"Pirates" Mark 2

One other thing I wanted to touch on in the latest "Pirates" movie. Since when did Jack Sparrow become such a legendary pirate "hero" in this universe? In this movie, there is talk of him being one of the "pirate lords." What the hell? In "Curse of the Black Pearl" part of the reason we liked Jack was because he was the underdog. He was a loser. Nobody knew who he was. ("Surely you've heard of Captain Jack Sparrow" he would ask, and he would always be greeted by blank stares). Making him an almost mythical figure in this movie rubbed me the wrong way. Just because WE as the audience have come to love him and remember him doesn't mean the "Pirates" UNIVERSE needs to. Oh well.

Yesterday for whatever reason I also got deathly ill...seriously sicker than I've been in a long LONG time (I'm still recovering as I write this). This included being unable to hold down much of any food or drink, but at least my various barf sessions throughout the day were a variety of interesting colors. First deep purple, then brilliant orange, then dark sea-green (lovely, huh?).

Anyways, I did what is always the best thing to do when one gets horribly sick, which was to lie down on the couch all day and watch movies. First, as a guarantee to make myself feel better, I watched "Return of the Jedi." When you're feeling down, Star Wars will always be there for you. Then on TV I watched Tim Burton's early film "Beetlejuice," which I'd never seen before.

"Beetlejuice" is far from Tim Burton's best film, but it was inventive and interesting, and QUITE trippy to watch when you're running a high fever. What I enjoyed most were the neat stop-motion animation effects (Tim Burton started out as an animator). Say what you like about CG, but there is a quality to stop-motion that, though unreal, is always mesmerizing. It's a shame that we hardly ever see it anymore.

Anyways, I'm going to go lie down and try to get better. At least I'm not barfing the rainbow any longer.

Yo Ho, Ho Hum...

"Pirates 3" suffered from the same stuff that "Pirates 2" did, which was expected. Too many plotlines and extra frilly stuff, so that it just got really, REALLY confusing in the end. "Pirates 3" I actually found far MORE confusing and less entertaining than #2, mainly because it took too long to rescue Jack, and because there were actually not that many actions scenes. When the final action set piece came along though, it was pretty damn spectacular, and the special effects were pretty flawless. I would have lost the whole Calypso thread, and dropped Sao Feng (yeah, I know he's Chow Yun Fat...but he didn't add anything to the story). That way we could have rescued Jack sooner, who is clearly the life in the Pirates movies ("Return of the Jedi" was smart enough to start the movie with the thaw of Han Solo pretty quick). Without Jack Sparrow, the first chunk of the movie REALLY dragged.
Still, I wasn't as disappointed with this movie as I was with Spidey 3, and I saw "Pirates 3" in good company, so I didn't mind. I think Pirates actually might have been a worse film than Spidey, but it's just that my expectations were low this time around, whereas they were quite high with ol' Peter Parker.
So...two summer blockbuster duds thus far, two more I'm REALLY looking forward to ("Transformers" and "Harry Potter"), and number of others that I have my fingers crossed on, but am not dying to see.

I also saw the classic Humphrey Bogart/Katherine Hepburn adventure movie "The African Queen" and really enjoyed it. Humphrey Bogart won the Oscar for his performance. Frankly, I've seen him do a far better job in other films ("Casablanca" HELLOOOO???), but he did good playing against type here, so I can see why he got the little gold statue. Highly recommended for all those who love classic movies.

Also, "Lost" ended very interestingly, with a FUTURE flashFORWARD instead of a flashback. At this point, I also feel like I know where the "Lost" story is going...I don't think every mystery on the island is ever going to get explained in its entirety. I don't think it can. Instead, "The Island" is just a mysterious anomaly, and much about it will always be shrouded in mystery. Instead, the show is going to finish once it’s completed the arcs of the characters that have been cast away. And I'm fine with that. Whereas in Season One I was mainly just interested in the mysteries of the island, by this time at Season Three, now that I've stuck with Locke, Jack, Sawyer, and co. for so long, I'm really just interested in THEM. And that's good. "Lost" was starting to drag for a bit, but the last half of Season Three proved to be far more dramatic, interesting, and mind-bending than anything else thus far, and the show is still very much alive.

Still, I was VERY sorry to see Charlie go in the Season Three finale, but at least he went out like a real hero. Charlie has always been the character I related to the most, and the one who never fit the "heroic badass" archetype. Jack, Sawyer, and Locke all were strong leaders or antiheroes in their own right, but Charlie was the type of hero I like seeing most--the ordinary guy thrust into a situation beyond his control, and rising to the occasion when he was needed, despite his misgivings and fears. Of all the characters on "Lost" he has had the strongest, most interesting character arc, and he felt the most genuine. His death, more than any other on the show, feels like I have lost a close friend. Rest in peace, Charlie Pace.

Also, I thought Locke's knife throw into newcomer Naomi was rather harsh and against type for his character, seeing as how he was reluctant to kill his father, but maybe this will be explained next season. Either way...I can't wait for the “Lost” saga to continue. I’m still a fan.