This & That

Right now, I am wrapping up replying to some wonderful reader comments and emails! It's no secret that I am terribly behind (The House At the End Of the Street, Arbitrage, Odd Life Of Timothy Green, ParaNorman, Expendables 2, Resident Evil, Cold Light Of Day, The Possession, The Campaign and Savages are all getting posted--not in this order--I am just behind). I am also behind (insert great big blush all over me!) on watching the newest releases; since Hotel Transylvania was the big record-setter this weekend, I am watching that tonight! Looper, Pitch Perfect, The Master, Frakenweenie and Taken 2 are the films I am wanting to watch this weekend/next week and will be getting those up as quickly as possible!
In the meantime, here is the long-anticipated trailer for The Lone Ranger, due out in theaters July 2013:

What do we make of it?
Until another trailer is released supporting the opposite theory, it appears this will be anti-capitalist. The train symbolizes, as you have probably guessed, the "engine of the economy," and the wealth and power shown decadently throughout the trailer--the showgirls, the lavish saloon and train cars--is (probably) meant to, once again, stir up animosity between the classes, specifically, against the upper-class. The Native American Tonto (johnny Depp) has had numerous films leading up to his appearance: Moonrise Kingdom (they follow the Indian harvest trail), Oliver Stone's Savages, House At the End of the Street and even, to some degree, The Apparition in that Tonto might symbolize a return to a "simplified" form of life against the civilization the "iron horse" trains represent against Silver, the Lone Ranger's (natural) horse.
Until next July, we have more immediate concerns,...

With Hotel Transylvania and Frankenweenie opening just a week apart from each other, it's interesting to see, once again, how the symbols from the past--the monsters--have been "resurrected" to be once again introduced into mainstream society's cultural debates. Frankenweenie, specifically being about a dog, utilizes a growing trend in films employing "man's best friend" to make a point: The Apparition had little Pepper the dog, Seven Psychopaths is about dog-knapping and Frankenweenie is about bringing back to life a dead-dog. In general, and there are exceptions (which we may have to touch upon) but dogs--as man's best friend--symbolize loyalty, so in The Apparition, Pepper dying in such a strange way may be a testament to how some of us--myself included--are still clinging to the seasoning of life (Pepper) that capitalism brings to us (the competition, the fulfillment of dreams, the owning of your own business, etc.). I won't say anything else until I've seen Frankenweenie--okay, I will say this: it's from Tim Burton so it's a pro-socialist film, but other then that, I won't say anything else until I have seen it--but all those films it will be referencing should be on our minds!
Eat Your Art Out,
The Fine Art Diner