Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 3/5 review by Chris

Summer is here! How about a summer blockbuster? How about the summer blockbuster that is kicking the ass of all other summer blockbusters…EVER!

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

-Now in theaters-

Chris’s review:
Let me position this review by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed the first Pirates movie. Mostly because my lovely lady and I are large Johnny Depp fans. Not only because he is quite pretty, but also I believe he is an amazing character actor that doesn’t always get the credit he deserves for his impressive abilities. If you don’t believe me please reference: Benny & Joon, Edward Scissorhands, Blow, Fear and Loathing, or even Secret Window. The guy can just plain ACT! The first Pirates was another chance for Johnny to show off a little, taking a seemingly generic character and making him quite memorable.

Johnny dons the Captain Jack Sparrow garb once again but for some reason I didn’t fall under the spell of the second movie quite as much as I did the first. The first is a good movie for a lazy Saturday where you just want to pop a DVD in, lay in bed, and relax. Most of the enjoyment in the first film comes from the fact that they weren’t trying to be anything more than that. The new Pirates, however, seems to be taking aim at being something more in the class of Lord of the Rings or The Matrix. I felt like I was being pushed into an epic storyline with plot twists and new characters at every turn when all I wanted was some sword fights and more Johnny acting like a drunken rock star! Lets be honest…the whole premise for these movies is based on a freaking AMUSEMENT PARK RIDE!!! Not the great works of one of the most beloved fantasy writers ever (LOTR).

Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t HATE this movie. I was merely let down because I felt like it was trying SO hard to be something it should have never been.

The most confounding part of it all though is the INCREDIBLE box office success this movie is enjoying. It is certainly well cast for the role of “Summer Blockbuster” with all of the impressive special effects and moderately well known actors thrown together, but is it really going to end up being the most successful movie ever? It is certainly on course for that as I write this review. I don’t get. Mainstream American moviegoers have always had a love/hate relationship with Johnny Depp, yet now he is the star of this powerhouse film that everyone is going to see (repeatedly for some). Orlando Bloom is just a pretty face that has bounced around Hollywood but never seen much success as a leading man. And Keira Knightley, cute though she may be, is just a cookie cutter young actress that pops up (no pun intended) in everything from this to Domino. So what is drawing the ticket buyers by the droves?

Alas, maybe that is not for us to know. Who can truly understand the fickle taste of our sad, sad society?

Anywho, all in all this is a pretty enjoyable way to spend a summer evening (though it does cause you to sneak a few peeks at your watch from time to time). I would like to point out that Bill Nighy’s portrayal of Davy Jones is rather nuanced and intriguing. You may know him as “The bad guy” from Underworld, but he impressed me personally quite a bit with his bit part in The Constant Gardner (one of Chris’s 5/5 movies).

I’ll leave you now to make haste to the theaters so that we may all stand up and be counted in what will no doubt prove to be one of the highest grossing films ever (as unfathomable as that may be).


Chris’s recommendations:
See this movie if…
-You found yourself chuckling at Johnny’s inebriated, a feminine, pirate performance in the first film.
-You’ve got some extra money in your pocket and need to kill 3 hours.
-Pirates give you wood.

Don’t see this movie if…
-You like closure…this is only the 1st part of a 2 parter that won’t conclude until next summer (yikes)!
-You think it you can take your young ones. This is not nearly as kid friendly as the first.
-Thank You For Smoking is still up somewhere…that deserves your money more than Pirates…Pirates has enough money already!

A Scanner Darkly 4/5 reviewed by Mike

I loves me some good science fiction, and there's few Sci-Fi writers around as good or as revered as the legendary Philip K. Dick. You've heard of him, even if you don't know it. His stories got turned into movies like "Bladerunner," "Total Recall," "Minority Report," etc. This movie, "A Scanner Darkly," is based on Dick's novel of the same name. One thing that really sticks out about this film is director Richard Linklater's love of Philip K. Dick's work. This isn't hollywood turning something into a marketable Arnold action flick--this is truly a work of art that honors the original in a way that most novel-based movies never come close to.

The other thing you may notice about this film is that it's animated. Linklater uses a technique called "rotoscoping," by which he films actual actors doing scenes, and then goes back and animates over them--giving the film a beautiful animated look that captures all the nuances of the actors performances. He used this technique on his previous materwork "Waking Life," which, ironically, quotes large sections of Philip K. Dick's novels and essays.

"A Scanner Darkly" centers around Robert Arctor (Keanu Reeves) who secretly works for a government anti-drug unit, spying on his friends (Robert Downy Jr., Woody Harrelson, Wynona Ryder), all of whom are severe drug addicts, mostly to a new drug called "Substance D." Arctor himself becomes a user and falls deeper and deeper into layers of psychosis. The plot spirals into a complex story about corporate backstabbing and political intrigue--but the essence of the story is, as many Phillip Dick stories are, about lonliness, isolation, paranoia, and a complex examination and questioning of the nature of reality. None of this weighs the movie down, but if you don't like to think during your movies, be warned.

