17 posts tagged “disney”
Below are five of my favorite Christmas songs of all time. Enjoy:
TOP FIVE CHRISTMAS SONGS
One of the more popular figures that seemed to symbolize Halloween is the witch. Usually, the witch is someone with green skin, a hooked nose, red-and-white stockings, a black gown and a cone hat. Now that I think about it, the Wicked Witch of the West from "THE WIZARD OF OZ" seemed to perfectly embody this image. But there have been other witches who have appeared in movies and television throughout the years. Below is a gallery featuring some of them:
"WITCHES IN POPULAR FICTION"
"The Wizard of Oz" (1939)
The Wicked Witch of the West
Glenda, the Good Witch of the North (or West)
"I Married a Witch" (1942)
Jennifer
"Bell, Book and Candle" (1958)
Gillian Holroyd
Nicky Holoroyd
"Bewitched" (1964-1972)
Samantha Stevens
Endora
Maurice
Dr. Bombay
"Bedknobs and Broomsticks" (1971)
Eglantine Price
"Hocus Pocus" (1993)
Sarah, Winifred and Mary Sanderson
"Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" (1996-2003)
Sabrina Spellman
Zelda, Sabrina and Hilda Spellman
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997-2003)
Willow Rosenberg
Tara Maclay
Jenny Calendar
Amy Madison
Ethan Rayne
"Practical Magic" (1998)
Sally and Gillian Owens
Gillian and Sally Owens
Frances and Jet Owens
"Charmed" (1998-2006)
Phoebe, Prue and Piper Halliwell
Phoebe Halliwell, Paige Matthews and Piper Halliwell
Christopher Halliwell
Wyatt Halliwell
"HARRY POTTER" Saga (2001-?)
Hermoine Granger
Minerva McGonagall
Bellatrix Lestrange (nee Black)
"Hex" (2004-2006)
Cassie Hughes
Ella Dee
"THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (2005)
Jadis, the White Witch
"Stardust" (2007)
Lamia
The Lilim - Empusa, Lamia and Mormo
"Enchanted" (2007)
Narissa
"HIS DARK MATERIALS: The Golden Compass" (2007)
Serafina Pekkala
”PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: Curse of the Black Pearl” Review
Over five years ago, ”PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: Curse of the Black Pearl” had burst upon the movie screens and to the surprise of many, became a major hit. Even more surprising, the movie ended up spawning a wildly successful movie trilogy within another four years and also a new cinematic icon for the 21st century – Captain Jack Sparrow.
Judging from the forums and blogs on the Internet, it seems to me that ”Curse of the Black Pearl” is the most popular film in the ”PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN” franchise. In a way, I can understand. It lacked the darker aspects of the two sequels that followed. Directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, ”Curse of the Black” is based upon the attraction at the Disney parks. In it, the pirates of the ship known as the Black Pearl, led by the vile Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), need to restore the missing piece of the ancient Aztec gold treasure of Cortes and sacrifice the blood of "Bootstrap" Bill Turner to save themselves from eternal punishment owing to a curse that fell upon them when they stole the gold. The buccaneers attack Port Royal and kidnap Miss Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) who has the missing piece of gold. In order to rescue Miss Elizabeth Swann, William Turner (Orlando Bloom) enlists the help of the fabled Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) who devises an ingenious plan to retrieve the Black Pearl from his mutinous former first mate, Captain Barbossa, and help William Turner save the love of his lifeScreenwriters Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio created a frolicking tale filled with swashbuckler action, an interesting supernatural story that involved cursed treasure and undead pirates, and sharp humor that almost bordered on the cock-eyed. Most of this humor came from the leading man himself, the excruciatingly talented Johnny Depp. His portrayal of the morally ambiguous and androgynous Captain Jack Sparrow took a great deal of moviegoers and critics by surprise. He certainly took me by surprise. No other actor in Hollywood or anywhere else has ever portrayed a pirate in this manner. Not surprisingly, Depp won an Academy Award nomination and a Screen Actors Guild award for his performance.
