a little more authenticity.

Overall, I have to say that I loved Part III just as much as I loved Part II. Is it as good as the first two films? Not really, mostly because it's a little more mindless than the previous two. Does that make it a bad film? Absolutely not. It's a fantastic conclusion the three-parter, and it solidifies the Back to the Future franchise's spot as one of my favorite film trilogies of all time.

Movie Review Summary:
Grade: B+
2 Thumbs Up

Addition to Rankings:
Best Sequel - #18

Movie Recommendation: BLAZING SADDLES

BLAZING SADDLES

1974
R

Blazing Saddles is a 1974 comedy directed by Mel Brooks. The film parodies the Western genre as a whole. We open on a group of African-Americans working on a railroad in the middle of the desert. When a black man named Bart (Cleavon Little) hits his white boss Taggart (Slim Pickens) over the head with a shovel, he's immediately sent to jail. Taggart asks his boss, Attorney General Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) to have Bart hanged, to which he readily agrees. Lamarr and Taggart are working on building a railroad through the countryside, but they are sidetracked when they realize they cannot claim the rights to a township called Rock Ridge as long as the citizens live there. To get them to move away, he has Governor Lepetomane (Brooks) authorize Bart to be the town's sheriff, making him the first black sheriff in the history of the United States. The townsfolk don't take kindly to Bart, whose only friend in the early going is a drunk named Jim (Gene Wilder) who used to be known as the Waco Kid. When the townsfolk do not leave after Bart's arrival, however, Lamarr has to go to drastic measures to kill the sheriff so that he and his henchmen can take over the town with brute force.

If you've been following my blog over the past couple months, you've probably noticed that I rank Blazing Saddles rather highly on my lists of the greatest films of all time. To explain, it currently rests as my 26th greatest movie of all time, and the fourth best comedy I've ever seen. So I kinda hyped this up a little bit before I even started this recommendation, but it's been hyped for a very good reason. I'm not the only person to think that it's a brilliant comedy - it currently holds a rating of 7.7/10 on the Internet Movie Database, and it currently holds an 89% approval rating on the review aggregate website, RottenTomatoes.com. It also nabbed three Oscar nominations, and although it didn't win in any of its nominated categories, it has definitely stood the test of time since its release thirty-seven years ago.

I'm going to start with the film's acting, giving a little breakdown of each of the four main characters:

Bart (Cleavon Little): As I previously mentioned, Bart is the African-American man who's sent to the township of Rock Ridge as their newly appointed sheriff. He meets immediate resistance in this 19th-century, all-white town that has yet to offer an acceptance of minorities. Bart is highly-educated and an "urbanite," as Jim calls him; this gives him quite an advantage over the "morons" that populate the West. This role was Cleavon Little's big break, pushing him into the Hollywood limelight. Sadly, it was his only lasting memorable role, especially considering he nabbed a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer - it just never panned out. What's really sad about that is that he's absolutely brilliant as our lead in Blazing Saddles, bringing the charm, the bravado and the comedic presence that's absolute necessary for a Mel Brooks lead character.

Jim aka Waco Kid (Gene Wilder): We first meet Jim as he's hanging upside-down in one of the Rock Ridge sheriff station's holding cells. He's a little confused when he meets Bart - because he's black - but he never once judges him for being so. We learn that Jim used to be known as the Waco Kid, the man with the fastest hands in the world. After a series of events, Jim has fallen out of his renown and become a passive drunk, spiraling ever further into self-destruction. But Bart helps bring him out of the grave and gets him sober, making the two a formidable team. Gene Wilder - who also starred in Brooks's other 1974 venture, Young Frankenstein - gives a much more subdued performance than we had ever seen before. Whereas his performances in films like the aforementioned Frankenstein flick and 1970's Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory are very manic and over-the-top, Wilder's Jim is a very passive and laid-back guy, making him instantly likable. The change of character definitely doesn't take away his comedic presence, either.

Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman): Hedley Lamarr is our principal villain in the film, and his want for money and power is his main motivation in everything he does. He's the man who starts this entire situation by placing Bart into the Rock Ridge township, and he suffers consistently as a result. Hedley is actually a very intelligent man, but he tends to associate himself with imbeciles, causing his plans ultimately to backfire. He also has to field the consistent botching of his name - everyone always mistakes him for actress Hedy Lamarr. Harvey Korman is absolutely brilliant as Hedley - in my opinion, he gives the best performance in the film. He's manic, he's over-the-top and he's utterly amazing. There's a scene in the film where Hedley says, "Now you men will only be risking your lives, whilst I will be risking an almost certain Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor." He didn't get a nomination, but he definitely should have.

