Movie Review - Tomorrowland

In case you didn't see my super mini review on opening night, it consisted of a picture of the movie tickets, my own Tomorrowland pin and the words "loved loved loved loved loved it!" For those who know me and know the general gist and history of this movie, the mini-review shouldn't have been too surprising. I've been anticipating this movie for at least the last 3-4 years when initial rumors started becoming more concrete. Even with the slow filter of hints and rumors, the overall plot stayed fairly secret until fairly recently. With all that build up and hype I knew I would either completely love this film or it would suffer from an inability to live up to my expectations and be a total flop.

Glancing at some of the negative reviews I have to agree that there are some holes in the plot and some definite imbalances. I agree with the people I've talked with that I would have loved to have spent more time in the idyllic version of Tomorrowland and experience more of its shiny fun. Still, I can see a distinct risk in presenting TOO MUCH time in the utopian bright and wonderful Tomorrowland. The idea of Tomorrowland is a place where boundaries are truly pushed...a place where technology and innovation have taken huge leaps. By showing us just a few brief moments, the audience gets a sense of the grandeur and awe that's been created without spending so much time that we start to see beyond the smoke and mirrors. It allows more to be left to the imagination of the viewer which means the viewer will criticize their own personal interpretation of futurific leaps rather than those of the director (which could quickly become dated or look cheesy).

Book Review - Shell Game (Kingdom Keepers Book 5)

In Shell Game (Kingdom Keepers Book 5), the crew are celebrity guests on an inaugural sail of a new ship traveling from Florida to California via the Panama Canal. Their presence also means that a new DHI server is being unveiled that will have their hologram counterparts working the crowd on the cruise ship and on some of the shore excursions.

Prior to the trip, we learn that the Overtakers have been mounting an assault in Florida at the site of the main DHI headquarters. The Keepers have recruited various other kids, park employees and Disney characters to help in the battle but a vicious siege is going on and the keepers are hesitant to leave the battle in the hands of others. Still, they are the face of the DHI and it's their job to go on this cruise. Even more important, the Overtakers seem to be coincidentally planning something on the cruise. It seems obvious that they would be interested in the new DHI server outside of the core theme park areas but as the story gets going it's obvious that there may be something even more sinister going on.

The first portion of the book takes place in Florida and involves the Keepers making preparations to leave on the cruise securely prepared for whatever problems they may encounter. We learn that the the Overtakers have been recruiting their own forces. It seems that the Evil Queen (Snow White's queen) and Maleficent have been using their powers of "persuasion" (and magical spells) to entrance kids and adults to their cause. The Overtaker humans are usually recognized by their eerie green eyes though it is evident that there are others who are just following orders and may not even know that they are in the service of these wicked characters.

The story is generally pretty fun albeit a little convoluted and repetitive. It started off with some running through Epcot and other Florida parks as well as an exciting confrontation in the Typhoon Lagoon water park. The nostalgia that came from reading the descriptions of these parks was, as always, a lot of fun. Once the story moved to the cruise ship I was less familiar with the "real world" environment but cruise ships in general (even Disney ones) are fairly easy to imagine so I was able to envision the author's world fairly easily.

Book Review - Power Play (Kingdom Keepers 4)

I dove into book 4 of the Kingdom Keeper series expecting some fun but not really anticipating many differences from the previous books. I generally enjoyed the first three books but was left hoping for something more. The writing is fairly simplistic and definitely geared towards kids. I acknowledged and overlooked that. Where I was left wanting more was in terms of the plot. The concept is actually pretty cool and has a lot of potential but there are times that it feels a bit strained. A large part of that is due to the imaginative yet complex technologies that allow the kids to transport into the parks. Even more than strains in the plot elements, I felt like plot elements were missing. In my mind, I felt like there was a lot of potential that just wasn't being used. I suspect that the omission was partly a conscious choice to keep the plot simpler and to gradually introduce the elements, but I really felt like there were some lost opportunities. That background aside, I opened the book with the expectation of a fun, lighthearted adventure and that's what I got.

The book starts out by quickly suggesting that the stakes have changed or, at the very least, that new elements are in place that have changed the rules of the game. In the first few pages, the kids spot some of the "Overtakers" in the real world running around and interacting with other humans. I was a little confused as to why this was so shocking. In the previous books, the kids had interacted with Maleficent and Chernabog in "the real world" so I wasn't sure why it was such a big deal to see other characters among mere mortals. The difference came in the fact that the Overtakers weren't just staying in the parks. They were first seen in Downtown Disney (which I felt was acceptable) but then they were seen at various places throughout the city. The kids also made the leap (somehow) and decided that the Overtakers had created their own DHI Server (so they could create their own holograms).

Even more threatening though was the fact that the Overtakers had begun recruiting other human kids to help them out. The Kingdom Keepers started to notice some strange behavior from other kids at school. As they investigated, they found that the Evil Queen had cast spells on them and had them working for the Overtakers. Others seemed to have joined of their own free will. In any case, the Kingdom Keepers now had to be on their toes wherever they were. They also found that they couldn't be sure who to trust since the Evil Queen could cast a spell even on a member of the Kingdom Keepers and get them to spy for her or carry out other schemes. Everything pointed to the Overtakers getting more powerful and the Kingdom Keepers were woefully uninformed and unprepared for whatever was happening.

Movie Review - Wreck-It-Ralph

Over Thanksgiving weekend we took the kids to see Wreck-it-Ralph. With plenty of video game nostalgia and Disney and Pixar love, I think I was as excited to see this film as the kids were. From the trailers we knew the premise to be centered on the villain (Ralph) of an old ~80s era video game called Fix it Felix Jr. The game is similar to Donkey Kong with the single screen platforming action, the villain at the top causing destruction and the hero racing up the building to conquer him. Ralph is frustrated that he's always the "bad guy" and thus feels like a bit of an outsider and wants to do something heroic. He even goes to a "Bad Guys Anonymous" meeting to discuss his frustration. So he starts "game jumping" and chaos and hilarity ensue.

The high level premise seems kind of fun on the surface but a little trite. I was a little nervous that it would face-plant much in the way of other "video game movies" from the past (I'm looking at you Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Doom, Super Mario Bros., etc…they had twinges of fun but certainly weren't "all that"). Fortunately the execution was better than the sugary glaze promised by the trailers. I suspect part of the success lies in having John Lasseter on board as part of the production team. Lasseter headed up creative control for Pixar for many years and I'm glad to see his creative force and vision applied to the core Disney Animation concepts. Not that there have been "awful" Disney films in the past decades…but they've certainly been overshadowed by their siblings at Pixar (and even competitor studios like Dreamworks).

My other worry was that the movie might cater too much to gamers and be less interesting for the non-gaming crowd. While there was plenty of video game fun to draw in gamers old and new, I think the writing and plot holds the interest of non-gamers and will work to draw them in. The meta-setting for the movie is an arcade building with tons of great cabinet games. This in itself was great since I loved going down to the arcade to pump quarters into machines. Sadly, the nearest arcade to our house recently closed to make way for a pizza place (the third or fourth in that mall). Even recent movie theaters built in the area don't house arcade cabinets anymore. It makes me sad. I somehow doubt it, but it would be cool if this film generated a resurgence of the old arcade parlor. But I regress.

Within the arcade, each of the games are connected. At the end of each day, the characters (if they wish) can hop a train/shuttle transporting them (via power cables, plugs, outlets, etc) down to Game Central and from there they can visit other fun locations. I loved seeing the characters interact in other fun game worlds (I especially loved having them sit on barstools in Tapper…fabulous fun).

