PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES -- Review

When it comes to pirates there are very few things that can go wrong. Well, a lot can go wrong, but Disney has found an amazing ensemble cast that brings to life their amusement park ride to such perfection that even after four installments we have yet to get bored with the series. Truth is I sort of missed Gore Verbinski as the director, but Rob Marshall did a decent job having primarily come off of directing musical. But it wasn't just the director who left the franchise, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan, have (THANKFULLY) moved on as well, and I was glad that there was no reference or cameo to them and we were left with only our most favorite of the characters. In 2007 I remember wondering if another Pirates film would get made, and here it is, almost 4 years later and at the risk of taking the franchise beyond the 3rd film, On Stranger Tides does not miss a beat.

With the return of Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Gibbs (Kevin McNally) and Barbossa (Geoffry Rush), it is only a matter of minutes before you are shown the pace at which the 4th installment will be taking you on this high seas adventure. Johnny Depp reprises his character will a consistency that is amazing because it has been almost 4 years since we last saw the quirky pirate on screen, and it is as though he never left. With a slightly updated wardrobe, a few new scars and a treasure chest full of one-lines and jokes that remind you why you love this character so much. With the butting conflict between Jack and Barbossa, the rivalry between pirates is as entertaining as ever. In addition to the original characters, Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane join the cast as Sparrow's love interest Angelica and her father, the infamous pirate Blackbeard. These two characters breathe new life into the series and rises the bar to the talent and character chemistry. Although they seem to have been overlooked by press during the junkets as all eyes were turned to the new comer Astrid Berges-Frisbey who plays the mermaid Syrena, but without giving too much away, she is cute and serves a purpose but there are far more crucial characters that bring the film to life.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides brings back everything there is to love about the pirates we have spent the last 8 years with and introduces a handful of new characters, a feisty female pirate, and a witty Blackbeard that will give Jack and Barbossa a run for their money when it comes down to a battle of wits.

Highlights:
1) JACK IS BACK!

2) The opening scene is typical of the humor of Pirates and it sets the pace for the film so you know you will be in for one wild ride.

3) Ian McShane as Blackbeard is as fun to watch as his portrayal of the ruthless Al Swearenger in 'Deadwood'.

4) The final scene of the film will leave you laughing until you cry as Angelica tries to put Jack in his place.


Downside:
Don't bother catching the film in 3D. Although the film is fun, the 3D is distracting as the "blurry images" are seen regardless of actually wearing your 3D glasses.

Overall Pirates of the Caribbean: On Strangers Tides is a fun family film that will have you falling in love with pirates all over again. I give the film a 4 out of 5 and beg Disney "PLEASE GIVE US ONE MORE!"

Adjustment Bureau & Rango Podcast

I just completed my second podcast for Picktainment.com.  We covered three films that are opening this weekend. Push play to listen to reviews on The Adjustment Bureau, Rango and Take Me Home Tonight.

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RANGO Review

We’ve all heard the age old joke… Why did the armadillo cross the road?  To get to the… Eeeekkk! Ok maybe not, but after this weekend you will get what I’m trying to say.  Director Gore Verbinski shares a story that over flows with life due to his unusual method of recording voices by actually having his actors acting out the scenes and recording the action to create a base line for the animated characters that are soon to follow.  Rango is a film that has placed the bar so high, that one can only hope it delivers.

Rango follows the journey of a chameleon who goes from being a family pet to finding its inner strength to become the hero to a small western town named Dirt.  Having lived a rather boring life behind four glass walls, when accidently thrown from the family car out into the hot dessert, and needing to quickly find his footing in order to survive in the Wild West.  Rango is one of those unlikely heroes who spent his entire life dreaming of adventure, when suddenly he is put into a situation where he has to use his acting skills to play the role of his life!  Rango must save Dirt from drying up and prevent it from being taken over by bandits.  This little animated western can easily rival any western that has come before.

