Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides

Cast: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Sam Claflin, Kieth Richards and Stephen Graham.

Director: Rob Marshall

Release Date: 2011

Running Time: 2hrs 16 minutes

Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG-13

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

Captain Barbossa and Captain Jack Sparrow, go on a quest to find the fountain of youth, only to discover that Captain Blackbeard and his daughter want their hands on it too!

The worst thing you can do with a huge film franchise is suddenly change the director. A director should know his actors well, his crew well and his set very well. Director Rob Marshall brings us the fourth film in the series. Jack Sparrow is after the fountain of youth! Jack Sparrow has his usual fantastic introduction this time in the presence of King George played fanatically by the late Richard Griffiths. In all honesty it's not Johnny Depp's best performance as Jack Sparrow, this is why it doesn't always pay to have a change in director, Johnny Depp is a remarkable actor, I believe who at fault here is the director whom told him to perform that way. After being so used to seeing Keira Knightly as the leading lady it was a bit odd seeing Penelope Cruz in her place as Angelica, supposedly Blackbeards daughter. I find myself struggling to warm to her character.

Edward Teach "Blackbeard" is played by Ian McShane, Blackbeard was thought to be a very fearsome character in real life who loved frightening his enemies by lighting fuses under his long black beard. I'm not sure that McShane was the right actor to portray him, his performance is good however I think Peter Ustinov portrayed a far better Blackbeard. What's more irritating is supposedly the film is set in 1750, Blackbeard and his crew died in 1718! I know it's just a movie right? Were writers Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio aware of this during the writing of the screenplay? Sam Clafin plays Philip a religious young pirate who is neither here or there when it comes to joining Sparrow's crew. Clafin in good however he doesn't bring a great deal of characterisation to his role. Geoffrey Rush too portrays one of his weakest performances as Captain Barbossa. I know it's been a few years, but it doesn't seem like the same man playing the same character.

I'm almost under the impression that Disney tried to make a movie about Blackbeard but got it historically wrong and then thought they'd add a fountain of youth into the story to make it a bit more interesting? The storyline is good, it just doesn't always make sense in some places, not in my opinion anyway. Blackbeard is somewhat of a stereotype. Blackbeard was a hardcore pirate. His character appears too friendly. I'm not buying the relationship between Angelica and Blackbeard too. Father and daughter? Don't make me laugh. Blackbeard? He looks like he'd fit in more with the rock band Slash!

Onto the positives! Although Gore Virbinski didn't make a return, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski did return one last time. The cinematography is particularly nice, more so in the second chapter of the film. Although the lighting is very dark, which is a little bit annoying, you can barely see what's happening during a few scenes. Otherwise it works very well to enhance the atmosphere. The production design is good, but again not quite as good as the others. Shot mainly in Hawaii and England which makes quite a change to...well...um the Caribbean? Again the the sets feel more lived in and realistic at the beginning of the movie when we are shown King George. Oh, also historically incorrect, King George was born in 1895, I'm not too sure they've thought this through? Oh I know, it's just a movie right? It is good to be historically correct though!

In all honesty not a favourite of mine! Although it carries on nicely from the third movie, it feels slightly like an origin movie too. Entertaining, but not great!

3/5 stars

Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End

Cast: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightly, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy and Jack Davenport.

Director: Gore Virbinski

Release Date: 2007

Running Time: 2hrs 49 minutes

Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis:

Captain Barbossa, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan must navigate treachery, betrayal and sail off the edge of the map, to find Jack Sparrow and make their final alliances for a battle one last time! 

At World's End! Now that Elizabeth, Will and Captain Barbossa have rescued Sparrow from the land of the dead, they must face their greatest enemies Davy Jones and Lord Beckett. Now that Beckett has control over Davy Jones's heart he forms a dark alliance with him in order rule the seas and wipe out the last of the pirates. I feel like this one and the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie "Salazar Revenge" are most certainly linked. The 4th installment sort of went off on it's own agenda. Please don't let that confuse you, the correct order to watch the films are the order they were released in. Jack Sparrow doesn't actually make an appearance till almost an hour into the film, his introduction is most certainly interesting. Is he tripping? Is it a dream? A very clever scene. Johnny Depp is fabulous as always. The movie does focus more on Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan in this installment.

