A lot of Americans are getting a close-up view of New Mexico this Fourth of July weekend. It's because of the debut of the film, "The Lone Ranger," shot mainly in NM and showcasing the natural splendor of the state.

In his review, reader Eric Lucero says our state's scenery may be the saving grace of this production that he says moves "glacially slow:"

The Lone Ranger (2 Stars out of 5) is yet another over-hyped, hyper expensive ($250 million), graphically violent, glacially slow (2hrs, 26 min.) and under performing film masquerading as a western.

The saving grace of this ponderous effort is its breathtaking cinematography and the stunning performance of “Silver,” the Lone Ranger's faithful steed. Disney made excellent use of the panoramic Cimarron Canyon State Park in northern New Mexico near Eagle Nest. The untouched, pristine nature of the park sets the viewer up for the story of the coming development of the West that is central to the Lone Ranger and Tonto narrative. 

A loving, albeit, expensive re-creation of the late nineteenth century "Old West" is to be lauded, but is no substitute for the failure to develop the title character. 

An under utilized Armie Hammer as The Lone Ranger, for instance, and Tonto, played by Johnny Depp, are problematic. Depp plays Tonto as somewhat dismissive of the Lone Ranger when in fact in the original legend Tonto is portrayed as a deeply loyal partner--not the dominant one. 

The film gives us a Cliff Notes version of American "Manifest Destiny." That's fine, but this history is made secondary to lots of loud explosions and buckets of blood. When you leave the theatre, you feel like you just saw another "Pirates of the Caribbean" starring Johnny Depp. And to think, Disney is already planning  a sequel.

Lucero may not have been won over by Depp's performance as Tonto, but he sports one heckuva of a make-up job. ABQ showtimes for "The Lone Ranger" are here. More Lone Ranger reviews here.

JOB SEARCH

Job seekers are galore in ABQ these days. Businessman and ABQ State Senator Michael Padilla says ABQ's South Valley will see a host of employers attend a job fair he's sponsoring:

Senator Padilla will be hosting a job fair on Wednesday, July 10, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, in the Harrison Middle School Gymnasium at 3912 Isleta Boulevard SW. Interested job seekers should bring a resume or a list of all past employment, contact names and numbers, and other pertinent job history information. .Employers wishing to participate in the job fair can email Senator Padilla at michael.padilla@nmlegis.gov or call (505)899-9921...

They say the more education you have these days the better your chances of staying out of the jobless lines. To that end this news:

At its heart is the idea of moving from “one-size-fits-all” education to a more personalised approach, with technology allowing each child to be taught at a different speed, in some cases by adaptive computer programs, in others by “superstar” lecturers of one sort or another, while the job of classroom teachers moves from orator to coach: giving individual attention to children identified by the gizmos as needing targeted help. In theory the classroom will be “flipped”, so that more basic information is supplied at home via screens, while class time is spent embedding, refining and testing that knowledge (in the same way that homework does now, but more effectively). The promise is of better teaching for millions of children at lower cost—but only if politicians and teachers embrace it.

Happy Fourth from The Home of New Mexico politics.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2013. Not for reproduction without permission of the author.