The Lone Ranger

FLIX!


Okay, there has been a lot of negative ink about this flick. It didn't do this, it didn't do that, it took too long telling the story of background info....yada yada yada.

This was a wonderful movie that does not deserve any of the negativity it has garnered. Johnny Depp has served up one of the roles that will be a cornerstone when in the future they are doing the life-time achievement awards for something. He was utterly fantastic in this. Johnny kept this piece together and did so with finesse thanks to the help of director Gore Verbinski.

Armie Hammer in the lead role was uncanny. Do not underestimate this guy. He is definitely an up-and-comer. He did a wonderful job in this really good movie.

The storyline here was true to the original storyline of the original Lone Ranger story, and I loved that. And for you trivia fans, did you know that the grandson of the Lone Ranger would become the Green Hornet? Didn't think so. They don't mention it in the movie, but I just toss it out there.

The Lone Ranger was masterful story-telling, done light-heartedly, and was a lot of fun. Johnny Depp did tend to steal the show as Tonto, but overall this was superb story-telling, setting us up for the next installment of this Disney franchise.

In this movie, John Reid, the Lone Ranger was played masterfully by Armie Hammer. (Guess he's too self-concious to go by Armand Hammer.) But this is really told through the eyes of Tonto - an Indian, (as was "One Flew Over The Cukoo's Nest"),.... but that's another story.

Okay, here's the deal. A bunch of US Rangers get set-up and all get killed in a bushwhack in a canyon. One guy survives (due to the assistance of an Indian), and therefore he becomes the "Lone Ranger". They go on a mission to bring the killer of the Rangers to justice and the plot ensues from there.

There is a lot of whacky impossible death-defying acts and action, but honestly, isn't that what we go to movies for sometimes?

William Fichtner, as Butch Cavendish (the bad guy),was wonderful. Bill, you have been a favorite of mine since "The Perfect Storm." Nicely done, pal. You were the quintessential villain.

A kid wanders into a "Wild West" display in a carnival in 1933 and Tonto is one of the exhibits. He ends up talking to Tonto, and Tonto's flashbacks are the movie. I love movies that do this (The Green Mile, Fried Green Tomatoes, etc.) and so it was, to me, a great way to tie it all together. If there were a Tonto he could have been alive in the early 1930s esspecially when I remember that Wyatt Earp didn't die until 1927, and Bat Masterson was a sports reporter for the New York Times well into the 20's.

This new genre is being labeled "Comedy Action". Such as RED and The Heat. The Lone Ranger perfectly hits that mark. It even featured the "1812 Overture" (from TLR television show during some action sequences). I'm sorry so many critics didn't like it. This didn't deserve any harshness, because it accomplished exactly what it was trying to do. So, to quote The Lone Ranger,

"Hi-HO SILVER, and away!!!!"

Tonto: "Don't ever do that again."

Hatfields & McCoys

TUBE!

The scene opens in the midst of a battle in the Civil War. Two Confederate soldiers are fighting side by side and what's left of their outfit gets away and are camped for the night. In the middle of the night one of the soldiers is up in the night getting his horse ready to ride. He is confronted by another soldier who asks him what he thinks he's doing. The reply? "I'm quittin'. We ain't winnin' anyways. I've had enough." Soldier Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield then rides off leaving Soldier Randolf "Randall" McCoy staring in disbelief that a comrade would desert.

That scene may be entirely fiction in the remarkable mini-series produced for the History Channel entitled Hatfields & McCoys. But from everything else I've read about the USA's most infamous feud, the rest of this story is uncannily accurate. I began watching it on Netflix and was blown away; I watched it all within about a 12 hour period of time. A friend recommended it and I am so glad he did.

Hatfields and McCoys stars Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton. I have to admit right up front that I was never much of a Costner fan. He was just plain hokey-awful in JFK, and forced and awkward in The Bodyguard. I think even Field of Dreams could have been better with someone else. He just gave one crummy performance after another until Wyatt Earp. And more recently in the film Open Range. Folks this guy has finally found his genre (westerns) and he is one of the greatest of all time in it. And anybody who knows me knows I love "cowboy movies". I would not make a statement like that if I didn't believe it.

