Film Review: "The Lone Ranger" (2013).

"It was a ranger... A lone ranger." This what you should expect in The Lone Ranger. This Superhero Action-Adventure Western film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films and directed by Gore Verbinski. Based on the radio series of the same name, the film explores the Native American warrior Tonto recounting the untold tale of how the transformed John Reid, a man of the law, became a legend, and the duo's efforts to subdue the immoral actions of the corrupt and bring justice in the American Old West.

The ownership of The Lone Ranger property was shifted ambiguously from The Weinstein Company to producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Entertainment Rights. By May 2007, they had set the film up at Walt Disney Pictures under the leadership of then studio chairman Dick Cook. Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, who had worked with Bruckheimer and Disney on the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (2003-Present), were being considered to write the script, and entered final negotiation in March 2008. Disney then announced in September 2008 that Johnny Depp would be portraying Tonto. The script was subsequently rewritten by Justin Haythe. In September of 2010, Gore Verbinski was hired to direct. Actor Armie Hammer was selected to play the Lone Ranger, a role that Bruckheimer described as being written for "a young Jimmy Stewart character". On August 12, 2011, Disney announced that production on The Lone Ranger would be delayed due to budget concerns accosted by CEO Bob Iger and then studio chairman Rich Ross. On October 2011, Disney confirmed that the film was back on track after the budget was reworked to give the studio a chance to recoup its costs. Filming was initially reported to begin on February 6, 2012, for a projected release date of May 31, 2013, which was subsequently moved to 4th of July weekend of that same year. Principal photography began on March 8, 2012. The shoot was met with several problems including inclement weather, wildfires, a chickenpox outbreak and the death of crew member.

The film stars Armie Hammer in the title role and Johnny Depp as Tonto. With William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson, Barry Pepper and Helena Bonham Carter. The performances in this film were poorly portrayed. Depp was terribly portrayed because due to the fact that, quite simply, he is not a First Nation. Which he did get a lot of controversy for, even though the filmmakers did have the presence of an advisor from Nation. In addition, his portrayal was nothing but a combination of cheap laughs and dull seriousness. Hammer's performance was terrible due to his lack of leading role experience as an actor. I felt he was not the one and was not ready for this kind of role with the amount of weight that the character had to carry throughout the film.

While The Lone Ranger looks terrific and delivers its share of western adventure thrills, however, it also suffers from uneven pacing and occasionally incomprehensible plotting and characterization. The film is intended to foster a franchise for Disney and will probably fail. Does it get the job done for the weekend action audience? No, it does not. Not at all. This is worse than the last Disney effort John Carter (2012). 


Simon says The Lone Ranger receives:

Film Review: "White Lies" (2013).

"Redemption comes at a price" in White Lies. This New Zealand film adapted and directed by Dana Rotberg, and based on the novel Medicine Woman by Witi Ihimaera. The film is a story about the nature of identity: those who deny it and those who strive to protect it. Paraiti is a medicine woman. She is the healer and midwife of her rural, tribal people - she believes in life. But new laws are in force prohibiting unlicensed healers. On a rare trip to the city, she is approached by Maraea, the servant of a wealthy woman, Rebecca, who seeks her knowledge and assistance in order to hide a secret which could destroy Rebecca's position in European settler society. If the secret is uncovered a life may be lost, but hiding it may also have fatal consequences. So Paraiti, Maraea and Rebecca become players in a head on clash of beliefs, deception and ultimate salvation.

The film stars Whirimako Black, Antonia Prebble, and Rachel House. Black gives one of those performances that hardly looks like acting, but instead, responding and feeling to the scene or situation at hand. Prebble's unaffected, confident turn as Rebecca makes it credible that she would approach Black's Paraiti for knowledge and assistance. House's performance is so amazing and she plays off of the veteran Maori actors so well.

