Red 2 Review: Fun Night Out

I know it's been a while since I wrote anything.  Honestly, it's because what is out in theaters is so unimpressive it's hard to be motivated to say anything about it.  But I did end up seeing Red 2 and not surprisingly, it's a fun movie.  It's a lot like the original.  In fact maybe a little too much like the original.  The first Red movie is mostly remembered for cameos by famous elderly actors.  Red notably for Ernest Borgnine shortly before his death.  This one has appearances by Catherine Zeta Jones and Anthony Hopkins.

The acting of course is great.  There's a lot of chemistry on stage with wonderful actors like John Malkovich and Bruce Willis.  Then add in Helen Mirren for a supporting role and the cute as hell Mary-Louise Parker and it all works so well.

The directing in this film is much like other action movies.  You have old guys trying to look bad ass so get the camera as close as possible and shake it around.  I have said many times how I don't like it but my voice goes unheeded.  But what particularly galls me about the close up shaky cam in Red 2 is that it spoils the work of the legitimately bad ass Byung-hun Lee.  When you have a guy like Byung-hun Lee, back the camera up and let him be awesome!  Even George Lucas knew better than to crowd Ray Park in the Phantom Menace.

While I enjoyed the movie while I was watching it, the problem is that it's also a very forgettable movie.  I remember that Bruce Willis was awesome, but I can't remember any one thing that he did that impressed me.  I remember John Malkovich was funny, but can't remember a particularly funny moment with him.  (other than the funeral scene) Catherine Zeta Jones was sexy, but there wasn't any one "sexy" moment from her.  And that's about it.  The actors did very well despite a very forgettable script. 

I'd say that makes this movie worth seeing.  It's an enjoyable movie with some really great acting by some of Hollywood's best.  Just don't expect to have a long discussion about it.

The Lone Ranger Review: Nature is out of balance and so is this movie.

The initial reviews for this movie aren't very positive.  It's an old series being brought back for a modern audience and it's done by the same people that did Pirates of the Caribbean.  Truly, there is something to be said for that criticism.  If you didn't like Pirates of the Caribbean, you aren't going to like this one.  If you aren't a fan of cowboy movies, you aren't going to enjoy this.  If you aren't nostalgic for the old Lone Ranger show, you might not know anything about these characters and might not enjoy watching the movie.  But for people like me that enjoy the campiness, this is an enjoyable movie.

I'd say the biggest problem I had with the movie was that it swings wildly in tone.  In the beginning we are having fun with your standard train robbery on horseback and the William Tell Overture.  But then we see our villain killing and then eating the heart of The Lone Ranger's brother right in front of him.  But then we are back to a prostitute with an ivory leg/gun, and then we learn she lost her leg to the bad guy who presumably ate it.  Swing back to the white horse jumping through fire and riding off into the night, and then it's demonic cannibal rabbits.  It never felt like this movie built the foundation to the movie.  It wanted to have it's cake and eat it too.  It just couldn't decide if it wanted to be a serious action/drama or a campy family fun romp.  When it was campy, it was a lot of fun.  When it tried to be serious, it was uncomfortable and many times painfully predictable.

For the Lone Ranger fans out there, it does have some quick fan service which I think was appreciated.  It had the "High oh Silver!  Away!" line.  It had the music.  It had Tonto calling The Lone Ranger "kemosabe" a lot.  It had a running gag about the mask that got old pretty quick. 

By far the best part of the movie is the climax.  It's a great action scene that I felt embodied The Lone Ranger and what I would expect from an old western TV series from the 1950s and an old radio drama from the 1930s.  A lot of crazy stunts, a damsel in distress, and just a lot of fun.

Overall I think the movie works, but it really could've used some re-writes.  It hit upon the same problem I had with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter in that it was destined to be a cheesy fun romp but instead found ways to take itself too seriously and it spoiled the mood for the rest of the film.  Now, it feels like a chore going through the unwelcome darkness and drama just to get to the cowboys and Indians fun.  I recommend seeing it, but there's no harm waiting for DVD.