Bill Paxton here is also wonderful. His experience in Tombstone was not wasted - and although this actually is not a western, it is still very westernesque. Both Paxton and Costner bring a depth to their characters that was intense. So much so that as a viewer it was impossible to pick a side in the feud.

This miniseries lets us feel the pain and sense of utter loss that both families felt during this feud that lasted from 1863 until officially ending in 1904. Yes they were hard drinkin' hillbillies, but they had wives and families and lots of children that they cared about and wanted to protect.

Besides Costner and Paxton, the whole cast was fantastic starting with Mare Winningham as Randall's wife Sally. Mare turns in yet another of her patented quiet, unassuming, wonderful performances. Sarah Parish played Levicy Hatfield, the wife of Devil Anse and she made us feel Levicy's pain.

A Romeo and Juliet type theme runs throughout most of the mini-series between Johnson "Johnse" (pronounced 'Jonce') Hatfield (Matt Barr) and Roseanna McCoy (Lindsay Pulsipher). And although it seems a bit contrived and too convenient for the storyline, it is historically accurate. In fact I did some research on the feud and this mini-series was spot on, thanks to the brilliant screenplay masterfully written by Ted Mann and Bill Kerby. They wrote it with the simple beauty of the language of the time, kept it flowing, interesting, and they never lost the rhythm....hats off to the film editors too.

This story is compelling not only because of what it became, but it should be used to illustrate that sometimes the smallest insignificant things can have powerful results. (I was reminded that a prisoner broke a rule, cooking a can of soup in a way that he was not supposed to, and it eventually became the infamous Attica prison riot). In this case, a stolen pig, a bad judicial ruling, and a mysterious shooting led to decades of death and hatred.

This was an amazing piece of television, a medium that is slowly becoming the place where all the great work gets done. The locations were perfect. The costumes seemed honest. I don't like it when the viewer is trying to suspend disbelief and get into the story and then a prop or costume reminds you that this is a production. A few things I did notice, however, was that everyone had pretty perfect white teeth, and most of the women had neatly groomed contemporary eyebrows.

I'll bet this work gets big buzz and accolades at the next Emmy Awards. It will quite a battle between House of Cards and Hatfields & McCoys. (I know that there are lots of other contenders too.) But I love a season when so many truly remarkable things all deserve a nod.

Hatfields & McCoys gets a great big recommendation from me.

White House Down

FLIX!

A crazed Secret Service Chief of Presidential Security assembles a cast of lunatics a devises a plot that is two-fold. One part is about getting money, a lot of it. The kind of money that the Federal Reserve keeps on hand in cash - 400 million dollars. The other part is about launching a massive nuclear strike all over the middle east. The crazy Secret Service guy (James Wood) needs to keep the President alive in order to activate the "football", the portable device that allows the President (Jamie Foxx) to order a nuclear strike from anywhere. I could say more about the plot line but you've seen it before. In a movie called "Die Hard."

In this remake of Die Hard, this time starring Channing Tatum as the hero, or antihero it might be said, we once again go meandering through a complicated building (The White House), and the place is crawling with bad guys. And once again our hero is on his own to save the day.

Here, the President, played by Jamie Foxx (superb as always), is the guy our boy John Cale is out to save. As in Die Hard, when the bad guys discover they John McCain's wife in their grasp, here the bad guys come to realize they have John Cale's daughter in their grasp. I mean the only thing different about this movie is that the hero never uttered the phrase "Yippee Yi Ki Yay, Mr. President."

But here's the thing. Remaking Die Hard isn't necessarily a bad thing. I guess the bad thing is the guys actually trying to keep the Die Hard franchise alive aren't doing such a great job, but this version was really done well. Fresh blood in the roles doesn't hurt a thing. Die Hard was a great flick and so was this. The first time I saw Die Hard I was in a mood for total distraction. I wanted stuff to blow up, lots of action, and lots of bullets flying. And Die Hard was perfect. That's why I appreciate White House Down. Somewhere out there is a guy who's going through a divorce and needs a distraction. Go see White House Down.

The Heat

FLIX!

