He's a Pirate

The Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy (now with a 4th film) is actually very very well crafted. I have to say that My initial experience was as follows: Loved the first one, saw it several times. Didn't really like the second, partly cause it seemed so different, and partly because it seemed so inconsistent. Could barely watch the third one and fell asleep while watching it on rental. BUT, I just watched all three in three consecutive nights, and I really loved them. Part of the issue is that 2 & really play as one movie (a la Kill Bill) and so the 4th one is really the third "adventure" of Jack Sparrow.

But the general character of the films really draws out the always double-speaking piracy theme. You never know who is on who's side, as evidenced by the constant flow of Mexican Standoffs. For a linear thinker, this might get complicated, since so many agendas become intermingled. It also has the feel of a retcon, because so little is explained in the first film. The two critical elements are Jack Sparrow and his Magic Compass. Everything seems to revolve around those, and everyones agenda runs through those two particular entities on the screen.

The characters are really amazing, and become more and more complex, particularly the character of Elizabeth Swan who develops the most over the three movies. The emphasis on deception actually becomes critical in the third movie and so there's a lot of truths, half-truths and non-truths to juggle.

The dialogue is perhaps the one element of the story that gets a bit tiresome, it's like they ran out of pirate gags to throw into the dialogue, so everything i rehashed jokes from the first film. The aesthetic of the films is also something that changes, but the CG is really quite enjoyable, and the elements of the Caribbean world really are amazing to watch. There's actually a lot of traditional film making in the 2nd and third films, which isn't a fast enough development for many viewers.

The film also dehumanizes death a bit too much, where the death of Sao Feng is the only actual moment where death is noticed and acknowledged. But there are many layers that develop over the three films and it's really a lot of fun to watch them develop.

On Superheroes

I've finally decided what I'm going to use this page for. Heroes. Well, not the ridiculous TV show. I've always been a comic book fan, and there has been a fairly new and remarkable trend of bringing superheroes form comic books into another thing that I love: Movies. This stipulates a very interesting genre, Comic Book Movies. The adaptation of a serial comic book has different liberties than the adaptation of any other medium, and it's fascinating to see some of the decisions that go into bringing these classic stories to the big screen. But even more than that, I think the comic genre is the perfect platform for philosophy and theology, and the themes naturally translate into the movies. Just the idea of Superheroes communicates the need for justice, the idea of transcendence, and transformation for the human race, and the idealization of certain archetypes that represent our highest values as a society.

Superman is of course the prime example of this, and there are a variety of themes and concepts that have been experimented with in comic-dom. I just realized how nerdy this sounds, but I'm doing it anyway. This is philosophy, culture and theology frame by frame. The Comic Book Movie Philosophy Blog.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

            This is a fascinating piece of film. It stars Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Carribean) as the tile role, a young man with his whole future in front of him, currently trying to hold together his sisters and retarded younger brother (Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator) and his mother who is too obese to leave the house. Gilbert’s attention is drawn away from his family by an adulterous grocery patron, and the growing success of a big chain supermarket. At the same time, Gilbert’s brother continues to endanger himself. Soon he is arrested for the families failure to control him.

            Things continue to spiral out of control, and Momma is soon convinced that she must leave the house. The tensions run high in this illustrative look at small town life and the lives of people. It’s a very well acted and very fun piece, chronicles Gilbert’s growing sense of angst amidst his turbulent responsibilities.

            It’s a 2, though not as memorable as I thought it would be while watching it. The characters are what really standout, not so much the plot or subtext, but the performances.

Taken

            This movie, displays a great deal of strength in its set up. The realities of contemporary Europe and some of the biggest problems in the world concerning human trafficking and international forced prostitution are addressed in a very relevant and scary way. The execution of the man on a mission and revenge/justice epic is sad and regrettable as it’s really a poor acting job by Liam Niesen (Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace) in the lead as a former CIA operative who is divorced and attempting to reconnect with his spoiled daughter much to the distress of his ex-wife, played wonderfully dislikeable by Fammke Johannson (X-Men).
 

            When the daughter takes a summer trip to France, she is almost immediately kidnapped along with her friend, by a nasty group of Albanian gangsters who specialize in human trafficking. Niesan flips into action, basically going into killer mode, and taking no prisoners in his pursuit of those who have wronged him and his daughter.

            It plays out very formulaically, a cross between Ransom and Payback (both Mel Gibson movies) with a healthy dose of Man on Fire. This is actually very close to the original Man on Fire which is set in Italy, where Taken is featured in France. So through various circumstances and contacts, he tracks her down and kills everyone, and it’s just so plain, and so not original, and really not much of a bad ass movie, although Niesen can't really do any wrong as a character actor. For all that it alleges to be, I wouldn't watch it again, though I will probably check out the sequel. Definitely a 1.

The Bad News Bears

            This is daring for the time it came out. A baseball team of misfits that swear up a storm and fight like banshees, but in the end they pull it together. Oh, their coach is a drunk as well. Buttermaker (Walter Mathau, The Odd Couple) is a pool cleaner in the Southern California-San Diego area, and takes charge as coach of the Bears, the most rag-tag group of misfit kids that the director does not want allowed in the league.

            With the help of a few recruits, and some fundamentals, Buttermaker can get any team turned around. The Baseball action and cinematography is a bit unconventional and amateur, and the script leaves something to be desired, but the end is priceless.

            The kids are hilarious, and little Tanner, the four-foot-nothing shortstop that doesn’t take guff from anybody stands tall. New recruits include Tatum O’Neal (Paper Moon) who pitches a mean spitball, with the Vaseline on her hat brow, and Kelly Leak, the baddest kid around, who is also a well-respected loan shark and drives a Harley Davidson.

            Really just a classic story told in a campy 70's era So-Cal low budget way. It's raw and has an edge that just makes it endearing if you had any experience of being bad at something as a child but having someone believe in you none-the-less. So really, this foul-mouthed comedy speaks to the heart of anyone. A 2.

The Scale

In case anyone reads this, I rate movies on a scale of 1-2, no decimals, in which a 1 simply means "I would never watch this movie again" and a 2 means "I would watch this movie again". There are definitely subjective and in-between feelings, but those are best left to description by word rather than number.

The Apostle

             This movie is a masterpiece exploration of the Pentecostal, southern tradition, and reflects much of writer/director/star Robert Duvall’s upbringing. It also represents a great deal of research and rehearsal by Mr. Duvall, who stars as the charismatic, yet tormented preacher who folks just call Sonny. He is a warrior for the Lord, and a master in the Pentecostal preaching technique. He is also s very conflicted soul, and struggles a great deal with self-control.

            From opening scene to close, this is a great work of art, detailing a man’s life. He is preacher and pastor of a church, which he founded, and is in one day voted out in a single day by his conniving wife, as well as abandoned by her for the youth minister. He then goes on a drunken rampage and kills the youth minister at a children’s softball game. All he can do is run. He sets out for Baton Rouge, and before long he finds himself making friends and taking jobs in another town. Under the alias “the apostle E.F.” He takes up the cause of the church again. He is constantly haunted by his personal struggles and inner conflict.

            The conclusion is dramatic and powerful, and through out the story, the snippets of southern culture turn up. Just a delightful redemption peace without any frills, other than solid character acting, brilliant dialogue, and a raw southern worldscape. A certain 2, this is rewatchable, and many great quotes pervade this thunderous movie.