Finding Neverland (2004)

An enjoyable family film. Depp and Winslett are great.

Rating: C+

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Didn't care for the original--cared for this one even less. Is it too much to ask not to mix the pirate genre with sci-fi? I'd give my left leg in exchange for a wooden one for a decent R rated pirate movie with a real plot, sweet violence, and high production value. Go ahead. Name me one highly acclaimed pirate movie. You can't!

Rating: D

The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

Quite amazing computer animation. It looks wonderful. The hidden treasure story is ok, but starts to wear thin by the end.

Rating: C

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

How could what I saw as being a very average, unoriginal, lengthy pirate movie have gotten people so excited... especially the ones who gave this an A+????? Fools!

I've always been a huge fan of Johnny Depp, and I thought he played his role well, but the rest of the movie was a let down for me. I kept getting a "been there, done that" feeling throughout. It seemed like one movie device after another was being thrown at me, including the ol' "I'll marry you to save so and so's life". Blah.

After the first sword fight, I was ready for something new. Instead, it was more and more sword fights, more pirate stereotypes, more regurgitation of every pirate movie ever done, etc. I didn't really have anyone to root for since I didn't care about most of the characters. They were all so poorly developed. They simply

interacted in front of me until the end. The ending had a high cheese factor too. Could have been much better in the hands of a competent director.

Rating: D+