Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

It’s widely accepted that the first installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series was a fun romp. Yes, it may have run around 20 minutes too long and yes, Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightly had nothing coming close to on-screen chemistry but thanks to some fun sword-choreopgraphy, a great score by workaholic Hans Zimmer and, of course, Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow it was a Disney film for all ages and showed that a film primarily based on a Disney ride could succeed at the box office. In fact it succeeded so much Disney couldn’t leave it alone and we were given the bloated, convoluted Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End. On Stranger Tides is an attempt to go back to that jeu ne sais quais that made Curse Of The Black Pearl such an enjoyable pirate romp. 

 

Treme – At The Foot Of Canal Street

It’s ironic that the song which this episode is named after starts with the line “Don’t waste your time being angry…” when that’s all most of the characters do all episode. Much like The Wire all the characters are feeling pressure from the society around them and all are faltering and showing their cracks.

 

Treme – Right Place, Wrong Time

Ok, Mr Simon we get it, you’re a slow-paced writer but come on! Meet De Boys On The Battlefront had started to pick the pace up a little but with this 3rd episode it’s gone back to first gear, frustratingly. Davis is still being put down by ‘the man’, Albert is still trying to put his tribe together, LaDonna is still trying to find Daymo and Janette is still struggling with her bills. I’m as patient as the next man but lets have some progression, can we please? 

 

The Big Steal

Having bought a film noir box set from Amazon I’ve decided to do a series of reviews for each but 2 rules: not allowed to go over 400 words and have to give it a score at the end (something I’m not used to doing in my other film reviews). I’m going to kick things off with The Big Steal and work my way through all 9 over the course of the next month (hopefully). 

 

The Adjustment Bureau

There are two types of ‘bad’ when it comes to films. There is ‘good bad’ and ‘bad bad’. A film that is ‘bad bad’ is rubbish, along with being boring, having a mediocre plot and so on. Basically, a film that thinks it is better than it is. A good example of this was The Green Hornet which promised much with its director but was unforgivable crap. ‘Good bad’ is when a film kind of knows it’s terrible and just sort of embraces it so we can at least have a little fun along the way, i.e Transformers (not the sequel though). I thought The Adjustment Bureau would be ‘good bad’ so the audience knows that we’re not supposed to take this whole ludicrous premise legitimately. Erm, maybe not.

 

The Decemberists – The King Is Dead

My wait continues for The Decemberists’ masterpiece.

In some ways The Decemberists remind me of Foo Fighters… now I know you’re thinking here are two bands who couldn’t be more different but bare with me. What I mean is that both bands have had a selection of strong records with some very strong songs on, but neither band is yet to release a masterpiece. At this rate at the end of each respective bands lifespan they’ll have killer Best Of albums but in terms of one indisputable masterwork they will come up short. Foo Fighters probably got closest with sophomore album The Colour & The Shape whilst Picaresque was brilliant but just had one or two songs that were pure filler.

 

Ghostface Killah – Apollo Kids

Ghostface Killah’s most recent LP has slipped under the radar. Deservedly?

Some of Ghostface’s lyrics on Apollo Kids are difficult to decipher. Ever the industrious soul I decided to use google thinking songmeanings, lyricsmode or lyricsbay would have pay dirt. No such luck; just a brief statement about how Purified Thoughts is due on the forthcoming LP titled Apollo Kids due for release on December 14th 2010. It seems as though no one cares. It took a bit of hunting around to actually find a page with them on and even then some were obviously wrong.

 

True Grit

The Coen brothers try their hands at a full-blooded Western. Succeed.

Ah, to be Joel or Ethan Coen. They’re known in the business as the ‘two-headed director’ and not only are the brothers some of the most prolific in Hollywood (along with Clint Eastwood) but they are also some of the most brilliant and consistent. Since winning their long overdue Oscar for No Country For Old Men (must refrain from putting an anti-award rant in my review) they’ve managed to release 1 film every year and with each different from the last. Since 2007 we’ve seen the barmy, hilarious Burn After Reading (with the usual Coen stalwarts), the bleak but brilliant A Serious Man (their most personal film to date) and now we get their first out-and-out attempt at a Western.

 

Boardwalk Empire – The Ivory Tower

Again thanks to Sky Atlantic (I’m not on commission, honest) we’ve been given a double bill and following the ridiculously good pilot is the not quite as good, but still brilliant second episode of the season called The Ivory Tower; named after the unfinished Novel by Henry James which was published 4 years before the series is set and is being read by Margaret Schroeder as she recovers.

 

The Ghost Writer

Polanski shows that being stuck in France does not diminish ones craft

Despite having a degree of controversy around it, which is usually a box office aide, The Ghost Writer pretty much slipped under the radar in early 2010 when it was released. It got a middling box office return and was well received by the critics but never considered to be better than director Roman Polanski’s earlier films such as Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby. If you didn’t catch it at the cinema what you missed is a thoroughly engaging thriller with political ambitions that doesn’t try to say too much.