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castaliaArrr! And other pirate type phrases. Saw PotC today with my mum at the 1:00 matinee! I enjoyed it thoroughly and am completely in love with Captain Jack Sparrow.
Well, unlike most people, I didn't get the previews for either Hidalgo or The Last Samurai. Instead, I got previews for Second-Hand Lion (or something like that) starring Michael Caine, Robert Duvall and Haley-Joel Osmond (looked cool, I might see it); a new Disney movie about some sort of tribal dude who gets transformed into a bear; and some others that were kinda boring, so boring in fact that I've forgotten them entirely. Oh well.
Anyway, on to the pirates. I was glued to the screen right from the start, beginning with the nicely creepy prologue bit. Then it jumps ahead timewise to Port Royal in what I'm going to guess is sometime early in the 18th century. The movie implies that it's toward the end of the Golden Age of Piracy, so I'll say around the 1720s or so. Lovely setting, and I particularly liked the costuming. Plenty of lobsters scattered around, looking festive in their red uniforms.
I liked Governor Swann and Elizabeth Swann right off. Jonathan Pryce does a good job throughout, lending some comedy to the movie without being a buffoon. I'll say now that I give major points to Kiera Knightley for portraying a female character in an action movie I actually liked. There are a few times when I wish she'd stop screaming, but she does rally round and start to kick some ass. Wilting flower, she is not. Bravo, Elizabeth.
On to Orli. I rather liked Will Turner as well; even though he's a pretty standard underclass hero type, he had just enough facets to be interesting. Orlando also gets to display his excellent swordsmanship - out of all the actors, I'd say he has the most skill in that area.
Now for the real reason everyone should see this movie. I've never really paid much attention to Johnny Depp before, but this role has converted me.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ealgylden put it best in her review - "His performance is so funny, so clever and so... just... weird, that it kidnaps the entire movie and holds it in its thrall."
That's it in a nutshell. He's just ineffable. Depp was evidently given a lot of leeway to develop the character as he saw fit, and what a job he's done. The *walk* is just amazingly cool. It's sort of a combination of the type of rolling gait any long-time seafaring man would have plus a flouncy strut, resulting in an effect that's both sexy and thoroughly gay. Add to that the dreadlocks, the eyemakeup, his costume (including jewelry and other metal that clinks when he walks), and the rest of the body language (facial expressions, gestures, accent, and other flourishes) and you've got the coolest pirate to hit the silver screen in decades. A drunken drag queen. As others have pointed out, he not only chews the scenery, he makes a four-course meal of it. From his adorably quirky entrance to his triumphant exit, he steals the show.
The plot requires you to give yourself up to the fantasy of the story, and it's wholly satisfying when you do. I loved Captain Barbossa and his un-dead crew, who embodied everything evil pirates should be: ugly, cruel, vicious, and avaricious. They also had their comic scenes, but my favorites were the creepy "skeleton-mode" sequences, especially the underwater advance towards the end. Brilliant.
Speaking of Captain Barbossa, he's a fitting match for Jack, as he eats nearly as much scenery. Geoffrey Rush is the perfect pirate villian and was obviously having a great time in the role.
In regards to the technical/historical stuff, this maritime buff was quite pleased. The ships were absolutely gorgeous, from the speedy little vessel (I think it might've been a frigate...now I can't remember how many masts it had...might've been a brig or brigantine, or maybe a snow...or perhaps a three-masted square-rigger...must find some pics to make sure) Jack commandeers, to the larger ship (possibly a 74, but maybe not that large, couldn't tell) Norrington commands, to the delapidated Black Pearl. I wasn't quite as happy with the cannon work (the recoil looked a trifle slow, and some of the fort guns seemed to be manned by too few men) but the overall effect of the battles made up for it. There's an amazing sequence between the Black Pearl and the fast-ship-whose-name-I-don't-recall where they face broadsides and let each other have it. I totally squeed out loud when I saw them use chain shot, which I don't think I've ever seen before in a movie. Very cool!
They did very well on the little details as well - such as having cannon in the captain's cabin - but for some reason didn't include much nautical jargon. I know it can be completely incomprehensible, but I would've liked to have heard more of it. I also rolled my eyes at the "walking the plank" scene, as walking the plank is one of those odd associations that don't have much basis in reality. Walking the plank was quite rare, as far as we know, but has been forever linked with pirates, perhaps due to Barrie's Peter Pan and a few paintings depicting such scenes. Still, they were only made to walk the plank with the purpose of marooning, so it's forgivable.
