Ms. Smarty Pants Know It All

I threw Sherlock into my Netflix queue because it is BBC and they do genre shows well. Plus, Sherlock Holmes right?

Then when the credits started showing up, imagine my surprise that this is from the Doctor Who people, specifically Stephen Moffat and Mart Gatiss. Now imagine me with my fist raised and shaking at the TV growling “Mofffaaattttt.”

I’ve had my issues with his handling of my beloved Doctor Who.

I’m as shocked as anyone that I actually saw a first episode that was all about character development and relationship development amidst a very exciting murder mystery. A cool, super-smart hero with a dark side coming to see the value of his brave, moral, stalwart human companion? However will it work?

Unlike their work over on Who, here, it does. There is chemistry. There is partnership. Yet each character stands on his own.

The pair must be the heart of the series, but so far, all of the crimes have been gripping as well. At 90 minutes, these episodes make me wonder if any of our crime procedurals can do better with an extra half hour. On the DVDs, one of the special features is the original 60 minute pilot. The actual 90 minute first episode is truly so much better because the creators were really able to ramp up the mystery and allow the final confrontation to simmer. The extra time also allowed the final confrontation to come down as a matter of Sherlock’s character rather than just being a more straight-forward adventure ending. Quite well done.

Tags: TV by Ms. SP
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Rango definitely warrants a Best Animated Feature nomination. I think there is enough to keep the little ones entertained, but it really does not limit itself to being “just a cartoon.”

I really enjoyed the visuals. I absolutely cannot stand the Shrek/Madagascar style of fake computer design. Those rounded, blurry, computer-looking edges drive me crazy. They are something to be borne.

Rango’s characters and environments are brilliantly crisp and clear. The colors and details are so sharp that I felt like this must be in HD. The humor is more often situational rather than being stand-alone gags. Also, Rango is a defined character within a defined world. This is an element that often goes missing, and until something better comes along, it’s hard for us to even know enough to miss it.

But Rango did make me aware of this rarity by deftly setting the scenes without bulky exposition.

Our hero, Rango, is a chameleon who has spent his entire life as a pet. Then one fateful day, he is cast out into the great-wide world to face adventure and his destiny. The movie is a little muddy on its overall theme as Rango struggles with his identity. Can a sheltered house chameleon find his place in the great American desert where survival is dependent on the barest of basics?

Well I hope you know the answer is yes, but while the adventure ties up nicely, the initial question of identity is not.

Still, I don’t think most viewers of this film is going to mind it too much. Animated movies have really come a long way in recent years, but I think Rango is something even different than all that. This is a cartoon that felt serious—like they were going after a “real” movie feel. As in… animated movies are real movies.

Tags: Movies by Ms. SP
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