It seemed a shame that Geoffrey Rush had failed to earn any acting nominations for his performance as the menacing Captain Barbossa. Come to think of it, his performance was more than menacing. Like Depp, he gave a performance filled with a great deal of off-the-wall humor and sharp dialogue. I also enjoyed Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley’s performances as the star-crossed young lovers, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. Ironically, both actors seemed to have better chemistry with either Depp, Rush or both than with each other. Until the final battle. And I found that odd, considering that their screen chemistry seemed a lot more convincing in the final action scene inside the large cavern on Isla de Muerta and in the two following sequels. I wonder if this had anything to do with the fact that Will and Elizabeth spent most of the movie suppressing their feelings for one another.
As for the rest of the cast that made up the movie, they were superb. Jack Davenport gave a commanding, yet sardonic performance as Will’s romantic rival – Commodore James Norrington of the Royal Navy. Mind you, Davenport really grew into the role in ”Dead Man’s Chest”, but he did a good job in this film. And what would a ”PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN” be without Kevin R. Nally as Josiah Gibbs, Lee Arnberg as Pintel and MacKenzie Crook as Rigetti? I could list all of the supporting characters that made this movie memorable, but it would take forever. I will simply state that Verbinski was very lucky to find himself with an excellent cast.
I had noted earlier ”Curse of the Black Pearl” is not as dark as its two successors. I wonder if this is the reason why many fans prefer it over the other two. If I have to be honest, I do not share the same sentiments. Do not get me wrong. I love this movie. But it is not my favorite ”PIRATES” movie. That honor goes to the second film - ”Dead Man’s Chest”. As much as I love ”Curse of the Black Pearl”, there were times I wish it had been a little more ambiguous. With the exception of the Jack Sparrow character, the other characters are clearly either the good guys or the bad guys. There seemed to be little room for moral ambiguity.
There was another aspect of ”Curse of the Black Pearl” that I had noticed – even when I first saw the film. For a movie set in the Caribbean, I really did not see much of it. Yes, there were scenes set aboard ships. But aside from a sequence featuring Jack Sparrow’s arrival at Port Royal and his first meeting of Elizabeth and Norrington, the movie never really captured the aura of the Caribbean – at least for me. And I had noticed something else. Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski used a lot of close ups in his shots. I remembered that those close ups made me feel slightly dizzy and claustrophic when I first saw the movie.
Despite certain elements of the film that did not appeal to me – Wolski’s photography and the less ambiguous tone of most of the characters – I still love ”Curse of the Black Pearl”. I love the story, Klaus Badelt’s score, Gore Verbinski’s direction, and the characters. Especially Johnny Depp’s performance. Hopefully, this movie and the two that followed will one day be viewed as film classics. They are already classics in my eyes.
Here is a gallery of photos from the second movie in the "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN" trilogy - "Curse of the Black Pearl":
"PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: Curse of the Black Pearl" Photo Gallery
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: "Consequences"
Has anyone noticed something odd about the main characters in "POTC: At World's End"? Most or all of them either ended up with a less than happy ending or with their fates up in the air.
If one must be brutally honest, the trilogy's main characters had committed some kind of questionable act or one dangerous to others. Jack Sparrow was a pirate, who had no qualms about using others for his own personal gain. And that included bartering Will to Davy Jones in "Dead Man's Chest" in order to avoid paying his debt to Jones . . . and lying to Elizabeth about it. Hector Barbossa, as well all know, was a murderous pirate who led a mutiny against Jack, threatened the lives of many and also double-crossed Tia Dalma by tossing her into the Black Pearl's brig in "At World's End". And then there is straight arrow Will Turner, who turned out to be not so straight arrow. He had left Jack to the mercies of Barbossa and the latter's crew in "Curse of the Black Pearl" and double-crossed the Pearl's crew to Sao Feng and the East India Trading Company in order to get his hands on the ship in "At World's End". Will's beloved and future Pirate King - Elizabeth Swann -committed one of the worst acts by leaving Jack shackled to the Black Pearl for the latter to be killed by the Kracken in "Dead Mans Chest". And in that same movie, James Norrington betrayed his new crew members from the Black Pearl, by stealing Davy Jones' heart from and handing it over to Lord Cutler Beckett in order to regain his military position in society.Not exactly a sweet bunch, are they? Many societies, religions and what-have-you seemed to believe in the old adage of what goes around, comes around. Or paying the consequences of one's actions. My favorite happens to be - "Payback's a bitch". And judging from the fates of the major characters in the trilogy, all of them - in one form or the other - seemed to have paid the consequences of their actions.