Uptight over-achieving FBI special agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) has to leave the New York office and go to Boston. She needs to catch a drug lord, and her next promotion depends on it. She is very by-the-book and is not liked by any of her co-workers. While in Boston she encounters foul-mouthed Boston Police Detective Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy) and they could not be more incompatible. But through a weird turn of events, they end up having to work on the case together. And therein lies the fun.

But even before that team-up, this movie is fun. Sandra Bullock in the scenes before she leaves for Boston are fun. Melissa McCarthy is a scream the entire time she is on the screen.

Shannon Mullins is not liked by anyone, anymore than Sarah Ashburn is. Detective Mullins is hated by her own family for having arresting her own brother Jason (Michael Rappaport) who has recently gotten out of prison.

I won't go on and on about the storyline, because honestly, it's pretty standard stuff. Not to say it isn't funny. Because it is. This movie is a laugh riot from beginning to end. Melissa McCarthy is wonderful, but so is Sandra Bullock. The scene in a barroom when Detective Mullins is leading the way is terrific. The stuff they do with scotch tape is hysterical. The way they dance with old guys....it's just funny stuff.

And to add icing to the cake there is a small but great cast around these two. Besides the aforementioned Michael Rappaport, there is Tom Wilson (Biff in Back to the Future) as Mullins' Capt. Woods, Michael McDonald (MAD TV) as bad-guy Julian, Marlon Wayans as FBI Agent Levy, Demian Bichir (of Weeds fame) as FBI boss Hale, and Jane Curtin (Saturday Night Live) as Mrs. Mullins.

This movie did everything I want a movie to do. It entertained me for an hour and a half and justified what we paid for Pop, Popcorn, and the wife's must-have Cotton Candy. Many times it was like watching a Don Rickles performance. You want to see it again to catch the stuff you were laughing through the first time. Plus it is a buddy picture that features women in an even-handed way. Through all the zaniness we still care about them and understand that though they are both loners, they are both people that deserve respect, love, and happiness.

This was a fun movie and easy to write about. I loved it.

Man of Steel

FLIX!

To tell you how pathetic this whole experience was, I am not even sure of the correct title of this film. Is it Superman - Man of Steel, or simply Man of Steel? It matters not, but it would be nice to know for sure.

This is Superman folks. Since the Batman series has started over and been very successful in three recent films, and Spiderman has even already been re-done in The Amazing Spiderman, logically it is time to renew the Superman franchise.

The project was handed to Zack Snyder. Zack is not know for making films that don't have a dark edge (Watchmen, 300). The thing is, Superman has always been more of an "into the light" character. But with things being the way they are in Hollywood, they feel a need to toughen up even the likes of Superman.

The movie tells the story of Superman in what begins in a very conventional way, giving us the history of what was happening on Kryton, a planet that was self-destructing - how Jor-El (Russell Crowe) got his newborn son into a rocket and sent him off just before the planet exploded. Then, however, we then get the background of what happened after in a series of flashbacks, that were frankly, like the rest of this movie, just brief filler in between huge overly produced action sequences. This was totally disrespectful to the Superman story.

Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman is about the only redeeming thing about this exploitative blow-stuff-up-and-they-will-come piece of Krytonite. Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Lawrence Fishburn, and Russell Crowe are all used here for name recognition reasons only. And possibly also because Snyder wanted to be able to drop names at parties - "well, you know when I worked with Russell Crowe...". The aforementioned actors played bit parts that anyone could have done and in fact might have been great launching pads for up-and-comers.

The story line becomes a bit convoluted, mostly because there isn't much of one. Let me be honest. The people who wrote and directed this are a couple of pimply-faced 20-somethings that spent their formative years playing video games, and it shows. Any dialogue or furthering a story-line were merely brief snippets between over-the-top action sequences that dragged on and frankly became boring. One on-and-on predictable fight scene after another became tedious, and I wanted to yell at the screen, "Alright already!"

Amy Adams as Lois Lane? I haven't seen casting this bad since John Wayne as Genghis Khan. Hey since you were casting big shots all over the place, why not make Mary Louise Parker Lois Lane? Oh wait. That might have added plausibility to this piece of crap.

