Pirates 4.0

Author: Laurel

May 25

The Pirates of the Caribbean saga continues, but is it the same with a different director?

I don’t know if the change in director, moving from Gore Verbinski to Rob Marshall, made a big difference in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  However, the movie seemed to lack a cohesive plot.  What plot was there was driven by the extravagant use of special effects.

Does this mean I didn’t enjoy the movie?  No!  After all, Captain Barbossa and Captain Sparrow were up to their usual (no good), and brought along a whole crew.  I still think The Curse of the Black Pearl is the best of the POTC movies, but they all have a certain charm.

After all, it is amusing to see Sparrow swinging through palm trees, and to see Barbossa roaring around with a wooden leg.  My favorite line of the movie was said to Barbossa by Sparrow, about his leg: “You don’t have termites, do you?”

I think one thing that tied this new Pirates movie to the previous ones was the soundtrack, done by Hans Zimmer, one of the masters of movie soundtracks.  He wrote new pieces for this movie, but still used the same theme.

On Stranger Tides is an enjoyable (yet certainly not deep) movie.  Let the swash-buckling commence!

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Was it worth the wait?

Author: Laurel

Mar 15

I finally got a chance to watch The King’s Speech last night.  I’ve been wanting to see it since I first started reading reviews.  Okay, maybe I’ve wanted to see it since I heard that Colin Firth was in it.  That certainly didn’t dampen my desire to watch it!

I watched The King’s Speech win four awards at the Oscar.  This only heightened my wish to see the movie.  So the question is, was it worth the wait and did it deserve the awards?  The simple answer? Yes, yes, and YES.

The story is simple, but that makes it more elegant.  It is well-told and well-acted.  The language is lovely, which enhances the main impetus–the King’s stammer.  He has trouble speaking, but has opinions that deserve to be heard.  It’s an honest and human story, and a part of history.

The role of King George, “Bertie,” is probably Colin Firth’s best to date.  He has become a wonderful actor, and this movie is yet another rung on his climb upward.  He certainly deserved the Best Actor Oscar.  Geoffrey Rush was also superb as Lionel Logue, the King’s Australian speech therapist.

My suggestion is that you go out and watch this movie.  Run, don’t walk, as they say.  Watch it before it leaves the theater.  It is well worth it.

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