Reviews

I loved Black Pearl! I have it on DVD, and watch at least twice a month. I just love it!

Unfortunately, this movie hardly deserves such credit. Before you scratch your head in confusion over why it got a 7, let me tell you.

+++ Captain Jack. No matter how awful the movie is, it's still Jack. + The first time I have ever seen a three-way free for all sword fight. + Norrington without his wig. Gotta love it. ++ Incredible special effects. Truly top notch. + Key-dog makes a cameo, as does the monkey (who I forgot was still cursed) + Will's turn to get slapped + The scene with Ragetti and the Bible. Loved it. + How many other people/monsters can play piano with their face? + All the lovable pirates on Jack's crew are back (except Annamaria). + Excellent camouflage work on the natives. The whole theater jumped when he popped out. + Shish-Kabob was predictable, but still humorous.

+/- Get to see Orlando Bloom without a shirt.

• Got the crews easily confused when many look alike - I didn't understand the premise of the dice game, so all the tension was lost on me. - The wheel is funny and clever, but very, very obviously impossible. - Nobody understands the cannibal language, or the jokes ingrained in it. I heard after about the "eunichy" and "snip-snip", and it still was too confusing and not very funny. - The whole cannibal island was disconnected, pointless and bizarre. - Quotes are humorous, but very few are laugh out loud. Many are repeated from Black Pearl. - A new character (a sorceress/prostitute?) is added. I think it would have worked just as well with Annamaria as that lady. - Too many subplots: and the whole one pardon thing makes little sense. -- In explanation for my title, the scene where Jack is covered with Kraken breath and all its...contents...make me completely sick. - Keira Knightley and the ghost thing was a little stupid. Even when in male clothes, it's very obvious that she's a girl (look at hair, jaw line. Her voice is nowhere near that of a man's ). - Rip off Treasure Island. - Clear by his second step down who the mystery captain was. (name was on cast list, but not yet in movie) - Cliffhanger. End of story.

? How did Ragetti/Pintel get the Key-Dog? ? Does that mean that Bootstrap Bill never really died? He just sat on the bottom of the ocean for ten years until the curse was over? ? Why isn't you know who (if you saw the movie) dead? ? Why doesn't DJ have a nose? He has this little tube thing, but no nose. Octopi don't have either, so he might as well have had a nose. ? What's the deal with the music box?

I think it balances out somewhat. The good news is, if this is a typical Hollywood trilogy, the third won't be so bad. Just look at Rocky. The universal movie pattern is: 1. Unbelievable, incredible. 2. Pretty awful, a slime-sucker. 3. Mediocre, a mix of the two.

Worth a look when it comes out on DVD (ie rental), but don't pay big bucks to see it, or try to center your day around it. My heart goes out to those who paid for a midnight showing.

I recently went to a high school play cast party. Everyone was talking, and someone put in this movie. No one really stopped talking, and yet it was still entertaining, despite that we couldn't hear a single word of dialog. The stunts were hilarious to see when we were able to freely comment on them! Highly recommended for any time when a visual component is needed but little or no audio is available. The best group of stunts is the first, where he rushes in on a motorcycle, and saves a gurgling baby, who was obviously filmed outside of the stunt. He proceeds to explode his way through about nine hundred thousand completely random (and empty) cardboard boxes at a loading dock, and then jumps off of it. Very funny.

When I first watched Lord of the Dance, I was a bit disgusted. The colors were so plentiful that it looked like an eighties rock concert. However, it grows on you.

In Riverdance, I detested Michael Flatley, because he seemed cocky, full of himself, and always too happy, even in more mellow dances. However, after seeing Lord of the Dance, I have a new-found appreciation for him as an actor. He was fantastic! This show more resembled an Irish ballet to me. Specifically, too many arm movements! One of the main reasons many people enjoy Celtic and Irish dancing is that sharp contrast between upper and lower body, and the control and precision all the small movements take.

The female leads, especially, had flailing arms quite frequently. A few times adds to the dance, but eventually, it resembles a ballet. Very few minute movements were added, contributing to this effect. It seemed to be a LOT of general movement across stage, but for those interested in seeing rocks, zigzags, or other flying footwork will be disappointed.

The costumes (or the lack thereof) startled me. Traditional costumes never one make an appearance, and in one dance, the ladies are in shorts, tights and a black sports bra. I, for one, can't say I haven't danced that way before in private, but to perform like that in front of well over a thousand people seems a little shameless. Anyone who dislikes seeing Michael Flatley's torso may have a hard time stomaching this, as he appears to grease himself before making an entrance: his chest is very shiny - even before he starts dancing, and therefore sweating.

The story behind Lord of the Dance was perfect. It was loose enough that you didn't really have to think hard to follow, but tied the show together very nicely. The sub-plot with the flutist was nice, but a tad irritating at times. For examp0le, Michael once takes a broken flute, holds it behind his back, and then returns it, completely fixed. Obviously, a slight of hand that was a bit condescending. However, we feel real empathy for the flutist, and it adds to the charm.

Overall, this is a good show to watch when you have seen Riverdance and have a good working knowledge of Irish dancing. LotD is unconventional, upside-down, non-traditional, and one of the most fascinating dance performances ever recorded!