Double Feature: Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) & Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017)

Welcome to the next double feature! Its been at least a month since the last one and I’m slowly feeling up to writing reviews after a 2 week (or so) break after Fantasia! I did watch these two around the beginning of Fantasia Festival.

Alice Through The Looking Glass (2016)

Director: James Bobin

Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, Sacha Baron Cohen, Anne Hathaway

Alice returns to the whimsical world of Wonderland and travels back in time to help the Mad Hatter. – IMDB

Alice Through the Looking Glass is the sequel to the live action Alice in Wonderland. While this live action adaptation is usually negatively rated, I see the flaws but somehow these  whimsical things work okay for myself. It becomes quite entertaining. Alice Through the Looking Glass has its issues and sometimes it doesn’t work as well as it might have hoped for but there are a few redeeming traits here. Lets just get it out there that as many times as I have started reading the source material by Lewis Carroll, I haven’t finished it so I have no idea how similar it is to the book. I do feel that some things were a little over the top in possibly the way it was portrayed however, the whimsical suspension of belief is expected and never a surprise. I like over the top fantastical elements so its why I still watch these movies.

There is a lot of silliness in Alice Through the Looking Glass. The redeeming character is still always Mia Wasikowska as Alice. She is such a spectacular actress who takes on different types of roles but excels in them. In this one, I loves her outfits and the journey she takes and altogether, keeping to how Alice is with the character traits. To be honest, most of the characters from the previous film did keep in character. Which pretty much means that if you didn’t like the first one, chances are that you might not like this one as it feels a little bit even more odd than before. Something here doesn’t fit together completely and yet I never pinpoint what it is. Perhaps its the weird Anne Hathaway performance as the White Queen and the story behind her and the Queen of Hearts. There is a slight entertainment value to Sacha Baron Cohen as Time.

Visually, Alice Through the Looking Glass delivers just like the first film. The characters also carry a lot of fun elements to them and are a joy to watch. However, the story behind her fighting to retrace the Mad Hatter’s childhood and learning about the White Queen and  Queen of Hearts story as well as having Time chase her through time and space felt a little lacking. Maybe its just not so personal when Alice does learn something about herself through this but the link of everyone in those stories just doesn’t feel like it adds up to more than it should.

Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017)

Director: Simon Curtis

Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Margot Robbie, Kelly MacDonald, Will Tilston, Alex Lawther

A behind-the-scenes look at the life of author A.A. Milne and the creation of the Winnie the Pooh stories inspired by his son C.R. Milne. – IMDB

I’m not much of a biopic person. If you haven’t noticed, I try to stay away from biopic or drama or something like that. Movies are a means of entertainment to escape from drama so its one of the reasons why they tend to be the least chosen genre in film. I still watch them but they are infrequent. With that said, its hard to resist the biopic of A.A. Milne, the man who brought to life Thousand Acres Woods and Winnie the Pooh and his gang. As much as this is about the fame of Winnie the Pooh and this world, this biopic focuses on A.A. Milne’s relationship with his son and the reason of why this fun and fictional world even exists in the first place.

If there’s something more than Pooh Bear that I can’t resist, its a father and son relationship, well any parent and child relationship usually tugs pretty hard at my heartstrings. It feels pretty genuine in the way that this whole thing is portrayed. Domhnall Gleeson has a huge part in this because he does a fantastic job at portraying A.A. Milne. His character and the father he is and the man that he is and just how what he has gone through has changed him but no one quite understands him, especially his wife, played by Margot Robbie. However, we all have something to thank in this world and even adults sometimes make the choices when they get carried away with a situation and this is how Winnie the Pooh may have saved a lot of kids and was the world for so many people but in the end, it somehow deteriorated this father and son relationship and created a misunderstanding. Its this story and this human relationship that makes this film really good.

Goodbye Christopher Robin is a fairly simple story and the feelings and relationship is so genuine that it makes it tug at our heartstrings even more. There’s a lack of communication and a bonding that grows over time because of the choices made by everyone. In some ways, it makes us wonder about this world that has given joy to so many people and yet the bittersweet feelings that come with learning about how there were sacrifices to sharing this world that A.A. Milne created with his son with everyone else and the fame and popularity ate away at their relationship. After you watch this, it feels like its a conflict that never quite gets resolved and whether it feels like everyone else had invaded into someone else’s imaginary world. Maybe I’m thinking too much into it but this movie is pretty bittersweet by the end.

