I haven't seen True Grit -- either the original or the remake -- but we took the kids to see Rango over the weekend, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My wife was a bit less enthusiastic -- she can be a little harder to please than me when it comes to movies, or perhaps it's that she's a bit more discerning. But the kids both liked it as well.
For me, what was most dazzling about this fine little film was the array of references to other movies. I'm sure I missed a lot of them, but here's a partial list of specific scene references: Chinatown, Star Wars, Apocalypse Now, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, A Fistful of Dollars. And then there's the story line itself, which echoes Three Amigos, Ants, and (evidently, though I missed this) a Don Knotts vehicle called The Shakiest Gun In The West.
Then there's the animation. It's so great that it's almost invisible. It's easy to forget that these anthropomorphic creatures aren't real, to forget the incredible advances in animation that CGI has made possible. That a movie like this simply couldn't have been made, say, ten years ago.
But beyond the movie references and the animation is the film itself, the characters, the story, and -- for lack of a better term -- the "look and feel" of the movie. Our hero, Rango as voiced by Johnny Depp, is an actor -- well, an aspiring actor -- who finds his role of a lifetime playing hero to a small town on the verge of extinction.
Depp brings his versatility to the role, and Rango is a compelling and sympathetic character, and even if the story does get a bit tangled and hard to follow from time to time, we want him to win and of course, this being a Hollywood film in the 2010 (the 20teens?), he does. The villians get their due, the town is saved, and --presumably -- Rango lives happily ever after with the heroine, Beans.
Some scenes are a bit scary for small children, and a lot of the movie's humor is directed at the adults, but there's plenty of action and slapstick for the kids. It's an odd, quirky movie, but then what Johnny Depp film isn't? This one will has plenty of enjoyment for all ages, and I expect that when it comes to video, my 10 year old will watch it again and again.
See it on the big screen now to appreciate the beauty of the animation, and if you have kids, be prepared to see it a few more times later. I'm sure it won't disappoint, and it's rich enough that it should hold up for repeated viewings.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
In Praise Of Ted
In a better world, "Better Off Ted" would be a long-running, Emmy winning big hit comedy. Its cast members, including Jay Harrington, Portia de Rossi, and Andrea Anders, would be household names, hosting SNL and presenting at the Emmys and the Golden Globes.
Instead, there are 26 episodes, 12 of which are available on DVD (according to Wikipedia). All 26 episodes are available for streaming from NetFlix.
My family and I discovered Better Off Ted in the summer of 2010, not long after it was cancelled, and just before NetFlix made season 2 available. In fact, while we were watching season 2, we discovered, or so we thought, that the show had been renewed for a third season. Much to our dismay, we learned a few weeks later that the renewal referred to was more than a year old, and was the renewal for the second season. This lent a distinctly bittersweet tone to our enjoyment of the last few episodes.
So what's so great about Better Off Ted, anyway?
Just the setting, the writing, the casting, and the acting. That's all.
The setting: this is an office comedy. Ted Crisp, the title character, is the senior VP of Research and Development at Veridian Dynamics, a large, amoral company that, among other things, weaponizes pumpkins, creates killer robots, and rigs presidential elections. Ted is also a single parent, and much of the show hinges on Ted's attempts to navigate the moral dilemmas posed by his employer, while trying to be a responsible parent and teach his daughter how to make choices in the world. Overall, the show is a razor sharp satire of life in a large corporation. If you've worked for a large corporation you will likely see a lot here that is both familiar and extremely funny. In one episode, for instance, Ted's ID badge has his name misspelled as "Chips" instead of "Crisp" and when he tries to get it fixed, HR insists that the computer doesn't make mistakes, so he must be Ted Chips. When he insists he's not, HR deletes his record from the computer. Now he can't do his job, because his ID won't let him into the labs that he manages. Hilarity ensues. Anyone who's ever dealt with an ID badge access system should recognize Ted's dilemma.
The writing reminds me of another favorite show, 30 Rock, in that it's smart, quick, and funny. Nearly every line of dialog contains a zinger and it's easy to miss them if your attention flags (it won't) or if an earlier line makes you laugh out loud (you will). One side benefit of this is that it provides a good excuse to go back and rewatch episodes you've already seen -- nearly always, doing this will reveal some gem that you missed the first time.
The Wikipedia entry on Better Off Ted claims that the casting was kind of rushed, but it doesn't show. Jay Harrington as Ted conveys the perfect mix of company loyalty, naivete, and the constant struggle to provide a moral role model for his daughter. The other principals (de Rossi as Ted's boss, Veronica; Anders as love interest and product tester Linda Zwordling, Jonathan Slavin as Dr Phil Myman and Malcolm Barrett as Phil's lab partner, Dr. Lem Hewitt) are similarly perfect in their roles. As show creator Victor Fresco says, "It's all about casting and I think we got really lucky in all five of these regulars."
If you're a fan of 30 Rock or The Office, check out Better Off Ted. I think you'll be glad you did. Me, I'm gonna go upstairs and start watching season one again.
Instead, there are 26 episodes, 12 of which are available on DVD (according to Wikipedia). All 26 episodes are available for streaming from NetFlix.
