Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - DVD

Pirates of the Caribbean is a sweeping action-adventure story set in an era when villainous pirates scavenged the Caribbean seas. This roller coaster tale teams a young man, Will Turner, with an unlikely ally in rogue pirate Jack Sparrow. Together, they must battle a band of the world's most treacherous pirates, led by the cursed Captain Barbossa, in order to save Elizabeth, the love of Will's life, as well as recover the lost treasure that Jack seeks. Against improbable odds, they race towards a thrilling, climactic confrontation on the mysterious Isla de Muerta. Clashing their swords in fiece mortal combat, Will and Jack attempt to recapture The Black Pearl ship, save the British navy, and relinquish a fortune in forbidden treasure thereby lifting the curse of the Pirates of the Caribbean.

I give the The Curse of the Black Pearl a solid 90%

I saw this movie in the theaters and I had to have it on DVD. Having gone to Disney World in Florida many times and ridden Pirates of the Caribbean, I really had to see this movie. There are some scenes from the ride at the park that are almost identically recreated in the movie. My favorite of those was the men trying to lure the dog with the cell keys over with a bone. That one is straight out of the ride.

Johnny Depp brings to life Captain Jack Sparrow and does it superbly. Though I think she did admirably, I am not too happy with Keira Knightly as Elizabeth Swan. At least not with her opposite Orlando Bloom who plays Will Turner. I don't think the chemistry comes across very well. And I know there have been some who berate Klaus Badelt's film score, but some even berate using him in the first place. I on the other hand like the the film score and bought it on CD because I thought the pieces were so good.

One of the things that makes this movie so good is the pace. It keeps moving without rushing things. When you arrive at a scene, there has been a logical progression to get you there. So the continuity is very good. This is definitely a great film and worth buying the DVD.

My favorite quote (it's a long one):

Jack Sparrow: The only rules that really matter are these: what a man can do and what a man can't do. For instance, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that some day. And me, for example, I can let you drown, but I can't bring this ship into Tortuga all by me onesies, savvy? So, can you sail under the command of a pirate, or can you not?

The Village (2004) - DVD

In a quiet, isolated village in olde Pennsylvania, there lies a pact between the people of the village and the creatures who reside in the surrounding woods: the townspeople do not enter the woods, and the creatures do not enter the village. The pact stays true for many years, but when Lucius Hunt seeks medical supplies from the towns beyond the wood, the pact is challenged. Animal carcasses, devoid of fur, begin to appear around the village, causing the council of elders to fear for the safety of the village, the pact, and so much more.

I give The Village a solid 82%.

I never caught this movie in the theaters. I wish I had. I bought this DVD a few months ago because my daughter loves the movie. We watched it again last night and my son decided to watch it too, his first time seeing it.

This movie is quiet and yet in that quiet there is suspense and intrigue. My biggest complaint is that I think this movie should move a little more slowly. It felt rushed in that there was an event/stiumlus and an immediate reaction with little consideration of alternatives or even waiting. There is a lot of room for storyline in this film. With all that quiet, you could build up more fear of the creatures, or more of the complex social relationships that develop in an isolated community such as the village they lived in.

I think what I really liked best about this movie was the character Ivy Walker. She was my favorite character in the village. I liked her style and the dialogue she had was very appropriate for her. Also I think Bryce Dallas Howard performed the part excellently. And I have to say I simply loved her red hair. I also think she worked well opposite Joaquin Phoenix. That was a good casting decision I think.

My favorite quote from The Village:

Ivy Walker: How is it that you are so brave while the rest of us shake in our boots?
Lucius Hunt: I don't think of what might happen, only what must be done.

I wish I could live more like that response by Lucius. There is a lot of good in the life depicted in The Village. This is on my list of movies to watch yearly.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Charlie Bucket comes from a poor family, and spends most of his time dreaming about the chocolate that he loves but usually can't afford. Things change when Willy Wonka, head of the very popular Wonka Chocolate empire, announces a contest in which five gold tickets have been hidden in chocolate bars and sent throughout the country. The kids who find the tickets will be taken on a tour of Wonka's chocolate factory and get a special glimpse of the wonders within. Charlie miraculously finds a ticket, along with four other children much naughtier than him. The tour of the factory will hold more than a few surprises for this bunch...