Rango is a fantastic film full of little nods to a variety of previous films that ultimately makes a transition from being a kid’s film to a film more likely enjoyed by adults.  Paying homage to a wide variety of western films, as well as some film and entertainment references easily recognized and others not quite as obvious that it is the “big kids” that will truly enjoy the film for what it is.  With a classic camp fire scene that reminds us of the great Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles, to an Apocalypse Now aerial action sequence, to a bridge crossing that rivals The Fellowship of the Ring, to a Mariachi band of owls whose reappearance throughout the film, with perfect timing, only adds to the overall hilarity of the story. There’s even a bit of Fear and Loathing visible during some of the hallucination scenes, and there is even a little nod to Verbinski’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.   With a quirky main character voiced by the talented Johnny Depp and a leading lady-lizard, voiced by the beautiful Isla Fisher, the caliber of talent that lends their voices to so many well developed characters almost makes you forget you’re actually watching a cartoon.  The ensemble includes Alfred Molina (Sorcerer's Apprentice) as Roadkill, who will leave you squirming in your seat; Bill Nighy (Pirate Radio) as Rattlesnake Jake, who is the epitome of a western bandit; Ned Beatty as the crocked Mayor; Abigail Breslin (Zombieland) as Priscilla, who you can identify a little with True Grit’s Hailee Steinfeld; Harry Dean Stanton (Big Love) as Balthazar; and Gil Birmingham (Twilight) as Wounded Bird, just to name a few of the memorable characters.

But if that was not enough, there is one scene in particular that will make this film a true hit.  Bare in mind this is purely for the adults in the room as it is highly unlikely that anyone under the age of 15 would appreciate what Verbinski delivered just before the end of the film, and it is at this point that I fell head over heels in love with Rango.  It is the Spirit of the West who brings the film full circle, and once you met this character will you understand the perfection that is Rango.  My only complaint is that for my own selfish desire I wish the actor chosen actually sounded a little more like the person they were portraying.  Even though I love Timothy Olyphant (Justified and I Am Number Four) who voices the Spirit of the West, and was thrilled that he was attached to Rango, I felt that they could have found someone a little more fitting.

Over all the team up between Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies was extremely successful, giving audiences of all ages a story that hit the ball so far out of the park that we are not likely to see a competitor in the near future.  It is rare these days to find an animated project that is this well developed and not from the powerhouses of Disney, Pixar or Dreamworks.  Audiences will be thoroughly surprised and impressed by the way these two companies are able to provide you with an entertaining story that is well fitted to be called a modern western, exceptional animation and characters that you can’t wait to see where the story takes them.   I suggest that you attend a showing of Rango, whether or not you have kids that provide you an excuse to attend a cartoon.  I guarantee that you will be thoroughly entertained and leave the theater wanting more.

I give Rango a 4.5 out of 5.   

The above review was originally written for Picktainment.com.  Please take a minute and follow the link to view the original posting...  Picktainment: RANGO Review

RANGO Trailer


RANGO Featurette

The Tourist -- Review

What would you do if the beautiful Angelina Jolie approached you "randomly" on a train while you are in a foreign country? Probably double check to make sure it wasn't the Octo-Mom trying for another 15 minutes of fame for playing out a scene from Jolie's last flick. The Tourist is one of those films you wish you hadn't seem no matter how many reasons there were telling you to go. Yes it looked like it had potential of being something great. Yes it is a collaboration between some of the hottest stars in Hollywood. Yes you even would have believed that it could have been great. Unfortunately it turned out to be almost as disappointing as Skyline.

The Tourist should have been "the next big thing" and comparable to Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but other than the premise of the film (and a dance shared between our characters) there is very little that even came close. I wanted there to be passion, action and heavy gun fire. I wanted to see Depp give us some serious action. I wanted Jolie to be the action star we all thought she was. But none of that came. I don't know if it is age catching up (however if The Expenibles can pull it off so should Jolie and Depp) or if parenthood has just tripped them up a bit now that both leads are between big flicks. Even the amazing Paul Bettany (Legion and Creation)was a surprising bore.