Avoid this mess, unless you're a X-box junkie. This is a flimsy telling of an otherwise solid story. This is roughly a 2 hour music video without the music. It is dark, and they want it that way. They have made the Superman costume in a more porous "tougher looking" material. The chest emblem is now leather or something and much too high on the chest. This is more awkward attempts of as I've said, attempts to toughen up Superman.

I knew I'd made a serious mistake entering this theater when I kept thinking, "and we could have seen 'The Interns'."  But look, it doesn't matter what I say, or how you spend your money, since this piece of crap has already done over 117 million in business. They have already announced Part II and have given the helm once again to Zack Snyder. Hey Zack, take David Goyer with you and get a library card and actually read a book. Find out what a story is all about. You might actually like it.

But I'll bet the next one doesn't do the business this one did. This one was built on hope, and we were let seriously down.

Star Trek Into Darkness

FLIX!

I was all set to name this review "The Trash of Con". I was a little perturbed that Paramount was forbidding any reviewer to actually give the name of the villain in this picture. I was going to unload if the producers and J.J. Abrams in any way harmed my beloved Star Trek.

From the beginning, and I mean the mid 60's, I would leave the Junior Varsity football games at halftime so I could get home and watch Star Trek. Yes, sports fans, I watched the original series on network TV in prime time. I saw all the episodes when they were first seen by the public anywhere. Years later, when it was announced there would be a follow-up series called "Star Trek - the Next Generation" I was dismayed. I just knew they could not do justice to the original. And although I and other "Trekkers" (not Trekkies if you please) were probably the most skeptical audience ever, TNG won our hearts big-time. That was a great show, that ended way too soon.

I must admit that I am not a fanatic, have never gone to a convention, and frankly got lost in all the Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, and other off-shoots from the original series. But Rodenberry's original vision was compelling then, and is masterful yet to this day. And that, my friend, is what a 'classic' is. Timeless. Not just for me. But for millions of others. Including, luckily, J.J. Abrams.

Into Darkness is the twelfth Star Trek film. J.J. Abrams directed the last one simply entitled "Star Trek". I loved it. Here was a guy that loved the show like I do, making a big budget Studio flick about it. Perfectly, Abrams chose to go back to a time before the original series took place to tell the back stories of all of the cast and how things became the way they were in Star Trek. Then as now, he uses young beautiful actors to portray the characters we love, and he thankfully also this time uses a compelling storyline that ties into not only the original series but the second film "The Wrath of Khan." But I was afraid that he would have to bend to the wishes of the 3-D-emons and make a flick that was more effects than story. Not the case. Whew.

First there is the cast. Remarkable. They are not only flawless in their portrayals of characters that were created by others, but they also very much look like younger versions of the original cast. Chris Pine as James Kirk is brash and unapologetic. Another words he is Kirk. Zachary Quinto as Spock is wonderful. Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, and Anton Yelchin are all terrific as Uhura, Bones, Scotty, Sulu, and Chekov respectively. Add to the mix Peter Weller as Admiral Marcus and Bruce Greenwood as Christopher Pike and there you go.

This storyline basically goes back and sets the stage for what happens in a movie so long ago - The Wrath of Khan. And it does so beautifully. This film is packed with plenty of something for everyone. Action, wonderful effects, and a solid storyline. What can be better than that? My wife doesn't have a clue what Star Trek is about and she liked this movie a lot. That says something.

A couple things I really liked? Bones making the endearing and almost mandatory "I'm a Doctor, not a ......!" line. Trekkers love this. Also I really liked the presence of a Tribble, the fuzzy little creature that was a part of one of the comedic episodes of the original series. Please J.J.....never lose this sense of honor to the original series.

Things I didn't like? If one more character would have shed another movie tear, I swear I would have hunted Abrams down just to slap him. Please. Okay shedding a tear might be impressive to some actors, but until you can do the Joan Crawford "Which eye?" question to your director, calm down kiddos. (A director told her that shedding a tear might be nice in a scene, and she truly asked him "Which eye?").
And another thing: Abrams, dammit, it's okay to do a Star Trek movie without Leonard goddam Nimoy. C'mon! That was then, this is now. You know what this constant Nimoy inclusion does? It convolutes the storyline. It gets into that "me then, me now" contrived bullshit. That's what. Please before this life is over Abrams, see if you can do a Star Trek movie without Nimoy. That sir, is your five year mission. Also, with Pike dying, doesn't that somehow confuse we dyed-in-the-wools who remember that Pike was the primary figure in the two first episodes of the original?