Elizabeth Swan is very much a pirate now and considers herself one, Keira Knightly's performance is very good, I still don't quite understand what the deal is with her relationship with Will Turner though? Sound daft? After viewing the 5th installment you'll understand why I said it. Geoffrey Rush is excellent, Johnny Depp and himself actually have serious screen time together this time which makes a nice change. Geoffrey Rush is fantastic as always! In the first film he always came across as such a bad ass pirate who would end up as a bad guy, but as the movies progress you soon learn that he's sort of a good guy really, especially in the latest film. I think his character is rather complex. Is he good,? Is he bad? Speaking of complex characters, for me personally this is the most complex storyline in the series. You need to concentrate otherwise you tend to miss things. I love that we are introduced to characters Ragetti and Pintel more in this film, they work fantastically together and add a perfect amount of humour to the movie.

Although the production design is good, I don't quite think it's as good as the first two movies. Gore Virbinksi has relied heavily on the storyline to make this movie great, that doesn't mean to say the cinematography is awful, quite the contrary, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski has produced gorgeous looking scenes, which work beautifully alongside impressive camera shots, particularly a reverse motion shot of Pintel and Regetti hanging upside down, it's a great scene and looks beautifully shot. Virbinski has relied more on special effects but it works well with the storyline in showing how the story is progressing, they believe their ship will fall off the face of the Earth, it just adds to the magic perfectly. The special effects look really good! It's quite a dark film in terms of lighting design and as far as the storyline is concerned. Therefor the lighting adds to the tone of the film brilliantly. The magic has faded, Elizabeth is no longer this innocent woman who cares for her blacksmith, but now a pirate fighting to keep others alive.

It's a great film, however I do think it's a bit too long at 2hrs 41 minutes, Virbinski doesn't allow his audience to get bored, however certain scenes seem pointless and for me did drag the film down a little bit. they don't necessarily steer away from the movie but personally the film would have worked perfectly without them. It takes a while for the action to get going. The score is good and works well with the storyline, however it's not quite as exciting as it has been in previous films. Although it's entertaining, probably one of my least favourite in the series. I found it to be a bit too dark and a little bit too long.

4/5 stars

Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest

Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly, Jack Davenport, Bill Nighy and Stellan Skarsgard.

Director: Gore Verbinski

Release Date: 2006

Running Time: 2hrs 31 minutes

Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG-13

Format: DVD: 2 Disc Special Edition

Synopsis:

Captain Jack Sparrow must recover the heart of Davey Jones , to avoid his soul being taken, as other friends and people seek the heart for their own agenda as well!

Your favourite pirates are back again for the second installment in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. Will Turner (Bloom) and Elizabeth Swan (Knightly), have been arrested by Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Co for helping Captain Jack Sparrow, escape from the British Navy. Turner finds out the only way he can release Elizabeth from prison is to find Jack Sparrow, obtain him from his seemingly broken compass and bring it to Beckett. Disney has once again proven that it's fantastic at producing sequels..The best thing you could ever do when making a movie is have the same director/writers/cinematographer follow you on the journey. So many sequels and trilogy's are ruined purely because a different director and writer are involved. Personally the storyline in "Dead Man's Chest" is my favourite in the franchise.

Jack Sparrow makes a grand entrance as usual, this time shooting his way out of a coffin. Johnny Depp reprises his role once again, beautifully. I really love that we see a bit more into his character and who he is as a person. A Captain known by many pirates and woman. Probably one too many. Depp is hilarious. We see into the character of Will Turner a lot more too and find out where his father has been all of these years. It was a nice surprise for me personally. Stellan Skarsgard is excellent as Bootstrap Bill, his character is very mysterious, Skarsgard delivers a great performance. Don't you just love a bit of mystery sometimes?  Characters Pentil and Ragetti played by Lee Arenberg and Mackenzie Crook are fantastic, I really love that we see more of their characters in the second installment. Both very funny in their own right, they bounce off each other perfectly. They really bring the humour out in certain scenes would probably be rather boring without them. This is a real adventure.