The Tourist felt almost like a gentle nod to the classic Bond films. You know, the ones that today's film go-ers would fall asleep during (present party included while attempting to watch Goldfinger). Yes they are classics and nothing can touch them, but they are classics for a reason and should be left alone. When we are given something like The Tourist we have certain expectations. We want what could have been the perfect blend of Mr. & Mrs. Smith meets Salt. Instead we were given the grandparent of those films it moved at such a slow pace I almost thought time itself had slowed. Had I not been sitting in the middle of the theater I would have walked out in the hopes that I could use the remained of the night to actually get something (anything) accomplished.

Aside from the tease the film gives us with a quick glimpse of Rufus Sewell (Dark City), who should have been someone to the story but in fact left us confused and unsatisfied, there should have been something left for viewers to walk away from the film feeling.  But it left me with nothing but an empty hole.  The Tourist is a weak attempt at a "spy vs spy" film regardless of the talent and A-list names that have been dragged into leading roles.  For this being the first time (and at this rate - hopefully the only time) we get to see Jolie and Depp together on the big screen it was as big a let down as Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.  I have never before said that a Jolie or Depp film has been bad or lacking, but I will scream it from the top of the Empire State Building if I have to.  You all have let down a great admirer of your work, and I am truly sorry to have wasted my time with you on this journey.  Please spare us the next time you plan to work together as I would much rather watch you kick ass individually than be disappointed like this again.

I give The Tourist a 1.5 out of 5.

2010 MTV Movie Awards -- Who do you think will win the Popcorn?

So in preparation for the big event, I recently went through the nominees for this years MTV Movie Awards.  I have to admit, I feel a little surprised by a few of the nominees, and even feel as those some great roles have been forgotten.  However I do not know what the cut off date is set at for while films can be included for the 2010 awards, and which will be included in the 2011 Movie Awards.  After going through the list of nominees is looks like the cut off is April, but if a film was included from the April 2 release weekend, I wonder if next year's Movie Awards will include any  other April 2010 releases, or if Kick-Ass has been left in the dust (which I feel would be one of their greatest mistakes).

Well, aside from my own prejudice towards my hopes of Kick-Ass being a part of the nominee list, here are the lists which you can go a vote for your favorites at the MTV Movie Awards website.

BEST KISS
K-Stew and Dakota Fanning -- The Runaways
K-Stew and Rob Pattinson -- Twilight Saga: New Moon
Sandra Bullock and Ryan  Reynolds -- The Proposal
Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner -- Valentine's Day
Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington -- Avatar

BEST FIGHT
Beyonce vs Ali Larter -- Obsessed
Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber vs Ryan Reynolds -- X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Logan Lerman vs Jake Able -- Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief
Robert Downey Jr vs Mark Strong -- Sherlock Holmes
Sam Worthington vs Stephen Lang -- Avatar

BEST VILLAIN
Christopher Waltz -- Inglorious Basterds
Helena Bonham Carter -- Alice in Wonderland
Ken Jeong -- The Hangover
Stephen Lang -- Avatar
Tom Felton -- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

BEST WTF MOMENT
Betty White -- The Proposal (feeling up Sandra Bullock)
Bill Murray -- Zombieland
Isabel Lucas -- Transformers 2 (robotic tongue)
Ken Jeong -- The Hangover (jumped out of trunk naked into Bradley Cooper's face)
Megan Fox -- Jeniffer's Body (projectile vomit)

BIGGEST BADASS STAR
Angelina Jolie -- Wanted
Channing Tatum -- G.I. Joe
Chris Pine -- Star Trek
Rain -- Ninja Assassin
Sam Worthington -- Clash of the Titans