Probably the best fight sequence is the sword duel between Jack and Barbossa in the cave. The effects dept. earned their paychecks here, with the characters dancing in and out of the moonlight, necessitating numerous shifts between human form and skeleton form. Impressive.
The music...what can I say about the music? I hadn't heard much of the composer before this movie, but I'm quite pleased with his results. Lovely brass, lovely drums, and some lovely slow bits as well. Reminded me of the Muppet Treasure Island score in some ways (more of the Hans Zimmer influence there). Damn Disney for delaying the release of the CD, b/c I want to buy it.
I hadn't mentioned him much until now, but by the end I was rather fond of Commodore Norrington. He was supposed to be, if not a bad guy, then an inconvenient killjoy, but for a character who had to come out the "loser" he took it with remarkably good form. He was obviously an honorable officer in His Majesty's Navy, who saw to his duty and honestly cared for Elizabeth. Cute, too. I like him.
I must say, although I was expecting this to be the first big slashtastic movie of the summer, I didn't really see much opportunity for slash, at least not between Will and Jack. There are a few moments towards the end, with Will risking pretty much everything to save Jack's life, and the two of them fighting back to back, but, likeealgylden, I was convinced Will did indeed love Elizabeth, while Jack was in love with his ship (and possibly himself).
However, there was an equivalent to the gay rhinos from Ice Age, two even! Throughout the movie, we see a pair of bumbling lobsters (names unknown) and a pair of equally bumbling pirates (names also unknown, at least by me) who are never without each other. Not the most fetching pairings, but obvious nonetheless :) They did leave the movie open for a sequel (which I'm told has already been planned), so perhaps we could let Jack have Norrington. The good Commodore will most likely be chasing him in the sequel anyway.
This movie has renewed my faith in movies set at sea. I often lament the lack of good sea epics these days, but perhaps the trend is changing. I doubt pirates will ever lose their romantic, enchanting appeal, nor is European naval history lacking in heroes or exciting battles. If the new Patrick O'Brian movie, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, succeeds as well, we may be able to keep this genre afloat.
Well, unlike most people, I didn't get the previews for either Hidalgo or The Last Samurai. Instead, I got previews for Second-Hand Lion (or something like that) starring Michael Caine, Robert Duvall and Haley-Joel Osmond (looked cool, I might see it); a new Disney movie about some sort of tribal dude who gets transformed into a bear; and some others that were kinda boring, so boring in fact that I've forgotten them entirely. Oh well.
Anyway, on to the pirates. I was glued to the screen right from the start, beginning with the nicely creepy prologue bit. Then it jumps ahead timewise to Port Royal in what I'm going to guess is sometime early in the 18th century. The movie implies that it's toward the end of the Golden Age of Piracy, so I'll say around the 1720s or so. Lovely setting, and I particularly liked the costuming. Plenty of lobsters scattered around, looking festive in their red uniforms.
I liked Governor Swann and Elizabeth Swann right off. Jonathan Pryce does a good job throughout, lending some comedy to the movie without being a buffoon. I'll say now that I give major points to Kiera Knightley for portraying a female character in an action movie I actually liked. There are a few times when I wish she'd stop screaming, but she does rally round and start to kick some ass. Wilting flower, she is not. Bravo, Elizabeth.
On to Orli. I rather liked Will Turner as well; even though he's a pretty standard underclass hero type, he had just enough facets to be interesting. Orlando also gets to display his excellent swordsmanship - out of all the actors, I'd say he has the most skill in that area.
Now for the real reason everyone should see this movie. I've never really paid much attention to Johnny Depp before, but this role has converted me.
ealgylden put it best in her review - "His performance is so funny, so clever and so... just... weird, that it kidnaps the entire movie and holds it in its thrall."That's it in a nutshell. He's just ineffable. Depp was evidently given a lot of leeway to develop the character as he saw fit, and what a job he's done. The *walk* is just amazingly cool. It's sort of a combination of the type of rolling gait any long-time seafaring man would have plus a flouncy strut, resulting in an effect that's both sexy and thoroughly gay. Add to that the dreadlocks, the eyemakeup, his costume (including jewelry and other metal that clinks when he walks), and the rest of the body language (facial expressions, gestures, accent, and other flourishes) and you've got the coolest pirate to hit the silver screen in decades. A drunken drag queen. As others have pointed out, he not only chews the scenery, he makes a four-course meal of it. From his adorably quirky entrance to his triumphant exit, he steals the show.
