Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow
finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost
pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar (Bardem), escape
from the Devil’s Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea…including
him. Captain Jack’s only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary
Trident of Poseidon, a powerful artifact that bestows upon its possessor total
control over the seas.
Director: Espen Sandberg, Joachim Rønning
Cast: Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Orlando Bloom, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario
Release Date: May 26, 2017
Rated: PG-13 for Some Suggestive Content and
Adventure Violence Runtime: 2 hr. 9 min.
Genres: Action/Adventure
Review:
Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No
Tales, the 5th entry in the series, is a fun bit of filmmaking but
directors Espen Sandberg, Joachim Rønning can’t shake the feeling of
familiarity.A villain with a grud, a
treasure and Jack Sparrow make for a decent enough time at the movies but this
fifth installment never seems to find its sea legs.With Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightly sitting
this entry out, for the most part, Johnny Depp is left with some unmagnetic
replacements.Neither Brenton Thwaites
or Kaya Scodelario, who looks like a young Rebecca Hall, are interesting enough
to make you care about them.Javier
Bardem is good fun as the villain in the piece even if the film doesn’t seem to
know how to utilize him best.The plot
is straightforward enough to keep wandering minds entertained but once it’s all
said and done, I doubt anyone will give it a second thought.
Dearest Blog: Yesterday (and the day before), it was off to Marquee Cinemas for the latest installment in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing of consequence that hasn't been revealed already by trailers and advertising.
Further misadventures ensue when Captain Jack Sparrow is enlisted for another magical mission.
Dear reader(s), so we're clear from the outset: The POTC franchise is my Bond, my Star Wars, my Avengers...all rolled into one. It's where Jack's compass would point if I held it in my hands. Any review is no more than one person's opinion, but my opinion of a POTC movie will never stray too far from a heart-eyes emoji and a bunch of exclamation points.
You may have heard that Dead Men Tell No Tales harkens back to the original POTC, the Curse of the Black Pearl, and in many ways this is true. Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) and Carina Smith (Kaya Scodelario) are a poor man's Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann on a parental quest; Thwaites even looks like a young Orlando Bloom at times. As a devoted fan of Johnny Depp, lately I've wished he'd steer clear of the "quirky guy in a funny hat" roles, but I'm powerless to resist Captain Jack. He lights up the screen like no one else can, and, if he can never duplicate that element of surprise that came with the first outing, it's clear he is an icon, still much loved by movie-goers...much like the POTC films themselves. Javier Bardem's Captain Salazar is the stuff of nightmares, and his ghost crew represents some of the most interesting CGI I've seen in many a moon, tops in a picture that's filled with plenty of huge, masterful effects. (Two words: ghost sharks.) Dead Men Tell No Tales continues the franchise's history of hilariously clever action sequences (another brush with the executioner is a highlight), and the movie keeps its secrets well enough for some nice reveals. Geoff Zanelli gets credit for POTC5's rousing score, though it features plenty of callbacks to Klaus Badelt's stunning Curse of the Black Pearl soundtrack, and one very special Will Turner cue from Hans Zimmer's work on At World's End. Fans of the franchise will be delighted to see such familiar old faces as Mr. Gibbs (Kevin McNally), Marty (Martin Klebba), Murtogg (Giles New), Mullroy (Agnes Barnett), and of course Captain Barbossa (the brilliant Geoffrey Rush). At this writing, I've seen POTC5 twice in 2D and once in 3D, and the only appreciable benefit to the 3D is that it lightens up some too-dark scenes; otherwise it’s not worth the upcharge and glasses headache. The movie is exciting enough that it doesn't seem overlong, but it does slow down juuuuust enough in the middle that a little trim might have been to its benefit. Finally, though this installment has been billed as "the final adventure," it clearly means "final adventure" in the same way the Rolling Stones mean "farewell tour." Dead Men Tell No Tales doesn't just leave a door open for more POTC movies; a great post-credits scene practically promises them.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales runs 129 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of adventure violence and some suggestive content."