Opinion Battles Round 11Favourite Johnny Depp Roles

Welcome to Round 11 of Opinion Battles! This time, we’re sharing our Favorite Johnny Depp roles. While Johnny Depp has had many many remarkable roles, the one that I love the most would have to be Captain Jack Sparrow and I’m definitely not alone this time! 🙂
Head over to Movie Reviews 101 and drop a vote on who you agree with the most!

Movie Reviews 101

Opinion Battles Round 11Favourite Johnny Depp Roles

Johnny Depp has been working in Hollywood for over 3o years ever since we saw him get sucked into him bed in A Nightmare on Elm Street before starting off on a career of playing outside the box character with his relationship with director Tim Burton. Granted he has gone slightly off the rails recently but people still want to know what will out next from him.

If you want to take part in future rounds we will be looking at our Favourite Chris Evans roles. to take part in this round send your choices to moviereviews101@yahoo.co.ukby Sunday 12^th June 2016.

Darren – Movie Reviews 101

Sam – Benny and Joon

Sam is the young man who is obsessed with Buster Keaton using his comic timing to get a reaction of the Joon who is struggling with her own mental health…

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Halloween Marathon: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Welcome to the Halloween Marathon! We’re officially kicking off with our highlight series: A Nightmare on Elm Street!

I’m working hard on catching up on all the horror series that I’ve missed year after year. You can see my past two years recap over in the menu under Halloween Marathon.  There’s all the reviews from the Halloween and Friday the 13th series (which you can find on the Halloween Marathon page HERE).  Now, we’re moving onto the next iconic series.  I’m super stoked for this one because this year, it gives it even more reason to celebrate this series even though I had planned it a year ago.

Let’s begin!

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Director & Writer: Wes Craven

Cast: Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Robert Englund, Ronee Blakley, Johnny Depp, Jsu Garcia

Several people are hunted by a cruel serial killer who kills his victims in their dreams. When the survivors are trying to find the reason for being chosen, the murderer won’t lose any chance to kill them as soon as they fall asleep. – IMDB

Last year while I was doing the Halloween Marathon featuring the Friday the 13ths was the first time I saw Freddy Kreuger in Freddy vs Jason.  Freddy Krueger is a downright creepy looking dude.  I don’t know much about A Nightmare on Elm Street except for the fragmented bits here and there and some iconic scenes I’ve seen here and there.  I’ve postponed this series for a few years because I never found the movies on a reasonable price but now, we’re all assembled and to me, the best part about A Nightmare on Elm Street is the premise and the character Freddy Kreuger.  Someone who can kill you while you are sleeping in your nightmares is crazy because its something that’s basically out of your control. What is the easiest way to tap into your inner/psychological fears? Its targeting whatever is out of our control.  After all, that is the basis of fear factories, right?

 With that said, A Nightmare on Elm Street is a different sort of horror.  Its not even really slasher and as much as there is blood and its campy and mega dated, it still keeps a fun factor but also gives a rather creepy vibe.  I mean, there’s a few scenes that while the effects aren’t great because its been like 30 years (almost), and I’m rather forgiving on that, it still got under my skin a little.  I have to admit that while this first one didn’t show Freddy much because we’re just learning about who this man is before he became the monster killer on Elm Street, he had some goofy moments like that long arm scene. But then, we have this scene below…that picture kind of gives me the creeps…

Most of the cast here is new to me.  I did a quite rundown of them and maybe they did some roles here and there.  Of course, we have the notable Johnny Depp who makes an appearance here.  Honestly, the cast here is rather decent.  The script itself is a little cheesy at times but the cast is convincing enough. However, what the script does have are some remarkably creative death scenes.  Johnny Depp’s character’s death scene is easily one of the best ones.  It just kind of emphasizes how Freddy Kreuger can kill in any way as long as you fall asleep.

As a first entry into a long-running franchise, A Nightmare on Elm Street is a strong one. While I still think, Halloween and Michael Myers offered a little more creeps, Freddy Kreuger does a good job as well.  Its all in the premise of his character and how he kills and just that disgusting look that we only ever get a glimpse of. Wes Craven is a master in horror in building atmosphere and building a legit character that is threatening.  Sleep is something that is obligatory in our lives, dreaming is a subconscious state of mind and he takes control of something we can’t control.  Just think about that. Smart move, Mr. Craven. I should’ve appreciated your work a lot earlier.

