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!"
Imagine you have just purchased a ticket to a Broadway show. It is 30 minutes before curtain call and you begin to make your way to your seat. You have your ticket scanned, you walk to your seat, and then you wait for the lights to dim. Just as the orchestra begins to warm up and play the overture, you find the perfect position in your seat that allows for the best view as the curtain begins to rise. Two hours later you get up and leave the theater. I have had good and bad experiences at the theater, and just like any other form of story telling you can have strong and weak points that just may surprise you.
Nine is a film with an amazing star studded cast that would give any director the ability to pull off the most extravagant of films. With academy award winners like Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Dame Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, Marion Cotillard, academy nominated Kate Hudson, and the beautiful Fergi all working together... well sort of... it gave Rob Marshall a full pallet of colors to work with to create what could be an amazing film. After his version of Chicago, I was hesitant to go see Nine. I love the music from Chicago, but there was something about the film that just did not sit well with me. Unfortunately the same happened with Nine, and for me it just fell short of everything I expected as little as that had been.
The 1963 Federico Fellini film 8 1/2 is an unusual, yet typical Italian film that is shot in a very particular style and with a very specific storyline that is an acquired taste that many people never seem to find. Nine is modeled very much in that same style. Unfortunately I am confused to say whether it is just a remake of the film or in a sense the sequel, or if it should just be viewed as a film adaptation of the Broadway show Nine. Either way I felt like I was left out in the rain of one of those narrow Italian cobble stone roads waiting to be picked up along for the ride, and yet that ride never showed up.
From the opening of the hypothetical curtain during the opening credits to the bow as the curtain closed I felt like I was being thrown into a self indulgent, egotistical males wildest fantasy and as the story progressed he discovered that that dream may not really be what will make him happy. I was bored with the story after twenty minutes when I finally realized the entire film was going to be about this one characters struggle with his own demons. I wish I could have connected with Guido, but opening the film with a mass orgie just did not do it for me. I had no sympathy for a man that continually threw away all the good things in his life, and yet the one steady relationship he had was with an older woman who in every aspect of the character reminded me of Bond's relationship with M. I love Dame Judi Dench and am always thrilled to watch her on the big screen, but throw M in a musical and that was pretty much the character Lilli.
I tried and tried to find something to connect with and yet there was very little that appealed to me on a level that would hold my interest for the entire running time of the film. Even the story as a whole felt like just a talent show of these women that danced and sang in and out of Guido's life. I almost wished I was at home with my TiVo remote and had the ability to skip and fast-forward through some of the sequences. At least Chicago felt like one single story and the musical numbers were a part of the story rather than the highlights of the film. I even remembered thinking back to when I had to study Fellini's film in college and the text book I had. I knew I had highlighted certain sections finding them more important than others and that is how I felt watching Nine. The musical numbers and singing were ok, I cannot say that I would be running out to purchase the soundtrack any time soon, nor would I be looking for the next musical that Cruz or Hudson would be in. I love them as actresses but I beg them to please stay out of the singing world.
By the time end credits began to roll I was ready to jump out of my seat and head for the nearest exit sign, however there was one thing that kept me. As a dancer, I appreciate watching rehearsal footage and behind-the-scenes footage from choreography sessions, so when the credits incorporated that footage in a montage and collage with the final cut from the film I was interested to see if that would last through the entire running of the credits. I sat in my seat until the final credit rolled up the screen and the lights in the theater came up. I was glad that the film had run its course, but I was then interested to go home to try and find more of the rehearsal footage. Unfortunately the only number I felt was worth truly watching was the Fergi number with the sand and tambourines, but then again the only thought I had as I watched that routine was stuck wondering how long those dancers ended up washing sand out of their hair once they had wrapped shooting that sequence.
Nine left me feeling empty. I wanted to go in and be wowed, blown away, shocked that the film would be so much more than what I had originally expected. I wanted to feel as though Rob Marshall had at least matched what he did with Chicago, but it fell so short. Yes Italy is beautiful and I want to visit the country now more than ever and the cinematography of the country and what it has to offer was shot gracefully, but it seems that any film can be shot in Italy and end up looking beautiful just because of the amazing backdrop that the country offers. But take that away, take away the names of the talent involved and you are left with nothing. Maybe it is just the story. Maybe it is my experience with a cheater that makes me feel the way I do towards a character who has any female he casts in his films "fall in love with him". Maybe it is just like 8 1/2 and Fellini himself that it is an acquired taste that I have never come to have. Whatever it is, or was, this film left me with the same sick feeling as A Clockwork Orange did. Grossed out by the characters and their actions even though in the end they tried to redeem themselves by the end of the film. Or maybe it was the director's choice to have Daniel Day-Lewis play an "Italian mama's boy" crying to his dead mother to fix the mistakes he made. It was an interesting choice to make, especially with such a notable actress as Sophia Loren, when you cast her as nothing more than a figment of the main character's imagination. I am sorry to use that analogy but after watching Daniel Day-Lewis playing such strong characters as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood, Bill 'The Butcher' Cuttler in Gangs of New York, and Hawkeye in The Last of the Mohicans I had a very hard time watching him play such a weak character.
So for me Nine is a film I wished I could have passed on. If you are really interested in seeing the film I would almost suggest googling or going to youtube and searching the musical numbers and you would be getting the best scenes from the film without paying for the price of a ticket. I'm sorry Mr. Marshall, but this film is barely a 1 out of 5 for me.
8 1/2
Nine Trailer
Nine: The Musical
**UPDATE** Nine Featurette used during end credits:
