Without Bloom and Knightley, Pirates of the Caribbean still rules!
12 years ago
Showing posts with label Johnny Depp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Johnny Depp. Show all posts
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Review - On Stranger Tides
Whoa. It’s the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie already? Wow.
The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was phenomenal. The Curse of the Black Pearl propelled its three stars to superstardom. Okay, okay, Johnny Depp has always been a superstar but his performance as Captain Jack Sparrow actually earned him his first Oscar nomination and solidified his career. Orlando Bloom was already famous as Legolas from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but this movie proved he could be a swashbuckling hero without the pointy ears. Keira Knightley went on to earn an Oscar nomination for her work in Pride and Prejudice.
So yes, it was a phenomenal movie. The right amount of humor, the right amount of action, the right amount of romance.
You would think that there’s no more storylines and that they would leave the series alone right? No. At World’s End left it open-ended.
Fast forward to this year. On Stranger Tides opens. I was first turned off by it because I thought the other two Pirates of the Caribbean movies were not as good as the first one. And then I read Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom were not coming back. Not really a good sign.
Penelope Cruz was then cast as the female lead. Guess they really haven’t had a Spanish influence on Pirates of the Caribbean yet. I like Penelope Cruz. She was the single best thing about Nine. I love musicals but there was no saving that. Okay, maybe Marion Cotillard was good as well.
Anyway, I saw the trailer. But it did not really excite me still. But it is a Pirates of the Caribbean movie and it is Johnny Depp… so I went to watch it anyway.
On Stranger Tides starts with Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) attempting to rescue one of his crew. Then he hears a rumor about him recruiting people to go to the Fountain of Youth. Which peaked his interest because he was not the one recruiting. Turns out, it was Angelica (Penelope Cruz) who was recruiting in his name/disguise. Angelica wants to go to the Fountain of Youth to help her father, the infamous Black Beard, who is dying. Hot on their trails is Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who has a score to settle with Black Beard… and the Spanish fleet, who are also seeking out the legendary fountain.
So there you have it. This movie is about the adventure to go find the Fountain of Youth. And what an adventure it is. Seriously. I thought the movie might have lost its magic and/or spark but I was wrong. It still got it. Johnny Depp did not phone in his performance and Penelope Cruz is a fine addition to the series.
However, the movie did get off to a slow start. Like the first few minutes for example. It’s classic Jack Sparrow. Has a ‘been there, done that’ vibe. But as soon as they get off sailing the high seas, then the movie starts to take on top form. I’m talking about zombies and mermaids and ghost ships.
Is this movie any better than the first three movies? It is definitely in a class of its own. In a good way. Nothing can touch the first movie though. Not even the second and third movie. But this one comes quite close to equaling the amount of thrills from the first movie. I guess the second movie suffered greatly because the ending was a set-up for the third movie and that turned off most people. Just like the second Matrix movie… felt like an unfinished movie...
But I am not saying they were bad movies… just not as good…
So I guess if there were a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, then I’ll go watch it and it will probably be good as well. Or they could pull a Fast & Furious and have the next movie with Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom… but Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow is essentially the movie so not sure if it would work…
The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was phenomenal. The Curse of the Black Pearl propelled its three stars to superstardom. Okay, okay, Johnny Depp has always been a superstar but his performance as Captain Jack Sparrow actually earned him his first Oscar nomination and solidified his career. Orlando Bloom was already famous as Legolas from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but this movie proved he could be a swashbuckling hero without the pointy ears. Keira Knightley went on to earn an Oscar nomination for her work in Pride and Prejudice.
So yes, it was a phenomenal movie. The right amount of humor, the right amount of action, the right amount of romance.
You would think that there’s no more storylines and that they would leave the series alone right? No. At World’s End left it open-ended.
Fast forward to this year. On Stranger Tides opens. I was first turned off by it because I thought the other two Pirates of the Caribbean movies were not as good as the first one. And then I read Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom were not coming back. Not really a good sign.
Penelope Cruz was then cast as the female lead. Guess they really haven’t had a Spanish influence on Pirates of the Caribbean yet. I like Penelope Cruz. She was the single best thing about Nine. I love musicals but there was no saving that. Okay, maybe Marion Cotillard was good as well.
Anyway, I saw the trailer. But it did not really excite me still. But it is a Pirates of the Caribbean movie and it is Johnny Depp… so I went to watch it anyway.
On Stranger Tides starts with Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) attempting to rescue one of his crew. Then he hears a rumor about him recruiting people to go to the Fountain of Youth. Which peaked his interest because he was not the one recruiting. Turns out, it was Angelica (Penelope Cruz) who was recruiting in his name/disguise. Angelica wants to go to the Fountain of Youth to help her father, the infamous Black Beard, who is dying. Hot on their trails is Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who has a score to settle with Black Beard… and the Spanish fleet, who are also seeking out the legendary fountain.