The plot requires you to give yourself up to the fantasy of the story, and it's wholly satisfying when you do. I loved Captain Barbossa and his un-dead crew, who embodied everything evil pirates should be: ugly, cruel, vicious, and avaricious. They also had their comic scenes, but my favorites were the creepy "skeleton-mode" sequences, especially the underwater advance towards the end. Brilliant.
Speaking of Captain Barbossa, he's a fitting match for Jack, as he eats nearly as much scenery. Geoffrey Rush is the perfect pirate villian and was obviously having a great time in the role.
In regards to the technical/historical stuff, this maritime buff was quite pleased. The ships were absolutely gorgeous, from the speedy little vessel (I think it might've been a frigate...now I can't remember how many masts it had...might've been a brig or brigantine, or maybe a snow...or perhaps a three-masted square-rigger...must find some pics to make sure) Jack commandeers, to the larger ship (possibly a 74, but maybe not that large, couldn't tell) Norrington commands, to the delapidated Black Pearl. I wasn't quite as happy with the cannon work (the recoil looked a trifle slow, and some of the fort guns seemed to be manned by too few men) but the overall effect of the battles made up for it. There's an amazing sequence between the Black Pearl and the fast-ship-whose-name-I-don't-recall where they face broadsides and let each other have it. I totally squeed out loud when I saw them use chain shot, which I don't think I've ever seen before in a movie. Very cool!
They did very well on the little details as well - such as having cannon in the captain's cabin - but for some reason didn't include much nautical jargon. I know it can be completely incomprehensible, but I would've liked to have heard more of it. I also rolled my eyes at the "walking the plank" scene, as walking the plank is one of those odd associations that don't have much basis in reality. Walking the plank was quite rare, as far as we know, but has been forever linked with pirates, perhaps due to Barrie's Peter Pan and a few paintings depicting such scenes. Still, they were only made to walk the plank with the purpose of marooning, so it's forgivable.
Probably the best fight sequence is the sword duel between Jack and Barbossa in the cave. The effects dept. earned their paychecks here, with the characters dancing in and out of the moonlight, necessitating numerous shifts between human form and skeleton form. Impressive.
The music...what can I say about the music? I hadn't heard much of the composer before this movie, but I'm quite pleased with his results. Lovely brass, lovely drums, and some lovely slow bits as well. Reminded me of the Muppet Treasure Island score in some ways (more of the Hans Zimmer influence there). Damn Disney for delaying the release of the CD, b/c I want to buy it.
I hadn't mentioned him much until now, but by the end I was rather fond of Commodore Norrington. He was supposed to be, if not a bad guy, then an inconvenient killjoy, but for a character who had to come out the "loser" he took it with remarkably good form. He was obviously an honorable officer in His Majesty's Navy, who saw to his duty and honestly cared for Elizabeth. Cute, too. I like him.
I must say, although I was expecting this to be the first big slashtastic movie of the summer, I didn't really see much opportunity for slash, at least not between Will and Jack. There are a few moments towards the end, with Will risking pretty much everything to save Jack's life, and the two of them fighting back to back, but, like
ealgylden, I was convinced Will did indeed love Elizabeth, while Jack was in love with his ship (and possibly himself).However, there was an equivalent to the gay rhinos from Ice Age, two even! Throughout the movie, we see a pair of bumbling lobsters (names unknown) and a pair of equally bumbling pirates (names also unknown, at least by me) who are never without each other. Not the most fetching pairings, but obvious nonetheless :) They did leave the movie open for a sequel (which I'm told has already been planned), so perhaps we could let Jack have Norrington. The good Commodore will most likely be chasing him in the sequel anyway.
This movie has renewed my faith in movies set at sea. I often lament the lack of good sea epics these days, but perhaps the trend is changing. I doubt pirates will ever lose their romantic, enchanting appeal, nor is European naval history lacking in heroes or exciting battles. If the new Patrick O'Brian movie, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, succeeds as well, we may be able to keep this genre afloat.
