Lone Ranger

"Hi-ho Silver! Away!" is the infamous line of John Reid, the Lone Ranger, who is always accompanied by his side kick and trusted Comanche friend, Tonto.  Oh wait!  And the theme song from William Tell Overture!  The good old cowboy... YEEHAA!!!

The modern rendition of the Lone Ranger is portrayed by Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp and there are endless moments of intriguing and yet funny dialogues between the two leads.   Never a dull moment through the movie.

It starts with the little young boy who idolizes the Lone Ranger, meets a native American mannequin that shares his story with his "Ke-mo sah-bee" (original translation is trusty scout and 'wrong brother' in this 2013 film).  

Reid returns home to Colby Texas, only to encounter a brutal and cannibalistic outlaw, Butch Cavendish.  While pursuing the outlaw, all the rangers are ambushed and killed except Reid.   Tonto rescues Reid and calls him  the"Spirit Walker", i.e. one who cannot be killed in battle.   Together, the duo embarks on a journey to bring justice by hunting down Cavendish and his men, and then continues to fight the bad boys in the Old West.  

I like to share a couple of the quotes that tickled me. 

[When Silver appears on the barn roof to save Reid and Tonto] 
John Reid:  The horse can fly?
Tonto:  Don't be stupid. 
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Tonto:  Nice Shot.
John Reid:  That was supposed to be a warning shot. 
Tonto:  In that case, not so good. 
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[When Silver appears on a tree branch] 
Tonto:  Something very wrong with that horse. 
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John Reid:  Hi-ho Silver, away! 
Tonto:  Never do that again.

Rating:  4.5 out of 5 fairy clouds.   A funny movie that got me laughing non-stop.  While the movie is generally predictable, there are still a couple of interesting twists.  An enjoyable movie that makes you feel in awe of the cool cowboy rangers. 

Despicable Me 2

Despicable Me 2 is oozing with cuteness as the minions continue to be despicably silly. 

When the secret laboratory in the Arctic Circle mysteriously disappears, the Anti-Villain League (AVL) has no other choice but to recruit Gru for their new mission.   Pairing of Lucy Wilde, the new AVL agent and Gru spark new chemistry between the duo.  The undercover work led Gru to a super villain El Macho and discovery of the plot behind the deadly mutant chemical, PX-41.  

Like all wholesome family entertainment, Gru, Lucy, the girls and minions save the world from hostile takeover by El Macho, thereby ending the story beautifully with an 'ahem' expected wedding.

The first movie definitely performs much better than the sequel.  This is partly because viewers form expectation of what Gru, the girls and the bubbly cute popping yellow capsules, I meant minions, are likely to do and behave.  Overall, it is still a fun and lighthearted movie to cheer you up.     

Rating:  4 out of 5 fairy clouds.  For the unexpected rendition of "I Swear" and "YMCA" by the minions, I gave this animated movie an additional 1/2 cloud.