This week I was fortunate enough to be able to check out Kevin Hart's stand up special, Let Me Explain. I was extremely excited to check this out and ended up going with my dear friend Miss Carol and we had a blasty blast!
What I was not looking forward to checking out, was Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger. But check it out I did, let's see how it was shall we?
But first, Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain:
I'll admit, it's kind of silly to pay to watch someone do stand up on the silver screen when it's a lot better to see it in person or, if you're a cheapskate like me, wait for it to come to Comedy Central and watch it for free, repeatedly.
But we love us some Kevin Hart and thought it would be nice to make a night of it and share some laughs. I'm so glad we did-it was hysterical! I've seen some of his movies, I've seen episodes of his show The Real Husbands of Hollywood, but I don't think I've ever caught any of his standup stuff and for all of his showboating, the man really is an absolute delight. We were in stitches by the end of the "movie" and my dear Miss Carol kept saying, "He's crazy Lizz..." in between laughs.
I will say I thought the special started off kind of slow and there was a montage in which we're taken around the world to see Kevin's performances in different countries which really wasn't necessary or funny if I'm honest. But all in all, it was really good. It's a nice summer time special and if you enjoy anything Kevin has done, you should check this out.
Sigh, The Lone Ranger:
After seeing World War Z and White House Down, I was feeling a little better about watching The Lone Ranger. I thought all three films looked terrible and the first two really surprised me so I was hopeful.
Well, two out of three ain't bad....
My real issue with The Lone Ranger right from jumpstreet, was the idea that Johnny Depp was really trying to play a convincing Comanche warrior. Now I understand the filmmakers were looking to stick to The Lone Ranger's television show-campiness, but you're really telling me Johnny Depp is going to play a Native American, and everyone should be alright with that? I don't know about you, but when I was watching his clips in the trailers, I was really insulted. The performance is completely disrespectful to the Native American people and I seriously cannot believe Disney felt this was alright to put in a "kids" movie. I was actually hoping his Tonto was going to be like the "Indian" in Last of the Mohegans: a white kid raised by natives but still, and the end of the day, a white man that's sympathetic to the Native plight. Sadly, no. His "injun" was a complete mockery and I was cringing throughout the entire film. What made matters worse was the fact that they tried to write Tonto's character like he was Jack Sparrow. An oddball, making goofy faces and saying goofy things while also somehow, sobering up and acting like a badass at the appropriate times. Nothing, I repeat, nothing about his character worked for me.
But let's not tear up Johnny too bad, he enjoys making these movies, enjoys taking on a different character and genuinely likes making films for kids. Here's the thing though, this isn't a kids movie. It's Disney's attempt at cashing in on a classic franchise and making it kid friendly. But they missed the mark, by a lot. Firstly, the bad guy has cannibalistic tendencies and enjoys eating the hearts of his victims. Yup, it's a kids movie. Oh, and there's also scenes in a brothel and implications that the bad guys plan to rape the damsel in distress. Not to mention the first hour was a complete snoozefest. I literally heard snoring from someone in the front row, no, I really did. Nicely done Disney.
So to summarize, this "action" movie is a confused, campy, pile of crap. The filmmakers were so focused on cashing in on Johnny and The Lone Ranger franchise, that they completely missed the mark on delivering a quality movie. Was it an action film? A kids movie? A comedy? A western? No. It was unsuccessfully all of those things making it, successfully, one super shitty (and racist) film.
Please do not spend a dime on this. Go watch Pirates another 50 times, you'll thank me later. But if you don't believe me, here's a conversation I overheard two 12 year old girls having as they left the theater:
Between giggles:
"OMG, That was so stupid. It's funny because it was so stupid. I'm laughing because it was so stupid."
"That movie was so bad"
There's your audience Disney, nice job.
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