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ORIGINAL: Pigeon Army

02. Rango (2011, Gore Verbinski, USA)

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ORIGINAL: rick_7

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ORIGINAL: Pigeon Army

02. Rango (2011, Gore Verbinski, USA)

Interesting. How so?

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Rango (2011, Gore Verbinski, USA) - 4.5/5
With the recent glut of revisionist Westerns questioning the nature of the Western myth and the legend at each myth's centre (Assassination of Jesse James; True Grit; No Country), it's refreshing to see a film set itself apart from the pack by positioning itself as a reconstructionist Western, a film that takes elements of the latest forty years of revisionism and uses them to reinforce the attitude of classical Hollywood towards Westerns - that the myths have power, that the legends are essential, that in all, the knowledge that the man on the screen represents something positive is all that matters (the recurring motif of boxes around Rango heighten that very artificiality that makes him representative as much as he is himself). That such a Western can come along in the form of Rango - a stunningly-animated, hilarious, well-told mash-up of Chinatown and Once Upon a Time in the West (right down to the former's drowned man in the desert and the latter's concern with the costs of the 'March of Progress') with some existential crises on the side - is even more refreshing and remarkable. John Logan's script is a finely written classical tale with brilliant characters across the board, from the titular chameleon with an acting fetish to the nameless raccoon child who is every single superfluous child extra in a Western ever. The voice acting is stellar, with Depp's versatility and Beatty's Huston-esque rendition of Dirt's mayor the highlights (Beatty's role as go-to-guy for animated villains is well justified). The animation is absolutely stunning, rivalling anything Pixar has ever released, and the film's themes are as deep and interesting as any of the latter Pixar films, even if some of those are far more meta-textual and concerned with cinematic canon than they are with more universal interests. Some of the jokes are a bit off (fart jokes eeeh) and the romance between Rango and Beans is a bit rushed, but hey, we can't have it all, right?

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ORIGINAL: shool

It fails as a kids film though.

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ORIGINAL: Pigeon Army

Wait, so does Poetry count? Because I saw it last year. [:D]

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ORIGINAL: rick_7

It's a much better review than it is a film. So kind of "well done". [:D]

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ORIGINAL: elab49
(eg Camino - still absent from these shores [>:]).

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ORIGINAL: Pigeon Army

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ORIGINAL: elab49
(eg Camino - still absent from these shores [>:]).

Order it from Madman Entertainment in Australia/NZ, they released it on DVD a couple of months ago.

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ORIGINAL: elab49

Rango is one of those ones that is a bugger in the Best Animated category. Are they judging on animation - in which case, high marks. Or on the film? In which case, loser.

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ORIGINAL: Pigeon Army

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ORIGINAL: elab49

Rango is one of those ones that is a bugger in the Best Animated category. Are they judging on animation - in which case, high marks. Or on the film? In which case, loser.

The hell is wrong with you people

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Rango (Gore Verbinski, 2011) – OK animated feature about a chameleon posing as a hero in the town of Dirt, which works in extended spoofs of spaghetti Westerns and Chinatown, along with some excellent slapstick and a peculiar predilection for jokes about adult health complaints. Johnny Depp’s voicework is a bit strained and the story is bitty in the extreme, but there are effective stretches. Kung Fu Panda 2 was aces, but with this, Tangled and Cars 2, it hasn’t been a great year for animation, all told. (2.5)

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ORIGINAL: elab49

And I believe my reply was 'pretty much ditto - but gorgeous woodcutty type animation work'.

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ORIGINAL: elab49

I was disappointed with just how forced this felt. All the self-aware acting schtick would have been meaningless to the young audience and bored the bejesus out of me, and the story simply felt as if it had been patched together by someone really bored but who loved drawing pictures. And some of the almost woodcutty animation of the critters was just genuinely wonderful.

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ORIGINAL: elab49
Rango is one of those ones that is a bugger in the Best Animated category. Are they judging on animation - in which case, high marks. Or on the film? In which case, loser. Unless you are Happy Feet. Which at least beat Cars. What an utterly shit year - Monster House was robbed.

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ORIGINAL: elab49
Which reminds me - Hugo reminds me an awful lot, from trailers et al, of City of Ember. That's not a great thing. Especially when it doesn't have Bill Murray.  

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ORIGINAL: shool

I really want to see Hugo. But i fear my two little ones are a bit young for it. Age 4 and 6.
Thoughts?

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ORIGINAL: shool

Perfect. Will drop them off after lunch.

You're not a pervert or anything are you?

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ORIGINAL: shool

I really want to see Hugo. But i fear my two little ones are a bit young for it. Age 4 and 6.
Thoughts?

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ORIGINAL: Gimli The Dwarf

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ORIGINAL: shool

I really want to see Hugo. But i fear my two little ones are a bit young for it. Age 4 and 6.
Thoughts?

As someone who spends life trying to avoid all contact with children of all ages, I may not be the best person to ask [:D] But I would say they're probably too young. A few restless youngsters at the screening I saw. I think it's really an adult film that might appeal to kids rather than the opposite.

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ORIGINAL: Gimli The Dwarf

As someone who spends life trying to avoid all contact with children of all ages, I may not be the best person to ask [:D]

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ORIGINAL: rick_7

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ORIGINAL: Gimli The Dwarf

As someone who spends life trying to avoid all contact with children of all ages, I may not be the best person to ask [:D]

But little children like Wallace & Gromit and Pixar nearly as much as you do. I think you'd get on famously.

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ORIGINAL: rick_7

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ORIGINAL: Gimli The Dwarf

As someone who spends life trying to avoid all contact with children of all ages, I may not be the best person to ask [:D]

But little children like Wallace & Gromit and Pixar nearly as much as you do. I think you'd get on famously.

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ORIGINAL: Gimli The Dwarf

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ORIGINAL: rick_7

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ORIGINAL: Gimli The Dwarf

As someone who spends life trying to avoid all contact with children of all ages, I may not be the best person to ask [:D]

But little children like Wallace & Gromit and Pixar nearly as much as you do. I think you'd get on famously.

Aardman and Pixar are too good for kids!