I give Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a solid 86%

I had already decided to put as much of the original Willy Wonka with Gene Wilder out of my head as I possibly could. I wanted to see this movie for its own merits. That was a very good thing to do as they are really quite different movies.

First off, I like Tim Burton's stye of things and I like this darker, somewhat sadistic Willy Wonka. And Johnny Depp has proven to be a very versatile actor and did an outstanding job with this role. Instead of the kindly older man that Gene Wilder portrayed, you get a twisted kid who never really grew up.

I also have to tip my hat to Danny Elfman for an outstanding score. Although I don't think these Oompa Loompa songs are as memorable as the previous movie versions, they are brilliant. And while I am on the subject, I also have to congratulate the editing crew for putting in one Oompa Loompa a zillion times so well. Ok, 165 Oompa Loompas to be precise. And Deep Roy did every one of them superbly.

This was a hilarious and dark romp through a twisted world. I loved it.

My favorite movie quote:

Willy Wonka: Everything here is eatable. I'm eatable, but that my children is called cannibalism and it is frowned upon in most societies.

That is simply brilliant.

This is on my "buy" list when it comes out on DVD.

The Beast of War (1988) - DVD

During the war in Afghanistan a Soviet tank crew commanded by a tyrannical officer find themselves lost and in a struggle against a band of Mujahadeen guerrillas in the mountains. This is a unique look at the Soviet "Vietnam" experience sympathetically told for both sides.



I give The Beast of War a solid 72%

I caught part of this movie years ago on a cable channel but never saw it all. The other day I picked it up at Walmart for $5.50 because I remembered liking it. I wasn't disappointed. It was worth the small price.

Now what I liked most about this movie is the mental game played by the tank commander. The movie builds to where you see the commander being sadistic and he is going insane. He begins to kill off his own crew and when he abandons his tank driver merely for having a conscience and questiong his orders, he has created a new enemy for himself.

The biggest problem I had with this movie is that there is no pretense about the Russian tank crew only speaking very American English and using very American profanity. That was the biggest problem I had. There were other continuity issues as well. In many ways, this was a mediocre attempt at making a film about the Soviet military. But looking past that, this was a thought provoking look into that very poorly handled military operation by the Russians.

Another thing that attracted me to this movie was that it seems that in today's political climate, there is a tendency to beat up America for taking military action. Even by the Russians. And there are far too few people I find, even my age, who remember that the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December of 1979 and occupied it until 1989. That military operation really was the Soviet Union's "Vietnam" experience.

My favorite quote:

Korvechenko: Sorry sir, not much of a war. No Stalingrad. How is it that we're the Nazis this time? How is that?

Time to catch up

Well, I have now posted my mini-reviews of the recent movies I have seen. What comes next will be mini-reviews of movies as I watch them on DVD. And some of these could go way back. Oh well. It is what I want to do.

Madagascar (2005)

At New York's Central Park Zoo, a lion, a zebra, a giraffe, and a hippo are best friends and stars of the show. But when one of the animals goes missing from their cage, the other three break free to look for him, only to find themselves reunited ... on a ship en route to Africa. When their vessel is hijacked, however, the friends, who have all been raised in captivity, learn first-hand what life can be like in the wild.

I give Madagascar a solid 81%.

In general this was a great flick and it had some very funny moments. The animation was very well done, except I did not like the look of the zebra's nostrils. That just really bothered me. This film was funny, kid-friendly, but no so dopey as to make the adults sick.
I liked the premise of the story. The animals were content living in the zoo and the thought of living in the wild freaked all of them except Marty the zebra and the penguins. The characters were memorable. I think my favorite had to be Melman the hypochondriac giraffe. And this was educational too. I now know for real what a foosa is.

There were some great subtle, and not-so-subtle references to other movies. In particular I liked the references to the original Planet of the Apes. It was missed by everyone in the theater under 35 I think.

My favorite quote:

Marty the Zebra: The penguins are going, so why can't I?
Alex the Lion: Marty, the penguins are psychotic.

Is this a conspriacy against Linux? Hmmm.....

Anyway, oh sugar, honey, ice tea! I forgot to mention that it took 4 days to get "I like to move it" unstuck from my head.

I will probably buy this as DVD.