So there you have it. This movie is about the adventure to go find the Fountain of Youth. And what an adventure it is. Seriously. I thought the movie might have lost its magic and/or spark but I was wrong. It still got it. Johnny Depp did not phone in his performance and Penelope Cruz is a fine addition to the series.
However, the movie did get off to a slow start. Like the first few minutes for example. It’s classic Jack Sparrow. Has a ‘been there, done that’ vibe. But as soon as they get off sailing the high seas, then the movie starts to take on top form. I’m talking about zombies and mermaids and ghost ships.
Is this movie any better than the first three movies? It is definitely in a class of its own. In a good way. Nothing can touch the first movie though. Not even the second and third movie. But this one comes quite close to equaling the amount of thrills from the first movie. I guess the second movie suffered greatly because the ending was a set-up for the third movie and that turned off most people. Just like the second Matrix movie… felt like an unfinished movie...
But I am not saying they were bad movies… just not as good…
So I guess if there were a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, then I’ll go watch it and it will probably be good as well. Or they could pull a Fast & Furious and have the next movie with Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom… but Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow is essentially the movie so not sure if it would work…
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Review - Rango
Johnny Depp is such a great character actor, who turned out incredible characters such Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean - which landed him his first Oscar nomination), Sweeney Todd (3rd nomination), Edward Scissorhands, The Mad Hatter (Alice in Wonderland) and Don Juan DeMarco.
So it's no surprise that he brought his intensity/quirkiness to Rango. Depp voices the main character, Rango, a chameleon who has been living in captivity, performing plays for his own entertainment.
One fine day, he gets tossed out from his owner's car because of an accident and he finds himself in a strange world where water is like currency. By chance or stupidity, he got rid of the town's pest, or one of the pests, and he was elected sheriff and now he has to protect the town from an even bigger threat... drought...
As per usual, in an animation, the supporting characters are colorful and quirky, almost matching Depp's/Rango's quirks. And yes, Depp brought it. Not too sure if its was scripted that way or they readjusted it according to the voice actor, but the character was hilarious and layered.
Hence, it brought the movie to a whole new level. Delightful indeed. Who knew a creature like a chameleon could be seen in a heroic light?
Monday, March 7, 2011
Box Office
Johnny Depp beats Matt Damon...
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/depps-rango-corrals-38m-opening-box-office-ap?nc
Friday, February 25, 2011
Trailer - On Stranger Tides
The fourth Pirates of the Caribbean... no longer featuring Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom... Penelope Cruz is in this one instead...
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Idol Alice
Tonite is the ladies' turn to sing. They've changed the scheduling to allow Crystal Bowersox some time to recover.
Go here to find out more about this --> http://www.rickey.org/?p=34308
Recap - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34342
As usual, if you haven't had the time to catch on the TV, go the links below to view their performances... :)
Crystal Bowersox - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34326
Haeley Vaughn - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34332
Lacey Brown - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34338
Katie Stevens - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34345
Didi Benami - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34351
Michelle Delamor - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34358
Lilly Scott - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34363
Katelyn Epperly - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34369
Paige Miles - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34371
Siobhan Magnus - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34383
In other news, I saw Alice in Wonderland 3D... I am not sure if the storyline's the same with the previous Alice movies... but it was an enjoyable movie.
This Alice is an adult now and was goaded into returning to Wonderland because the Red Queen has taken over, dethroning the White Queen and has rendered Wonderland into some sort of hellish place.
The acting's pretty good. Well, kinda expected from Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.
The new girl, Mia Wasikowska, is not bad... she's like a younger Gwyneth Paltrow... the effects in the movie is pretty good... although it is a bit reminiscent of Lord of the Rings... a good movie to watch... especially in 3D... :)
Look out for one particular scene between Alice and the White Queen... I am not sure if they intended it to be that funny but I was laughing out loud for a couple of minutes... :)
AI9 Info - www.rickey.org
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Alice Idol
Tomorrow at Pavilion... :)
and....
Tonite on
it's the Guys performing instead of the girls because Crystal Bowersox is too sick and under medical advisement not to perform...
I hope she gets better and will be able to perform well tomorrow night coz she is one of my faves this season... :)
As usual, if you're too busy or can't get home in time, here are the links to the guys' performance:
Lee Dewyze: http://www.rickey.org/?p=34233
Tim Urban: http://www.rickey.org/?p=34229
Aaron Kelly: http://www.rickey.org/?p=34219
Andrew Garcia: http://www.rickey.org/?p=34212
Jermaine Sellers: http://www.rickey.org/?p=34208
Todrick Hall: http://www.rickey.org/?p=34203
Alex Lambert: http://www.rickey.org/?p=34197
Casey James: http://www.rickey.org/?p=34189
John Park: http://www.rickey.org/?p=34183
Michael Lynche: http://www.rickey.org/?p=34175