The impetus for Ralph's escapades comes not just from dissatisfaction but also from contention between him and the other characters. He feels awkward, out of place and snubbed. One of the other characters in his game says (somewhat sarcastically) that Ralph could hang out with them if he was able to win a medal like Felix has. With that goal in mind, Ralph sets off to get a medal from some other game.

Book Review - Disney in Shadow (Kingdom Keepers III)

Disney in Shadow is Book 3 in the Kingdom Keepers Series. While this book does provide segments of back story as needed there are many elements that seem to rely at least somewhat on familiarity with the previous books. So if you haven't read those, you should probably do so before jumping in here. That said, the storyline does stand on its own without relying heavily on the history from the previous two books.

The DHIs know that trouble is brewing. At the end of book 2, the DHIs have saved Jez but were unable to prevent the escape of Maleficent and Chernabog. Worse still (or maybe just as bad), Wayne has vanished. During the second book, Wayne was in hiding and only communicating with the kids through secure and cryptic messages. At the end of the book it is apparent that the Overtakers have captured Wayne.

Knowing that Wayne is the only person who has the knowledge to adequately guide the kids, Finn desperately leads the DHIs in an effort to find him. From his experience inside the Disney computer system in book 2, Philby is able to hack into the DHI system and help control when and where the kids materialize after dark. This is helpful but there is still too much ground to cover. Amanda and Jess get more fleshed out as characters and we learn more about their special powers. Unfortunately they are also being threatened with a return to a "foster care" facility that would take them out of the state and thus unable to help. Crunched for time, the kids come up with a plan to make Amanda and Jess into DHIs as well. They area also introduced to a woman claiming to be Wayne's daughter. There is a lot of distrust at first but she proves very helpful later on.

Even though the kids search for Wayne in all of the different parks, most of the action in this book takes place in Disney Studios and in Epcot. Jess has dreams and premonitions that she records in a diary. Wayne seems to have some idea of what Jess might see and so he's able to send clues to her through her diary messages. Wayne's sister also provides a cryptic clue for the kids to follow. One of Wayne's messages also seems to suggest a potential traitor in the group which puts everybody on edge.

A Week In Review - STARWEST Conference -or- A Week in Disneyland

So a couple of weeks ago I went to California for a business conference. The conference was pretty cool…lots of great speakers, tutorials, keynotes, vendors and other work sessions to fill my head (and my bag) with lots of great information and contacts.

As an added bonus, the conference was held in the Disneyland Convention Center in the Disneyland Hotel. While this certainly wasn't my first reason for opting for this particular conference, it didn't hurt.

The conference (STARWEST) is hosted by SQE and they do a number of great conferences each year and also have a good selection of webinars and ongoing resources online. I've followed them and have been wanting to go to one of their conferences for a while. It was well worth it.

Unless I happen to have readers who are in the Software Test and/or QA industry, I won't bore you all too much with the various things I learned at the conference…hit me up after if you're interested. ;)

Instead, I figured I'd give a little recap on the "entertainment" portion of the trip.

Book Review - Kingdom Keepers II: Disney at Dawn

I read the first Kingdom Keepers book a while ago. When I first learned of the series I was very excited about the premise and really looked forward to diving in. While I enjoyed the first book, I wasn't as excited as I thought I might have been and so I delayed moving on to book two.

In the first book, we get to know a group of kids-turned-celebrities thanks to Disney technology. The kids are "DHIs." They have been motion- and audio-captured into specialized software to produce Holographic images of them throughout the parks of Walt Disney World where they act as virtual tour guides. We learn that an old Imagineer named Wayne used the DHI project to create the "Kingdom Keepers." When the kids sleep, they "awake" as their DHI selves inside the Disney parks. Once there, they are tasked with taking on the Disney villains and other Overtakers. The villains have some unknown overarching plot. At the very least, the kids know they are up to no good and so they follow Wayne's lead in working to stop them. All of that background is what really got me interested in the series and the first book. And it's a very fun premise and is actually executed pretty well.

