Tag: Johnny Depp

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

I finally had an open weekend so I could see this 2nd installment of the Fantastic Beasts series. Here is my take…

At the end of the first installment Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) is captured by the Magic Congress of the USA. Grindelwald escapes during a transfer. Once this is discovered many people put together plans to try and recapture the evil Wizard. The story unfolds from there…

The first half of the movie was hollow and confusing. The continuation from the first installment was almost non-existent. There should have been more back story tied in. There is a lot more star power in this installment and that alone makes the movie worth seeing. The last half or should I say the last 35 minutes of the movie is where everything happens and everything comes together. What you see in that 35 minutes makes it almost worth what you went through to get to that point.

The best aspects of the movie are the cool special effects, the cinematography and the costumes, especially what the women are wearing. The movie is long, but it does move quite quickly once things pick up. The door is left open for a 3rd installment. If you are following this J.K. Rowling series, then don’t miss this 2nd installment.

This is a 2 Star Movie!!

Murder on the Orient Express

The remake of “Murder on the Orient Express” is loaded with heavy hitters. Too bad they did not hit it out of the park!

“Murder on the Orient Express” is a story of thirteen strangers aboard a stranded train where a murder has occurred. Everyone is considered a suspect. There is a detective (Kenneth Branagh) aboard the train and he races to investigate and try to solve the crime before the murderer strikes again. The story unfolds from there…

I had high hopes for the remake of “Murder on the Orient Express”. The trailers were awesome. The movie does contain some very nice scenic views of Istanbul. The movie would be passable if it weren’t for the second half which drags and goes on way too long. At the theater I was in there were people standing at the exit waiting to bolt.

The train does not run off the rails, but it’s a bumpy ride along the European Countryside.

Stick to the original. Peter Ustinov in the original cannot be replaced.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

At Last…This is supposed to be the final installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. To be perfectly honest I believe the franchise died after “Dead Man’s Chest”.

In this installment the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is down on his luck. Things get really dark when a band of deadly ghost sailors lead by the notorious Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) escapes from the Devil’s Triangle. The ghostly band of sailors are out to kill every Pirate they can find especially Jack Sparrow.
Captain Jack however continues to get himself in predicaments. His only hope of survival is to locate the “Trident of Poseidon”. Jack will have to team up with an Astronomer known as Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario). On the other front though Captain Salazar gets a line on where Captain Jack is located. The story unfolds from there…

Javier Bardem as Captain Salazar breathes life into this installment. He is a breath of fresh air. Aside from the special effects, costumes and cinematography Captain Salazar is by far the best element in the movie.

The movie is entertaining, but the problem is that it drags at times and it’s way too long at 2 hours 15 minutes. The story just seems to drone on and on…

This franchise is old and tired and should sail off into the sunset.

This is a 2 ½ Star Movie!

Black Mass

I am not a Johnny Depp fan, but I have to say that his role in “Black Mass” is the best I have seen from Johnny Depp in years!! He was awesome!!

In 1970’s South Boston, an FBI Agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) struck an unlikely deal with a known Irish Mobster James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp). Over the course of years Whitey took advantage of this arrangement and while providing valuable Intel to the FBI, he also evaded the law and strengthened his forces and became one of the most ruthless and powerful gangsters in Boston’s history. The story unfolds from there…

The movie is quietly violent, bloody and intriguing. The story is riveting. “Black Mass” is an old school gangster drama movie. Johnny Depp plays a cold blooded killer with ease. The performances overall were excellent.

“Black Mass” is worth a look.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

Into The Woods

“Into The Woods” is quite delightful and entertaining, although toward the end its dark roots that have hovered just below the surface throughout rise up.

“Into The Woods” is a modern play on several Grimm Fairy Tales, “Jack and the Beanstalk”, “Rapunzel”, “Cinderella” and “Little Red Riding Hood”. These Tales are all intertwined and tied nicely together. The stories explore the consequences of the characters wishes, quests and actions.

The movie is a nice mix of Broadway Musical and Big Screen Motion Picture. Meryl Streep is Awesome!!

“Into The Woods” is an appropriate Holiday movie.

This is a 3 1/2 Star Movie!

Transcendence

“Transcendence” is a Suspense Thriller that doesn’t Thrill!!

Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is a celebrated researcher in the field of artificial intelligence. Will is working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective thought intelligence of everything known and with the full range of human emotion.

Because of his genius Will becomes the target of anti-technology extremists who will stop at nothing to keep Dr. Caster from realizing his dream. The story unfolds from there…

I was unable to wrap my brain around this movie. I am sorry to say but, Johnny Depp should stick to the character “Captain Jack Sparrow” in movies like “Pirate of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest”. Rumor has it that “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Tell No Tales” is slated for 2016.
“Transcendence” was dry, lack-luster and flat. There were a few moments of suspense and intrigue, but that’s about it!!

The paid critics were dead on regarding “Transcendence”. Wait for DVD or Blueray.

The Lone Ranger

Movie: The Lone Ranger
Running Time: 2hr. 29min
Cast: Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp, Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, Helena Bonham Carter

I was extremely skeptical about “The Lone Ranger”. I should have heeded my mind.
“The Lone Ranger” is full of miscalculations, over the top action, extreme western-style violence and goof-ball scenes.
The movie is told in a “2nd Person” type fashion. Johnny Depp is “Tonto” a Native American Spirit Warrior who tells the story of how John Reid (Armie Hammer) a District Attorney in Western Times became “The Lone Ranger”. The story that is told is like a violent runaway train that doesn’t stop for 150 minutes.

The movie will take you in so many directions with so many sub-plots that it gives new meaning to the term “Screw-Ball” comedy. Additionally the movie is way to long and takes to long to get to the point.
There are funny laugh out loud scenes, but they only make-up about 20% of the movie. The rest is mayhem, stupidity and goof-ball nonsense.

Although it is a Disney Production, “The Lone Ranger” is not for children. It is an adult movie.