Fantastic Four (2005)

When an experimental space voyage goes awry, four people are changed by cosmic rays. Reed Richards, inventor and leader of the group gains the ability to stretch his body, and takes the name, Mr. Fantastic. His girlfriend, Sue Storm, gains the ability to turn invisible and create force fields, calling herself the Invisible Woman. Her younger brother Johnny Storm gains the ability to control fire, including covering his own body with flame, becoming the Human Torch. Pilot Ben Grimm is turned into a super-strong rock creature calling himself Thing. Together, they use their unique powers to explore the strange aspects of the world, and to foil the evil plans of Doctor Doom.

I give Fantastic Four a solid 71%.

I must admit, I was a bit disappointed with this film. For a film such as this, I don't really need as much character development as it had. This movie was nearly turned into a love story with some weirdness, instead of the action variety. The build up was too slow and there was not enough of seeing the action.

I will say that I like Human Torch best. He kind of throws in your face of what a superhero should be. I also liked the presentation of the invisibility of "Invisible Girl". And talk about your setups for a sequel, you can't get more obvious than that.

I think that this movie should have been a successful formula movie, but they got the wrong formula.

My favorite quote:

Chief Fireman: Who's the leader?
Johnny Storm: That would be me!
Chief Fireman: No, really.

Batman Begins (2005)

Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham. In the wake of his parents' murder, disillusioned industrial heir Bruce Wayne travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful. He returns to Gotham and unveils his alter-ego: Batman, a masked crusader who uses his strength, intellect and an array of high tech deceptions to fight the sinister forces that threaten the city.

I give Batman Begins a solid 95%.

This was without a doubt, the darkest of the Batman films. It does a very good job of establishing why a playboy billionaire would want to fight crime while keeping it somewhat a believable emotion for Bruce Wayne. The use of imagry abounded and every scene oozed the same darkness. Very well done. This will be a classic.

My favorite part had to be the scene when he summoned all the bats to cloud his escape. But as far as lines go, I loved the way Bruce interacted with Mr. Fox. It was brilliant.

My least favorite part was possibly the whole weirdness of Bruce and the two bimbos in the water at the hotel. Also I think the Scarecrow could have been done better. But still, this is on the list of DVDs to buy.

Favorite Quote:

Jim Gordon: [hearing bat sounds] What's that?
Bruce Eayne: Back-up.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)

The movie is based on the young adult book, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Anne Brashares. As four best friends spend their first summer apart from one another, they share a magical pair of jeans. Despite being of various shapes and sizes, each one of them fits perfectly into the pants. To keep in touch they pass these pants to each other as well as the adventures they are going through while apart.

I give Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants a solid 80%.

And before anyone gives me crap, I took my teenage daughter to see this movie! So there. Anyway, There were a lot of good things about this movie. I went expecting a "teen girl flick", and it was to a large extent. But the reason why I rate it as high as I do is the treatment it gave some serious emotional and psychological issues of the girls in the story. The treatment was serious, even if at times the result was intended to be somewhat comical, it retained value in its approach to the subject.

The major issues the girls in the film had to deal with:

• Death of a parent
• Divorce of parents
• Being afraid to try things'
• Teen sex
• Death of a friend, in this case a younger girl
• Seeing life as either a "suckmentary", or something worthwhile

My favorite scenes were with Bailey. I tell you, as a father, seeing the interaction of Tibby and Bailey is emotional. I won't spoil it here, but it was the only seriously emotional part of the film for this adult.

This is not your ordinary teen girl flick. I highly recommend this to parents of teen girls. If you could actually see it with them, there is a mountain of material to talk to your kids about. Highly recommended.

My favorite quote from the movie:

Bailey: I want you to do something for me.
Tibby: What?
Bailey: Finish your documentary.
Tibby: Why?
Bailey: Because you can.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

A married couple (Pitt and Jolie) are getting bored with their quiet domestic life. What they don't know, however, is that they're both assassins, secretly hopping the world and killing for hire. But their separate lives are about to collide when each finds out their next target is their own spouse.



I give Mr. & Mrs. Smith a solid 91%.