Looking back, I decided that part of my disappointment was that I was reading the book more from an adult perspective than I should have done. This is a book for children, starring children and taking place in a Disney Theme Park (or a world of parks, as it were). My gripes about the book were largely areas where my adult-self had a hard time suspending disbelief and just enjoying the tale.

So, with that in mind, I jumped into Kingdom Keepers II: Disney at Dawn. This book picks up shortly after the first one. The DHI kids are on a parade when they catch sight of some friends/accomplices from book one. They learn that Maleficent is trying to escape and cause trouble again. In a rush to try and stop her, one of the group is captured and Maleficent escapes. We also find out that Wayne is in hiding and only able to interact minimally with the kids. In many ways, they are on their own and in even more danger than before.

I definitely don't want to spoil the plot points for you, but I will say that I really enjoyed some of the twisty elements added to this book. Most of the adventure this time happens in Animal Kingdom which is the Disney World park I haven't yet visited (it wasn't yet built last time I went). So I didn't have a first-hand point of reference for a lot of the events that happened. I had wondered while reading the first book if part of the enjoyment might be lost without knowing first hand the layout of the Magic Kingdom. In reading book two and running around with the kids in Animal Kingdom, I did find myself a little disoriented at times, but mostly I felt like the author did a good job describing the environment and helping me understand the layout and the structure of things.

Movie Review - Brave

On a spur of the moment decision, we took the kids to see Brave. I have to admit that I was probably more excited to see this film than some of the kids (my oldest son almost backed out to stay home and do chores instead…what a choice, huh?). The trailer had me a little nervous as it didn't "feel" the same as some of the other Pixar movies I've loved. It almost had a "Dreamworks" studio feel…which isn't a bad thing since I've enjoyed some Dreamworks movies, but I was worried that it wouldn't be all that I hoped for and expected. So, even though the trailer didn't put forth a whole lot in terms of the overall plot, I went into this film with pretty high expectations just because it's from Pixar.

And hands down, my expectations were met. If anybody else loves Pixar and was worried (as I was) that this film was a departure from their usual magic, put those fears aside. This movie is great.

Before talking about the movie, I want to comment on the "short" before the film. As with all Pixar movies (and more and more on other animated films as well), they had a short cartoon. This one was called "La Luna." It starts with a young boy sitting in the middle of the water with two older men. There are no words but a lot of mumbled grunts and other unspoken language. As the title suggests, the short involves the Moon. Through most of the short it felt like we were balancing between a lovely piece of artwork and silly humor that tried to stop just short of the slapstick humor of cartoon. But then, in the final moments of the short there is a great image that pulls everything together in a surprising way that is absolutely fantastic and makes the whole thing very endearing and special. This one is a sweet and fun showcase of talent.

Similar to the surprising twist in the short, there was a surprise for me in the movie itself. From the trailer, it looked like the plot would be about an outspoken girl who doesn't want to get married because she has too much fun being a warrior boy. She's at odds with her parents (mostly her mother) and sets out in search of a way to change things. That's where the trailer left it….and it left me thinking this might be a Mulan-esque story where she goes off on some sort of adventure (again making me nervous that maybe we'd just have a rehashed story). While that's true, there's more to it than I expected.

The trailer is a bit sneaky. I haven't looked to see if they've released a new, more revealing trailer but I can tell you that the original trailers were somewhat misleading in terms of the overall plot and story arc of this movie. With a couple of brief, disjointed exceptions, I think all of the scenes from the trailer come only from the first half (or less) of the movie. About one-third or one-half of the way through the movie there is a big twisty plot element that makes this movie very different from what I expected. I won't spoil it for you since the surprise is a lot of fun and it makes for a very compelling second half of the movie. I don't think the movie would be any less enjoyable if you know what's going to happen, but the thrill of the reveal is a lot of fun, so I'll leave you to it.

Happy 57th Birthday Disneyland!!!