It's refreshing to see a film so intent on showing the caution and uncertainty that comes from interaction between different cultures. I also enjoyed seeing a film that opened up a world with distinctly different cultures and beliefs. Rotberg orchestrates scenes with a lyrical touch, infusing the film with doses of humor, and an effortless, cultural quality consistent with its source material. Rotberg seems concerned with evoking the economic or socio-political baggage bringing the film's characters down than she is with telling a different kind of tale of patriarchal perseverance we've seen so many times before. It's a subtle film with tracings of an art-house quality but-perhaps because the film is examining the old Maori culture. It sounds like a recipe for precious melodrama, but Rotberg creates a gripping portrait of a people managing to sustain a culture that is not only at odds with each other, but also with each other. Beautifully shot, well-acted but still slightly disappointing drama, less the fault of the actors than of their scripted characters. The film's story is a sometimes clumsy but gradually involving coming-of-age story about courage, sexism, past customs vs. contemporary social values and a community and family at odds within themselves. Stripped of its exotic cultural context and New Zealand setting, it wouldn't differ much from an inspirational TV movie. For a better look at the sexism behind ancestral traditions, try Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi's masterpiece The Circle. But this easier-to-take film has an intoxication all its own. The film moves at a snails pace, it generally remains interesting mostly because we're seeing a culture that's so different from our own.

Simon says White Lies receives:

Film Review: "This Is the End" (2013).

This is the End is "ending Summer 2013." This black comedy horror film written, co-produced and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, in their directorial debuts. In Hollywood, actor James Franco is throwing a party with a slew of celebrity pals. Among those in attendance are his buddies Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson. Suddenly, an apocalypse of biblical proportions erupts, causing untold carnage among Tinseltown's elite and trapping Franco's party in his home. As the world they knew disintegrates outside, cabin fever and dwindling supplies threaten to tear the six friends apart.

The film is also based on Jay and Seth versus the Apocalypse, a short film created by Goldberg and Jason Stone in 2007. Rogen gave an interview, where he described how the script combined real characteristics of the actors, who then produced bizarre alternate versions of themselves, with elements that had absolutely nothing in common with the cast. By late April 2012, Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Mindy Kaling, David Krumholtz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Rihanna, Martin Starr, Paul Rudd, Channing Tatum, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, and Jason Segel were cast as exaggerated versions of themselves. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and wrap in early July. Filming took place in New Orleans, Louisiana. The film was going to be shot in Los Angeles, in order to make it easier for the celebrities who would be doing cameos. However, the location was changed to New Orleans, in order to save money. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Goldberg stated that around eighty-five percent of the movie was improvised. During production, the film's working title was The Apocalypse, which was later changed to The End of the World. In late December, the name was then changed to This Is the End upon the release of its first trailer and poster. This was done at the request of Rogen's Paul co-star Simon Pegg, who wrote to Rogen in concern that The End of the World was similar to his comedy film The World's End. As The World's End was the name of a key location in that film, Pegg felt worried that he couldn't change the name of his film.

The film stars Rogen, Franco, Hill, Baruchel, McBride, Robinson, Cera, Watson, Kaling, Krumholtz, Mintz-Plasse, Rihanna, Starr, Rudd, Tatum, Hart, Ansari, and Segel. All the actors are not only superb, but through all the mayhem, hilarity and terror, the leads build multi-dimensional roles we grow to care about and genuinely hope survive. Except, we probably already know that it's not going to happen for any of them. They royally screwed and we're enjoying every minute of it.

Madcap and down-right hilarious, Golderberg and Rogen's apocalypse comedy This is the End benefits from the typically hilarious Franco, Hill, McBride, Robinson and Rogen himself, with a plethora of supporting players. A brilliant, apocalyptic genre pastiche while also a fiendishly clever commentary on the numbing absurdity that is Hollywood.

Simon says This Is the End receives:

Film Review: "Man of Steel" (2013).

"You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun, Kal. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders." This is the essence of this year’s DC epic Man of Steel. This superhero film directed by Zack Snyder, produced by Christopher Nolan, written by David S. Goyer and based on the DC Comics character Superman. A young itinerant boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he is forced to discover where did he come from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation, and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

Development began in 2008 when Warner Bros. Pictures took pitches from comic book writers, screenwriters and directors, opting to reboot the franchise. In 2009, a court ruling resulted in Jerry Siegel's family recapturing the rights to Superman's origins and Siegel's copyright. The decision stated that Warner Bros. did not owe the families additional royalties from previous films, but if they did not begin production on a Superman film by 2011, then the Shuster and Siegel estates would be able to sue for lost revenue on an unproduced film. Nolan pitched Goyer's idea after story discussion on The Dark Knight Rises (2012), and Snyder was hired as the film's director in October 2010. Principal photography started in August 2011. Zimmer was confirmed to write the film's musical score. To completely distinguish Man of Steel from the previous films, the iconic Superman March by John Williams was not used in the film.

