Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Wondering About Movie Critics

I know this is off topic, but I just had to write this rant.

Mostly I'm going to write about the movie The Lone Ranger and what the critics had to say about it along with my own reactions to it.

When advertisements for The Lone Ranger began to appear, I knew I wanted to see it. No, I'm not a huge Johnny Depp fan, but I do think he is an extremely talented actor. When The Lone Ranger first came out I read all the reviews and they panned the movie. When that happens and I tell my husband, he always says, "Then it must be good."

In this case he was right.

The Lone Ranger is fun. I think the critics are far too serious and looking for anything to pick apart and don't bother to consider entertainment value.

No, it certainly isn't the Lone Ranger and Tonto from old. It's a spoof on all the old Lone Ranger movies and Westerns and it's funny. There is plenty of action, sometimes impossible action, but great to watch. Some of the lines between the Lone Ranger and Tonto are hilarious.

There's plenty of action, the scenery is great (even though it isn't the places that it's supposed to be, but in a movie like this, who cares?), sometimes the comedy is subtle and sometimes it's not.

And when the The William Tell Overture played, I bet anyone who remembers The Lone Ranger of old had a big smile on their face.

Johnny Depp is a perfect Tonto--and to those who didn't like it because he's not an Indian, he does claim some Cherokee in his bloodline. And there were some Native Americans playing Indians in the cast. Needless to say, I enjoyed the movie.

My favorite line from Johnny Depp comes right after the Lone Ranger cries out, "Hi Ho Silver."

On the other hand, critics loved The Heat. I wanted to see it as did hubby, he really likes Sandra Bullock and it's been awhile since she's been in a movie.

Oh, my goodness, the language in the movie is so bad it distracts from everything else. In fact, I'm sure that's why it got an R rating. I would think that the movie makers might figure out they'll have more people come to the movies if they tone down the language. We can get that people do say the F word without using it over and over. The same with the cursing, it just isn't necessary. Many people walked out about 1/4 of the way through the movie because of the language.

We might have done the same, but it take us too long to get up and out.

Yes, there are some funny moments in the movie--but talk about preposterous--one of the criticisms of The Lone Ranger, but not this one.

And to bring it back to mysteries--there haven't been any good movie mysteries lately, has there?

What kind of movies do you like best and how much stock do you put in what the critics have to say?

Marilyn

6 comments:

John Brantingham said...

I listen to a critic only if he or she is talking about what the movie is supposed to be. Someone who makes a blanket statement like this movie was good or bad is kind of worthless. But a reviewer evaluating a movie from the point of view of the intended audience, who takes the time to see it from that point of view sometimes makes some good points.

C. M. Albrecht said...

When a movie is tongue-in-cheek, or outright fantasy, I'm willing to suspend my "logic" and sit back and be entertained, which is what movies are mostly about.
I do beef when is film is supposed to be real life and then they get into unbelievable contrived situations that just don't "pass the smell test".
As to language, I agree that films on TCM can be just great without all the gutter language. I know the directors want to be realistic, but there are many better ways they could go. Just talking dirty doesn't make a clinker more realistic.

Gail M Baugniet - Author said...

My opinion is that anyone who didn't like The Lone Ranger just "didn't get it." That's okay because not every movie is made for every person.

As a Johnny Depp fan, I could only think of Tonto as Cap'n Jack in drag, except the other way around.

It's a shame to hear that movies still flaunt the f-word. Even Bruce Willis swallowed the word in his famous Yipppe Ki Yea line for the later sequels.

Marilyn Levinson said...

Marilyn,
I do like Johnny Depp, so I know I'll probably enjoy "The Lone Ranger." And I did enjoy "The Heat." It had me laughing out loud, which I don't get from most movies.
I love a good foreign film. And a well-done mystery, of course.

Earl Staggs said...

I'll see "The Lone Ranger" because I've learned Johnny Depp can do any part extremely well. First, tho, I'll disassociate it from the classic Clayton Moore version and simply be entertained.

Morgan Mandel said...

I'd go to see it because of Johnny Depp. He's one of my favorites. He seems capable of fitting into almost any role. That said, we usually wait for the DVD from the library, and only occasionally go to the show.

Morgan Mandel