For Norrington, payback came in the form of death at the hands of poor deluded Bootstrap, when he helped Elizabeth and Sao Feng's crew escape from the Flying Dutchman's brig. After marrying Will during a battle against Jones and his crew, Elizabeth found herself nearly a widow and facing ten years of marriage . . . without her husband. And where was Will? During that battle, Jones stabbed him with the sword he had made for Norrington. And when Jack helped him stab Jones' heart before he could die, Will became the new captain of the Flying Dutchman, ferrying souls lost at sea to "the other side" . . . apart from Elizabeth for ten years. Barbossa seemed to have had it made in the end. He managed to get back the Black Pearl from Jack. Unfortunately, he found himself facing a possible mutiny due to Jack's theft of Sao Feng's chart that could lead them all to a new treasure. And what about dear old Jack? Well . . . he found himself left behind at Tortuga, after Barbossa took the Black Pearl from him again.
Mind you some of the characters like Norrington and Will suffered a more severe consequence than the other characters. But not one of them had the glowing "happily ever after" that was seen in the conclusion of "At World's End". Even though Will and Elizabeth were finally reunited in the film's post-credits scene, I wonder if there were some shadows in their reunion. After all, Will and Elizabeth have to adjust being married. And Will has to learn to be a father . . . something of which Elizabeth already has ten years of experience.
Here is a gallery featuring photos from the third "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN" movie - "At World's End":
"PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: At World's End" Gallery:
Here is a gallery featuring photos from the second "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN" movie - "Dead Man's Chest":
"PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: Dead Man's Chest" Gallery:
"PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: Dead Man's Chest" Review
First of all, I would like to say that originally, I had not been that keen on the idea of a sequel or two to "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: Curse of the Black Pearl". I simply did not think that the 2003 movie needed a sequel. It had ended just fine, as far as I was concerned. And I suspect that many "POTC" fans still feel this way. In end, I am glad that Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski had went ahead and forged a trilogy out of the franchise. To my surprise, "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: Dead Man's Chest" has become my favorite of the three movies.
That said, here are my thoughts on this film:*At first I had thought that the first movie was better. Which is not surprising to me. Sequels are rarely better than the first movie - the STAR WARS, X-MEN and SPIDER-MAN franchises being the exceptions. But upon second viewing, I will add that DMC also became amongst the exceptions. I do not believe that it was better or worse than the CotBP. I feel that it is just as good, only darker . . . with a cliffhanger at the end. I must congratulate the two screenwriters, Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, along with director Gore Verbinski for taking the story in a new direction, instead of rehashing the success of the first movie.
*At first, I did not care for the sequences featuring the cannabalistic Pelegostos. I did not like the idea of Jack Sparrow being some kind of god to them, or even the idea of them being cannibals. It seemed to smack of old Hollywood cliches regarding whites' encounters with "non-white savages". Yet, upon repeated viewings, one could see that Verbinski, Elliot and Russio took this cliche and turned it on its heels with the portrayal of the Pelegostos being more than just savages. The director and two screenwriters showed that despite their status as cannibals, the Pelegostos were just as human as anyone else, thanks to the comic acting of the cast members portraying the group. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the Black Pearl crew's escape from the Pelegostos. It was filled with excitement, great humor and good acting. In fact, it is one of my favorite sequences in the entire trilogy.
*I also have to congratulate Elliot and Russio for allowing the characters to develop even more since the first movie – especially Will Turner (portrayed by the very underappreciated Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightly), and James Norrington (Jack Davenport). Even dear old Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp in all his glory) had managed to develop somewhat by the end of the film. And all of the major actors - including Kevin McNally as Joshamee Gibbs; and Lee Arnberg and MacKenzie Crook as Pintel and Rigetti - were excellent. Not much of a surprise, really.
*"DMC" also introduced four new characters to the franchise - the perceptive and charming Vodoun priestess, Tia Dalma (Naomi Harris); the vindictive and deadly Captain Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) who commanded the ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman; Will's gloomy father, Bootstrap Bill Turner (Stellan Skarsgård); and the ruthless and manipulative representative of the East India Trading Company, Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander). Skarsgård gave a solid performance, and the other three actors - Harris, Nighy and Hollander - were fabulous.
*Many have expressed dislike of Elizabeth Swann for what she had done to Jack. What many had forgotten was that Will had more or less done the same thing to Jack - leave him for dead - in the first film.
