Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

My View:  Pirates of the Caribbean:  On Stranger Tides  (2011):  Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is back and is on a quest to find the Fountain of Youth.  Penelope Cruz is also trying to find the Fountain of Youth to save her father, Blackbeard (played by Ian McShane), whose death has been foretold. Geoffrey Rush returns to his role as Barbossa, whose is in league with the English King, to find the Fountain before anyone else. This film starts out with a rousing chase through the halls of Buckingham Palace and the streets of London. Unfortunately, this film peaks early and nothing else happens to match the excitement of the early scenes. This movie is overly long, the use of 3-D is minimal (people keep pointing swords around to show that it is in 3-D) and the cinematography is extremely dark, making even scenes in daylight seem drab. While I like Cruz and she does a good job with the swordplay, the film misses the spark that Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley brought to the early films. I think it's time for Capt. Jack to put away the eyeliner. My Rating: Cable  Pirates of the Caribbean Website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst film of all time):
#43 Best Film: The Shawshank Redemption (1994): If you haven't seen this movie recently you need to revisit it (quick, turn on TNT, it's probably playing right now). This is a superb film about friendship and rebirth. Tim Robbins plays a man who has been accused and sentenced to a corrupt prison in the 1940’s for the murder of his wife and her lover, which he may or may not have committed. Using his wits, humor, and ability to size up people he survives the harsh environment with the aid of another fellow prisoner he befriends, Red, played with grace and charm by Morgan Freeman. The director of this film, Frank Darabont, creates a world full of interesting, sometimes terrifying characters that Robbins has to navigate through. Robbins does a masterful job of making us care, rooting for him all throughout the film.  The Shawshank Redemption Info

Forgotten Film: Time After Time (1979): Malcolm McDowell plays the Science Fiction writer, H.G. Wells who has invented a time machine. When he discovers that his good friend is Jack the Ripper (played by David Warner) and sets out to catch him. Jack the Ripper hijacks the time machine to transport himself to 1979 San Francisco, and Welles follows in hot pursuit. Welles encounters a world that he had only imagined in his books, meeting a cute bank teller (played by Mary Steenburgen) who decides that this out of place man won't survive without her help. McDowell and Steenburgen have great chemistry (so much so, that soon after this film was made, they got married), with Steenburgen winning both McDowell and our hearts. Can Welles adapt to this new world and catch Jack the Ripper before he starts on another killing spree? Watch this entertaining movie to find out!  Time After Time Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD): I Am Number Four (2011): Alex Pettyfer plays an alien with magical powers, posing as a high school student. In this movie, based on the Young Adult novel (of the same name), Pettyfer is one of a select few young people that have been put on earth to hide from another alien race hellbent on wiping them out. He hooks up with a couple of ordinary students (played by Dianna Agron and Callan McAuliffe) who learn that the world is very different than they had previously imagined from growing up in their small town. This movie takes way too long to move the plot along, trying to build up the romance between Pettyfer and McAuliffe. Unfortunately, the most interesting character, Number 6 played by Teresa Palmer, doesn't show up until the last third of the movie. This film, aimed at the Twilight crowd, just doesn't make me care if there is a number seven, eight or ten. My Rating: Cable  I Am Number Four Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010): Cave Guardians

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Horrible Bosses (2011): Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis play three friends whose bosses are so horrible they decide to help each other kill them. The reason to see this movie isn't the leads but who are playing the bosses: Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey and Colin Farrell. Should be great fun.  Horrible Bosses Trailer

See You Next Time!