My family and I discovered Better Off Ted in the summer of 2010, not long after it was cancelled, and just before NetFlix made season 2 available. In fact, while we were watching season 2, we discovered, or so we thought, that the show had been renewed for a third season. Much to our dismay, we learned a few weeks later that the renewal referred to was more than a year old, and was the renewal for the second season. This lent a distinctly bittersweet tone to our enjoyment of the last few episodes.
So what's so great about Better Off Ted, anyway?
Just the setting, the writing, the casting, and the acting. That's all.
The setting: this is an office comedy. Ted Crisp, the title character, is the senior VP of Research and Development at Veridian Dynamics, a large, amoral company that, among other things, weaponizes pumpkins, creates killer robots, and rigs presidential elections. Ted is also a single parent, and much of the show hinges on Ted's attempts to navigate the moral dilemmas posed by his employer, while trying to be a responsible parent and teach his daughter how to make choices in the world. Overall, the show is a razor sharp satire of life in a large corporation. If you've worked for a large corporation you will likely see a lot here that is both familiar and extremely funny. In one episode, for instance, Ted's ID badge has his name misspelled as "Chips" instead of "Crisp" and when he tries to get it fixed, HR insists that the computer doesn't make mistakes, so he must be Ted Chips. When he insists he's not, HR deletes his record from the computer. Now he can't do his job, because his ID won't let him into the labs that he manages. Hilarity ensues. Anyone who's ever dealt with an ID badge access system should recognize Ted's dilemma.
The writing reminds me of another favorite show, 30 Rock, in that it's smart, quick, and funny. Nearly every line of dialog contains a zinger and it's easy to miss them if your attention flags (it won't) or if an earlier line makes you laugh out loud (you will). One side benefit of this is that it provides a good excuse to go back and rewatch episodes you've already seen -- nearly always, doing this will reveal some gem that you missed the first time.
The Wikipedia entry on Better Off Ted claims that the casting was kind of rushed, but it doesn't show. Jay Harrington as Ted conveys the perfect mix of company loyalty, naivete, and the constant struggle to provide a moral role model for his daughter. The other principals (de Rossi as Ted's boss, Veronica; Anders as love interest and product tester Linda Zwordling, Jonathan Slavin as Dr Phil Myman and Malcolm Barrett as Phil's lab partner, Dr. Lem Hewitt) are similarly perfect in their roles. As show creator Victor Fresco says, "It's all about casting and I think we got really lucky in all five of these regulars."
If you're a fan of 30 Rock or The Office, check out Better Off Ted. I think you'll be glad you did. Me, I'm gonna go upstairs and start watching season one again.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Even My Kids Liked "The King's Speech"
Okay, I didn't see most of the best picture nominees. I think the only ones I saw this year were "Toy Story 3" and "The King's Speech." Why only these two? I have kids.
Don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing. I love my kids. And my kids are very media savvy and pop culture savvy. We watch The NBC comedy lineup most every Thursday night (well, some of it -- Perfect Couples and Outsourced are pretty lame). Now that we have a DVR we can record it (since 30 Rock is now past their bedtime). And we take them to the movies two or three times a month. But the youngest is 10, so even though she gets exposed to a lot of stuff on TV that wouldn't make it into a PG-13 movie, and even though she gets a lot of the subtle and not-so-subtle adult humor on, say, 30 Rock and The Office, she still digs the kid stuff at the movie theater.
So long story short, taking them to see The King's Speech -- and having them like it -- was a huge step for us. Probably the first time that all four of us have seen and enjoyed a movie that is not explicitly or implicitly targeted at the under 17 audience.
My older daughter (they're both daughters) is 15 and reading Shakespeare and Dickens in school, so it wasn't a surprise that she enjoyed it -- although, going in, she wasn't really convinced that she would. I think the subject matter looked a little dry and dull to her, as indeed it would have to me at her age.
But that my ten year old dug it -- well, that was very cool.
So it was nice to see the movie get the recognition it got at the Oscars. Especially nice for my kids. 'Cause let's face it, you do tend to want the Academy to recognize the movies you saw. And there was no way Toy Story 3 was gonna walk away with Best Picture
Don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing. I love my kids. And my kids are very media savvy and pop culture savvy. We watch The NBC comedy lineup most every Thursday night (well, some of it -- Perfect Couples and Outsourced are pretty lame). Now that we have a DVR we can record it (since 30 Rock is now past their bedtime). And we take them to the movies two or three times a month. But the youngest is 10, so even though she gets exposed to a lot of stuff on TV that wouldn't make it into a PG-13 movie, and even though she gets a lot of the subtle and not-so-subtle adult humor on, say, 30 Rock and The Office, she still digs the kid stuff at the movie theater.
So long story short, taking them to see The King's Speech -- and having them like it -- was a huge step for us. Probably the first time that all four of us have seen and enjoyed a movie that is not explicitly or implicitly targeted at the under 17 audience.
My older daughter (they're both daughters) is 15 and reading Shakespeare and Dickens in school, so it wasn't a surprise that she enjoyed it -- although, going in, she wasn't really convinced that she would. I think the subject matter looked a little dry and dull to her, as indeed it would have to me at her age.
But that my ten year old dug it -- well, that was very cool.
So it was nice to see the movie get the recognition it got at the Oscars. Especially nice for my kids. 'Cause let's face it, you do tend to want the Academy to recognize the movies you saw. And there was no way Toy Story 3 was gonna walk away with Best Picture
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)