Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

It has become more obvious that when Disney puts its full force behind a movie, it's likely to succeed: All Disney/Pixar films, every Disney sporting movie, National Treasure, and of course the Pirates of the Caribbean series. As with most movies that lead to multiple sequels, the first film has its own independent storyline with no real cliff hanger to the next film. Yet, Dead Man's Chest ends with the clear indication of the next film (Star Wars had this phenomina as well, with episode III having its own ending but ever other episode having a cliff hanger for the next installment). I think it is possible to see Dead Man's Chest with out having seen The Curse of the Black Pearl, but the film does assume that you've seen The Curse of the Black Pearl first. I usually like to see the prequels just before seeing the sequels so the full story line is fresh in my memory. I was unable to do that this time, yet had no trouble following the story. Overall I would say this was an excellent film. I especially like the music, it helped set the tone for the intense sequenses, yet was quirky to match the quirky scence of Captain Jack Sparrow. It appears that Disney has an incredibly successful franchise on thier hands, I only hope they don't go and ruin it by making too many films. But at this point, keep up the good work.

Click

Incredibly creative premise, yet it might not have been executed to it's greatest potential. The first half of the film was a light hearted adventures into the wonders that the remote allows Michael Newman (played by Adam Sandler). Then in the second half, or later third, the movie becomes almost depressing as Newman discovers the dark secrets the remote contains. It was almost as if each half of the film had its own identity with completely different genres. Yet, to be honest, that was the only major flaw in the movie, yet that is a large enough flaw for some to never see the film. I wouldn't reccomend that you never see this movie, I would only say that it is probably better just to rent it.

Derailed

WARNING: THERE IS NO WAY I CAN TALK ABOUT THIS MOVIE WITHOUT GIVING AWAY THE ENDING! About two-thirds of the way through the movie I thought I had it figured out and I was just waiting for the movie to end. Then the receptionist says that Jennifer Aniston's character is not Lucinda Harris, she is a lowly temp; and the movie is turned upside down. Kudos to the film makers, I would have never picked out Jennifer Aniston as one of the bad guys, which is exactly what they wanted. I think Aniston's performance in this film really shows her versatility as an actor. I am some what surprised that this movie didn't do better in the public eye. I'm not sure what it was up against, or even what it grossed, at the box office; but I can say that I was pleasantly surprised by this movie.

Grandma's Boy

To be honest, this type of movie is not intended to be reviewed or critiqued. Look back over the years: Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Black Sheep, etc. None of them got good reviews (and probably rightfully so) because they follow a different standard of plot than most movies: Make the viewer laugh. That's it. None got good reviews, yet all have massive amounts of fans and cult followings. That is the kind of standard that Grandma's Boy fits into. It's not required to have a strong, or even decent plot; it's not required to have character developement; and sometimes it's not even required to make real scense. The only true requirement is that it makes you laugh, and for me it did that enough to make watching it an enjoyable experience. So, mission accomplished makers of Grandma's Boy. I can't deny the fact that a lot of the movie is just plain stupid, but what ever it takes to make you laugh I guess. The film makes generous references to pot, so I would have to assume that the movie is mostly intended to make those watching while high laugh their asses off. The film gets the most credit for having Doris Roberts play Grandma. Watching the three old ladies acting high was probably the highlight of the movie.

Walk the Line

Is it just me or did Reese Witherspoon look absolutely gorgeous for the entirety of this movie? Meanwhile, Joaquin Phoenix, alternated between looking like crap and a badass. I am having a hard time figuring out how to critique this movie. There really weren't any sore spots that I could point out. Yet, on the flip side, there aren't that many blatant strengths to point out either. Dispite these facts, I would say that the movie was very good. I believe the reason it garnered so many nominations was due to the incredible performances by Reese and Joaquin, not the storyline/plot. I found myself feeling sorry for the majority of the movie for Johnny's wife Vivian (played by Ginnifer Goodwin). She knows full well that Johnny doesn't love her like he does June (Witherspoon), yet for some reason she stayed with him. My favorite scene from the movie is during the detox period for Johnny in his large cabin-style home. The Carter family makes temporary residence there to aid Johnny through the process, and as the pill-pusher shows up to proved Cash with his next fix, he is ran off by June's father with a shot gun. Now that's family.

Superman Returns

I can't lie, as I sat and waited for the film to begin, I was fearful after hearing that the movie was nearly two and a half hours that the movie would drag on boringly. However, the movie was exactly the length it needed to be. It definitely did not feel like two and a half hours and it definitely did not drag on boringly. I could not have enjoyed this movie any more, it was probably the best movie I have seen in a long while. Kevin Spacey was born to play Lex Luther, Brandon Routh was the perfect choice for Clark Kent, and the films environment was a perfect mix of today's tech world and a retro feel. Unlike some other comic to big screen movies, I felt that my minimal knowledge on the previous films and comic book story line did not hinder my ability to enjoy this movie. This Superman enstalment was the perfect way to bring Superman back (from his hietis in pop culture and from Metropolis). The story took Superman to a new place (ENDING GIVEAWAY ALERT) giving him a child, and making him mortal for a while (Superman really got his ass kicked in this movie). I am really intrigued to see where the storyline will go from here. While it was intriguing to give Lois and Clark a son, it will be dificult to continue that storyline. I think if they do it correctly, Superman will battle Luther and other foes in the next few entallments, and his son while have fun with his powers in the background. All in all an excellent movie, one that I could see again and again.

The Greatest Game Ever Played

I have to say that Disney makes VERY good sports films. They are easy to follow, regardless of your previous knowledge on the sport being portrayed. Many people complain that they can be a little predictable. For one, they are all historical, so the predictability in inherent (The Titanic sank, and everyone should have known that going into that movie). Also, its a Disney movie, they are always predictable. That aside, this movie is one where (if you are into the movie as you should be) you find yourself enthralled in the struggles of the main character, Francis Ouimet. To be honest, this is just a solid film, not great, not bad. If you don't find yourself cheering inside for Ouimet, then I would think you need to reevaluated you life.

In Her Shoes

If I were asked to pin this movie to a certain genre, I wouldn't know what to say. It's not a comedy, it's really a drama, it's simply a chick-flick. Yet, unlike most chick-flicks this film had an incredibly strong plot. The credit should, for the most part, go to the author of the book that the film was based off of; however, some credit should be given to those who took the book and made it into a screenplay. I can't deny that the film was slightly predictable, but sometimes that's ok; and I think this was one of those times. The strongest part of the plot are the things that are built in to the story. For instance, when each sister was dealing with their individual crises, thier each turned to dogs to find support. I have said before there are two things behind each movie: what its about, and what its really about. This movie is about two sisters, and a time of struggle in thier lives. Yet, what its really about, I think, is thier mother, and how she has affected everyone else in the film. I thought this was a great film, and I would defintatly recommend that you see it.