57 years ago today, Walt Disney officially dedicated Disneyland:

“To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here, age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”

Happy birthday to the happiest place on Earth. Here's to many more happy years to come.

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Disney Family Vacation 2012 - Trip Report - Final Days

Hey there, Hi there, Ho there. Welcome to the final post in my four part recap of my family's recent trip to Southern California and all things Disneyland. Hopefully I didn't bore too many of you or scare away any readers. Don't worry, the blog will soon return to its more "normal" style of posting (ie - irregular posts reviewing movies, books and random activities).

But since you're here now, go ahead and join me as I reflect on the final days of our trip and on the trip as a whole. Before that though, let me share this little video Disney put out that reminds me a bit of how our trip went.

As we prepped for the last days of our vacation, we sat as a group momentarily and discussed the few things we MUST do. The one thing we had to do, but nobody wanted to really worry about, was make sure we allowed ourselves time to pack up and be ready to go so we could get back to the airport without being frantic or forgetting anything. Naturally, even though we thought about it, the packing was still held for the final hours of the night before we left.

Disney Family Vacation 2012 - Trip Report - Days 4 & 5

Well, as you noticed from the earlier two posts, our vacation was thrilling and very full. As per the previous lengthy posts, I'll provide a little "blow-by-blow" of our adventures but mainly will be using the post to highlight some fun photos from the trip.

To those who have gone through each of the vacation posts, thanks for sticking by me. I don't know how many folks will actually enjoy these beyond people in my family, but at the very least I've had fun with it and my family has had fun looking through the images and reliving the vacation.

And now, on to the conclusion…the last few days in Souther California…

Disney Family Vacation 2012 - Trip Report - Days 2 & 3

Welcome back. Hopefully I didn't scare off too many readers with that VERY LONG post recapping the first day of our vacation. Don't worry…the rest of the vacation post(s) will be significantly shorter, at least in text. I do have a ton of photos I'd love to post, so today's post (and any future posts) will likely have big chunks of text but will then end with a big string of photos.



But that's all beside the point. You're not here for an intro to the post, you're here for the follow-up to the previous post. So, without further ado, let's get going.

Disney Family Vacation 2012 - Trip Report - Day 1

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since my last blog post and as you may have guessed from the title of today's post, it's because I was off on vacation. Over the next couple of posts I'll give a recap of our festivities filled with plenty of pictures. These posts will largely just be a travelogue for myself and my family and mostly just an excuse to post lots of cute and fun pictures. This "first day" post will be the longest and most detailed…I'll not likely go into as much depth on future posts. But if the length overwhelms your reading sensibilities, just scan through the pictures and live vicariously through our vacationing joys.




And now, as they say, on with the show!!!!

Review - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Before anything, I just have to say that I've been a huge fan of the Pirates franchise all along. Pirates of the Caribbean was always one of my favorite rides at Disneyland. I've always loved "all things pirate" and was super excited when the first movie came out. As with most viewers, I wasn't quite as impressed with the second and third films individually but I loved the trilogy as a whole. Black Pearl was just fabulous and really set the bar for what an epic pirate fantasy adventure should be like. The next two films maintained that epic feel and kept the story and characters alive and vibrant but I felt they suffered a little from being a little two "dark" (both literally/visually and thematically) as well as trying to do too much.

At Worlds End left us very much open for and expectant of a fourth movie in the series. So it wasn't a huge surprise when the info started trickling out, but it was very exciting to know that it was finally coming. Still, I was a little nervous to see what they'd do next. Over the course of the films, I'd grown fond of the dynamic between Jack, Will and Elizabeth. They played so well off each other. I was glad to see that Barbossa would be returning, but seeing him as a "King's Man" made me a little wary.

OK...enough introduction...what about the movie?

NOTE: I will attempt to avoid spoilers where I can but be warned there may be some minor mention of spoiler-esque elements.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: This is a fairly lengthy review starting with my general thoughts on the movie stepping through each element (trying not to "spoil" anything) followed by an overall reaction. If you just want my overall reaction, skip to the last couple of paragraphs. :)



The opening scene was intriguing. It set the stage for the adventure to find the Fountain of Youth. It also presented new characters/players in the game...the Spaniards.

