But I haven't seen it!
So I think we are good. I could entitle this The Good, the Bad, and the Meh. But Let's see what we are dealing with first.
The LEGO Movie
Now I love LEGO. I love playing and building with bricks. I love playing many of the console games (Batman, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, and Pirates of the Caribbean) based on it. I even like many of the movies/specials (Batman, Star Wars) that have come from LEGO.
So I think I am in the likely marketing focus for this movie.
The trouble for me is that the main reason I liked those derivations, from LEGO Batman to Padwan Menace, is that they are based around existing properties. They take the ideas, like Batman, Superman, and Joker, then spin them a bit, adding in LEGO based humor and logic, and making it all very kid friendly. This movie looks like, for the most part, those other properties will be passing in the background (except for the scene in the trailer with Batman flying them somewhere -- And I can't help thinking shortly after that he's back out of the movie.). So I wonder how much I will be interested in this movie.
I see jokes in this trailer that I've seen variations of in earlier works, and again, what helped then was the familiar universes. Also the lead of the movie is coming off a bit annoying. It's for comic effect, but it's still annoying.
But, I don't know, it may yet win me over.
The Lone Ranger
Oh...this movie. Like most of the country, I haven't seen this one yet. But it has so much going against it. It has a ridiculous budget...$250 million? On a Western? It has Johnny Depp playing a widely known Native American character. It has trailers like this. ...And those seem like some excellent early warning signs.
Now from what I've heard from some, I think this trailer nicely reflects a certain aspect of this movie. It goes on a bit telling a serious western tale, then a horse is standing in a tree...? The tone shifts throw you. This movie feels very confused.
Also when you see Johnny Depp and Helen Bonham Carter in the trailer, does your head sub in, "This must be a Tim Burton." to? Just me?
But let's stick with Depp. He helped keep the movie going...as he wanted dearly to play the character Tonto. This feels so off. But part of his reasoning was that he wanted to do right by the character and Native Americans in film...And, ah...
...That;s nice. But...He could have done with as a producer, while working with an actual Native American actor.
You know, I have an old favorite of Doctor Who episodes, Talons of Weng Chiang (Yes. Judge me.). It's a Victorian adventure with Chinese magicians and assassins. It's a big old ridiculous pastiche, right down to the Doctor walking around in a deerstalker cap, and going around the London sewers with an elephant rifle hunting a giant rat. And part of the show is that one of the main villains is a Chinese man, played by a white British actor. That's more than 30 years back. And that was the tail end of that stuff being accepted as a casting choice.
And today it just never is. Their are a lot of good Native American actors, but not a lot of roles for them (Same is true for Asian actors.). This is a great role for one of these actors.
I know Depp wanted to do right by Tonto/ But this isn't the way.
I may need to see this movie. I hear so many bad things about it, I almost have to see if the complaints hold up.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Oh yeah! The Hobbit continues.
I know some weren't crazy about the first movie, or the fact we have three movies coming out. Me. I love it. I like the stretched out story. I like all the material to absorbed. I like these movies. (Well, only one is out so far.) So this is all good to me. And I like glimpsing what will be coming with December.
Bring on Thranduil, Beorn, and the Master of Lake Town!!!
So to sum up:
- Meh.
- Huh?!
- Oh yeah!
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