Pirates and more...
Who would have thought that a quirky little ride in a Disney theme park would turn out to be one of my favorite movie series of all time?
I loved Pirates of the Caribbean. I always enjoyed the ride, and the movie surprisingly captured the feel of the ride perfectly, in particular at Port Royal. But the first film was a masterpiece, weaving a compelling tale with colorful and interesting characters with whom I could identify, cheer for, and weep for.
From the moment I saw the trailer for Dead Man's Chest, I knew the second film would be good. But I couldn't have possibly understood HOW good. The film was, from start to finish, the best "middle chapter" since Empire. The story was different but just as compelling as the first. There were clever nods to the first movie throughout, but the adventure this time was of a far grander scale. And that, of course, is as it should be. Everyone knows the basic plot: that Jack Sparrow made a deal with Davey Jones and that now he is a marked man because of it. But this is really just the surface of a much more complex plot that is about far more than one man's debt to the devil of the ocean. What is at stake here - and we only realize this near the end of the film - is not just Jack Sparrow, but his entire way of life. Piracy, itself, is in jeopardy.
Despite the week that's past since I saw the movie, images of it still haunt me. The Kraken wrapping its tentacles around the Pearl... Jack grinning at it and saying, "Hello, Beastie"... and those last 10 seconds or so when... well, I don't want to spoil it. Let's just say, this is a more than worthy follow-up to the first movie, a fantastic movie in its own right, and definitely my favorite film of the year so far. It had its flaws but for me, they are so overshadowed by the incredible story and the high entertainment value that they just don't matter. Dead Man's Chest is the movie to beat this year, at least for sheer escapism entertainment (with heart, no less) and I'm willing to be it won't be topped until At World's End, the final chapter of the film series... or possibly Spider-man 3.
And on that topic... dear lord, can you believe how many great movies are coming out next spring/summer? Spidey 3, Pirates 3, Transformers... and many more than I'm not even mentioning. It will be a good year.
My final rant is about Ultimate Spider-man. My co-exec for Frontiers, Jay, has introduced me to these fantastic comics. I was never a big reader and never read superhero comics in my youth. I had every issue of GI Joe and Madballs, but that was about it. But I've now read through the first sixty-some issues of Ultimate Spider-man and I cannot tell you how impressed I am.
The concept behind the "Ultimate" line of comics is to update the classic comics by setting them in the current day and age. In Ultimate Spidey, Peter is 15 years old when he gets his powers. The relationships are altered from the original series... most notably Gwen Stacey... wow, is she EVER different. But the issues that the books raise about our society are so poignant and dead-on, I cannot help but applaud the writers for tackling them. The social commentary alone is worth the read. Of course the storylines are top-notch and interesting and I find myself truly caring for Peter Parker and Mary Jane in a way I haven't before, even with the films. It is the most relevant superhero work I've ever read and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Check them out. Contact either myself or Jay if you want to read them, we've got most of them. Really, it's THAT good.
Okay, now onto some Frontiers stuff. This IS a Frontiers blog after all. The good news is, the movie is - you guessed it - coming along fairly well. It's not done yet but it's getting there. We'll be announcing the film's release date and a season three schedule soon.
Another interesting note is that we're examing Celtx, a freeware screenwriting program that seems to boast just as many features as Sophocles, plus some very impressive collaboration capabilities. So far it's working out well; I'm officially now writing the movie script with it, so we'll see how it works out. It's worth a look for anyone who doesn't own a copy of Sophocles or whatever other screen writing software. You can find it at http://www.celtx.com - check it out.
That's all for this round. Until next time... go see Dead Man's Chest and then read Ultimate Spider-man.
I loved Pirates of the Caribbean. I always enjoyed the ride, and the movie surprisingly captured the feel of the ride perfectly, in particular at Port Royal. But the first film was a masterpiece, weaving a compelling tale with colorful and interesting characters with whom I could identify, cheer for, and weep for.
From the moment I saw the trailer for Dead Man's Chest, I knew the second film would be good. But I couldn't have possibly understood HOW good. The film was, from start to finish, the best "middle chapter" since Empire. The story was different but just as compelling as the first. There were clever nods to the first movie throughout, but the adventure this time was of a far grander scale. And that, of course, is as it should be. Everyone knows the basic plot: that Jack Sparrow made a deal with Davey Jones and that now he is a marked man because of it. But this is really just the surface of a much more complex plot that is about far more than one man's debt to the devil of the ocean. What is at stake here - and we only realize this near the end of the film - is not just Jack Sparrow, but his entire way of life. Piracy, itself, is in jeopardy.
Despite the week that's past since I saw the movie, images of it still haunt me. The Kraken wrapping its tentacles around the Pearl... Jack grinning at it and saying, "Hello, Beastie"... and those last 10 seconds or so when... well, I don't want to spoil it. Let's just say, this is a more than worthy follow-up to the first movie, a fantastic movie in its own right, and definitely my favorite film of the year so far. It had its flaws but for me, they are so overshadowed by the incredible story and the high entertainment value that they just don't matter. Dead Man's Chest is the movie to beat this year, at least for sheer escapism entertainment (with heart, no less) and I'm willing to be it won't be topped until At World's End, the final chapter of the film series... or possibly Spider-man 3.
And on that topic... dear lord, can you believe how many great movies are coming out next spring/summer? Spidey 3, Pirates 3, Transformers... and many more than I'm not even mentioning. It will be a good year.
My final rant is about Ultimate Spider-man. My co-exec for Frontiers, Jay, has introduced me to these fantastic comics. I was never a big reader and never read superhero comics in my youth. I had every issue of GI Joe and Madballs, but that was about it. But I've now read through the first sixty-some issues of Ultimate Spider-man and I cannot tell you how impressed I am.
The concept behind the "Ultimate" line of comics is to update the classic comics by setting them in the current day and age. In Ultimate Spidey, Peter is 15 years old when he gets his powers. The relationships are altered from the original series... most notably Gwen Stacey... wow, is she EVER different. But the issues that the books raise about our society are so poignant and dead-on, I cannot help but applaud the writers for tackling them. The social commentary alone is worth the read. Of course the storylines are top-notch and interesting and I find myself truly caring for Peter Parker and Mary Jane in a way I haven't before, even with the films. It is the most relevant superhero work I've ever read and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Check them out. Contact either myself or Jay if you want to read them, we've got most of them. Really, it's THAT good.
Okay, now onto some Frontiers stuff. This IS a Frontiers blog after all. The good news is, the movie is - you guessed it - coming along fairly well. It's not done yet but it's getting there. We'll be announcing the film's release date and a season three schedule soon.
Another interesting note is that we're examing Celtx, a freeware screenwriting program that seems to boast just as many features as Sophocles, plus some very impressive collaboration capabilities. So far it's working out well; I'm officially now writing the movie script with it, so we'll see how it works out. It's worth a look for anyone who doesn't own a copy of Sophocles or whatever other screen writing software. You can find it at http://www.celtx.com - check it out.
That's all for this round. Until next time... go see Dead Man's Chest and then read Ultimate Spider-man.
posted by The Grimm Sleeper at 12:42 PM
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