Overall, A Nightmare on Elm Street is a great first entry bring forth a memorable and effectively creepy character Freddy Kreuger.  It has a great premise and builds decent atmosphere.  It still has the campy feeling, mostly because of the supposed low budget and the dated effects from 30 years ago. However, it still made me jump a few times and the deaths were done in a rather creative way.  Definitely worth a watch!

What do you think of A Nightmare on Elm Street? How about the series in general? Which is your favorite?

**Remember to drop by tomorrow to see the review for Nightmare on Elm Street 2!!**

My 15 Anticipated Movies in 2015!

I’m not one to make a ton of lists on here.  I have them on and off when I feel the desire for it.  In fact, it all comes down to how I’m a really indecisive person and making choices are really difficult.  I like to give everything chances, even if they don’t quite appeal to me, even if I know that I won’t like it.  Who knows, right? I’m all for something being a pleasant surprise. Every year I see a bunch of these most anticipated movie lists go up and I always want to do one.  I’m sure the 2013 and 2014 one is buried in my drafts somewhere.

One of my personal goals (that I didn’t talk about) is not procrastinating in 2015 (and forever, if at all possible). So, here it is! I doubt I’ll get to see all of these.  I usually get about 12 theatre visits a year or I try for once a month.  We’ll see how this year goes 😉

I’ll try to do this in order of release date according to the upcoming schedule on the Cinema Montreal site.

1. Blackhat (January 16)

Chris Hemsworth, Leehom Wang, Hong Kong and Cybercrime? Count me in!

2. Mortdecai (January 23)

Johnny Depp, what more can I say?
I haven’t actually watched the trailer because I don’t usually watch a lot of them But I love Johnny Depp’s acting.
He always is a highlight of even the not so good movies.

3. Jupiter Ascending (February 6)

I’ve been anticipating this movie since 2014 then it got pushed to 2015 release and still, I remain hopeful.
Channing, Mila, space-ish setting. That just screams the sort of movie I love.

4. In The Heart of the Sea (March 13 Update: Dec. 11)

Chris Hemsworth, Sea, and a classics adaptation: All works for me.
Now, just to read Moby Dick before this releases 😉

5. Cinderella (March 13)

Disney. Cinderella. Cate Blanchett. Hell Yeah! 🙂

6. Furious 7 (April 3)

I’m a HUGE Fast & Furious fan. No further reasons needed.
On a side note, I’m probably going to marathon the first 6 before I go see this one 🙂

7. Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1)

I’m a die hard Avengers fan but I have to admit that the Avengers have a really good thing going.
I love the humor, action and everything so I’m in!

8.  Tomorrowland (May 22)

Disney. Britt Robertson. The premise.  I love it all 🙂 This looks awesome!

9. Jurassic World (June 12)

Chris Pratt and Jurassic Park sequel! I love dinosaurs 🙂

10. Inside Out (June 19)

I have to admit I was skeptical about this one at first but its starting to grow on me.  Plus, Pixar rarely does wrong.
The premise of emotions and all sounds pretty cool!

11. Ant-Man (July 17)

This one is a last minute addition after I saw the trailer released two days ago.
Paul Rudd hasn’t never caught my eye before but Ant-Man trailer looks really fun.
Plus, I’m starting to never doubt what Marvel can come up with. So far they’ve had a pretty awesome run.

12. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (September 18)

No trailer for this one yet (at least I couldn’t find one). I loved Maze Runner in 2014. It was one of the better movie adaptations I’ve seen.
Dylan O’Brien is fantastic as Thomas.  I just finished reading Scorch Trials and the book review will go up soon.
As much as I’m anticipating this, I have a little reservation as to how excited I am because of how they set up the first one.

13. The Walk (October 2)

I walked past The Walk filming in Montreal near my work place. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in it.
And Robert Zemeckis has made a lot of movies that I like.

