RANGO

The Wild West is a ripe setting for adventure, discovery, heroes -- and a chameleon? This is the setup for Rango, an animated movie that's about a fish out of water -- or, more exactly, a reptile in a town just about out of water.

Rango opens with the title reptile (Johnny Depp) as a family pet, practicing his acting and very, very lonely. A bumpy ride leaves this reptile stranded in the desert, near the highway, where a philosophical armadillo (Alfred Molina) sends the reptile to the aptly-named town of Dirt.

In Dirt, water is the town commodity -- and in very short supply. The reptile creates a larger-than-life persona for himself called Rango and, through tall tales (killing the Jenkins brothers with one bullet; "All seven of them?") and an accidental victory over a hawk, becomes the town sheriff out to solve the mystery of what happened to the town's water.

For a romantic interest, Beans (Ilsa Fisher) is a reptile out to save her daddy's farm; she also goes motionless from time to time -- "It's a defense mechanism." For a cute kid, Priscilla (Abigail Breslin) is a sloth-like critter that is always armed. The Mayor (Ned Beatty) is a turtle with a motorized wheelchair and a suspicious way about him. Balthazar (Harry Dean Stanton) is a blind burrowing bank robber whose kin ride bats and throw dynamite. A chorus of mariachi band owls provide commentary during the movie. Finally there's Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy), a terrifying, giant villain who is merciless, has a gatling gun at the end of his tale -- and only stayed away from Dirt because of the hawk Rango killed.

Rango brings Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski together again (they also work on the Pirates of the Caribbean movies), and Rango shares some of the flaws of the Pirates films. Johnny Depp's voicework is reminiscent of Jim Henson's Kermit the Frog, but after a while his bragging, comically inept, accidentally lucky persona starts to wear thin. The movie owes a lot to Chinatown (a whole lot) and the "Flight of the Valkyries" sequence from Apocalypse Now, but it's a pretty straightforward kids' film about false hope, disappointment, and redemption. Rango is also slightly long: There are at least two action sequences where they could have wrapped up the film, instead of the actual finale.

The only thing that stood out for me here were the visual effects -- and they are stunning. The texture of every creature here is amazing, from hairy sloths to the skinny Rango to the monstrous Rattlesnake Jake. You'll feel thirsty after seeing the desert town of Dirt: Dryness and the parching sun seem to have left its mark on everything. Apart from the tremendous visual impact, though Rango is ordinary stuff.

Overall grade: B-
Reviewed by James Lynch

No Reservations (2007)

No Reservations is the Hollywood remake of the German film, Mostly Martha. It stars Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Zeta-Jones is Kate, a driven executive chef in a swanky Manhattan restaurant. Apparently no one ever told her the phrase "Work to live, don't live to work," as she has her entire life is tied up in this restaurant, and she has little (more like nothing) outside of it. The plot develops with a crisis as Kate's sister is coming into town to visit, and is fatally killed in an automobile accident, and her niece, Zoe (Breslin), is injured as well. Suddenly Kate has to fulfill her godmotherly duties and raise her sister's child, a responsibility that she unenthusiastically fulfills.

Along the way, we realize that Kate is wholly unprepared for this endeavor, despite her outward achievement at the restaurant. Seriously, it shouldn't take a psychotherapist to suggest making the kid fishsticks instead of duck or a whole fish (with the head on) to eat! Geez, no wonder Zoe wasn't quite gobbling this fare up! Enter Nick (Eckhart), a budding chef that for most of the film we can't decide if he is truly studying under Kate, or waiting for his chance to push her aside in the kitchen. Quite predictably, and inevitably, a romance develops between Kate and Nick.

No Reservations, while mostly predictable, is still a good film. There's no plot twists and turns to keep track of. You can guess the ending halfway through, and there's no surprises along the way beyond an occasional speed bump. It's like ordering a hamburger at the diner: completely predictable, but still satisfying. Sometimes, that just what your taste buds need, and this film can deliver. All three stars turn in convincing performances so No Reservations is definitely a safe viewing choice.

Overall Grade: B+

Reviewed by Jonas

The Ultimate Gift (2006)

On a trip through Blockbuster, I saw the trailer for this playing on the overhead monitors, and decided I needed to see this film. In the end, I was quite pleased that the trailer caught my attention, and I rented The Ultimate Gift.


James Garner plays Red, a wealthy Texas billionaire. A self made man, he made his fortune in oil, and cattle. The film starts at his death (similar to the book, The Codex), and his ungrateful family (which have never worked a day in their lives) are only interested in their inheritance. While each get enough to last them the rest of their lives, the last inheritee remaining is his grandson. Instead of dough, his grandfather leaves him a series of tests, which will result in The Ultimate Gift, hence the title. This grandson reminds me of a bunch of people (perhaps most recently the guy who got a Mercedes convertible for his medical school graduation, but quit residency a year later because it was too much work) with the trust fund, the fancy apartment, the trophy girlfriend, and the all night parties. In the end, he must up everything in order to achieve something. He is carefully guided along the way by videos from his deceased grandfather, under the watchful eye of his grandfather's longtime attorney, ably played by Danny Glover. Brian Dennehy, who I always enjoy, (especially after he came to my high school alma mater for fun one day), also turns in a strong performance as the grandfather's friend.

This film reminds me of that Warren Buffet quote as to why he was "only" leaving his children a million dollars each- "Enough money to do anything, but not too much that they will do nothing" (I may be paraphrasing it). The Ultimate Gift embodies this quote, and as the film develops, we see how the cash has corrupted his offspring, and how empty their lives really are.

My only real criticism is that I wanted to know more of the details. Apparently, it is based on a novel, and that may explain the editing. For example, why did the child and mother come to the funeral? Why did the girlfriend leave him after she saw the sizable check? How did the family come together at Thanksgiving? I guess it's a good sign that I am that intrigued that I wanted to know all the details, rather than waiting for the disc to end as is far too common these days.

The Ultimate Gift is a great film that everyone should see at least once. It is not only highly entertaining, but it has a message that plenty of folks could use. I'm looking forward to wanting to see it again, which is exceedingly rare for any film. Make sure you don't miss this one!

Overall Grade: A+

--Jonas