The characters that we see on the island where Jack Sparrow finds himself marooned are very interesting, very similar to the Indian tribes living in the Amazon rain forest or on North Sentinel Island, in the Indian Ocean. I love the authenticity of the characters. Tia Dalma is a character that really took me by surprise and upon first viewing initially confused me a little bit. It's clear that Dalma and Sparrow are very familiar with one another. Naomie Harris performance is very authentic and realistic, personally one of the stronger actors in the film. Her characterization is spot on. Bully Nighy is an actor I just love, isn't he fantastic? Nighy plays Davey Jones. He doesn't actually make an appearance until almost an hour into the movie, however I think that adds a real sense of mystery to his character, especially considering how often his name crops up in the first half an hour of the film. Fantastic character actor, his character really is one to look out for in this film. Jones really is the leader of his pact, he's very dominant. Johnny Depp and Bill Nighy work particularly well on screen together. Fantastic chemistry.

One of the most memorable things about this film is the truly incredible production design. The work that has gone into each and every scene to make it look old, authentic and tacky is fantastic. The detail n Davey Jones's ship, the organ that he plays, I love it, it's fun, it's creative, it's different, it looks amazing, especially when Davey Jones is attempting to play it with his tentacles. Who thought of that? You genius. Tia Dalma's cabin, locked away in the jungles of the Caribbean. It adds to the tone of the film brilliantly, as the films progress the more they really do remind me of the ride at Disneyland. I'm afraid it's hard to explain unless you've been there. It really heightens the atmosphere and camera and allows it to look genuine not look like a set. The lighting designers really played a big part too in creating the perfect atmosphere on screen. Brilliant. The incredible make up department that really allowed Bootstrap Bill to come to life.

Set mainly in the Bahamas and St Vincent and the Grenadines, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski has captured both places beautifully allowing for some really beautiful scenes. Beautifully shot, however there are a few moments, a fight sequence on an island that I think was shot rather fast, it  does however fade into a rather humorous long shot Elizabeth Swan pretending to faint in the hope she will grab the attention of Turner and Jack Sparrow. Visually, a very stunning looking movie. The action sequences are most certainly coherently shot though, building up to a couple of very exciting scenes. Hans Zimmer really is a genius when it comes to music, just like the first movie, the score is fantastic. I love how Zimmer has chosen for a fun and inventive score to introduce Jack Sparrow, it works well with the scenes and the character. A fantastic score overall. A highly enjoyable movie!

5/5 stars

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

Cast: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightly, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush.

Director: Gore Virbinski

Release Date: 2003

Running Time: 2hrs 23 minutes
Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG-13

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with the ever so flamboyant Captain Jack Sparrow to save Elizabeth Swan, the governor's daughter, from Sparrow's previous pirate allies who are now the ruthless undead.

Based on the famous ride at Disneyland with the same name, Gore Virbinski brings it to life in an action packed movie! I'm not entirely sure what possessed Disney to turn one of their rides into a movie but it certainly worked and captivated audiences around the world! Elizabeth Swan possesses something that does not belong to her, a medallion that should of stayed in the hands of Will Turner (Bloom), when the curse is released the infamous undead pirates make their return for Elizabeth Swan to get the medallion back so they can live forever! Of course nothing is simple when it comes to pirates. Johnny Depp plays famous drunken pirate Jack Sparrow. An extremely eccentric character who wants nothing more then a bottle of rum in his hands. Well let's face it, what else would you do if you were a pirate? Johnny Depp delivers one of his most famous and entertaining performances to date. Everything about his performance is captivating, Depp is an incredible character actor. Johnny, without a doubt steals the show as Captain Jack Sparrow.