14. Spectre (November 6)

I’m not much of a Bond fan but after Skyfall, I’m extremely excited to see this! Daniel Craig is an awesome James Bond 🙂

15. The Good Dinosaur (November 25)

No trailer yet and I’m not even sure what this is about but Pixar, dinosaurs and the cuteness overload of the poster 🙂

Honorable mention (in no particular order): Terminator Genisys, Pitch Perfect 2, Minions, Pan, The Fantastic Four, The Hunger Games-Mockingjay Part 2, Star Wars: Episode VII, Kung Fu Panda 3, Mission Impossible 5, The Jungle Book

Slot 15 was the hardest one to choose because I was playing around with shifting Cinderella, Pan and even Mission Impossible 5 on and off the list so they could very well have replaced The Good Dinosaur. Even The Fantastic Four landed on the list for a brief moment during drafting but it just didn’t have the interest I felt for the rest of these.

That’s my *preliminary* list. What’s yours? What movie(s) do you anticipate in 2015?

Triple Feature: Killing Me Softly, Dark Shadows & The Next Three Days

Something about these triple features are very refreshing.  Its just a quick recount, straight-forward.  Sometimes, its just efficient and easier to do that because there are movies where there isn’t that much to say.

I did watch a fourth one with my boyfriend but I’ve already reviewed it and its the “so bad its awesome” Sharknado.  You can check out that review right HERE!

Lets move on to check out these three!

Killing Me Softly (2002)

Director: Kaige Chen

Cast: Heather Graham, Joseph Fiennes, Natascha McElhone, Ulrich Thomsen

A woman faces deadly consequences for abandoning her loving relationship with her boyfriend to pursue exciting sexual scenarios with a mysterious celebrity mountaineer.-IMDB

The last time I remember seeing Joseph Fiennes was in Shakespeare in Love which was really pretty good.  I watched it when I was younger and not really so knowledgeable about movies but I will see it again and I’m positive that it won’t disappoint.  BUT, to see him in this just makes my heart break.

I think whoever chooses a project opposite Heather Graham needs to be a good actor/actress because she is such a bad/unconvincing actress. Well, you also get to check out her body like totally up close and personal.  So I guess, its not a total loss, right? I’m not trying to be disrespectful because that is a compliment to her.  But her acting really could use some work. Or maybe its just every time I see her, the movie is REALLY bad. I mean the only movie I saw of hers was called About Cherry and that movie was SO boring! (review HERE).

Like Killing Me Softly was killing me so brutally.  I get the passion, lust and attraction.  I’m a romantic, I get all that stuff.  I even get that whole liking the dark, mysterious and brooding stranger but excuse me, this is like the perfect Shitfest contender but I like to stick to bad horror for that segment, so thats why we now have a minor rant session.

The best example was like, Joseph Fiennes is this overprotective guy who falls madly in love with Heather Graham’s character and then this pickpocket steals her purse and runs off.  He chases that dude down intensely and literally beats the crap out of him and then when she catches up, he’s like I will protect you forever and never let that happen again I promise you.  Marry me! And of course, she’s like kiss and totally agrees. Paraphrasing here, ok? Anybody think that this dude’s just totally unknown (which he is because she’s only known him for something like 3 days) and he has some anger management and violence issues. Just saying…

So no, the movie just tries too hard in the second part to turn this first half soft porn movie into a thriller and throws some twists that were completely predictable.  And to make a thriller work, you need a convincing lead and Heather Graham’s character was not. However, Joseph Fiennes was fine. With what he had, I think he was convincingly creepy and mysterious, exactly what was asked of his character. There’s the positive…

Dark Shadows (2012)

Director: Tim Burton

Cast: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Helena Bonham Carter, Chloe Grace Moretz, Bella Heathcote, Gulliver McGrath

An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins, is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection.-IMDB

Dark Shadows has a beautiful mix of actors and actresses that I adore helmed by a director that has lost a little bit of steam in the past few years but I still have an immense amount of respect for. I always keep an open mind for extreme weirdness for anything Tim Burton.  With Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter and Chloe Grace Moretz, how can I not already want to see this.  I have to be honest that all the negative reviews held me back a little and to be honest, I could’ve waited longer. Dark Shadows is really nothing to call home about.  The mood and atmosphere is very Tim Burtonesque and the visuals are pretty stylish but beyond that, I really found it pretty blah.  Like blah where I kept fighting to doze off. Maybe because it was a little long and dragged out.