Lili Von Shtupp (Madeline Kahn): Lili, a burlesque dancer and part-time whore, comes into the story after Hedley asks her to seduce the sheriff and get him out of town. She agrees to the plan despite her dislike for Hedley and his awkward sexual advances. Lili asks Bart to come see her after her stage show in the hopes that she can seduce him, but the tables quickly turn and it is she who is seduced by him. Lili becomes enamored with Bart and his massive...gift, vowing her undying love for him as he leaves her in the morning. There's a story that Madeline Kahn, who nabbed an Oscar nomination for her supporting role, got this part after a very strange audition: when she went into the audition, Mel Brooks simply asked her to show him her leg. She did so, and he instantly knew he had found his Lili Von Shtupp. She went on to star in other big-time comedies like Young Frankenstein and 1985's Clue.

We've also got some fantastic performances from supporting actors like Slim Pickens and Mel Brooks himself, who makes his standard appearances. Also be on the lookout for Alex Karras's performance as Mongo and a great cameo from Dom DeLuise.

The screenplay is also rather incredible, considering all of the childish humor that's strewn about. Don't get me wrong - there's a lot of fantastic jokes to be found inside Blazing Saddles, many of which are still socially relevant to today's society. Yeah, a lot of the references probably fit more back in the 1970s, but there's no reason that you shouldn't be rolling with laughter throughout this film's entirety. If you get the references, then that's fantastic, but even the distasteful humor - such as a prolonged sequence of men eating beans then engaging in the subsequent bodily functions - proves to be so hilarious. I think the reason these scenes of potty and slapstick humor work so well is because Blazing Saddles never tries to be something its not. It never has delusions of grandeur; rather, it knows that it's a silly, goofy movie that's simply meant to be laughed at. I don't know about him as a person, but Mel Brooks's movies are never full of themselves, so to speak.

Just so you know: Blazing Saddles is a little bit openly racist, but it does so for comedic effect. Basically, you never actually think that the filmmakers, the cast or the crew are actually this explicitly racist; rather, it really does feels like they're doing it to that extent just to forward the comedy. It might seen a little unnerving at first, hearing so many drops of the n-word and and other racial slurs, but you get used to it after a while and chalk it up to the fact that Blazing Saddles is really just trying to make fun of extremely racist people. So just kick back and go with it.

I'd also like to take a moment to mention the film's music, which is stellar to say the least. The musical score is very good, but it's definitely upstaged by some of the original numbers written for the film. Madeline Kahn has a rather funny number called "I'm Tired," and the theme song for the town of Rock Ridge is pretty hilarious if you can keep up with the lyrics. But the real cake has to go to the film's theme song, which comes in as my eleventh favorite movie song of all time. Frankie Laine provided the vocals, and it just fits the film so perfectly that it's hard to forget. Here's the song, in case you're interested:

Overall, Blazing Saddles is truly a fantastic comedy and it's definitely worth your time. It's one of the greatest comedies ever to grace the silver screen, and it's made its stamp in cinematic history for a reason. Do yourself a favor and give it a watch. You won't be disappointed.

Movie Review: RANGO

RANGO

2011
PG

Rango is a 2011 animated film directed by Gore Verbinski. It tells the story of an unnamed lizard (voiced by Johnny Depp) who desperately wants to be an accomplished actor. He unfortunately lives in a terrarium with no friends save some plastic toys, and all he wants is to be taken from his loneliness. When his owners' car gets into an accident on the highway, the lizard is thrown out on his own, stuck in the middle of the desert. When an armadillo (voiced by Alfred Molina) tells him to seek out the small town of Dirt, the lizard sets out into the desert, narrowly avoiding his demise on a number of occasions. He meets a female lizard named Beans (voiced by Isla Fisher) who reluctantly agrees to take him to the town. Once there, the lizard has a difficult time fitting in with the townsfolk, so he devises a clever plan to win their approval. Taking the name "Rango," he starts to offer a lot of big talk about his storied past as a gunslinger. When he ineptly defeats a desert hawk, the townspeople rally around him, and the mayor (voiced by Ned Beatty) quickly appoints him the town's new sheriff. Rango learns that the town's water supply is quickly running out, and when the remaining water is stolen from the bank, he and a number of his fellow "Dirtonians" take to the desert to find the culprit and right the fortunes of their downtrodden home.

Rather than go into full-fledged movie nerd mode and drool all over this movie, I'd like to say my overall reaction in a clear and concise way: Rango is one of the best animated films I've ever seen, and it's easily earned its place among one of the best films I've ever had the privilege to view. Now that I've gotten that out, let's start with a little bit about the screenplay. In a sense, we've got your standard ideal for a western. A lone man comes into town and saves the day for the townspeople. Sounds about right, doesn't it? But there's so much more going on here. The dialogue is pitch-perfect; it's exactly what you'd hear and expect from a western-type flick. On that same token, however, it never really feels stale. The dialogue is fresh, and considering we have a very eccentric character as our lead, we get a very animated and lively execution. Every character is so well-written, and nearly every stereotypical western character is included.

