#106. Rango - Review

Rango posterWhy did the armadillo cross the road? Isn’t it obvious? No? How about the lizard, why did he cross the road? Well, in the case of Rango, the titular reptile in Gore Verbinski’s newest animated film, that is exactly what he needs to figure out. Rango is a richly inspired film that promises greatness, but unfortunately falls back on old family film platitudes to get the job done.

When aquarium-grown Rango is accidently discarded by his owners in the middle of (an oddly busy) desert highway, the lizard involuntarily sets off on an adventure to not only survive, but also find himself in the process. The 1^st act of this film is pretty brilliant, setting up a unique animated existential escapade that would pin its protagonist to the cutting board in an effort to dissect every aspect of his scaly id. The humor is subtle and hilarious, whimsically firing jokes and references quicker than your grandad’s sawed-off. Regrettably, once our hero arrives in the aptly named town of Dirt, an arid soon-to-be ghost town whose dwindling water source promises death, Rango becomes less Cuckoo’s Nest meets Mad Max and more Chinatown meets Gulliver’s Travels. While still entertaining, I was never able to shake the feeling of disappointment I had considering how exceptionally distinct Rango could have been.

Rango film

Still, this clever western is worth your buck, and I would vote to see it on the big screen. This is Industrial Light and Magic’s (ILM) first animated feature, and I was beyond impressed. Rango is gorgeous, even setting a bar far above that company with the emoting lamp. There is a craftsmanship at work in this film that must be seen, and I cannot wait to watch it on Blu-ray in a few months.

If anyone has seen Rango, let me know what you thought, especially if you think I was too hard on it. If you liked this review than please click the “share” button below and link the site so we can try and get a conversation going!

#105. I Am Comic - Review

I Am Comic film poster

I Am Comic promised to be an insightful look into the psychologically dark world of stand-up comedy, and why comedians feel the need to make you laugh. Is it insecurity that drives them? Surely there are some self-esteem issues if you dedicate your entire life to standing up on a stage in front of a room full of strangers and try and earn their love and admiration. Well, I Am Comic does very little digging, and instead offers yet another half-assed documentary of behind-the-scenes footage of comedy clubs and a myriad of interviews with the comedians inhabiting them. I was let down by this doc, and like Darkon, I hope there is a filmmaker out there willing to take advantage of all the rich substance in the subject.

#104. The Sin of Nora Moran - Review

The Sin of Nora Moran film posterThe Sin of Nora Moran (1933) is an early American avant-garde melodrama that succeeds at experimentation, creating a bizarre and tragic experience that is as obsessed with style as its existential themes. The film tells the painfully tragic story of Nora Moran (Zita Johann), a young woman whose life has been filled with such misfortune and hurt that it is bitterly ironic she will be a martyr for true love. The movie’s nihilistic melody sings loudly throughout the picture, introducing the titular Moran mere moments before she will be put to death serves as a base for the film’s thematic goals. It within these early moments of the film that director Phil Goldstone and cinematographer Ira Morgan begin to play with both the camera and narrative structure. There is a scene early on in the film where Moran lays helplessly on her cot, staring wide-eyed into space, constructing her ill-fated life in her mind while she helplessly awaits her own death in prison. The camera creeps closer towards Moran’s face, meeting her haunting glare, desperately trying to find any hint of emotion behind the painful eyes of this doomed spirit. Suddenly the screen is washed over with a grayish tint, her eyes resembling those of someone trying to peer through a filthy screen door knowing danger lurks on the other side. The Sin of Nora Moran film posterThe film continues on a complex path of quasi-consciousness; playing with time and reality the filmmakers courageously employ flashbacks, dreams, hallucinations, and even conversations between the living and the dead, to effectively construct an uncanny existence that any fan of the The Twilight Zone (1959) can appreciate.

The Sin of Nora Moran is the quintessential B-picture all of the dark and twisted noirs of the 40’s wanted to be, invoking the same existential discontent that so many gritty American melodramas were obsessed with come mid-century. While Nora Moran seems to have been lost to history, its more famous brethren like Murder, My Sweet (1944) and The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) owe a lot to its surreal and gritty sensibilities. 