The characters are a little peculiar as they probably should be.  Still, the cast here does the best they can with what they have.  Johnny Depp certainly doesn’t disappoint as Barnabas Collins and everyone has this quirky humor that works for a good bit of the movie.  Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter and Chloe Grace Moretz all have rather interesting characters.  The villain in Dark Shadows is played by Eva Green.  When is she NOT a villain, right? I’m not complaining though because she’s good at being that sort of character.

SO…great cast, awesome visuals, slow and somewhat boring story..makes this kind of an average and disappointing watch.

The Next Three Days (2010) 

Director: Paul Haggis

Cast: Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Ty Simpkins, Liam Neeson

A married couple’s life is turned upside down when the wife is accused of a murder.-IMDB

The Next Three Days might be the hardest to review.  For one, I’m really not into extremely long movies.  I feel like my attention span has really decreased over the years and tolerance for long plots don’t really work as well because it always tends to fall apart a little.  Plus, I’m not a huge fan of Russell Crowe.

There’s a lot to digest for this story of a simple professor trying to break his wife out of jail.  On one side, he believes his wife is wrongfully accused even when she gives in to it and kind of gives up.  But then, the question still remains whether she did it and she messes with him (and the viewers) a little.   The whole deal is really in how believable the whole planning out the prison break is, right?

For me, there’s a few apparent flaws.  But then, I’m not saavy in the art of prison break so who am I to say anything. My huge issue was how he tried to keep everything down low but he just was really lucky in a way.  Like, who goes running around sketchy places buying meds and then sneaking in the question of where to get fake IDs? Its just really obvious what he’s doing and a little silly.  Thats just one example.

However, when I did believe what Russell Crowe’s character was doing, there was some pretty decent moments.  Plus, when the movie gets to the last part where the actual prison breaking happens, it gets pretty intense. And thats good because it ends it off in a much more gripping way than how it began.

My major issue with this one is the length.  Aside from that, if they edited it or chopped it a little, it could be a much better movie even if some parts a little not so believable.  I can deal with that, after all, I am watching a movie 😉

THERE WE GO! Another three done! I have to burn through probably another 3 more before January 1st but I’m pretty sure with the few housekeeping posts that have to go up, it’ll only be reviewed in the new year!

Anyways, next thing to look forward to is FINALLY that 2015 announcement posts which is going up tomorrow. I was going to do a poll but I’m still having a few second thoughts on next year’s projects. Back to my brainstorming…

Have you seen any (or all)of these 3 movies? Thoughts? Comments? 🙂

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

I have to take a moment and applaud at my first marathon which I did totally like a marathon because there was no other movie reviews in between 😉 Except for between the 1st and 2nd movie of course.  Next movie and most up to date Pirates movie is Pirate of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  In this one, a lot of the old cast is not there anymore, however, in At World’s End, we did get a snapshot of what they are after in this one.

Director: Rob Marshall

Cast: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Ian  McShane, Penelope Cruz, Kevin McNally, Sam Claflin, Astrid Berges-Frisbey

In continuation of At World’s End, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) ends up in London to save Mr. Gibbs (Kevin McNally) from hanging to find that he is not stuck in the presence of King George (Richard Griffiths) who has hired Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) to find the Fountain of Youth.  However, as he now has the map, they need his help.  After his narrow escape, he sees his father, Captain Teague (Keith Richards) who leads him to where the rumors have started that he is searching for a crew and he reunites with the imposter, an old flame Angelica (Penelope Cruz).  Not sure if Angelica is being an exceptional con artist or truly bitter about being abandoned, he lands himself unexpectedly on ship Queen Anne`s Revenge, which is the terrifying and deadly Blackbeard`s  (Ian McShane) ship.  They now need to not only find the Fountain of Youth but before that, find certain items to fulfill their quest. With Barbossa and also the Spaniards on the chase, they need to outrun each other and Sparrow needs to come up with another plan to staying alive.

At this point in the series I really hoped that it could keep up with the series before. This isn’t a bad one, it feels just a bit empty. The first time ever that I watched this was about a year ago and I fell asleep maybe 30 minutes in.  This time, I started feeling heavy eyelids at about an hour.  I did tough it out and finished the whole thing as it picks up pace shortly after.  The movie to me right now is a blur and its just the next day.

