The Lone Ranger (2013)
Wins: Pending
Noms: Visual Effects, Make-up & Hair-Styling
Why I watched it:
1) Tied for most noms this year I haven't seen and I haven't found The Grandmaster yet
2) I had it from Netflix
3) It was the right length to watch while donating platelets
I watch quite a few movies while giving blood. I do platelet donation with an apheresis machine which extracts the whole blood separates out the platelets and then returns the rest of the blood back into the arm. It takes a little over two hours for the whole process, so I bring along a movie or grab one of the many they have available. If you have the time, they are always in need. Enough of the PSA - on to the movie.
In the interest of full disclosure, I was not excited to see this movie. I saw the trailer whenever it came out and remember rolling my eyes a bit. It looked stupid to me honestly, and I couldn't understand why Johnny Depp of all people was cast as a Native American. Seriously, whiskey-tango-foxtrot? When it was nominated for two awards, I was a little upset at the Academy for making me add it to my list of things to see.
So with the lowest of expectations, I watched The Lone Ranger today. It was enjoyable, stupid, but enjoyable. It was not a great movie, but it was fun to watch. Tom Wilkinson was a good dastardly villain railroad baron (Spoiler? .... but it's really obvious). Kind of your run of the mill modern western. Similar elements with Mask of Zorro, Shanghai Noon, or Wild Wild West. Pretty predictable plot, some fun action sequences, corruption, and of course prostitutes. Helena Bonham Carter was pretty fun in her small role as the madame with an ivory leg that doubles as a weapon. I liked her, but I usually do when she's not being directed by her husband. Not really sure what to say on this one truth be told. It was an entertaining action movie to pass the time while donating. I especially liked the use of the William Tell Overture over the climax sequence.
Johnny Depp, and really the whole character of Tonto, was weird to me. Was he crazy or did he know something that others didn't? The backstory you get from the Comanche elders is contradictory to what Tonto says, yet there is nothing to rectify the differences. They say he made up the "Wendigo", yet nature is definitely out of sorts, which Tonto has attributed to the "Wendigo's" presence. Is it just coincidental that the animals are acting bizarrely. Seriously, there were cannibalistic bunnies. Everything about it was strange. There were plenty of Native American actors in the movie that were great, yet the biggest role went to a white guy. I don't get it. Not that he didn't do fine with what he was given. I assume the weird English was taken from the original Lone Ranger, but I'm not familiar with it.
The effects were cool. Lots of train scenes and explosions. I'm guessing the make-up nod is largely due to the age makeup on Johnny Depp in the totally unnecessary and weird framing narrative. I really doubt it will win in either category, but we'll see.
Surprise appearances: A couple of familiar faces that I didn't know the names of as well. The romantic interest was the same actress as P.L. Travers mother in Saving Mr. Banks. Just looked her up: Ruth Wilson. She seems to be doing well for herself, at least at Disney. Also, the guy with the stapler from Office Space, Milton, was in it (Stephen Root).
Did I cry?: Not at all
"Da fuh?" moment: There were so many contenders, but the carnivorous and cannibalistic bunny rabbits really takes the cake.
First thing: Watching the Oscars is absurdly central to me - it's part of how I track time, even: if I haven't seen the Oscars yet, either something is badly, badly wrong, or it's still February.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those rare years where I haven't seen LOTS of the movies up for awards, and it feels really weird...
So [shock] that Lone Ranger is nominated for *anything*. Really, people. Haven't seen it (though probably will eventually because Johnny Depp) and have been resistant to it because - REALLY? (especially the wtf-Johnny-Depp-as-WHAAA?). I am grimly amused at the revelation of...cannibal bunnies. Lord save us.
Hobbit was, indeed, really, REALLY fun. I haven't read the book in a little while, so wasn't especially waiting for particular plot elements. I continue to appreciate the individuality and attractiveness of the dwarves - this was true of the first Hobbit movie for me, too. Smaug visualization was fascinating, but while I do like Benedict, having him as a voice didn't really do it for me - I felt like this could have been one of any number of actors. Martin Freeman is *superb* as Bilbo, easily my favorite thing about these films - he captures so much complexity, it's a pleasure to see him at work. I found the Peter Jackson cameo kinda cheesy, but forgivable. I do wish it were less obvious which parts of the movie (any movie, really, these days) were going to be major parts of the inevitable video game.