We were then whisked to a trial in London and our first small surprise of the show...Gibbs is back and it is he who is on trial for piracy. Naturally Jack appears and works to save Gibbs and perhaps more naturally, the rescue attempt fails and Jack is brought before the King and a newly minted privateer of the King's Army, Captain Barbossa (touting a wooden leg).

The escape sequence from the King's palace was absolutely ridiculous to the point of madcap. It was entertaining but truly stretched the limits of believability in a few places. Still, in light of the overall nature of the adventure, I overlooked them and moved on since had Jack not escaped, the story would have been considerably less interesting. :)

As can be expected though, it's out of the frying pan and into the fire for our dear Jack and before long he finds himself pressed into service (slavery) on a Pirate ship...Blackbeard's ship the Queen Anne's Revenge. The method and mode of his imprisonment/enslavement once again felt a little strained, especially considering the specific reasons he was brought on board and his relation with Blackbeard's daughter Angelica.

Angelica as a character continued to be a connundrum for me. She always seemed to have her own selfish motivations and yet she also seemed to be altruistic and seeking for the general and greater good. I like the idea of her internal turmoil and conflict with reconciling the bad with the good, but it felt a little forced or rushed at times. To an extent, she was a parallel to Will Turner, the good boy forced into bad situations and still trying to do the right thing but through "bad" means. While Angelica preached good morals and chided her father for his wickedness, she also did some things that seemed downright underhanded and just plain shady without good reason for being dastardly. I just had a hard time reconciling her.

Anyway, with Jack on board the Queen Anne's Revenge, we get more information on the Fountain of Youth, Blackbeard, and the reason Angelica and Blackbeard are looking for the fountain. We also get to discover more about the fate of Jack's favorite ship, the Black Pearl.

Before long, we finally get a glimpse at Blackbeard. He isn't played as over the top comic-book evil in some of the ways Barbossa was. Instead, Blackbeard is evil just through his character and his actions. His emotions are generally very calm and collected, which makes him all the more frightening. He is definitely a force to be reckoned with. From his first appearance on screen, it is quickly evident why Blackbeard is the "pirate that all pirates fear" and it adds new tension to the story as it now looks very unlikely that Jack will be able to properly escape.

As per the other Pirates films in the series, there is plenty of supernatural goings-ons with Blackbeard. First of all, he seems akin to Tia Dalma in that he is a practitioner of voodoo. He has Zombie crew members that he himself has "zombiefied." He has voodoo dolls to further control individuals. And he has a mystical sword that gives him some rather interesting powers. We get to see some of this magic in action but we never get a good explanation of what this sword is, where it came from or what it's capable of. I personally would have loved some back story on the sword. Maybe in the extended DVD?

And then...we reach the Mermaids. In order to access the power of the Fountain of Youth there is a ritual which requires a tear from a mermaid. Which means, you have to catch a mermaid and carry her with you to the fountain. After all, tears don't last too long.

So Blackbeard employs a wicked trap to catch himself a mermaid. The mermaid mythos presents them as beautiful and utterly enchanting to sailors but also dangerous in that they drag sailors down to the depths and drown them. The mermaids here are shown as very lovely creatures but with a predisposition to turn into vampiric demonic creatures. This turnabout was very abrupt and interesting...almost as interesting as the almost instant "love at first sight" way the sailors reacted on first seeing the Mermaid. As my brother pointed out, the sailors must never have seen a pretty girl before in order to be that taken so quickly by a pretty face in the water, especially knowing how dangerous they were.

