#139. Rango (2011)

 

 

As studio-backed animated films go, this is certainly a strange one. Even on just a visual level, I'm not really sure how I feel about it. The character designs are hideous, frankly, but Gore Verbinski also manages to bring a lot of life to the movie through detailed lighting and well-realized environments. Most of it pops off the screen - even, on occasion, the ugly freak creatures that inhabit it.

 

Shifting our attention to the story, it's not quite as memorable or unique as I'd like (especially in regards to the Liar Revealed plot, which has always, by far, been my least favourite kids' movie trope), but I love that it's willing to take its time and really bask in this blistering setting. No matter how ridiculous the action or comedy gets, there's a measured pace to the movie that captures the essence of westerns in a way that actually kinda surprised me.

 

When it comes to this medium, I'll always be partial to the likes of Disney and Pixar (forgive me, I was brainwashed from a very young age), but I can absolutely appreciate a big-budget animated movie that seeks to do something different. Especially when the results are this bizarre.

 

Grade: B+

#124. Mouse Hunt (1997)

 

 

Prior Viewings: 2-3

 

I was feeling a bit nostalgic, so I thought I'd return to this unhinged piece of mayhem. And it didn't disappoint. Actually, if anything, it went over even better than it did in my youth.

 

One thing I've learned about myself from years of endlessly rewatching the first three Home Alone movies is that I very much enjoy seeing cocky, dim-witted villains get their comeuppance at the hands of small underdogs. It's also part of the reason why I grew up loving Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry (even if I was one of those precocious snobs who rooted for Tom). And that's pretty much the entire appeal of this one. Probably doesn't sound like much, but it's all I need, and Nathan Lane and Lee Evans (and Christopher Walken, in a fantastic cameo) are committed enough to ensure that the slapstick remains fresh and satisfying from beginning to end.

 

Also contributing to the quality of this thing is rookie Gore Verbinski, who gives the movie a gothic style and palette that wouldn't look out of place next to The Addams Family and Batman Returns (which, if you know anything about me, is extremely high praise). It's shockingly gorgeous to look at, in both architecture and cinematography, and it carries a dark-yet-whimsical tone and texture that hits my sweet spot. Might explain why I grew up to be such a big Coen Brothers fan.

 

Grade: A