Rango (2011)

Big names.  Big voices.  Great animation.  A wee bit preachy.  But, still a very fun movie to watch.

The biggest surprise is who does the Eastwood-esque voice of The Spirit of the West.  The character looked, walked and talked just like the man with no name.  But it was not who you think.  No spoilers here.

Johnny Depp and Ned Beatty square off as the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Isla Fisher is the voice of the love interest, sort of.  And several others lend some very funny performances.  The voice of the rattlesnake is the second biggest surprise.

Written by the same guy who wrote Gladiator, The Last Samurai, and The Aviator, some of my favorite works, this story is as moralistic as the others.  Vegas stole the water and left small desert communities high and dry.  No judgments here.  I don't know the facts.

Watch this movie with someone who has a romantic vision of the old west and the many legends who punctuate those stories.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

What a surprise! This is not a half-bad romantic comedy. There is even a pretty good moral to the story. The music is fun, the clothes are great, and all the characters are believable.

Isla Fisher pulls off the lead role of her career (so far) here. This minx who stole our hearts in Wedding Crashers does it again as a talented writer with a urge to splurge. I'm told she captures the book's character perfectly.

I even enjoyed the narration. To work well in a movie a narration has to be well-timed and delivered perfectly. This movie is a good example. There was not too much and not too little.

A fairly deep line-up of stars make appearances as well: Joan Cusack, John Goodman, Kristin Scott Thomas, and John Lithgow all show up and do not disappoint as New Yorkers of one ilk or another. Even Lynn Redgrave has a memorable scene.

And speaking of scenes, please rent this movie just to watch the first dance scene at a Miami salsa club. Pure comic genius. Lucille Ball would be proud of this little Redhead.

Watch this movie with someone who loves to use credit cards.