After some exciting action, Blackbeard and crew catches a mermaid through the unintentional intervention of another odd character thrown into the mix...Phillip. Phillip was captured by Blackbeard during a raid and only survived because he was a missionary and Angelica begged for his life in order to help save her father's soul. Plenty of interesting morality play going on. Whatever the case, Phillip continues to preach goodness and salvation while faced with Blackbeard's harsh wickedness. He's given a little leeway since he helped catch the mermaid but it's still obvious that his life hangs by a thread.

As can be expected by the "love at first sight" spell, Phillip falls in love with the mermaid. Due to his missionary spirit and general goodness, he works to help her be comfortable and safe while imprisoned. And thus she also falls in love with him. This strange romance seems to slowly bloom as the group treks across the island for the fountain. By the end of the movie, a lot is made of their relationship...but it is left very unresolved and ambiguous...one of those loose ends I'd have liked tied up.

Now on the path for the Fountain, Blackbeard and company need two silver chalices found long ago by Ponce de Leon. For whatever reason, Blackbeard sends Jack Sparrow to get the cups alone while the rest of the group continues on looking for the fountain. The reasoning was partly explained by the geographic situation, but it still felt odd that he was sent off entirely alone. He doesn't stay alone for long as he then stumbles upon Barbossa and his crew and we're given a comic scene as the two clatter about in Ponce de Leon's ship and then form a temporary alliance.

The Spaniards finally come back into play. They are also on the island. Jack and Barbossa have to sneak into their camp and more battle ensues along with a degree of nonsense.

Eventually all is well in the plot...Jack has the cups and makes his way back to Blackbeard. Again, the motivation was a bit odd but Jack returned either to regain his compass or because he cares for Angelica (maybe Phillip and the mermaid Syrena too?). He then bumbles about leading them to the fountain. Angelica then asks a question which has been alluded to throughout the film but has been unclear "Has Jack ever been to the Fountain of Youth before?" The question is still left unanswered but somehow he leads them through the entrance...whether by plain luck or some knowledge is still unclear.

And now, at the fountain, we have our final confrontation. Blackbeard's company meets up with the English led by Barbossa. It's now clear that Barbossa isn't on this errand so much out of loyalty to the crown but more out of a desire for revenge against Blackbeard. Their own battle is just starting when the Spaniards arrive on the scene. The Spaniards have been an enigma through the entire film...playing mostly in the background and without letting us get close to any of the characters or their motivations. We finally get to learn what their motivations are and it is a bit of a surprise to find out their role and desire in all of this.

The final battles play out. We're given a happy ending for some, a sad ending for others and just "an ending" for most. As with the other films, there is a short clip after the credits. While this clip made me smile a bit, it seemed a bit more forced/leading than those from the previous films.

....And now, my reactions to the film. Overall, I still give this movie thumbs up and really enjoyed it. From the franchise, Black Pearl is still my favorite, but this movie is still enjoyable.

A couple of things left me a little unsettled or wanting more. In many ways this film had the same problems as Dead Man's Chest and At World's End...it was dark and tried to do to much. Except On stranger Tides took these problems and made them worse. So much of this movie was in the dark and/or at night. Blackbeard was evil and dark. And I felt like even though there was a single goal (the Fountain), the movie tried to do too much...too many characters trying to be "primary" characters but without the depth to make them accessible or make me really root for them...too many important elements that we're left with a bunch that can't adequately be explained (Blackbeard's sword, the Spaniards, Syrena and Phillip).

I was also a little underwhelmed by the scope of this movie. Black Pearl was epic. It sprawled across expansive ocean scenes with fantastic boat battles, outrageous sword fights, amazingly vivid and deep scenes in taverns (Tortuga) and gorgeous islands. Because of the amount of stuff going on in this film, we had little depth in any of the scenes except Queen Anne's Revenge...and even there most of the time we're kept under guard. Many of the exciting scenes happen in the dark...and unlike the darkness of Black Pearl, moonlight wasn't required to make the effect and so sometimes the darkness hid nuances.