 With Gore Verbinski no longer doing this one, we have a new style from Rob Marshall, especially since it seems he’s involved in musicals.   Looking at his directorial efforts, I’ve only really enjoyed Memoirs of a Geisha.  This one wasn’t too bad but you can see the changes, especially since even the cast has many swaps.  However, Johnny Depp is still on as Captain Jack Sparrow.  He is what defines this movie.  In this one, we start looking more into his world and his life since we bring in his old lover, Angelica played by Penelope Cruz.  I’m not much of a fan of Cruz.  She’s just a pretty face in my book and never really excels in any of the roles I’ve seen her in but she was alright in this one.  A lot more acceptable than I had expected.

In this one, whats nice is that Mr. Gibbs played by Kevin McNally get a more important role from the start to finish.  He’s always been around and about in the previous few and he always has a nice witty dialogues to counter Jack.  Very enjoyable on screen.  Giving him more parts adds to this one for sure.  Plus, we continue to have Geoffrey Rush’s Captain Barbossa.  Except in this one, he now runs with the King’s crew but still keeps that ruthless trait in him.  Its an interesting change in events.

This time the big addition is our villain, Blackbeard played by Ian McShane. I wasn’t completely familiar with him before I searched him up but it seems that he’s actually done some pretty awesome roles in the past.  Blackbeard was played okay.  I never actually felt like anyone was in much danger even when this pirate was seriously evil with his zombiefied crew members and his rope manipulating sword.  Maybe its because I know that Jack Sparrow always makes it out. At the same time, there weren’t all too many surprises and exciting moments.

There is one aspect that I liked and disliked at the same time. I haven’t really made up my mind yet. The mermaids were done really awesome.  That whole scene where they enter the story and the whole scene following it was just amazing.  The character of Syrena was also quite nice.  Her story with the clergyman (??) Philip was a bit predictable and sappy but it was cute.  Although, their acting were both somewhat lacking.  However, they were no doubt the young and pretty faces for the movie and the blooming love story at the same time.

Overall, this isn’t a bad flick.  It had its issues and it wasn’t as gripping or intense as the previous ones.  The style was different and it was a bit slower.  I felt it was a little unnecessary to have this followup (or any more but obviously I’m wrong because the 5th one is due in 2015) but at least we had an awesome mermaid scene to watch and it was done really well.  There are pros and cons to this one and at times, it might even feel like it would never end but if you don’t go watch it with too many expectations, it has its entertaining parts and some redeeming features 😉

Despite all this, I’m still looking forward to Pirates 5, according to IMDB it has a 2015 release date and two new directors.  Who knows how that will go, but I’m staying hopeful! 🙂

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)

Pirates marathon officially continues! After the success of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, we have the sequel followed up by Dead’s Man Chest. Johnny Depp returns as the rogue Captain Jack Sparrow to explore and conquer difficulties in the Caribbeans with yet another set of adventures. I saw this one in theatres back in 2006 when it first released with my best friend.

Director: Gore Verbinski

Cast: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Stellan Skarsgard, Bill Nighy, Jack Davenport, Tom Hollander

Gore Verbinski is back with this second instalment of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest! After the previous instalment with Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) helps Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from being hung, they now are separated on their wedding day and held in jail under the order of  Lord Beckett (Tom Hollander).  However, he gives Will a deal that if he can bring back Jack’s compass then he will give them back their freedom.  When Will finally catches up with Jack Sparrow, he gets deceived into getting caught in the way to cheat his way out of Jack Sparrow’s release from the pursuit of Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), the captain of Flying Dutchman that homes a bunch of pirates living in the middle of life and death.   On the pursuit of a key that opens something, they end up going through a lot of fights and frantic escapes with each having their own agenda.

Dead Man’s Chest is the one in my memory that I loved the most! Gore Verbinski did a fantastic job in the first one and coming back as the director in the second one helps this one out a lot.  This time, he brings in a whole lot more fun and action.  What really catches me is the action mixed with funny moments.  The interaction is hilarious even the sword fights are hilarious. Plus, maybe its the initial thought of when I first saw this  movie in theatres, I was with my best friend and it had some really memorable moments that makes this movie feel even closer to my heart.

