New 'Pirates' Trailer

Above you will find a brand new trailer for the fourth installment of Bruckheimer's Pirates franchise.

First, let's discuss the trailer itself. More specifically, the elephant in this post--that little intro to the trailer. It was odd. Really odd. But I'll excuse it just because I love the character of Jack Sparrow. In fact, I'm sure that the only reason the peculiar intro was there was to showcase Depp's character even more. But, as I said, I'll ignore its strangeness just because I love the character so much...

Now, the film in general. I am not entirely sure what to make of On Stranger Tides just yet. Being a piratical history enthusiast as well as a lover of Disney and cinema, I am very excited that this new Pirates film will have the historical aspect of Blackbeard in it. I have studied the biography of Blackbeard, as well as other pirates, and am very excited to see how they will treat him as both a brand new character and a historical entity--Ian McShane seems to make a great Blackbeard, and I can't wait to further see how he portrays him.

However, the plot doesn't seem incredibly strong. Similar to my issues with Cars 2, this film seems rather gimmicky and void of true, deep emotion. Granted the only Pirates film with any "heart" was Curse of the Black Pearl, I still wanted to see the screenwriters try a little harder to make the audience fall back in love with Sparrow and new supporting characters. It doesn't seem like there will be much room for this in such an adventure-heavy, emotionless film. However, the lack of emotion will leave much more room for crazy adventures and stunts and hilarity from Jack Sparrow.

Having said that, I'm excited to see Blackbeard, excited for Jack Sparrow, and I'm a complete sucker for pirate adventures. It isn't fair for me to judge the movie before I've seen it, and I'll still be first in line for the midnight showing come May 20, 2011.

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My Thoughts on 'Prince of Persia'

When I first heard that the movie giant Jerry Bruckheimer was taking the video game Prince of Persia and turning it into a movie, I thought that he had reached a new low. After all, the best movies are completely original, next come sequels, then comic book adaptations, novel adaptations, and, at the bottom of the list, we find video game adaptations.

However, I was pleasantly surprised by Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. I was expecting an exceedingly weak plot, cheesy one-liners, and a lot of Jake Gyllenhaal staring into the camera. While the film was filled to the brim with those last two, its plot wasn't that disappointing. Sure, it was predictable, but at least it wasn't boring. Its story wouldn't have made a passable novel, but the plot is what it should be: a neutral canvas that they could throw action sequences, funny jokes, and great effects onto.


Although, there were a few scenes when the plot felt very forced. The most obvious example of this was the scene when Dasdan first discovers the dagger's powers and he blatantly states, almost immediately, "Oh, pressing the jewel on the hilt of the dagger turns back time by one minute and only the holder of the dagger is aware that anything has happened!" These moments of the film ruin the illusion that films are supposed to create, and are the result of just plain laziness on the writer's part.


The action sequences were very entertaining and suspenseful. Jake Gyllenhaal must have had numerous stunt doubles for all of the rooftop jumping, diving off of buildings, and other impressive acrobatics he performed during every other scene. That aspect of Prince of Persia, as well as Mr. Gyllenhaal's comedic acting were both positives for me.

Probably my favorite aspect of the film would have to be Alfred Molina. He was the best actor in the film (I was slightly disappointed by Ben Kingsley's weak performance), and his character, Sheik Amar, was really funny.


Overall, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time did exactly what it set out to do: combine big actors, big action, big laughs, and big marketing to create a summer hit that would make Disney (and Mr. Bruckheimer) millions at the box office. While parts of the plot felt forced, I'd consider the story average, but the action was great, and Alfred Molina was the best. I'd recommend going out and seeing it this weekend. Don't analyze it too critically; just be entertained.

I give Prince of Persia: Sands of Time a solid 7 out of 10 stars.

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'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' Teaser Released Online

Click here to see the teaser trailer for the upcoming Bruckheimer flick, The Sorcerer's Apprentice. It is, of course, based on the classic animated short from Fantasia of the same name. I doubt this live-action version will be anywhere near as great as the cartoon, but I am interested in seeing how they plan on making it a full-length feature. Will it be a good movie? I have no idea. Will it be entertaining? Well, it is Bruckheimer...

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Nicolas Cage is the Sorcercer

Jerry Bruckheimer is adapting the famous Fantasia segment, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, into a full-length live-action film that isn't looking too great so far. I didn't much like the idea of recreating one of the most iconic Disney scenes of all-time in the first place, but I guess you can't stop that crazy Bruckheimer. The first images regarding this upcoming feature have been leaked through Film Drunk. Here's the best one, but you click through to see more of what I think will be a pretty bad movie. (Here's hoping I'm proven wrong)...

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