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(no subject)
Date: 2003-07-11 10:11 am (UTC)Who in the what now? I almost wish I'd seen this one. Weird.
Orlando also gets to display his excellent swordsmanship - out of all the actors, I'd say he has the most skill in that area.
Yeah, I agree. He looked more comfortable and confident than the others, at least. I know he's already muttering about "no more movies with swords," but I hope he doesn't leave them behind altogether, because he's pretty talented with a blade. It makes me wonder if he studied dance at all in drama school.
his costume (including jewelry and other metal that clinks when he walks)
The clinking! I'd forgotten that! Such a neat, almost subliminal effect. That "drunken drag queen" description is perfect.
but my favorites were the creepy "skeleton-mode" sequences, especially the underwater advance towards the end
That was very cool. I'm ashamed to admit it took me a minute to make the connection (undead pirates = don't need air = walk under water = der, Joan), but it gave me a nice shivery thrill once I did. I also liked how Jack and Barbossa kept moving in and out of the moonlight in their last fight- the flesh-to-skeleton effects very smoothly done, and looked so neat.
the fast-ship-whose-name-I-don't-recall
The Interceptor. I want, I really want (with a crew to sail her for me of course)! What a pretty little ship. I wondered what you'd think of the cannon work, since I know much less about it than you do, but I'm glad to hear it was at least okay, if not great. The chain shot and the cannon in the captain's cabin were really neat to see. That whole race/broadsides sequence was wonderful, so much better than I'd hoped for.
And the gay lobsters! The pirates I remembered but the lobsters slipped away. They were very cute, and not nearly as annoying as comic relief characters usually are. I liked 'em.
They did leave the movie open for a sequel (which I'm told has already been planned)
Really? Oh goody, I hope it happens. With any luck this one (and Master and Commander) will make enough money to give the genre a boost.
Oh, and randomly tacking this on here, I hear that A&E is finally going to show the next two Hornblower movie in December? Have you heard anything about this?
(no subject)
Date: 2003-07-11 08:10 pm (UTC)It has to do with the Aurora Borealis, so I'm guessing it's set somewhere in Canada, which would make the tribal dude an Inuit. The lights transform him into a bear, then he befriends a little cub bear (brotherhood is the big theme) and learns about the POV of the animals he used to hunt, etc. Looks like some cheesy bonding set to Phil Collins songs :)
Yeah, I agree. He looked more comfortable and confident than the others, at least. I know he's already muttering about "no more movies with swords," but I hope he doesn't leave them behind altogether, because he's pretty talented with a blade. It makes me wonder if he studied dance at all in drama school.
Has he? I wonder what type of movies he wants to do instead. I suppose a change wouldn't hurt his career. Good point about the dance idea...he certainly has that natural fluid grace which benefits a dancer. That grace is probably what makes his fight scenes look so good.
The clinking! I'd forgotten that! Such a neat, almost subliminal effect. That "drunken drag queen" description is perfect.
I loved the clinking! So impratical for a pirate who wants to sneak up on anyone :) I don't recall where I first saw the drunken drag queen description, but I liked it so I snagged it. It does fit him.
That was very cool. I'm ashamed to admit it took me a minute to make the connection (undead pirates = don't need air = walk under water = der, Joan), but it gave me a nice shivery thrill once I did. I also liked how Jack and Barbossa kept moving in and out of the moonlight in their last fight- the flesh-to-skeleton effects very smoothly done, and looked so neat.
Ditto to that! It was a very impressive scene. Overall just a visually impressive movie.
The Interceptor. I want, I really want (with a crew to sail her for me of course)! What a pretty little ship. I wondered what you'd think of the cannon work, since I know much less about it than you do, but I'm glad to hear it was at least okay, if not great. The chain shot and the cannon in the captain's cabin were really neat to see. That whole race/broadsides sequence was wonderful, so much better than I'd hoped for.
Ah, that's it! Thanks, that was bugging me :) She was a pretty little ship; I'd join your crew in an instant. I agree, the broadsides scene was better than anything I was expecting from this movie. I'm pretty sure they weren't using any real cannons (or at least, not many); something about the recoil just didn't look natural to me. Still, that's being nitpicky, and on the whole they did a good job. I loved seeing them fire all those odds and ends :)
And the gay lobsters! The pirates I remembered but the lobsters slipped away. They were very cute, and not nearly as annoying as comic relief characters usually are. I liked 'em.
