Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

In the 4th installment of the action/adventure series, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is reunited with an old lover: a feisty pirate named Angelica (Penelope Cruz). He catches her impersonating him in order to build a crew and mount an expedition in search of the Fountain of Youth. After being taken prisoner by her father, the evil pirate Captain Blackbeard, Jack is forced to guide the pirates to the location of the Fountain. Unbeknownst to them, there is a rival group, led by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who are looking to capture Blackbeard and bring him to justice. Along the way there are adventures involving zombies, mermaids, and the Spanish army, who are also looking for the Fountain.

The original “Pirates of the Caribbean” was one of the great entertainments of the last decade! A pirate movie in which the pirates had to return a treasure (because it was cursed), instead of taking it, was a refreshing twist on the pirate movie genre, which had walked the plank a few years earlier with the box office disaster “Cutthroat Island.” In addition, there were also great actors like Depp & Rush willing to lend their respectable acting crafts to a big-budget Disney movie produced by mega Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer (“Crimson Tide”, Armageddon”, & “Black Hawk Down”), which gave the movie an even classier edge (despite being inspired by a Disneyland theme park ride.) After the astonishing success of “Pirates”, it was inevitable that there would be sequels. The sequels, while not as good as the original, still had their moments and now we get the 4th movie, which is, admittedly, the weakest entry in the series. Having said that, in its own harmless B movie way, I kind of enjoyed it.

A significant reason why I enjoyed it was Depp’s performance as Jack Sparrow, arguably one of the most popular movie characters of the last 8 years (so good he received an Oscar nomination for the 1st one.) Sparrow is the kind of hero with far more personality & humor than most modern action movie heroes, and Depp still seems to enjoy playing him. Also fun is Geoffrey Rush, who continues to enjoy himself as he chews the scenery with real affection as Barbossa. There are also some new characters this time. Cruz brings plenty of fetch & fight to her role (she was also pregnant when she shot her scenes), and it’s interesting to see Depp & Cruz as lovers again (the last time was in 2001’s electrifying drama “Blow.”) Also very good is Ian McShane as Blackbeard. He brings a truly menacing presence to the legendary pirate, but one of this movies great failings is that it doesn’t make much use of him. After he is established early on, he is saddled as another supporting character and consequently keeps the movie light on a having a good antagonistic force.

This brings me to my biggest problem with the movie: there doesn't seem to be any real stakes for finding the Fountain of Youth. Sure, everyone has their motives, but none of them really creates enough momentum to keep the story engaging. Instead, I found myself entertained mostly by individual scenes involving the characters, rather than being too caught up in the plot. There is plenty of action to be sure; some well choreographed sword fights, precipitous leaps off cliffs, and an opening chase involving horses, carriages, and a funny cameo by Keith Richards, who utters one of the movies best lines ("does this face look like its been to the Fountain of Youth"?) My absolute favorite action sequence, though, involves a suspenseful attempt to capture a mermaid. This turns into a sexy, but scary, sequence in which a group of pirates are ambushed by mermaids who make Ursella in "The Little Mermaid" look like Daryll Hannah in "Splash." It’s the only action sequence in the movie where there appears to be any real threat to the characters, which is another reason why it works so well.

Director Rob Marshall ("Chicago") fills in for Gore Verbinski, who directed the first three “Pirates” films, and he does a competent job. The movie looks very good, mostly because he chose to shoot much of it on real locations in Hawaii & Puerto Rico. He doesn’t quite have the knack for strong imaginative visuals that Verbinski has (see “Rango” for a more recent example of Verbinski’s brilliance), but he fills in nicely and keeps the tone light & fun. It is also a nice touch that he chose to shoot the movie in 3D, rather than post-convert it later. The 3D is is good, mostly because it’s noticeable, unlike most of the post-converted cash-ins we’ve seen post “Avatar.” There is a cool spatial depth between the foregrounds & backgrounds (vines in the jungle literally seem to hang right in front of your face) and there are even a few “sword-in-the-eye” moments (but the movie wisely doesn’t overuse them.) The drawback to the 3D is that the darker scenes are harder to make out because of the tinted 3D glasses. This is a repeating problem with 3D glasses and the most common complaint I've heard from fellow moviegoers & critics.

