POTC Part Four!

I have a complicated relationship with the Pirates movies. I loved the first one, but as I was driving home from the movie theater my car was totaled by a drunk driver running a red light. He didn't even get a ticket, by the way - the cop said he thought the accident was "punishment enough". WTF? Other people can drunkenly careen through red lights and into my car and not get a ticket, while I got a ticket once for riding my horse in the park on the wrong day of the week (p.s. eff you, Chico!).

I saw the second one at the precious old-timey theater in Ely, and was so bored that I slept through what I hoped was most of it. I was angry when I woke up and still had twenty minutes of boring to sit through. I was so mad at the second one that I never even bothered going to the third one.

So, it was with some trepidation that I went to the fourth one, especially since we went to the same theater where I saw the first one (I took a different route home this time). Luckily for me, the movie was entertaining and not associated with any traffic accidents. Despite the fact that Jack Sparrow as a romantic lead is a little bit of a stretch, and the obvious truth that Penelope Cruz is an actress best suited for silent films, the movie was fun to watch and full of predictable but still awesome Jack Sparrow antics. Aaaaaand that hot guy with no shirt on. I'm hoping the next one is less G-rated.

Kung Fu Panda 2

As you may recall, I freaking loved the original Kung Fu Panda. I thought it was pretty flawless. The sequel, therefore, had a lot to live up to.

It did a pretty good job: I laughed, I made "aww" sounds, I may have cried a little. I didn't think it was as funny as the first, though, but the story was still excellent. There was actually some character development from the first film, which is an amazing accomplishment these days in Hollywood, let alone in an animated film. So, I can't say that it's up there with the original, or How to Train Your Dragon, but still a very well done little movie. B+!

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In other news, why the holy fuck are they making a "Happy Feet 2"?! Seriously? I HATED the first one (and I'm the Disney nerd!) UGHHHHHH.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Initially, I wasn't sure what this would be like. I saw various reviews of this movie prior to actually watching it, and they seemed to be polar opposites: some people freaking loved it, others hated it and wished Johnny would just quit already. I loved the first Pirates movie (when most critics didn't), but was mainly "meh" about the next two. Would this be better since it had a partially different cast? Would it be worse?

I am here to inform you that it is better. Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush are awesome (as always), Penelope Cruz doesn't suck (it's true!), and Ian McShane is an awesome bad guy. Also, things blow up, there's a hot guy without a shirt on for much of the movie (though, he does not hold a candle to Thor, I'm afraid to say) and there are fucking crazy-awesome mermaids! (And also a small love story, and we all know I'm a sucker for anything even remotely romantic).

I do, however, have two problems: 1) Despite Ian McShane being awesome, I sort of always pictured Blackbeard as being a little more...unbalanced. He had a creepy, calm vibe (which is great), but I would have loved to see him being just a touch more psychotic. 2) The very last scene was dumb.

Yay movies!

Thor

One word to Chris Hemsworth: Hel-lo!

This was not my favorite of the Avengers "series" of movies, but I didn't hate it either. Could've used more shirtless Chris Hemsworth, for sure.

I liked the "earth" parts far more than the "Asgard" parts, because I hate when things are so completely computer generated that they're too perfect. It was beautiful, but also slightly...off. I don't know how to explain it.

However, the fight scenes were excellent, things blew up, and I laughed. Also, it has Ray Stevenson in it, whom I love because he is awesome. I was afraid Natalie Portman would ruin this (not a huge fan of hers), but I actually liked her character, so that's a step in the right direction. Gotta say, though, I loved Kat Dennings (her sidekick) much more.

The Conspirator

The beginning of this film had me worried (when Lincoln gets shot. SPOILER!) Something about it was haphazard; the editing seemed strange and the dialog was bad--I would have rather seen the drama of that event without all the cuts back and forth between the main characters (and stupid Alexis Bledel, who made me cringe every time she was on screen--I could have done without her and her character in general). I suppose it was meant to be an all-in "here's everyone and their backgrounds!" all while Lincoln gets shot, but it wasn't done well.

Overall, though, I liked it. Robin Wright and James McAvoy were quite good, and I really liked Evan Rachel Wood's performance as the daughter. I'd probably see it again, but it's not my favorite historical drama.