POTC5 is is a rollicking adventure filled with fun characters, terrific effects, and plenty of laugh-out-loud humor, perfect for the first holiday weekend of summer blockbuster season.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales gets all nine.
Fangirl points: All of it really, but how about those Middle Earth connections, David Wenham (Faramir) and Adam Brown (Ori), and of course...Sir Paul McCartney!!
Since there’s a cinematic dead spot in my movie calendar right
I accepted a challenge from Tanner Jones (The Average Critic) to participate
in the 6 Degrees of Separation Blogathon.
Like Tanner, this is my first ever blogathon but that’s probably
due to my general laziness….
To complete the challenge, I must figure out a way to connect Kaya Scodelario to
Oscar Issac.
In essence, it’s a cinematic version of 6 degrees of Kevin
Bacon.
While I’ve seen these actors, I can’t say I’m terribly familiar
with either, so it took me a bit to find the connection
So without further adieu let’s begin….
Kaya Scodelario was in Clash of the Titans with….
Luke Evans who was in The Raven with….
John Cusack who was in the
Paperboy with…
Scott Glenn who was in Sucker
Punch with…
Oscar Isaac!!!
Please hold your applause.....just kidding feel free to shower me with your love....
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Movie Reviews: MOON
ON DVD
MOON
An astronaut miner extracting the precious moon gas that promises to reverse the Earth's energy crisis nears the end of his three-year contract, and makes an ominous discovery in this psychological sci-fi film starring Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey. For three long years, Sam Bell has dutifully harvested Helium 3 for Lunar, a company that claims it holds the key to solving humankind's energy crisis. As Sam's contract comes to an end, the lonely astronaut looks forward to returning to his wife and daughter down on Earth, where he will retire early and attempt to make up for lost time. His work on the Selene moon base has been enlightening -- the solitude helping him to reflect on the past and overcome some serious anger issues -- but the isolation is starting to make Sam uneasy. With only two weeks to go before he begins his journey back to Earth, Sam starts feeling strange: he's having inexplicable visions, and hearing impossible sounds. Then, when a routine extraction goes horribly awry, it becomes apparent that Lunar hasn't been entirely straightforward with Sam about their plans for replacing him. The new recruit seems strangely familiar, and before Sam returns to Earth, he will grapple with the realization that the life he has created may not be entirely his own. Up there, hundreds of thousands of miles from home, it appears that Sam's contract isn't the only thing about to expire. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Kaya Scodelario, Benedict Wong, Matt Berry, Malcolm Stewart.
Director: Duncan Jones
Release Date: ..Jun 12, 2009..
Rated R for language
Runtime: 1 hr. 37 min.
Genres: Drama, Thriller
Review:
Duncan Jones feature film debut is the type of film that makes life long science fiction fans feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Recalling Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 with its look and the ever present computer assistant, Jones creates an atmospheric and engaging film that is more about concepts and philosophical musing than the actions on screen. While 2001 is the first thing that comes to mind, its themes and ideas are closer to Solaris, the Soviet sci-fi classic. Jones eye and pacing are very measured and he allows the audience to get a sense of the silence and isolation the story’s main character is experiencing and feeling. Sam Rockwell is on full display here as the film is pretty much a stage for him to show off his entire range of talent. Rockwell is fascinating and intriguing throughout, playing the character at the start and end of his life is daunting challenge but he pulls it off with ease. Kevin Spacey provides the voice for Rockwell’s automated co star Gerty. Spacey’s monotone and disarming timber gives Gerty an artificial yet compassionate voice. That coupled with Gerty’s wide array of smileys that mimic the conversation make for an interesting counterpart to Rockwell’s character. Jones debut makes a strong impression but lacks tension or mystery throughout. The plot feels like it plays its hand a tad too early as there’s very little suspense in the final act. Personally I was left expecting a bit more from the actual story. Still its themes and questions are fascinating food for thought especially for life long science fiction fans who don’t need massive FX or invading aliens to intrigue the mind.