BEST SCARED-AS-S**T PERFORMANCE
Alison Loman -- Drag me to Hell
Amanda Seyfried -- Jennifer's Body
Jesse  Eisenberg -- Zombieland
Katie Featerston -- Paranormal Activity
Sharlto Copley -- District 9

BEST BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE
Anna Kendrick -- Up in the Air
Chris Pine -- Star Trek
Gabourey Sidibe -- Precious
Logan Lermon -- Percey Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief
Quinton Aaron -- The Blind Side
Zach Galifianakis -- The Hangover

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE 
Amanda Seyfried -- Dear John
Emma Watson -- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Kristen Stewart -- Twilight Saga: New Moon
Sandra Bullock -- The Blind Side
Zoe Saldana -- Avatar

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE
Channing Tatum -- Dear John
Daniel Radcliffe -- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Robert Pattinson -- Twilight Saga: New Moon
Taylor Lautner -- Twilight Saga: New Moon
Zac Efron -- 17 Again

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Ben Stiller -- Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian
Bradley Cooper -- The Hangover
Ryan Reynolds -- The Proposal
Sandra Bullock -- The Proposal
Zac Galifianakis -- The Hangover

GLOBAL SUPERSTAR
Daniel Radcliffe
Johnny Depp
Kristen Stewart
Robert Pattinson
Taylor Lautner

BEST MOVIE
Alice in Wonderland
Avatar
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hangover
Twilight Saga: New Moon

Right now it is thought that the main competition is between Twilight and Avatar, but who do you think will take home the Popcorn?  Is there a star you are looking forward to seeing either on the red carpet or during the show?  With all of the MTV talent and other HOT celebrity talent the will be making their way to the Universal Studios backlot this Sunday I have to admit, I'm looking forward to see Shaun White, Adam Sandler, Anna Kendrick and Chris Rock.  As far as winners go, I'm hoping that Twilight shares the wealth a little with some of the other nominees but if they do sweep the show lets just hope Kristen Stewart can hold on to her award this year. 


We only have 3 days before the big event, so tune in to MTV Sunday night at 8pm ET/PT to watch find out who will take home the most Popcorn.And if you have not done so already, go to the Movie Awards home page and Vote for who you'd like to see win.  Voting ends Saturday, June 5 so hurry and click the link below to cast your votes.

http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/2010/categories.jhtml

Black Pearl Info -- Pirates 4

Word has come that the Black Pearl has landed in Hawaii, where the 4th installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean film is set to begin production in this coming May.  Check out the video below.

The Book of Eli -- Review

How would you picture the world in say 15-20 years?  Would we be surviving in a world that had turned a new leaf and was now flourishing? Would we be on the verge of war?   Would we be trying to survive a viral outbreak that has turned half the world into the walking dead?   Or would we be trying to do whatever was need to survive a post apocalyptic world?  More importantly what would be your path in that world?  

The Book of Eli is the story of one man's path as seen through the minds eye of directors the Hughes Brothers.  In what is said to be a post war world, after an apocalyptic event, we follow a "walker" as he stays on his path.  Eli takes a path less traveled that takes us on one insane journey.   I remember hearing that it only takes the decision of one man to change the world, well if that man if Eli watch out. Denzel Washington brings a whole new level to the term "badass" in his role as a walker on a mission. 

I was a little surprised with the casting choices of Mila Kunis as Solara, Jennifer Beal as Solara's blind mother Claudia, and even a surprise cameo appearance of another well known actor towards the end of the film.  Casting Gary Oldman as the evil Carnegie was fantastic, however I was not used to seeing his without his beard.  It did add to the overall roughness of his character, but I kept wanting to see the friendly Commissioner James Gordon to appear on screen.  The contrast between Oldman and Washington added to the contract between the characters.

