Showing posts with label Johnny Depp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Johnny Depp. Show all posts

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Review - On Stranger Tides



Whoa. It’s the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie already? Wow.

The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was phenomenal. The Curse of the Black Pearl propelled its three stars to superstardom. Okay, okay, Johnny Depp has always been a superstar but his performance as Captain Jack Sparrow actually earned him his first Oscar nomination and solidified his career. Orlando Bloom was already famous as Legolas from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but this movie proved he could be a swashbuckling hero without the pointy ears. Keira Knightley went on to earn an Oscar nomination for her work in Pride and Prejudice.

So yes, it was a phenomenal movie. The right amount of humor, the right amount of action, the right amount of romance.

You would think that there’s no more storylines and that they would leave the series alone right? No. At World’s End left it open-ended.

Fast forward to this year. On Stranger Tides opens. I was first turned off by it because I thought the other two Pirates of the Caribbean movies were not as good as the first one. And then I read Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom were not coming back. Not really a good sign.

Penelope Cruz was then cast as the female lead. Guess they really haven’t had a Spanish influence on Pirates of the Caribbean yet. I like Penelope Cruz. She was the single best thing about Nine. I love musicals but there was no saving that. Okay, maybe Marion Cotillard was good as well.

Anyway, I saw the trailer. But it did not really excite me still. But it is a Pirates of the Caribbean movie and it is Johnny Depp… so I went to watch it anyway.

On Stranger Tides starts with Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) attempting to rescue one of his crew. Then he hears a rumor about him recruiting people to go to the Fountain of Youth. Which peaked his interest because he was not the one recruiting. Turns out, it was Angelica (Penelope Cruz) who was recruiting in his name/disguise. Angelica wants to go to the Fountain of Youth to help her father, the infamous Black Beard, who is dying. Hot on their trails is Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who has a score to settle with Black Beard… and the Spanish fleet, who are also seeking out the legendary fountain.

So there you have it. This movie is about the adventure to go find the Fountain of Youth. And what an adventure it is. Seriously. I thought the movie might have lost its magic and/or spark but I was wrong. It still got it. Johnny Depp did not phone in his performance and Penelope Cruz is a fine addition to the series.

However, the movie did get off to a slow start. Like the first few minutes for example. It’s classic Jack Sparrow. Has a ‘been there, done that’ vibe. But as soon as they get off sailing the high seas, then the movie starts to take on top form. I’m talking about zombies and mermaids and ghost ships.

Is this movie any better than the first three movies? It is definitely in a class of its own. In a good way. Nothing can touch the first movie though. Not even the second and third movie. But this one comes quite close to equaling the amount of thrills from the first movie. I guess the second movie suffered greatly because the ending was a set-up for the third movie and that turned off most people. Just like the second Matrix movie… felt like an unfinished movie...

But I am not saying they were bad movies… just not as good…

So I guess if there were a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, then I’ll go watch it and it will probably be good as well. Or they could pull a Fast & Furious and have the next movie with Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom… but Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow is essentially the movie so not sure if it would work…

Monday, March 21, 2011

Review - Rango

Johnny Depp is such a great character actor, who turned out incredible characters such Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean - which landed him his first Oscar nomination), Sweeney Todd (3rd nomination), Edward Scissorhands, The Mad Hatter (Alice in Wonderland) and Don Juan DeMarco.
So it's no surprise that he brought his intensity/quirkiness to Rango. Depp voices the main character, Rango, a chameleon who has been living in captivity, performing plays for his own entertainment.
One fine day, he gets tossed out from his owner's car because of an accident and he finds himself in a strange world where water is like currency. By chance or stupidity, he got rid of the town's pest, or one of the pests, and he was elected sheriff and now he has to protect the town from an even bigger threat... drought...
As per usual, in an animation, the supporting characters are colorful and quirky, almost matching Depp's/Rango's quirks. And yes, Depp brought it. Not too sure if its was scripted that way or they readjusted it according to the voice actor, but the character was hilarious and layered.
Hence, it brought the movie to a whole new level. Delightful indeed. Who knew a creature like a chameleon could be seen in a heroic light?

Disney Releases Second 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Trailer - Video

Disney has just released a second trailer of our good friend Jack Sparrow and his cronies in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”

While there is still a lot of mystery and intrigue surrounding this version of Pirates 4 the trailer does give us a look into how strange the “Stranger Tides” will be, and how good of a pirate Johnny Depp can be.