#103. The Client - Review

The Client film posterUgh. I don’t even want to write about this film. Everything from the generic John Grisham plot to the horrendous accent employed by Tommy Lee Jones is stale and trite. The set-up is simple: When teenager Mark Sway (Brad Renfro) unwillingly holds a deathbed confessional for the attorney of a local mafia-family, the lawyer divulges the whereabouts of the corpse of a senator his client recently killed. Sway’s world falls apart in a clichéd melodramatic shit-storm when both sides of the law try to get a hold of the young witness for their own gain. Every aspect of this film is silly and banal, strife with over acting, plot-holes, and nothing even resembling engaging twists or action. There isn’t a single likable character in the entire film. Renfro’s protagonist is annoying and bothersome; constantly making stupid decisions that should be overtly obvious to anyone, even a child. Jones’ district attorney is given the same over-the-top personality that gave his Two-Face such lasting charm, and Susan Sarandon looks as bored throughout the film as I was.  What could have been a super slick crime thriller never amounts to more than what should be a TNT drama series starring Kyra Sedgewick and Joe Don Baker.

If you actually liked this hackneyed POS than please let me know why. Like always, leave any comments on the film that you may have, and PLEASE click the “share” button below and give others the chance to be part of the conversation.

#102. Darkon - Review

Darkon film banner / poster

This is more of a glimpse than a documentary. Chronicling the many adventures of the players in the Darkon Wargaming Club, these would be warriors dabble in a little exercise called LARPing (Live Action Role Playing). Although the premise is interesting, the directors never fully dive into the psyche of the men and women dressed-up like knights and squires. Which is unfortunate considering the how (some might say delusional) invested the members of Darkon seem. Single mothers, investment bankers, teenagers, un-employed, and even grandparents leave the real world at home, pick up their Styrofoam swords and armor, and excitedly meet for battle.  The “why” is interesting but remains unexamined. Perhaps the directors were unable to ask pressing questions because they were too busy suppressing their sneers and giggles? Maybe; but either way this burgeoning hobby isn’t going anywhere, and hopefully someone with more of an interest in sociology and less of an interest in laughing at nerds can take advantage of the ripe material offered in the world of LARPing. 

Darkon film

As always, let me know what you thought of the flick in the comments section, and please click the "share" button below and give Controller Unplugged a plug so others can get in on the conversation.

HOLY CRAP!!! Joseph Mazzello Is All Growed-up!

Check out Joseph Mazzello looking all grown-up! Timmy moved on from shitty dinosaur jokes in the biggest movie of the 1990's to non-speaking parts in The Social Network. He deserves better! His performance in The Cure where he was a child with the AIDS virus was amazing (at least in my nostalgic head it was), and I am kind of disappointed this is what he has been left with. Glad to see him back on screen though. 

Do-You-Think-He-Saurus?

*from www.slashfilm.com

#101. It's A Gift - Review

It's a Gift film posterIf this is W. C. Fields’ idea of a gift then I hope he kept the receipt, because I need to exchange this film for something that fits me better. Like the ugly sweater that your grandma knitted you that was two sizes too small, It’s A Gift (1934) should have been donated to Goodwill and forgotten.

Somehow either based or inspired by his retired vaudeville acts, Fields’ strives for laughs but settles for sighs. The star plays Harold Bissonette, a small town New Jersey grocer with dreams of owning an orange ranch in sunny California. When a relative dies and bequeaths to Bissonette enough money to purchase a ranch, he does so without discussing the decision with his wife and two children. Once the film introduces the timid man’s family, his covertness becomes all too clear. This is a film that finds humor in frustration, like a 15-minute scene of watching a man be miserably thwarted from falling asleep by random nuisances amusing. The shallow plot would perhaps be better suited for the stage, where it makes sense to sacrifice progression and development for mindless pratfalls and gags.

Speaking of gag, Mrs. Bissonette, played by Kathleen Howard, is as unlikable a character that has ever been put on film. Her time on screen is ample and insufferable, somehow believing being repugnant and spiteful would be funny. Instead, her performance and subsequent interactions with her husband only serve to offer a small notion as to how the tortured victims in Salo, Or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975) might have felt. There is no love, no life, and no spirit in It’s A Gift. If the jokes and set-ups in this film are reminiscent of the classic vaudeville style of the early 20^th century, than I understand now why it so quickly disappeared. 

 If you find this funny, then you will love this film. I hated it, so let me know what you think of this clip.