Despite my low expectations of the movie, I am surprised that I grew to love it so much. Even more surprising was the fact that it became my favorite in the "POTC" franchise. However, the movie's final scene featuring the resurrection of Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) was BRILLIANT. It had one of the best cliffhangers I have ever seen on film. On the whole, I would give "POTC: Dead Man's Chest" an "A-". I am taking points off for the Pelegostos sequence. I may be more tolerant of it, but I do not love it. Quite frankly, I would rather see "DEAD MAN'S CHEST" over again, than watch the likes of "SUPERMAN RETURNS" (which was released around the same period) again.
NATIONAL TREASURE 2: THE BOOK OF SECRETS" and "CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR" Reviews
Two movies were recently released in the theaters, last Friday . . . two movies that could not be anymore different than if they had tried. I am speaking of "NATIONAL TREASURE 2: THE BOOK OF SECRETS" and "CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR". The first movie, starring Nicholas Cage and Jon Voight, is a sequel to the 2004 Disney film, "NATIONAL TREASURE". The other is a comedy-drama about a Texas congressman from the 1980s who found himself involved in Afghanistan's attempts to free itself from a Soviet invasion.
"National Treasure 2: The Book of Secrets"
This sequel to the 2004 movie - "National Treasure" - opens with the Gates family - Benjamin and Patrick (Nicholas Cage and Jon Voight) - learning from a black market dealer named Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) that their Civil War ancestor Thomas Gates (Joel Gretsch) may have been the mastermind behind Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Wilkinson's so-called proof came from assassin John Wilkes Booth's diary. To prove their ancestor's innocence and family honor, Ben and Patrick recruit the aid of family friend Riley Poole (Justin Bartha), Ben's estranged girlfriend Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger), Patrick's ex-wife Emily Appleton (Helen Mirren), FBI Agent Sadusky (Harvey Keitel) and even the President of the United States (Bruce Greenwood) to help them find the treasure of gold that would vindicate Thomas Gates and the family's name.
In a nutshell, this sequel turned out to be just as fun and exciting as the first movie. Ben Gates and company follow clues that lead them from Paris to London to Washington D.C. and finally Mount Rushmore in the Dakota Black Hills. The cast were their usual competent selves and Ed Harris turned out to be just as effective as a villain as Sean Bean had been in the first film. My favorite sequences included Ben, Abigail and Riley's attempt to gain access to one of the rooms at Buckingham Palace, Ben and Abigail's minor adventures at the White House and Ben's kidnapping of the President at Mount Vernon.
I did have a few problems with the movie. My biggest gripe turned out to be the treasure itself. I realize that the Templar treasure found in the first film could not be topped. But I must admit that the City of Gold found beneath Mount Rushmore had failed to impress me at all. And why end the movie at Mount Rushmore? Granted there was a war between American settlers and the Dakota Sioux in 1862, but what did that have to do with the Civil War? I would have been happier if the movie's setting had remained on the East Coast.
Aside from these minor gripes, "National Treasure 2: The Book of Secrets" turned out to be as entertaining as the first film. I would highly recommend it.
"Charlie Wilson's War"
This historical drama told the story of Texas congressman Charles Wilson (Tom Hanks)'s efforts to get the United States to aid the Mujahideen (Afghanistan freedom fighters) in their fight against the military invaders from the Soviet Union during the 1980s. Urged on by his staunchly anti-Communist friend and romantic interest, Texas heiress Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), Wilson became deeply involved to help the Afghans throw the Soviets out of their country without the world knowing about U.S. involvement. The film not only revealed Wilson's growing disdain for the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, it also gave moviegoers a look into his gregarious social life of women and partying.
Judging from the movie's Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nomination, one could see that "Charlie Wilson's War" has become a front-runner for Academy Award nominations. Does it deserve the acclamation? I do not know. Granted, Mike Nichols did a competent job in allowing moviegoers a peek into Washington and international politics, and C.I.A. policies. Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman (as C.I.A. operative Gust Avrakotos) were excellent. But if I must be honest, the movie did not give me a charge. I liked it. I really found it entertaining. But I did not love it. When leaving the theater, I had this feeling that something was missing. It could have been the unsatisfying ending, which I found to be rushed. Or perhaps I thought the story could have required a little more depth.
I cannot say that "Charlie Wilson's War" was great. But I did find it entertaining. And if you are intrigued by a look into American politics during the 1980s, I would highly recommend it.