It may take a little to get into the film, especially since it takes almost 10 minutes before the first line of the film, but once the film gets rolling you will be "oooo"ing and "aahhhhh"ing straight to the end.  With the fight sequences choreographed by Dan Inosanto and Jeff Imada its no wonder Eli has become such a badass.  The cinematic choices to use "long takes" during the fights made for an original and unusual twist of things.  It made it hard for me to take my eyes off the screen because I wanted to see what bandit would dare challenge this stranger.  The only problem I found with the film was that it felt like a cross between a post-apocalyptic film meets the wild west.  Shooting the film primarily in New Mexico is probably the cause for why it reminded me of some western film, and more specifically the set used during the scene shot in Carrizozo, NM looked as though they took the old Deadwood set and redressed it to fit this film's time period.  I half expected the old sherrif to come running out of the jail to greet the new comer, pistol in hand, just to make sure that he was passing through town and not looking to cause any trouble.  In a way that is almost exactly what happened, however I would rather leave any spoilers out and let you judge the film for yourself.

The cinematic choices made for this film will leave you with your mouth hanging open, and you will want to talk over the details with whomever you happened to go see the film with.  It is definitely one of those type of films.  It is almost an unbelievable tale of one man's strangth, will power, beliefs and faith that will push you to the edge of your seat.  The skills and talents of this mysterious man will make you fear coming face to face with him, and if you ever catch a glimpse of his modified machete you will want to turn and run in the opposite direction as quickly as your feet will carry you.  The violence in the film is shot with an eligance and smoothness that heightens the appearance of just how deadly Denzel's character truly is.

If you are a fan of Denzel Washington, or just a fan of action films, than I would say this would be a film for you.  The subtext of the story and the depth in which it goes rides a fine line between believable and good, and a little on the boring side just because of the style of story.  The full cast may surprise you, but in the end I bet you will walk out with a conversation starter.  I give The Book of Eli a 3.5 out of 5 for story, but if you are a looking for a beautifully shot film, than this almost makes it a 5.  At least in my books.  The Hughes Brothers have once again impressed me with their directing skills and given yet another amazing picture to look at.  I only wish they would be involved with a few more projects, however having From Hell being their most recent project prior to The Book of Eli, I say it is all about quality and not quantity, so two great films in the past decade is not bad for the two young directors in what could very well be a highly successful career.

Trailer


SPOILER -- The Book of Eli Featurette

Alice in Wonderland -- Tracklist for Soundtrack Released

The tracklist for the upcoming Alice in Wonderland soundtrack have been released. The soundtrack will be titled "Almost Alice" and it is scheduled to hit shelves on Tuesday, March 2, 2010. Below is a look at the songs featured for the soundtrack. By the looks of things, it looks like it could be a great soundtrack.

1. “Alice (Underground)” performed by Avril Lavigne
2. “The Poison” performed by The All-American Rejects
3. “The Technicolor Phase” performed by Owl City
4. “Her Name Is Alice” performed by Shinedown
5. “Painting Flowers” performed by All Time Low
6. “Where’s My Angel” performed by Metro Station
7. “Strange” performed by Tokio Hotel and Kerli
8. “Follow Me Down” performed by 3OH!3 featuring Neon Hitch
9. “Very Good Advice” performed by Robert Smith
10. “In Transit” performed by Mark Hoppus with Pete Wentz

11. “Welcome to Mystery” performed by Plain White T’s

12. “Tea Party” performed by Kerli

13. “The Lobster Quadrille” performed by Franz Ferdinand

14. “Running Out of Time” performed by Motion City Soundtrack
15. “Fell Down a Hole” performed by Wolfmother
16. “White Rabbit” performed by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Additionally, the first music video to be released will be "Alice (Underground)" by Avril Lavigne and that will be released in February.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus -- Review

If given the opportunity to walk into your own wildest dreams, would you take it? Would you walk through a mirror, into the unknown, unaware of the actions or consequences of what that journey might be, and just hoping to come out the other side as close to the same as you went in? What if there was an incredibly attractive person sweet talking you into the idea? Terry Gilliam's film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is an interesting twist to the story of deals made with the devil. It is a little hard to watch at times, and at others the visual content over powers the story itself leaving you feeling almost dizzy. The film feels like a bit of a mash-up of the visual styles of Tim Burton and Guillermo del Toro, with a clear sense of madness present within each of his characters.