One thing that works for this sequel is the cast.  We have a lot of the initial cast sticking around but after the first’s quest, they have grown and matured.  I’m all about character development and if anything, as much as it was a development in Jack Sparrow’s character, we also see the deeper side of Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner, not together but being independent of each other. Jack Sparrow is still the crazy, unexpected pirate who is obsessed over rum, lies about everything to everyone and is confused as always.  This time around, I started feeling that Jack Sparrow in Pirates is equivalent to John McClane in Die Hard.  Its what keeps the audience intrigued because he not only brings us action but he also brings us laughs 🙂

Another reason that I love Pirates is because yes, Orlando Bloom is hot but I do love Keira Knightley.  She is an awesome actress and I possibly own *almost* all of her movies.  I haven’t seen them all but she’s always quite impressive as her roles vary in character and style.  In this one, she starts off as the rebellious governor’s daughter and eventually finds that her true nature is quite like a pirate but then, she still finds the men around her quite silly at times, and childish.  Its a really charming and likable character.

Additonal mentions go out to Bill Nighy who plays Davy Jones.  What actually makes me laugh when I watch this movie is remembering how my best friend’s comment that Davy Jones was attractive. LOL! Weird tastes! Even Bill Nighy in real person would not make me connect with “attractive” but he was a mean and awesome character.  I love Davy Jones! He made the movie even better than it already was in my book 🙂 Plus, we have Stellan Skarsgard.  He`s not in it a whole lot but he plays a pretty awesome Bootstrap Bill and Will’s father.

So far, on this rewatch, Dead Man’s Chest is still more entertaining than the first one.  I love them both a lot but this one seems more fun and I really loved this villain a whole lot more.

I know there’s a lot of mixed reviews on this one.  What do you think about Dead Man’s Chest? Do you think the original is better?

Reboot! Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Back in April, I posted up this review as a guest contributor over at Tyson`s Head in a Vice.  However, as he has changed the direction of his blog and decided to take down that project.  I have carried over the review over here! If you haven`t read this, then here is your chance! If you have read it, please had on over to Head in a Vice because its an awesome blog! You will love every minute of it 🙂

Director: Gore Verbinski

Cast: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush

When a young boy Will is picked up by a government ship by Commissioner Swann and his crew, his daughter Elizabeth Swann hides the pirate golden coin around his neck to protect him.  Years later when they are older, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) looks at this secret coin and chooses to wear it around her neck, which sends off an invisible signal to the pirate ship, Black Pearl and causes her to be kidnapped.  Amongst the chaos, Will (Orlando Bloom) teams up with Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) who was left marooned on an abandoned island because of the captain of the Black Pearl and is on a quest to seek it as well.  On the Black Pearl, Elizabeth meets Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and learns that the crew is cursed because of their greed and this is why they need to get back the last coin to undo the curse.

I love the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.  Its always fun and it has Johnny Depp in one of his best roles.  He has some epic lines and he’s so happy-go-lucky and does some of the most surprising things.  Bring in Orlando Bloom fresh out from after handsome Legolas from Lord of the Rings trilogy and one of my favorite actresses, Keira Knightley and you’ve got me deeply in love with this series.  The fun factor gives me the opportunity to watch it over and over again.  Its somewhat turned into an annual marathon event.

Although this one isn’t my favorite in this franchise, it does give a good start.  We get to see everyone and how they are built in the characters they become.  The characters in the most part are very witty and enjoyable.  They have very catchy dialogue especially Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow and he matches it up with this awesome pirate accent.  Its has a great balance between adventure and humor. On the other hand, it also brings in questions of honesty and integrity and how far you would go to get what you want.

This review took me ages to write and its mostly because I loved it but I wasn’t really sure why I did and how to write it out. Its really fun, adventurous and funny.  Although in my opinion, the second one is the funniest one (but I know people might disagree with me).  However, this one really sets up the right path for the next one and that makes it total awesomeness.  Along with a great cast and we’re on our way to a great flick! Props to Disney for this one and giving us an iconic character in Jack Sparrow! Definitely one that I’d recommend for a fun time.

Just a little additional update…

Back in April, I had wanted to initiate a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon but I didn’t get to it! Just a heads up that I’ll be doing it soon! I already popped in the Pirates 2 into my player already 🙂 Just need to get a few reviews thats been sitting around up and then we’re in business to finish this up!