But besides wishing someone could pry Abram's lips off Nimoy's ass, this was a great film. I can't wait to own it. And I hope that Abrams can finally be so sure of himself that he can make his own Star Trek movie without leaning on the casts of the past. That is the one thing that would truly make Gene Roddenberry happy. And maybe only a Trekker will understand that last sentence. But that's okay.

See this wonderful movie.

Lilyhammer

TUBE!

This is purportedly the first original television series produced by Netflix, and after I posted my review of the magnificent "House of Cards" claiming it was the first, someone corrected me. Except, Lilyhammer is co-produced as American/Norwegian and the Rubicon Production Company shows their cute couch logo at the end, so I think there is an argument to be made about this being the first entirely Netflix produced television show.

At any rate the whole, "no it's not" thing fired me up and I watched the whole first season of "Lilyhammer" on Netflix. Even though I am not a fan of that pitiful piece of crap "The Sopranos", (which also featured Van Zandt), I do love the E-Street Band. So Miami Steve was worth a watch. He's one of those guys that I know I could hang out with and we would totally click. Rascals? Motown? Try me brother.

This TV show stars Steven Van Zandt as a New York underboss who was passed over for what should have been his "promotion" and lets his dissatisfaction known. After an attempt on his life (which coincidently results in the death of his dog "Lily") he decides to rat out all of the mobsters he knows in exchange for being placed in the Witness Protection Program. Instead of opting for the usual Florida or the Bahamas, he asks to be placed in Lillehammer, Norway. He apparently fell in love with the place when the winter Olympics were held there. And he figures nobody will ever look for him there. And he is right.

Once he gets there, the Norwegian culture is nothing like he expected. He immediately starts using his New York tactics of squeezing and strong arming and soon owns his own nightclub which he dubs "The Flamingo" in honor of Bugsy Seigel and his beginnings in Las Vegas. Frankie Tagliano - now Giovanni "Johnny" Henricksen, takes on a local doofus to be his number two guy named Torgeir Lien played wonderfully and believeably by Trond Fausa Aurvåg. But soon Johnny comes to the attention of Police Chief Laila Horland (Anne Krigsvoll) and her over zealous officer sidekick Geir "Elvis" Tvedt (Kyrre Hellum). Besides being the Norwegian Barney Fife, Geir also is an Elvis impersonator. A bad one. Rounding out the cast is Fridtjov Såheim as the bumbling government worker, Sven Nordin as Johnny's lawyer and eventual business partner Julius Backe, and the lovely Marian Saastad Ottesen as Johnny's girlfriend Sigrid Haugli.

This series is definitely different and unique. First of all the Norwegian actors are great but Norwegians approach things differently. For example, the Police Chief and girlfriend both have teeth that although normal enough, are certainly not Hollywood acceptable. The Norwegians speak Norwegian a lot. So you have to be willing to read subtitles. But despite this and the bleak surroundings there was something vaguely compelling about this story.

The show is not without fault. Van Zandt plays his character so far over the wise-guy stereotype top that he is laughable, being not so much an antihero as a caricature. And then, since there was snow in Fargo, and there is snow here, they must also have a female Police Chief like Fargo. Things fall into place a little too easily for Johnny. And yet through these faults I found the show strangely watchable.

Rumor has it Van Zandt wasn't happy with the finished product and wasn't going to do any more, but Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band recently announced that another guitar player would be filling in on the Australian leg of the current tour, so that Van Zandt can film another season of Lilyhammer. By the way, the deliberate misspelling is a tribute to the character's little dog lost in the first episode.

The Norwegian/American collaboration on this is unique. When season one premiered on Norwegian TV in January of 2012 it drew a viewing audience which constituted nearly a third of the entire nation. They love it there.

I will look forward to season 2 here also.