I liked them too! They reminded me of a pair of guards a friend of mine uses in some of his fiction. You're right, they were funny without being overly stupid or annoying, which was a relief. I was glad to see some subtlety in this movie.
Really? Oh goody, I hope it happens. With any luck this one (and Master and Commander) will make enough money to give the genre a boost.
Did you stay til the end of the credits? There was an extra little scene where the monkey steals one of the coins and reinstates the curse. We were the only ones who stayed (looong credits), and I only insisted b/c I was tipped off beforehand about it.
Oh, and randomly tacking this on here, I hear that A&E is finally going to show the next two Hornblower movie in December? Have you heard anything about this?
The December date is new to me. They kept putting it off and putting it off. The irritating thing is that it aired in Britain ages ago, and places like Japan and Norway have gotten to see it before us! I'm not chomping at the bit to see it or anything (no Archie, and Horatio gets married...urgh), but still, you'd think they would have shown it by now.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-07-12 12:05 pm (UTC)Oh hey, I have a question about the curse, so while I'm here, let me pester you a bit (heh). So. Bootstrap Bill took the gold, got cursed, started making trouble and was promptly tossed overboard. But he can't die any more than any of the others can. So does that mean he's sitting on the bottom of the ocean, hanging around making friends with the fish all those years? And he finally drowns when Will ends the curse (only to come back when the monkey grabs the gold again, but they don't know that yet)? If that's the case, I'm hoping that the fact that his dad has been undead fathoms deep all these years doesn't occur to Will any time soon, because ack, trauma.
Re Hornblower- December is only a rumor as far as I know. Someone on the TwoP boards said she read it on the A&E site, but she didn't say where, and the A&E site always crashes my computer so I haven't checked. I do want to see it, because I love the books so much, but I agree that no Archie (sob!) is a very bad thing. And ugh, Maria. I can't stand her. Poor Horatio.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-07-12 04:40 pm (UTC)Glad you reminded me about Bootstrap Bill, b/c I had almost forgotten about the details of the curse. I need to see it again :) Do you think he could have "walked" back to the closest shore? The others did that in the movie, so I suppose he could have made his way somewhere, although not sure where he would have been the whole time.
One thing I'm not sure of is just what it means for the pirates when the monkey takes the coin again. Do all of them get cursed again? It can't be just the monkey, or we wouldn't have much of a plot for the next movie :) Plus, what does that mean for Jack? Is he cursed again too?
I really want to see old Bootstrap in the next movie. I have a feeling the relationship between him and Jack should be interesting.
I'm going to watch Hornblower when it comes out, but I don't think I'll be buying this set on DVD. I'll just enjoy my first two sets :)
(no subject)
Date: 2003-07-12 08:05 pm (UTC)Hm, good question. Seems logical that he could. Only I think he was chained to something... a cannon, maybe? I don't remember (hey, an excuse to see it again! *g*). Although, he could always have gotten loose somehow and walked to shore. He certainly had the free time. I hope we do see him in the sequel. I have questions! Hee!
Yeah, what exactly did the monkey do? It would be really annoying for the pirates to suddenly find out whoops, we're cursed again. They weren't cheery to begin with. Plus, you're right, there's Jack. That could be awkward. And why didn't Will (or Elizabeth) get cursed by the piece Bill sent him- does it only count if you yourself take the gold from the chest and not if someone gives it to you? (I'm assuming the curse isn't strong enough to raise the dead since that would get Barbossa too, and I'm sure we'd need a new villain for a new movie). Hm. Maybe we're not supposed to examine this curse too closely.
I really want to see old Bootstrap in the next movie. I have a feeling the relationship between him and Jack should be interesting.
Oh definitely, me too. Jack was even odder than usual when he had to talk about Bill. I'd love to know why.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-07-12 08:24 pm (UTC)This whole thing could really suck for Jack. During his lifetime, there's always the chance someone could mess with the treasure, which doesn't seem fair.
Maybe we're not supposed to examine this curse too closely.
I think you've hit the nail on the head, there :)
I got the feeling Jack and old Bill were close. He did say he was one of the few who knew Bootstrap as William Turner, so we can probably assume they were somewhat intimate. Buddies. I find this intriguing :)