Honestly, I like a film that can pull off what this one pulled off. It has a light view of itself while retaining those amazing, though unbelievable, action sequences. I am not a big Brad Pitt fan, but I think he did a fantastic job at this one. Angelina Jolie was perfect for the seductive, yet lethal, wife.
Besides the action sequences, there were a lot of memorable quotes. Like this one:

John Smith: That's the second time you've tried to kill me today.
Jane Smith: Oh, come on, it was just a little bomb.

This one is on my list of DVDs to buy when it comes out.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Everyone has bad mornings. You wake up late, you stub your toe, you burn the toast...but for a man named Arthur Dent, this goes far beyond a bad day. When he learns that a friend of his is actually an alien with advanced knowledge of Earth's impending destruction, he is transported off the Earth seconds before it is exploded to make way for a new hyperspace motorway. And as if that's not enough, throw in being wanted by the police, Earth II, an insane electronic encyclopedia, no tea whatsoever, a chronically depressed robot and the search for the meaning of life, and you've got the greatest adventure off Earth

I give HHGG a solid 84%.

I know it was not the same as the book. I don't care. I liked it. From beginning to end. There was a lot left out form the books, but then again, no one wants to see movie that long anyway. This movie does a good job with keeping the pace up. Especially for those who are not already familiar with the story. It was kind of campy I think. But I like campy.

In particular, I really liked the Vogons. Disgusting and vile, just like beaurocrats ought to be. But I think my favorite quote from the movie was between Trillian and Marvin:

Trillian: Marvin... you saved us!
Marvin: I know. Wretched, isn't it?

I did not like the ending very much though. The whole restart of the earth from the point of explosion was just too.... stupid. Hence it is in the lower 80s percentile.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

It has been three long years since the Clone Wars have first begun, and Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker have fought as hard as they possibly could. When the capital planet of Coruscant becomes under attack by the Separatist droid armies and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is kidnapped by the army leader, General Grievous, Anakin personal problems begin to develop, including his anger at the Jedi Council for not giving him the rank of Master, though he is on the council, and his plagued visions of his secret wife, Padme Amidala, dying in childbirth. He is determined to do anything to save her, no matter the cost. While Obi-Wan is sent to kill General Grievous on Utapau, Anakin is taken under Palpatine's wing, being subtly seduced by the Dark Side of the Force and convince that the Dark Side is power than can save his wife from death. Soon enough, a new, darker, ominous figure that would eventually be feared by the entire galaxy is formed: Lord Darth Vader. Obi-Wan, discovering Anakin's betrayal, sees no choice but to face his own apprentice in an attempt to bring back the young, loyal Jedi that had been like his own son, brother, and friend.

I give Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith a solid 92%.

Of all the Star Wars movies, I think this has become my favorite Star Wars film now. This was the darkest of all the Star Wars films. Now you must understand that I saw the original Star Wars: A New Hope when it originally came out. I was in junior high school and it was astounding. That film will always keep a top place in my mind. But RoTS has surpassed the original.

My favorite part of RotS was the confrontation near the lava and Anakin losing his footing, so to speak. That whole scene, and the anger he possesses as he pulls himself up the slope are cool. I think my least favorite part was some of the sappy dialogue between Anakin and Padme'. The effects were mind boggling. And there was minimal Jar-Jar influence.

I highly recommend this film. But if you are not into sci-fi and Star Wars, you may not appreciate this film.

My favorite quote:

[after Obi-wan uses a gun and drops it]
Obi-Wan: So uncivilized.

The Purpose

Why have a blog? I mean, the odds of someone reading my blog is pretty small. But I thought about it and I decided I can use a blog for simply recording and sharing thoughts whether or not anyone actually reads it. It is for me.

I already have a personal blog at http://sixdrift.blogspot.com that I use to record my own thoughts. But I decided there were some things I specifically wanted to share. That leads me to the purpose of this specific blog. Movies.

So this blog is intended to record my personal views on various movies. Basically, this will be my own movie review list. I will review movies from both the theater and on DVD.

And furthermore, I don't care if anyone disagrees with my opinions or my reviews of movies. If you don't like my opinion, that's your problem. You are free to create your own blog. And I encourage you to do so.

To set the stage for all subsequent reviews, I will keep it straightforward and simple. Basically what I think of the movie, my favorite parts, the parts I don't like, and anything that stands out. These reviews are strictly from a viewer's perspective.

Thus ends the purpose posting of this blog.