There's not much I can say about the voice acting other than it's absolutely astounding. Depp is phenomenal as our lead, providing essentially two different characters: this unnamed, wannabe thespian desperate for attention and "human" interaction, and Rango, a gunslinger who talks the talk and walks the walk. The ease with which he transitions between the two different personas is also astounding. I could go on and on about all of the fantastic voice performances (and all of the actors I've already mentioned definitely fall into that category), but I'll just list a couple other characters and names who also deserve some commendation: a mouse named Priscilla (Abigail Breslin); Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy); a gila monster named Bad Bill (Ray Winstone); and the Spirit of the West (Timothy Olyphant). In case you can't tell, we've got an all-star cast that totally delivers.

I'd also like to take a minute to talk about the music in the film, which is also pitch-perfect. Hans Zimmer provided the orchestral score, and it fits seamlessly with the sweeping scores of westerns past. However, a special commendation must be made for Los Lobos, who provide a number of original pieces for the film. They're fantastic songs that channel some older western themes.

Roger Ebert wrote in his four-star review that he thought that Rango would appeal to viewers who are well-versed in film. After watching the movie, I wholeheartedly agree. Despite being an animated film, I think that Rango serves more as a film for adults than children. Yeah, there's a lot in the film for kids to enjoy - slapstick moments and a fart joke, I believe - but there's so many references to past westerns that I think adults should be more of the target audience. A lot of the references are small (in the look of certain characters and such), but here's a list of the ones I caught right away (and not all are westerns, don't worry!): Apocalypse Now; Blazing Saddles; Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; High Noon; Stagecoach; and True Grit. I'm sure there's a lot more than just that, but I'm not perfect, alright?

Seriously, I want to just tell you to drop everything you do and go watch this movie right now. However, if you're not as well-versed with film as I am, I don't know whether you'll appreciate it as much as I did. Then again, maybe you'll find other reasons to love it. Like I said: there's a brilliant storyline and a brilliant list of actors lending their voice talents to the film. And the animation is rather stellar, to be honest. There's so much to love about Rango; I just hope you love it as much as I did.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: A
Current All-Time Rank: Best - #45
2 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: STAGECOACH

http://thismovieguy.blogspot.com/search/label/Louise%20PlattSTAGECOACH

1939
Not Rated

Stagecoach is a 1939 classic Western film directed by John Ford that many have called the greatest Western movie of all time. When a group of strangers aboard a stagecoach headed for Lordsburg in the New Mexico Territory are informed that Geronimo and his group of Apaches are on the warpath. As the group makes the trek, they stumble upon a man known as the Ringo Kid (John Wayne), who has recently escaped prison. The stagecoach's armed guard, Marshal Curly Wilcox (George Bancroft) picks him up and arrests him. Ringo soon makes friends with the other members of the stagecoach, including driver Buck (Andy Devine), drunken "Doc" Boone (Thomas Mitchell, in an Oscar-winning role), pregnant officer's wife Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt), and local prostitute Dallas (Claire Trevor), with whom Ringo takes quite the affection. While staying the night at an outpost, Miss Mallory gives birth to a child, causing the members of the group to vote to stay there until she is physically ready to continue their trek. However, with Geronimo and his Indians bearing down on them, strain begins to arise in the group as they debate what their next move should be.

As is normally the case, my brief synopsis does not really do the film justice. In fact, there's a separate side story for the Ringo Kid that involves him avenging the deaths of his father and brother, and this actually plays a rather large role in Ringo's motivations throughout the film. I also neglected to mention the three other members of the party - a whiskey salesman named Samuel Peacock (Donald Meek), an avid gambler named Hatfield (John Carradine), and an embezzling banker named Henry Gatewood (Berton Churchill). Each character brings an important piece to this film's puzzle, either helping or harming the group along the way.

To be sure, this is not quite the best western film I've ever seen, but it does rank rather highly, easily making it into my personal top five. I still put quite a bit of stock in spaghetti westerns like Once Upon a Time in the West (my favorite western) and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, and I think that Mel Brooks' 1974 spoof, Blazing Saddles, edges Stagecoach out. However, once you get past those three films, I think that Stagecoach has to take the next slot. It's iconic and extremely well-known, and it's the film that truly put John Wayne on the map. Considering he's still considered one of the most beloved actors to grace the screen, I'd say that Hollywood owes quite a bit to this 1939 venture.

And speaking of 1939, I'd like to go on a quick tangent. Now, Stagecoach is only the fourth film from that year that I've been able to see, but of the four, this received the lowest grade. That's quite a testament to the year, but considering the other three films (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Wizard of Oz, and Gone with the Wind), you can see where I'm coming from. All three of those films rank in my top 100 greatest films of all time, so Stagecoach has truly entered some very select company.