Films 2 and 3 were able to get away with their shortcomings because they were still building on the amazing and epic nature already built by Film 1. With film 4, we're continuing with a few of the old characters but we are starting a new story and so the only history we have to go on here are the nature of the characters.

I really wanted some sea battles...would loved to have seen the English and Spaniards get into it...or maybe seen Blackbeard sack a couple of ships along the way to Whitecap Bay. Instead, we're given a couple of distance shots of ships and only hear about the sea battles in a narration from Barbossa telling about the capture of the Pearl.

The sword fight sequences weren't as engaging as the previous films...the initial fight between Jack and Angelica was alright but it was dark and wasn't nearly as engaging as the initial fight between Jack and Will or the later fight on the yardarms between Jack and Davy Jones.

So, while I still really loved this movie and felt it fits into the franchise, it fell a little flat for me in some regards. Still, I can recommend this to pirate/adventure lovers. If you liked the earlier movies, you should like this one. If you absolutely hated either the second or third movies, then you may not like this one either.

Disney has left themselves open to keeping the franchise going as long as it makes them money...and even though they've set the bar too high to easily be reached, this movie is still a success and I wouldn't be surprised to see a follow up. I'd go see a fifth movie. And I'd definitely be willing to see this one again...though given the choice, I'd watch Black Pearl first.


3.5 out of 5 stars

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Today's Quote from Quoting Quotes:

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Review - Tangled

Being Disney fanatics and having young kids, it seemed only natural that we would go to see Tangled. From the previews, it looked like good Disney-fied fun. One of the boys thought he'd rather go see Megamind but really he was just glad to be going out to a movie and in the end he enjoyed it as well.

I'd read the Grimms Fairy Tales version of Rapunzel a few years ago and also had recent memories of Rapunzel's Revenge (the recent graphic novel adaptation by a trio of Hales). I knew this version would be slightly different than both but wasn't entirely sure what to expect.


There were certainly similarities to these other versions. Yes, we have a girl trapped in a tower by Mother Gothel as in the Grimm. Yes, she can wield her hair around like a multifunctional whip, as in the Hale story. But the differences were pretty unique and fun. Through pure Disney magic and imagination, Rapunzel's hair is not only long and beautiful, but it is actually magic. It's for this magic that Gothel kidnaps and imprisons Rapunzel rather than out of vengeance against her parents or some other reason.

Plot Breakdown

Once the backstory is set, we join Rapunzel on a fun filled adventure. Instead of a prince climbing her hair, a rogue of of a thief climbs her tower. She ends up overpowering and capturing him (out of fear and through use of her hair and a frying pan) and in the end he really just wants to leave as opposed to seeking her hand in marriage or something similarly romantic. She, instead, convinces (forces/coerces) him into taking her out of the tower to see the mystical lights that float through the sky each year. He reluctantly agrees although along the way he does things to try and convince her to just go back to her tower. Naturally they grow to like each other along the way and romance starts to bloom Disney style.

General Thoughts

I found the modified story here to be cute, fun and entertaining. It definitely had predictable moments but it had some intriguing turns and twists along the way.

I thought the voice acting was done very well and that the characterizations and writing was a lot of fun. There was plenty of witty dialog and humorous interactions.

The art was gorgeous, especially the scenery/backdrops/locations. The characters were well done also although I personally would have preferred hand-drawn animation to CGI work. Still, it was well done and worthy of the Disney name.

The music was nice. Unlike a lot of Disney films, the music felt like it took a back seat on this one. There was a kind of creepy song from Mother Gothel and the romantic love song between Rapunzel and Flynn, but if there were other songs, they weren't really memorable. Still, the background music set the tone nicely and helped create a nice atmosphere.

And finally…

Will this film will become a definitive classic in the Disney collection? I doubt it. It's hard to compete with some of the old classics like Sleeping Beauty or the modern classics like Beauty and the Beast. Still, I think this movie is definitely worth watching and was quite a lot of fun.



4 out of 5 stars