At the time of it's release I wasn't that familiar with actress Keira Knightly, her performance however was pleasantly surprising. Elizabeth Swan is the Governors daughter, she's apprehensively being forced into marriage with Captain Norrington. An irritating gentlemen that to be quite honest is stuck up his own backside. Swan of course has eyes for Will Turner. Jack Davenport delivers a pretty good performance, his character is rather cocky and definitely has a disliking for pirates especially those called Jack. Orlando Bloom is an actor who seems to be extremely hit and miss with his films, "Pirates of the Caribbean" being some of his most famous to date. Is Will Turner a blacksmith or a pirate? Essentially a bit of both, it's lovely to see how his character progresses in the next two films. His performance is good, however I'm not convinced there is a great deal of chemistry between Knightly and himself on screen.

So how exactly does one turn one of Disney's most famous rides into a movie? You get four very, very good screenwriters to write a screenplay for you! The storyline is interesting, fun and very funny. Screenwriters Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio have essentially turned the characters at the ride into fantastic and eccentric characters on the big screen! Disney movies always seem to have this wonderful feel good factor to them, never too emotional, never too scary, never too sinister. The perfect balance of entertainment. The thought of turning a ride into a fun action packed movie is brilliant in my eyes! Made for entertainment and fun, not to be taken seriously! At a mere 2hrs 17 minutes, is it deemed to long a movie for Disney fans? Personally? No. It works.

If you have ever been on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride at Disneyland you will soon know how similiar the production design is in comparison to the design of the ride. Production designer Brian Morris has gone to great lengths to make the set design as authentic to the ride as possible. The set design is quite possibly one of my most favourite things, the detail that has gone into the ships, the gorgeous exterior and interior, maps hanging on the walls, compasses, it's imaginative and brilliant! So much creativity went into making them look like they were lived in by Pirates. Stunning costume design by Penny Rose. Each and every character was exactly how I'd picture a pirate to look. I'm not entirely sure what the fascination is with pirates that we all seem to have...is it the unknown? I'm hooked. I can't place my finger on it.

Gore Virbinski of course directed the film beautifully with the help of fantastic cinematographer Dariusz Wolski who also did the stunning photography on the other three movies in the series. Stunning moments of cinematography that capture the Caribbean in the light that we'd all love to see. Paradise. Gorgeous scenes captured inside caves that aren't too dark, too light, just right in capturing the actors at their best in beautifully choreographed fight scenes. Stunning special effects, crossover with capturing the pirates as living people and as the undead skeletons. Fantastic close ups of the actors individually in scenes. This is a very nice looking movie. Perfectly edited each scene flows beautifully into the next and of course the soundtrack that holds the whole film together, a wonderful score by Klaus Badelt, a theme so famous you'll find yourself humming it for days after viewing.  A highly entertaining and fun movie!

DVD Bonus Features:

Audio Commentary: 

Audio Commentary with Director Gore Virbinski

5/5 stars

T2: Trainspotting

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Johnny Lee Miller, Ewan Bremner, Robert Carlyle and Shirley Henderson.

Director: Danny Boyle

Release Date: 2017

Running Time: 1hr 57 minutes

Genre: Drama

Rating: 18

Format: Blu-Ray

Synopsis:

20 years have passed since the events that took place in the first film. Renton returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie! 

Twenty years have passed since the events that took place in the first film. Renton returns home to Scotland to find Spud trying to commit suicide, Begbie locked up in prison and Simon *Sick Boy* working in his own pub. Although twenty years have passed, it takes off nicely from where the first film ended. The actors have aged considerably, understandable after so long. I don't mean that to sound offensive, it's very nice to see how the characters have progressed, the characters have aged too. It's amazing to see how much film has changed in twenty years. It's unusual to see a sequel after such a long time. So much has changed, box TV's are now flat screen TV's, Iphones now make an appearance, Edinburgh itself has even changed.

Ewan McGregor is once again fantastic as Mark Renton, his character has changed dramatically since the first movie. Renton is clean and pretty content on keeping very fit. Robert Carlyle undoubtedly steals the show as Begbie. Begbie has escaped prison to return home to his young son and his wife, to be clean? No. Robbery. Robert's performance is absolutely amazing, without a doubt his best performance to date.  Some of the best acting I have seen in a very long time. Simon *Sick Boy* really hasn't changed at all, he's exactly the same now as he was twenty years ago. Johnny Lee Miller too proves himself once again with a fantastic performance. If you really enjoyed the first film you will find yourself on an emotional journey with this one. The storyline isn't as exciting as the first film, however it's still very, very entertaining. You have to go in with an open mind to a certain extent. I personally prefer the sequel over the first movie.