The film stared Henry Cavill in the title role with Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Michael Shannon as General Zod, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Russell Crowe as Jor-El, Antje Traue as Faora and Ayelet Zurer as Lara Lor-Van. Cavill's performance was mixed, it has its share of pros and cons. His performance was brilliant on one hand in trying to portray Superman as a vulnerable being who has extraordinary powers and is trying to make the right decisions. But on the other hand, his performance was weak in terms of living up to the responsibilities that make Superman powerful. In addition chemistry with Adams was awful. Shannon's performance was imposing and determined, but just not ultimately threatening or even scary. The only one that was scary was Traue as Faora. She was scarier than her leader. When it should have been the other way round. Costner and Lane as the Kents were great performances on a human and emotional level, but failed to meet the onscreen chemistry in the film. Crowe's performance was somewhat of an improvement from Les Misérables (2012), but again suffered from lack of expression.

It's technically impressive and loaded with eye-catching images, but without real characters or a cohesive plot to support it, all of Man of Steel's visual thrills are for naught. With its quests to retrieve DC’s classic superhero, clearly demarcated story, and non-stop action, Snyder's clattering concoction sometimes feels less like a movie than an extended, elaborate trailer for its redundant comic book adaptation. It is the most boring, poorly put together, infantile, crass, adolescent, stupid, chauvinistic twaddle that I've sat through in a very long time since Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997).

Simon says Man of Steel receives:

Film Review: "World War Z" (2013).

"Mother Nature is a serial killer. No one's better. Or more creative. Like all serial killers, she can't help the urge to want to get caught. What good are all those brilliant crimes if no one takes the credit? So she leaves crumbs. Now the hard part, why you spend a decade in school, is seeing the crumbs. But the clue's there. Sometimes the thing you thought was the most brutal aspect of the virus, turns out to be the chink in its armor. And she loves disguising her weaknesses as strengths. She's a bitch." Expect this when watching World War Z. This apocalyptic horror film directed by Marc Forster. Adapted by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Damon Lindelof and Drew Goddard, based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Max Brooks. The film follows Gerry Lane, a retired United Nations employee who must travel the world in a race to find a way to stop a zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to destroy humanity itself.

Pitt's Plan B Entertainment secured the film rights in 2007 and Forster (Monster's Ball (2001), Finding Neverland (2004), The Kite Runner (2007) and Quantum of Solace (2008)) was approached to direct. In 2009, Carnahan (The Kingdom (2007) and State of Play (2009)) was hired to rewrite the script to the film. In addition, Damon Lindelof (Lost, Star Trek (2009), Prometheus (2012) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)) was hired to rewrite the third act, but did not have the time to finish the script and Drew Goddard (Cloverfield (2008) and The Cabin in the Woods (2012)) was hired to polish it. Filming began in July 2011 in Malta on an estimated $125 million budget, before moving to Glasgow in August 2011 and Budapest in October 2011. Originally set for a December 2012 release, the production suffered some setbacks. In June 2012, the film's release date was pushed back and the crew returned to Budapest for seven weeks of additional shooting. The reshoots took place between September and October 2012.

I could go on about how the cast were spectacular and gave brilliant performances, which they all did. But the one actor I would like to talk about is Brad Pitt. Pitt delivered a capable performance in an immersive apocalyptic spectacle about a global zombie uprising. His character was the central piece that drove the entire film forward. This kind of role reminds me of the performance in Se7en (1995), where he had a director and a script that pushed him as an actor to break out of his "pretty-boy" image and be convincing and capable as a true performer.

World War Z is a kinetic, violent and surprisingly worthy zombie movie that pays homage to other zombie movies while working on its own terms. The film works and it delivers just about what you expect when you buy your ticket. But it lacks some vital elements from the novel and the plot flatlines with the third act. Which, in some ways, was tricky, witty and smart.

Simon says World War Z receives:

Film Review: "Monsters University" (2013).

"School Never Looked This Scary" Which is what kids should excited for when Monsters University hit cinemas. This 3D computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Dan Scanlon, instead of the previous directors, Pete Doctor, Lee Unkrich and David Silverman. It is the fourteenth film produced by Pixar and the prequel to 2001's Monsters, Inc., the first time Pixar has made a prequel. Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but that wasn't always the case. From the moment these two mismatched monsters met they couldn't stand each other. Monsters University unlocks the door and shows a look at the relationship between Mike and Sulley during their days at Monsters University and how they overcame their differences and became the best of friends.

Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Bob Peterson, and John Ratzenberger reprise their roles as Mike Wazowski, James P. Sullivan, Randall Boggs, Roz, and The Abominable Snowman, respectively. The film also stars Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, Charlie Day, Helen Mirren, Alfred Molina and Nathan Fillion. The performances in this film were all as great and varied as their monstrous counterparts. Crystal and Goodman return just as humorous and great as ever. They brought the same enjoyable vibe from the first film. Buscemi's performance was a great performance but was not as strong as it was in the first film. Hayes and Foley brought a hilarious performance as Terry and Terri, the two headed Oozma Kappa fraternity member. Day brought a great performance and was impressed with his last performance in Pacific Rim (2013). Mirren brought one of her most chilling performances in a children's film. Her performance was the epitome of what you would expect from a stereotypical dean of a college: cold, methodical and frightening. Molina gave another unexpected performance in a tiny role for this film. His performance was an excellent example in the sense that you did not know it was him. As an actor that is a great achievement in itself. Lastly, Fillion gave a wonderful performance and it was great to see him on the big-screen since my days of following him on Firefly (2002), Serenity (2005) and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008).

Monsters University is as visually appealing as any other Pixar production, but all that dazzle can't disguise the rusty storytelling and scare tactics that has gone to waste. The movie is so stuffed with "fun" that it went right off the rails. What on earth was the gifted director-mogul John Lasseter thinking – that he wanted kids to come out of this movie was that was nothing more than a rehash of the original. The original was fun and was met with warmth and open arms, this film however is totally… average. The film does what many sequels ever do. It essentially remakes the earlier film and attempts to deem it a “sequel” or “prequel”, the creative team, at Pixar, fail somewhat to delve deeper into their characters while retaining the fun spirit of the original film.

Simon says Monsters University receives:

Also, see my review for Brave.

Film Review: "The Internship" (2013).

"Eight years ago, they crashed weddings. Now, they're about to crash the system" in The Internship. This comedy film directed by Shawn Levy, and written by Vince Vaughn and Jared Stern. Billy and Nick are salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital world. Trying to prove they are not obsolete, they defy the odds by talking their way into a coveted internship at Google, along with a battalion of brilliant college students. But, gaining entrance to this utopia is only half the battle. Now they must compete with a group of the nation's most elite, tech-savvy geniuses to prove that necessity really is the mother of re-invention.

Vaughn came up with the idea after watching a 60 Minutes segment on Google's work culture, and subsequently brought the idea to Levy. Levy accepted and signed on to direct. By early July 2012, Owen Wilson, Rose Byrne, Max Minghella, Aasif Mandvi, Josh Brener, Dylan O'Brien, Tobit Raphael, Tiya Sircar, Josh Gad, John Goodman, Jessica Szohr, B. J. Novak, Rob Riggle, Joanna García Swisher, and Will Ferrell were cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and wrapped in late September. Filming took place in Atlanta, Georgia, and at the Georgia Institute of Technology, which posed as a double for the Googleplex, since the company normally does not allow filming on the actual Googleplex for security and productivity reasons. Google agreed to work with the film producers, with founder Larry Page noting that "computer science has a marketing problem." Google also felt it would help further explain their "Don't be evil" mantra. Although Reuters reported that as part of the deal Google asked for "creative control", Levy denied the company was involved with the script, insisting that Google only assisted from a "technical" perspective. CNN reported that the studio did give "some control" to Google over the depiction of its products. Google allowed the film to shoot for only five days at the Googleplex Headquarters. The film used one hundred real Google employees as extras.

The film stars Vaughn, Wilson, Byrne, Minghella, Mandvi, Brener, O'Brien, Raphael, Sircar, Gad, Goodman, Szohr, Novak, Riggle, Swisher, and Ferrell. The film's best element is the inspired casting of Vaughn and Wilson; their easy repartee helps to grease over the film's shortcomings. The likes of the sneakily subversive Wilson and Vaughn deserve better... but this is darn close to a perfect showcase for what they can do, and how much better they do it together. The two actors make a good contrasting team and bring an energy to the story that many romantic comedies lack. Vaughn and Wilson handle their comedic duties with the ease and flair of a seasoned team, maybe the second-coming of Hope and Crosby.

Operating on the principle that lame verbal and visual gags are funny if the audience is repeatedly pummeled with them, the film sorely lacks a strong script and the kind of inventive direction unworthy of its talented leads. Sadly, in spite of its cast and seemingly can't-miss premise, Wedding Crashers is at its best a succession of mild chuckles.

Simon says The Internship receives:

Also, see my review for Real Steel.