The Pirates Review Post

I was really determined not to let this movie be another Spiderman 3, where in I expect too much in some regards, and too little in others. Ultimately I think it was my preconceptions and expectations that made me not enjoy ‘spidey as much as I could have. About half an hour into At Worlds End, I stopped overanalyzing plot points and looking for more than was right in front of me, and decided to accept the movie for what it is; a swashbuckling summer movie and the latest sequel to one of my favorite movies of all time. From that point on I enjoyed myself thoroughly and welcome the movie into the ‘pirates trilogy. Sure there are little inconsistencies and a fair bit of unnecessary ‘twists’ (if you can all them that), but the main plotline and the big reveals were worth the wait and the action was top notch.

As a result of being the 3^rd in a series of dynamic films; the movie suffers from too many Jack Sparrows. I don’t mean that in the obvious sense (I love the hallucinations) but more so, there are far more characters fighting for the audience attention than one movie warrants. The main draw is (as always) Jack Sparrow, but Verbinksi has the movie waterlogged with too many fully fleshed-out characters to the point where killing them off is really the only option.

With Davy Jones being the most badass (and visually stunning) villain in a long time, I didn’t realize how much I missed Barbossa. Geoffrey Rush is the official voice of all things piratety. He could be telling you about his new ornate tea set and it would sound like he was telling you to walk the plank. The way he growls his lines sends shivers to me timbers and is more, than welcomed back into the story. In Jones’s defense his character is taken to a new level and Bill Nighy is as fantastic as ever. I loved the unnecessary Jerry-Bruckheimer-moment on Becket’s ship. I was half expecting a helicopter to fly in and explode, piloted by Nic Cage, while slow motion doves blossomed behind the ship.

The visualization of Davy Jones’s locker and the madness it ensues, as well as the amazing shipwreck fortress overcast the movie’s lower points (the Kraken explanation and Tia Dalma’s involvement- which, for the record Sarah and I predicted like a million years ago). And while I (along with everyone else I’ve asked) was quite confused as to who was double-crossing who, and for what end, the fact of the matter is that we are dealing with pirates. They backstab and double-cross all the time, and as long as they continue to plunder, cross steal and face off with ILM powered tentacles, I have no problem not knowing who’s on whose side.

The Bright and Early Post

Tuesday morning I had to drag myself out of bed at 2:45 for the Pirates shoot. I was quite excited about the whole ordeal so getting in the shower wasn't as hard as it probably should have been. Met up on the Disney back lot by the ride with the guys from work and went inside to set up our lighting. Being a Photoshop jockey I don't know much about the photography side of our company, but seeing all our gear and helping to get the scenes properly lit was an interesting learning experience. The actual shoot was a lot of fun, if not hectic and confusing. There were two teams of photographers shooting in different locations within the ride and a team of 3 character actors who were bounding back and forth between sets. The guys we had to work with were great, and definitely emphasize the character portion of their titles. Jack was right on the money and looks strikingly like Depp and has all the mannerisms and expressions to a tee. Due to the sensitivity of the project and strict Disney nondisclosure rules I cannot post any pictures or resulting work from the shoot. We got some terrific material though that I have been working with for a few days now. That and combined with the new film, I am in a Pirate's fervor.

Afterwards we hit the Polynesian Resort for some Tonga Toast, which was the most intimidating breakfast I've ever attempted to eat. Half a loaf of sourdough bread, hollowed out and filled with banana curd and whole bananas; covered in sugar and cinnamon; deep-fried; and served with sausage and eggs. Man it was good. Wasn't able to polish it off though. After the meal we headed back to the office to get to work on the new pirate projects. Ended up clocking in a 13-hour workday. I was pretty damn tired afterwards.

The World's End Post

There are few things in this world that would make me watch Dancing with the Stars. And being that by 'dancing' they don’t mean ‘making out’ and by 'stars' they don’t mean Ana Hickman and Kelly Rippa, I’m left with my 2^nd choice; that being the premier of the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie trailer for At World’s End. The trailer debuted just a few moments ago during the commercial breaks in a shameful attempt to get wanna-be pirates to watch and boost ratings. Well it worked, for me at least. And man am I glad I watched it (And even more glad that they aired the trailer in the second break, considering it’s a 2-hour show tonight). Sparrow’s back as we knew he would be, plus we catch lots of interesting clips namely shots of a massive whirlpool, pirates uniting and blanketing the horizon, plus all the minor characters that make the films so great. Best of all a swordfight in the rain, on a ship’s mast, between Davy Jones and Jack Sparrow as the ship plummets towards the edge of the world. Top that.

What’s ‘more better’ is the movie hits in a little less than two months! Stoked! Click the image to view the trailer.