Beautifully shot in Scotland, the Blu-Ray quality really enhances the cinematography in the film. As odd as it may sound the sequel looks more expensive visually then the original did, although supposedly the original had a low budget, what of £3.5,000,000? That's cheap? I know movies that were made with £500,000, now that's cheap. The budget for the sequel was £18,000,000, they raked in at over £33,000,000 worldwide at the box office. For some this will be a flop, it won't be what they expected. It's an emotional journey, these characters have been through hell and back and are finally on the road to recovery.

Underworld's "Slow Slippy" even makes an appearance, it works beautifully alongside the scenes in which it's used. It emphasizes the fact that these characters aren't party animals anymore, they've got to wake up to the real world. They've got children, jobs, busy lives. They can't piss around anymore. In my humble opinion far better then the first one, more entertaining, more gripping, more drama. Perfect for anyone that enjoyed the first movie and wants to go on an emotional journey with Renton, Sick Boy and Spud. Great ending! Highly recommend!

Blu-Ray Special Features:

29 Deleted Scenes:

Thirty minutes worth of deleted scenes, all very good, however they probably would of ended up with a 2 1/2hr movie.

Audio Commentary:

Commentary with Danny Boyle and Screenwriter John Hodge.

20 years in the making: A conversation with Danny Boyle and the Cast: 

Danny Boyle, Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle and Johnny Lee Miller discuss both movies and how their lives have changed since making the movies.

Colton Athletic Documentary: 

Choosing endorphin's over addiction, very interesting documentary.

5/5 stars

Trainspotting

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Ewan Bremner, Johnny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd and Robert Carlyle.

Director: Danny Boyle

Release Date: 1996

Running Time: 1hr 34 minutes

Genre: Drama

Rating: 18

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

Mark Renton is living a life of drugs and alcohol in Edinburgh, this is the story of him desperately trying to get clean whilst being swayed otherwise by his friends. 

Based on the novel of the same by Irvine Walsh.Chances are if you mention "Trainspotting" to any hardcore movie fan the first thing they will rave about is the soundtrack. Underworld's "Born Slippy" became one of the most influential songs of the mid nineties, that still to this day is as famous now as it was then! Starring Ewan McGregor as Renton a young lad that is completely and 100% addicted to heroin. McGregor has truly proven himself over the years as a fantastic actor, this for me though is where it all began for him in terms of his career. For those that have never seen the film, you're probably wondering what an earth can be interesting about watching a bunch of actors pretend to be drug addicts? There's nothing fun about watching them in that sense. The film to some degree is extremely educational and if not for it's foul language and nudity would probably be shown in schools for educational purposes.

Renton (McGregor) is desperatly trying to come off drugs, the storyline is essentially his journey in becoming clean and the struggles that he faces, being influenced by friends. Johnny Lee Miller plays Sick Boy, Renton's friend who to put it bluntly isn't so keen on coming off drugs, he loves the trip, he loves the ride! Both Miller and McGregor deliver incredible performances through out the film. Of course we can't forget about Renton's other friend Spud played fantastically by Ewan Bremner. The characterisation that he was able to bring to this role is actually quite incredible. Bremner is an extremely underrated Scottish actor. Speaking of Scottish actors, I love that Boyle chose to use Scottish actors in a film set in Scotland. Obviously right? Not always. Robert Carlyle is a remarkable Scottish actor, his performance is absolutely amazing. You'll soon find yourself hating his character, not a nice man. A lot more detail goes into his character in the sequel.