All the actors in this film do a spectacular job--Robert Downey Jr. gives perhaps one of the best performances of his life. Even Keanu Reeves fits his part well--mostly because the slow ackwardness that he's become known for is absolutely perfect for this character. Yes, he acts exactly as he does in all his films, but its just what this one needs. The film is wonderfully directed by Linklater, who I am becoming more and more enamored with as time goes on. The soundrack is also incredible. Half of the film is haunted by a small and very subtle string section, while the other half is full of Radiohead songs. No band is more perfect for creating the disjointed, fractured feeling that "Scanner" masters. Being the big Radiohead fan that I am, this was great, but the songs were so perfect, that I will have a hard time hearing them again without thinking of the accompanying scenes from this movie.

The best part about this movie, however, is the art. Seeing the animation, the subtlety involved, the layered symbolism... It's all so beautiful, I couldn't take my eyes away. The art powerfully enhances the themes of the film, drawing you in, making you feel what the characters feel, experience what they experience. Every aspect of this film is wonderfully executed--down to the moment right before the end credits start where a long and incredibly touching quote from Phillip K. Dick appears to end the film perfectly.

"A Scanner Darkly" stands out strongly from other films on the market now. It's a powerful examination of reality, relationships, and isolation. It also stands as a stong picture of America's drug culture, and gives a potent message about the true effects of drug abuse, without ever becoming preachy or dogmatic. The more I think about this film, the more I like it. I can't wait to see it again.

See this movie if:
-You appreciate the art of animation, drawing, painting, etc.
-You like movies that present you with philosophoical ideas to chew on for a long time after the movie's over.
-You have used, or thought about using, any sort of narcotics.

Don't see this movie if:
-You want some easygoing, summer escapism.
-You think all forms of animation should resemble Disney films for kids. There's lots of language and some nudity in this one.
-You are on a first date. Well, maybe it would work, depending on the person...

Superman Returns 3/5 reviewed by Mike

Let's be honest. Superman stories are hard to write. How do you develop tension and real conflict with a person who is completely invulnerable? The majority of average Superman stories deal with him having to just punch a little harder to defeat a stronger alien, or lift something just a little heavier than before, or something of that sort. The best Superman stories deal with complex themes that arise from alien beings of ultimate power--they deal with emotional inner struggles and morality, justice and truth in interesting ways. Unfortunately, Superman Returns belongs to the first category.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad film. And technically, it's quite, well, super. It's magestically directed by Bryan Singer, who has a keen eye for finding just the right camera angle to bring a fresh look to otherwise normal scenes. The effects are also superb. The whole film looks great and is fun to watch. The kids sitting the row behind me were transfixed the entire time.

For all it's technical greatness, this film really didn't impress me. That's mostly because the entire movie was giant "tip of the hat" to the 1978 Superman flick--down to repeating giant blocks of dialouge word for word. It's almost like Singer is sitting next to you while you're watching, going, "Hey, remember that part where Christopher Reeve said such and such? Wasn't that cool?" Yes, Bryan. You're a great director, but we've seen the 1978 film. It was a great film. In 1978. I'll admit, part of this is my fault. I expected (or maybe just really wanted) this movie to be for Superman what Batman Begins was for Batman: A reformed, relevant, modern tale of a classic hero for a new generation. Instead, it just seemed like a new chapter in the 70's version of the character--this film seems stuck in the past, all the way down to Lex Luthor being a kooky nutball. The first scene of the film is him swindling an old lady out of some cash. This is his big plan? This is the evil genius of Lex Luthor? Even his big, final plan, is nothing more than a glorified get-rich-quick land scandal. Superman himself is under-developed as well. Instead of epic acts of glory, he goes around stopping bank robberies and runaway cars. There's some really cool Christ-imagery hinted at, but it's not developed enough to be really moving.

I felt let down by these limiting takes on classic characters, who have matured and developed so much more than this in the books since '78--but the rest of the characters were equally shallow. I never felt like I knew Lois Lane, much less cared about what happened to her. I felt obligated to care for the characters, but never really did. I personally blame the stilted dialouge and the fact that almost everyone seems wierdly mis-cast. It pains me a bit to say that James Marsden (of X-Men fame) does perhaps the best acting job in the film. There's also a little bit of "Peter Jackson Syndrome" going on. This means that there's this endless anticlimax that goes on forever after the main conflict of the movie ends. The plot itself is fine enough, but has enough logic problems to keep the fanboys arguing for weeks. And, to be frankly honest, the subplot about Lois' kid nearly ruined the whole movie for me. Although there are individual scenes of greatness, there isn't much tying the film together into a cohesive whole.

All flaws aside, this is still an entertaining, well made film. It will please most of the fans, and it is genuinely better than most summer-movie drivel, and it definitely beats out most of the super hero gutter trash Hollywood keeps shoving at us. This movie isn't "Elektra" or "Fantastic Four" but it also isn't "Spiderman." It's biggest problem is that it was not at all what I expected or wanted a Superman film to be. I have a hard time describing the movie without using the words, "underwhelming" and "generic." I will emphasize the "I," because some people will love this film, and give it an enthusiastic "4." If you want to relive what seeing the original Superman movie was when you were a kid, then you will love this movie. If you want a fresh, mature, new take on the Man of Steel, you're better off watching Bruce Timm's animated version. If you're like me, you'll get a kick out of watching the sweet effects--and halfway through have a burning desire to go watch Batman Begins instead.