For example, Jack’s ship “The Pearl”, has taken on a life and conscience of its own. Not only does it fight against Jack’s crew – but also will be fighting Jack himself.

Jack’s love interest is the key to finding the fountain of youth and Penélope Cruz sure does now how to look spectacular. It also appears she is the key to fighting and winning against Blackbeard.

Another bit if news is that famed Rolling Stone member Keith Richards will again appears as Jack Sparrow’s father and may already have found the fountain of youth and consumed some of its magical powers.

If anybody could use it…… it’s Keith Richards.

Due in theaters in May 2011, it looks like Disney has another hit on their hands.

Watch trailer for “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”

Friday, February 25, 2011

Trailer - On Stranger Tides



The fourth Pirates of the Caribbean... no longer featuring Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom... Penelope Cruz is in this one instead...

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Idol Alice


Tonite is the ladies' turn to sing. They've changed the scheduling to allow Crystal Bowersox some time to recover.


Go here to find out more about this --> http://www.rickey.org/?p=34308

Recap - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34342


As usual, if you haven't had the time to catch on the TV, go the links below to view their performances... :)


Crystal Bowersox - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34326

Haeley Vaughn - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34332

Lacey Brown - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34338

Katie Stevens - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34345

Didi Benami - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34351

Michelle Delamor - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34358

Lilly Scott - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34363

Katelyn Epperly - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34369

Paige Miles - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34371

Siobhan Magnus - http://www.rickey.org/?p=34383




In other news, I saw Alice in Wonderland 3D... I am not sure if the storyline's the same with the previous Alice movies... but it was an enjoyable movie.

This Alice is an adult now and was goaded into returning to Wonderland because the Red Queen has taken over, dethroning the White Queen and has rendered Wonderland into some sort of hellish place.

The acting's pretty good. Well, kinda expected from Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.



The new girl, Mia Wasikowska, is not bad... she's like a younger Gwyneth Paltrow... the effects in the movie is pretty good... although it is a bit reminiscent of Lord of the Rings... a good movie to watch... especially in 3D... :)

Look out for one particular scene between Alice and the White Queen... I am not sure if they intended it to be that funny but I was laughing out loud for a couple of minutes... :)


AI9 Info - www.rickey.org

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Alice Idol




Tomorrow at Pavilion... :)

and....

Tonite on


it's the Guys performing instead of the girls because Crystal Bowersox is too sick and under medical advisement not to perform...

I hope she gets better and will be able to perform well tomorrow night coz she is one of my faves this season... :)
As usual, if you're too busy or can't get home in time, here are the links to the guys' performance:


Saturday, October 18, 2008

Zac Efron To Join "Pirates 4" With Johnny Depp

Not only is our young "High School Musical" star turning 21 this weekend, but it has also been announced that Zac Efron will be joining the cast of Johnny Depp's new "Pirates Of The Caribbean 4" movie.

Disney will be paying Efron an estimated $10 million for his role, almost twice as much as he pulled in singing and dancing with his fellow Wildcats.

A source tells us that Depp was not initially interested in another run as Jack Sparrow, and that Disney approached Efron to take over the helm.

After some intense negations, Depp agreed to return for another film for an enormous $55 million paycheck. This may be the highest salary every paid to an actor for a movie role.

But it is not like either one has to worry about losing their job.

Johnny Depp has six projects in the works. The first to hit the big screen will be "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus", starring Depp, the late Heath Ledger, Colin Farrell and Jude Law, in a story about a traveling theater company that gives its audience much more than they were expecting.

Depp is currently filming the animated family adventure 'Alice In Wonderland", a live-action and CGI version of the classic "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" story.

For his part, Efron will be seen later this month in the teen hit "High School Musical 3 - Senior Year", where as seniors in high school, Troy and Gabriella struggle with the idea of being separated from one another as college approaches. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical to address their experiences, hopes and fears about their future.

Related: Watch Zac Efron Get Punked On The Set Of HSM 3 - Video
Related: Vanessa Ann Hudgens Introduces New HSM 3 Music Video


Zac has also just complete work on the comedy "17 Again", due next April and starring Efron and Matthew Perry, about a guy whose life does not quite turn out the way he wanted, and wishes he could go back to high school and change it. He wakes up one day and is seventeen again and gets the chance to rewrite his life.
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