The storyline is quite humorous in places, at the same time moments of the film are quite emotional and are a true opener to the eyes of what a drug addict goes through and deals with on a daily basis. Danny Boyle does have a particularly unique approach to directing most of his films, in all honesty you're either going to really like it or absolutely hate it. The dialogue can be a little bit hard to understand at times if you aren't used to hearing the Scottish accent, the language is shockingly foul. It does coincide with the characters quite well though, these are people that don't even care about themselves let alone what comes out of their mouth.

Director Danny Boyle and Cinematographer Brian Tufano have captured unique shots to emphasizes moments where Renton is tripping out, high as a kite. Unique shots shown in his recovery to come off of heroin. The production department have been particularly clever with their set design, Renton's bedroom, the walls have trains all over them, clearly hinting at the title name. Many people will probably wonder about the title name "Trainspotting" what exactly does that mean? It's more a reference to a scene in the novel in which they are asked if they are going trainspottin, an abandoned train station popular for drug addicts. The soundtrack works perfectly alongside the characters and the storyline. Underworld's "Dark and Long Train" works beautifully in a scene where Renton is recovering from a heroin overdose. A very British soundtrack to go with a very British movie. If you're looking for something a little bit different then this might be for you!

DVD Special Features:

Memories of Trainspotting: 

42 minute featurette with Director Danny Boyle, Ewan McGregor and Screenwriter John Hodge and how they went from novel to script to the big screen!

5/5 stars

Manchester by the Sea

Cast: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Ben O Brian, Kyle Chandler and Stephen Henderson.

Director: Kenneth Lonergan

Release Date: 2016

Running Time: 2hrs 17 minutes

Genre: Drama

Rating: 15

Synopsis:

Lee Chandler, a grumpy handyman is asked to take care of his young nephew, when his father suddenly dies! 

Lee Chandler (Affleck) is a grumpy handyman who fixes anything and everything, he's not liked by his tenants and spends his nights alone in a bar, starting fights and wishing he was picking up girls. When his brother suddenly dies he's named guardian of his young nephew Patrick. It's hard to say how anyone would react after suddenly having that responsibility trust upon them. Kenneth Lonergan has captured such incredible realism in the reactions between characters. Casey Affleck delivers his most phenomenal performance to date. Lonergan has chosen to tell the story through a mixture of past and present sequences to explain the storyline and the characters. The storyline by itself is remarkably emotional and touching.

Lucas Hedges delivers a fantastic performance as Patrick, as a teenager he is seriously struggling to come to terms with the death of his father. Michelle Williams doesn't have a particularly big part however she still plays a very important character in the story. I'm not gonna lie the storyline is very depressing, I know that sounds like a horrible thing to say, but it is what it is. At the end of the day it is a drama. The storyline is realistic, touching and very emotional. Casey Affleck isn't an actor I have seen much of however his performance really is truly incredible. His acting supports his character beautifully. He's angry, upset and having to come to terms with the death of his brother.

At 2hrs 17 minutes, the pace of the film is very slow, not a great deal of stuff happens to be honest. It's about the relationship between an uncle and his nephew and how they deal with something very traumatic between them. Lonergan wanted to make the movie all about the acting, don't go in expecting fancy scenes, great special effects and amazing score. Lonergan wanted to tell an emotional story and believe me, he really did! The story will really pull on your heartstrings, especially if you have recently lost someone.

Mainly set around Boston and Manchester Massachusetts, cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes has captured the area beautifully, it has a very real feel to it. The production design has a very real feel to it, the lighting is very dark and dim, it adds to the tone of the film perfectly, it coincides with the storyline brilliantly. The shots that are used are very nice, although I do feel like the editing between scenes is too choppy, almost cutting actors off during scenes, it's hard to say whether this is intentional to dramatize the scene, or whether it's actually poor editing.  This is a very emotional film, it's incredibly realistic. The score is beautiful and gentle and progresses with the film beautifully. It's everything you'd expect from a drama and so much more! It's no surprise it's up for Oscars. It's easily one of the best films of 2016!

I love how the relationship between Lee and Patrick progresses, I love how natural and real it is. If you enjoy Drama's I cannot highly recommend this enough! Casey Affleck took me completely by surprise. Wow. Beautiful and touching.

5/5 stars