But I digress. We're not here to talk movie history - we're here to discuss this particular film. We do get a solid story, albeit one that's a little bit predictable when compared to today's standards. However, back in 1939, it must have been rather revolutionary. Aside from the story, we get a string of extremely well-written characters that are acted to near perfection. As I previously mentioned, Mitchell garnered an Oscar statuette for his portrayal of the drunken doctor, and the great performances merely start there. I'll be the first to say that I haven't seen a ton of John Wayne fare, but from the films I have seen, I'd have to say his performance in Stagecoach has to rank right near the top. There's no doubt why his screen presence in this one skyrocketed him to super-stardom. We also get some solid performances from the likes of Andy Devine, who provides the comic relief, and from Claire Trevor as our "leading" lady, although there's really not straight lead in this story.

One of the best parts of the film is it's musical scoring, which also garnered an Oscar win. The music fits perfectly within the constructs of the film, and I think it set the standard for the sweeping scores audiences would hear for the next few decades with the release of western after western. It's hard to find a western that doesn't have a great set of music, and you can probably hearken it all back to Stagecoach.

Now, I know quite a few people in today's society that aren't very big on watching old-time, black-and-white flicks, and that's really a shame considering some of the best movies come from those generations past. I say this to you now: if you're one of those people, I think that Stagecoach will be every bit as satisfying as some of the more modern films you love, and it's certainly head and shoulders above much of the drivel that we see released every week. So, do yourself a favor and pop this one into the DVD player. It's definitely worth it.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: A-
Current All-Time Rank: Best - #177
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Movie Review: TRUE GRIT

TRUE GRIT

1969
G


You can watch the trailer here

When John Wayne won his only Oscar for his performance in True Grit, he started his acceptance speech by saying, "If I'd have known that, I'd have put that patch on thirty-five years earlier." In the entirety of his career, it took the character of Rooster Cogburn, a one-eyed, potbellied sheriff, to finally nab that golden statue. Although I have not seen the other films nominated in the Best Actor race that year (Anne of the Thousand Days; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; Midnight Cowboy), I have to wonder why the Academy chose to give Wayne this award in 1970. But more on that in a moment.

True Grit, which was directed by Henry Hathaway, follows the Mattie Ross (Kim Darby), a teenage girl whose father is shot and killed by Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey), one of the family's hired help. Mattie enlists the help of a federal marshal by the name of Rooster Cogburn because she has heard that he has "grit." After much persuasion and discussion over payment, the two set off to search for Chaney with the help of a Texas Ranger (Glen Campbell).

The screenplay, adapted from Charles Portis's novel of the same name, is very good for a film in the western genre. The dialogue is very tightly-written, and the story arcs given to both Rooster and Mattie are believable. It's not the most amazing screenplay I've ever seen, but it does well to keep the viewer's interest. In addition, the climactic shootout is definitely noteworthy and memorable.

If anything's hindering the movie from being fantastic, it's the acting. Now, don't get me wrong - there's nothing absolutely terrible about the actors' ability. I was extremely impressed with Darby's portrayal of Mattie Ross. She brought a level of sass to the screen that I'm not sure the Duke (that's John Wayne, for those who don't know) had as much trouble with a female character on-screen since Maureen O'Hara in 1963's McLintock!. However, Darby's character brings a different type of relationship to the screen for Wayne.

Sadly, it's Wayne himself that brings this one down a little bit. Going into the film, I had known that it was the role for which he had won his only Academy Award. Still, I went in with a grain of salt considering that Wayne's range as an actor seemed to be a little limited. After watching True Grit, I can safely say that I think Rooster Cogburn is just another version of the Duke himself; he's just wrapped up in a different costume this time around. John Wayne plays John Wayne; the closest I've ever seen him get away from that was in 1976's The Shootist, which proved to be his final film before his death. It's not that Wayne is bad in True Grit; I just felt that it was more of the same that we've all grown to know. He just looks a little bit different this time.

(On a side note, I think it's worth mentioning that both Oscar-winner Robert Duvall and the late Oscar-nominee Dennis Hopper make appearances in True Grit and probably give the best performances in the film.)

You've still gotta give this movie its due. The cinematography is fantastic as is the norm with John Wayne films; you get the sweeping sense of the country around the characters, and it truly does transport you to a completely different place. Elmer Bernstein's sweeping score also draws you into the film exceptionally well.

To be fair, I only watched this movie at this time because a remake of the film, starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin, will be released in late December. I have a strict policy of not watching sequels or remakes without seeing the original fare first. I would have watched True Grit regardless, and I'm glad that I did. It's a good, fun movie, although I'm not entirely sold on its stellar accolades. Maybe I'm just of a different generation.

Movie Review Summary:
Grade: B
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