Overall, despite its many flaws, I enjoyed the new “Pirates." However, one of the more unforgivable flaws involves a love story between one of Blackbeard’s pirates & a mermaid. Every time this subplot reared it’s misshapen head the movie dragged to a complete stop. The entire time I kept asking: why would these two fall in love? They have absolutely no conversations of any depth beyond “are you all right?” I guess the man just wanted to get it on with a mermaid. Maybe my problem was with the actor who played the young pirate; he plays a fairly bland character while surrounded by far more colorful pirates who would've eaten this man for breakfast had this been the real thing! However, despite all of that, I had a good enough time, once again, in the company of Jack Sparrow & Barbossa, as well as most of the new cast of characters. Also, a special shout-out to composer Hans Zimmer who, once again, elevates all of the visuals with his amazing musical themes, old & new (his Blackbeard theme, in particular, stands out as my favorite of his new ones. Sample it on Itunes.)

Movie Theater Experience:

I saw “Pirates” at the midnight sneak preview on Thursday, May 19th. It was a lot of fun! My friends Matt & Tonny came dressed as pirates and they looked very cool. Overall, despite the projectionist starting the wrong movie (the mighty THOR almost intervened), it was a good experience. However, Marcus Theaters have just implemented a new policy in which all future midnight sneak previews must be reserved seating. Meaning, if you want to see the movie while sitting next to your friends, you’d better all buy your tickets at the same time! I am still not sure how I feel about reserved seating in movie theaters; on the one hand, it is nice to know you can show up whenever you want and still be assured a good seat. On the other hand, what if your reserved seat ends up right in front of the obnoxious person who feels the need to vocally share their every observation of the movie with everyone around them? All I can say is then the theater best be handing out blow-dart guns tipped with a sleeping agent.

Have you seen "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" yet? If so, what did you think?

Movie Review: Bridesmaids

In the comedy, “Bridesmaids”, Kristin Wiig stars as Annie, a person so down on her luck that her own mother mistakes her of hitting rock bottom long before she finally does. She has just lost her baking business, is about to be kicked out of her apartment by her bizarre sibling roommates, and the man she is seeing (played wonderfully by Jon Hamm as a woman’s worst nightmare) is not interested in pursuing anything more with her than the occasional bedroom visit. On top of all of that, her best friend (played by Maya Rudolph) has just gotten engaged and wants to make Annie her maid of honor in the wedding. Unfortunately, Annie finds herself incredibly jealous of Maya’s other friend, a beautiful and rich party planner named Helen (played by Rose Byrne, who has a lot of fun being slimy), who seems to be making a move toward Annie’s maid of honor duties. Also, the movie wouldn’t be called “Bridesmaids” if there were not three other women who also get caught up in the raunchy shenanigans, which involves everything from awkward sexual positions, drinking, and a very messy run-in with food poisoning.

Now, I know what a lot of you guy readers are thinking: “this sounds like a chick flick! No way am I going to see that!” I understand that thinking but, I completely disagree with it. What separates “Bridesmaids” from most romantic comedies is the talent involved, on-screen and off. The movie is produced by Judd Apatow (director of the “40 Year Old Virgin” & “Knocked Up”), whose distinct brand of raunchy humor, awkward situational comedy, and heart, is stamped all over this movie. Also, it's directed by Paul Feig who, prior to this, had directed some television (“Arrested Development”, “The Office”, ect), but his real claim to fame was co-creator of the cult favorite “Freaks & Geeks.” Feig, and Wiig as co-writer, are not afraid to let an uncomfortable situation play itself out into shocking hilarity. Yet, they also understand when to pull back on the mischief and focus on making the character real.

“Bridesmaids” also boasts an impressive cast of leading ladies, all of whom go above and beyond, especially when it comes to the hilarious no-holds-barred comedy. I have been a fan of Wiig’s for a long time (her wacky brand of humor on “SNL” has always made me laugh) and, despite only playing bit parts & supporting roles in other comedies (my favorite being her bit part in “Knocked Up”), this movie positions her as a terrific leading actress. She is funny, charismatic, and also able to be quite vulnerable in the more dramatic scenes. Also hilarious is Melissa McCarthy who steals every scene that she’s in by playing one of the bridesmaids as a tough talking woman whose antics left my jaw on the floor! “SNL’s” Maya Rudolph is also charming & funny as the bride, as is Chris O’ Dowd who plays a nice police officer who becomes interested in Wiig’s character.

Overall, “Bridesmaids” has a lot of great laughs! It is not merely some “Bride Wars”/”Hangover” clone. Instead, it strives for a lot more than the usual mindless humor by focusing on its characters and making them all feel like believable people. It is also not really a love story about romantic relationships. At its heart, “Bridesmaids” is a touching story about how true friendship can stand the test of time between people who, as they grow & embark down different paths, can still maintain that special bond that they always had. It is also genuinely hilarious, well cast, and quite endearing. Despite being only 2 hours, my only complaint is that the movie does begin to feel quite long. This might have to do with the fact that certain gags tend to go on for quite awhile (although, far more of these gags hit than miss.) However, I still really enjoyed “Bridesmaids” and I cannot wait to see Kristin Wiig in her next leading role!

