The Critics Were Wrong (Maybe)-Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

The people in Hollywood know a good thing when they see it. In 2003, when Pirates Of The Carribean: Curse Of The Black Pearl was released, it was a massive success. That gave movie makers the green light to continue with the franchise. The problem is (as it is if often the case with most sequels) that as each consecutive movie was released, the reviews were not so full of praise and the audiences began to stay away.

Such is the case with Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011). Will (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) are out of the picture. Making strange bedfellows/pirate odd couple are Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush).  Their quest is locate the fountain of youth. But they are not the only ones who are eager to locate the legendary fountain. Blackbeard  (Ian McShane) and his daughter Angelica (Penelope Cruz) are also on the same path. It’s not just a question of who will reach the fountain first, it’s a question of will the past and relationship that Jack had with Angelica come back to bite him in the behind?

This movie attempts to recreate the magic of the first film. Attempts is the key word here. Even without Bloom and Knightley in the cast, something is missing. Whether it is the fact that Jack Sparrow is becoming old or that the filmmakers attempts to inject a period appropriate character like Blackbeard, just something is missing.

Were the critics wrong? No.

I do not recommend this film.

Advertisement

Darcy’s Competition

Any fan of Pride and Prejudice would argue that Colin Firth’s dip in the lake is iconic and sets hearts racing.

I’d never though I’d see the day that the this scene might have a rival.

All I can say is that this ginger might have put on a pair of fins and a shell bikini if it meant a swim in the ocean with Ross Poldark.

Saturday Night Live The Exhibition

Over the last 40 years, Saturday Night Live has cemented itself into our culture. Irreverent, laugh out loud and sometimes controversial, Saturday Night Live has always seemed to have it’s finger on the pulse of what the American public is thinking and feeling.

To celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the program, NBC aired a special earlier this year, celebrating the show’s history and it’s impact on this country.  Expanding on the special, Saturday Night Live, The Exhibition, opened at the end of May.

The experience leads visitors through the week and the process of putting the show together. Props, costumes, photographs and entire and video interviews of cast and crew sets are laid out throughout the exhibition. From the initial stages of writing to creating costumes, sets, the exhibition is not the staid and boring museum.  It is vibrant, alive and a thrill for any fan.

I absolutely recommend it, it is a must see exhibit.

Saturday Night Live, The Exhibition is located at 417 5th Ave In New York City.