Heath Ledger plays Tony, who it seems all on his own embodies a collective of characters previously played by Johnny Depp. It was odd to watch him speaking like Jack Sparrow, and yet having Willy Wonka and even the Mad Hatter coming through. It was almost as though he modeled his character primarily off the works of the other actor, or rather that director Terry Gilliam had modeled this particular character after friend and actor Johnny Depp. I feel puzzled as to where the choice came from or if it was just something that might become apparent to only some, and yet I also question if it may have been caused by the extreme measures that had to be taken to complete the film after the unfortunate passing of Heath Ledger during production.

Ever since news was released regarding how Mr. Gilliam planned to complete the film I was a little hesitant as to how he would be able to pull off having one character played by 4 different actors. In a weird way Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell all have similarities that could make it a little easier for them to play the same character, but I questioned whether or not it would be effective or if it would hurt the film. If you have read any news on Mr. Gilliam's choice to use these particular actors you will know that it was done because these men were friends of the late actor, and the choice to keep it "in the family" was made out of respect for Ledger with the film being dedicated to him upon its release. It is touching to know that so many people offered to step up to the plate and help the production when the tragic news haulted the film, and even more so to know that Ledger had touched so many people's hearts and particularly that a director would turn down so many people and only choose someone that knew and could honor the memory of such an amazingly talented actor in the way that he should be remembered. Depp, Law and Farrell channeled Ledger in every sense, with hair and make-up added into the mix to help with the visual aspect. I just wonder what it meant to these actors to have such a weight placed on their shoulders to pull off this particular type of role. It was not just the role of a character, but also the role of upholding the memory of a fallen actor in his final role.

The world of the imaginarium, or rather what we see from inside Doctor Parnassus' head, is truly a fantasy world fit for any child's wildest imagination. This is the world in which we find Depp, Law and Farrell. Each time Tony walks through the mirror and enters the imaginarium, we are given a different glimpse of who he is and his face is never the same. The first Imaginarium Tony is played by Johnny Depp and in this world it is an upper east side class of woman that he entertains with his charm and good looks. The second imaginarium Tony is played by Jude Law, and in this we see the scheming, sly character in which we begin to see the true colors of who Tony really is. The third imaginarium Tony is played by Colin Farrell and it is at this point when Doctor Parnassus' daughter has fallen for the sweet talker and it is only through the help of another member of the traveling circus, Anton, do we finally see just who Tony is.

The sometimes overwhelming visuals highlight the traveling show and the magic of the imagination. I found that I sometimes needed to dig through the images to find the cast, even though I knew that on their own they would stand strong. The traveling show's crew was graciously made of up such talent as Christopher Plummer as Doctor Parnassus, supermodel Lily Cole as his young daughter Valentina, Andrew Garfield as Anton, and Verne Troyer as Percy. They are later joined by the collective cast of Tony's, and even Tom Waits who plays Mr. Nick whom Doctor Parnassus places bets with the devil for life, love and even his daughter's freedom. It is the ever betting man and his wagers with the devil that lead the story through Terry Gilliam's wild imaginarium.

As a whole the film is worth watching just to see what wild things Terry Gilliam can come up with. The actor's performances are great when you can see them, but the ever changing visuals sometimes become too much and you have to look away if only for a second. I would give this film a 3 out of 5 for story, but a 4 out of 5 for originality and imagery. As dedicated to Heath Ledger, the actors help up their part of the bargain and gave you a deep character that makes you think about life. Thank you Heath for such a great performance. You are surely missed as a shinning star and great talent.