Movie Theater Experience

I saw "Bridesmaids" with my awesome Mom at the Marcus Oakdale theater. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: this is my favorite movie theater, hands down! The popcorn is always good, the staff is courteous, the theaters are clean, and the film projection always looks and sounds great. My Mom & I went to the 4:45pm show on Sunday and I was reminded why I love seeing comedies with a packed theater audience. When everyone is laughing, it can be truly infectious. 

Movie Review: Thor

In the Marvel comic based action/adventure, “Thor”, there is a world that exists beyond Earth’s “realm.” This world is called Asgard, and it is ruled by King Odin (Anthony Hopkins) who, along with his sons Thor (Chris Hemsworth) & Loki (Tom Hiddelston), maintain their world as a peaceful kingdom. That is, until an unprovoked attack from an old enemy propels the arrogant and mighty Thor foolishly into a battle that sends Asgard to war. For his reckless behavior, his father strips him of his powers and banishes him to Earth to learn about controlling his anger. On Earth, he meets a cute scientist (Natalie Portman) and her team as they try and retrieve Thor’s weapon (a hammer containing the source of all of his powers) before sinister forces threaten to destroy both Asgard & Earth.

I realize that if you are not familiar with the Thor comic book (created by Spider-man creator Stan Lee) this movie might look kind of, oh lets just say, cheesy as all getup! The image of a Viking warrior swinging around a hammer while Anthony Hopkins chews the scenery in his gold-plated armor made me unsure what to expect (I was also not familiar with the comic book.) Having said that, “Thor’ is a LOT of fun! Sure, it has its cornball moments (hearing Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins warn about the dreaded “freeze giants”, the sworn enemies of Asgard, is quite comical) but what really makes the movie sizzle is director Kenneth Branagh’s (known for his Shakespearean epics & for playing Gildaroy Lockheart in “Harry Potter”) ability to find just the right tone in mixing action & spectacle with a surprising amount of heart and humor.

There are a lot of genuinely funny moments in this movie, particularly Thor’s fish-out-water behavior when he gets to Earth. He finds himself truly surprised as, being a mighty warrior like himself, he is taken down by an Earth-bound taser. In addition to the humor, there is a love story between Thor and Portman’s characters in which Thor slowly begins to understand the nature of human compassion but, don’t fret! There is still plenty of room for him to smash his enemies with his hammer all the while flashing a devil-may-care grin as he prepares to battle hordes of bad guys (wait till you see him take out a giant death-ray firing robot!)  And ladies, & gentlemen too, wait until you get a look at Chris Hemsworth when the armor comes off! Even a hereto-sexual male like myself had to admire (and reconsider that Lifetime Fitness gym membership.)

Branagh is also given some nice assists from a good cast. The aforementioned Hemsworth as Thor does a great job portraying what could’ve been a very silly character. One can only boast, "I am the mighty Thor!" with a straight face for so long, but Hemsworth manages to bring a real warmth and humor to the role (in addition to making him truly badass in the action sequences.) He is a hero that most men will want to be & most women will just want! Also, Tom Heddelston does an excellent job as the villainous Loki. He portrays a man whose jealousy of his brother inspires a scheme to rid Thor from Asgard so that he may take his place as the King. His deceptive nature doesn’t stop there, either! Throughout the movie, I was never quite sure what he was up to; this is a testament to Heddelson's ability to bring both subtlety and grandeur to the role. In addition, Portman, Kat Dennings, Stellen Skarsgard, Idis Ebra, and Clark Gregg all bring something to the table as well. 

Overall, I had a great time at "Thor"! It has everything I love in a good popcorn movie: action, spectacle, humor, and, most importantly, heart. When all of the hammers and swords have been swung (and the “freeze giants” and robots have been fought), “Thor” is a story about a young man who refuses to let his reckless temper be his downfall. Only when he discovers the value of compassion and wisdom, through love and honor, is he then able to unlock his true potential as a leader, and successor to his father’s throne. Unlike a lot of big action adventures, in which sparks ignite during the action, but not the human interaction, the dramatic sparks in this movie are allowed to fly between lovers, brothers, and a father and his sons. "Thor" is a lighthearted action/adventure that should please kids of all ages. Finally, it is no secret that Marvel Studios is planning an "Avengers" movie for next summer which will team up Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, and Thor (among others.) After seeing "Thor", I cannot wait to see how Marvel pulls that off! If you are also anticipating the upcoming “Avengers” movie, be sure to stay through the end credits!