Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

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Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) teams up with Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites), the son of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, and young astronomer Carina Smyth (Kaya Scoledario) to find the trident of Poseidon. They are being chased by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Salazar (Javier Bardem), the ghost of a Spanish captain who wants revenge on Jack for killing him years ago. For the most part, the performances work. Johnny Depp is clearly still having a blast playing Jack Sparrow. Barbossa is given some unexpected humanity and heart in this movie. Geoffrey Rush plays it to a tee. Franchise newcomer Kaya Scoledario is the probably the standout, though. Her character helps represent what was, at that point, a changing time. Javier Bardem delivers a hammy-but entertaining villain performance. Brenton Thwaites is not an actor I am a huge fan of, and this movie didn’t really change my perception of him. He never comes off as very charming, memorable, or charismatic. It feels like he’s just kind of there. The action sequences are generally pretty entertaining, even if they can feel a bit more slap sticky than really should. The movie does meander at points. There’s an old man who offers exposition that really isn’t necessary to the movie. It immediately struck me as off. At a point, Jack, Henry, and Carina are captured. Then there’s a wedding that is supposed to happen. My only question is: Why? The stuff before the wedding scene felt like it needed to be there. The stuff after felt like needed to be there. The wedding itself felt completely tangential. Overall, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales offers an entertaining enough entry into the franchise. Is it as good the first film? No. But, I do think it’s the best sequel since the third movie.

6 / 10         

Eraserhead (1977)

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Eraserhead is a 1977 film directed by David Lynch. The best way one can describe Eraserhead is that the movie is an exercise in weird. On many levels, this film is something of an uncomfortable watch. I honestly had a lot of points where I looked at the screen and just asked “what the fuck?” Right at the beginning, you are given visuals that are just plain odd. There will often be long sequences with no dialogue. There isn’t a single word spoken for the first ten minutes. The sound effects and other noises build, often putting you at entirely at unease. The plot of this movie is very difficult to explain. The narrative structure of this movie is like nothing I’ve really seen before (something that falls in complete alignment with David Lynch as a filmmaker). I don’t know if there actually is a typical three-act structure, so much as scenes put together to make a movie. Every character feels a little unnatural and awkward. The reactions they give to certain situations just doesn’t feel like it’s how someone would typically react, which I think is supposed to be the point. The film’s black-and-white color scheme works to the movie’s advantage, as it adds to awkward, bizarre unease that Lynch builds up. The grotesque, deformed baby looks good. This is a practical effect, and it’s obvious the right amount of time and effort went into it. Overall, despite some odd character reactions, and lack of typical narrative structure, I recommend giving Eraserhead a watch, especially if you’re into the totally weird.

7 / 10

Arrow - Season 5

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I've been a fan of this show from the beginning, and I've stuck with it. Season 2 was the peak of the show, offering the absolute best villain of the series (and my personal favorite storyline). Seasons 3 and 4 weren't awful by any means, but they did feel a bit lacking in comparison. Season 5 was easily the best season of the show since the second one. Oliver Queen has to balance being both the mayor and Green Arrow. Prometheus was an excellent villain. Not since season 2 and Deathstroke did we really get a villain who wanted to attack Oliver on a personal level. The character was manipulative, irredeemable, and always ten steps ahead. We also get the return of Earth-2 Laurel Lance a.k.a Black Siren, who is a character I honestly really like. I always did like the original Laurel a.k.a. Black Canary, but I just prefer the more villainous version of the character. My reasoning for this is simple. I just think the character with flexible morals plays better into Katie Cassidy's strengths as an actress. The relationship built up between Thea and Quentin was also fascinating. After his daughter's death in season 4, Quentin's fallen back into alcoholism, while Thea (having dealt with drug addiction) is trying to help build him back up. She goes so far as to hire him on as an assistant while she works in her brother's cabinet. Unfortunately, after that storyline wrapped up, the writers seemed to start struggling with what they could potentially do with the Thea character. Some of the new characters introduced were pretty interesting to me. Lawyer Adrian Chase comes in as a friend to mayor Oliver Queen, and he may be hiding secrets of his own. Rene Ramirez is a new vigilante called "Wilddog." This guy is just incredibly likable. He has tragic backstory that really makes you feel for the character. Ragman was pretty interesting, but he wasn't on the show for very long. Vigilante provided a decent side antagonist to pop up every now and then, even if he was a little bit underused at times. The same can also be said of Talia Al-Ghul. Dinah Drake, the person who takes up the Black Canary mantle this season, was a character I just couldn't warm up to. I don't hate her or anything like that, but I've seen two other characters over the course of the show carry that mantle, and I felt more attachment to those characters The finale was pretty kick-ass, involving pretty much every character that was important this season (save for Ragman and Vigilante). We also get to see Malcolm Merlyn, Nyssa, and Deathstroke play a part. While season 5 has its minor flaws, I do think it is the best season the show has had since season 2.

A-         

The Haunting (1963)

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The Haunting is a 1963 psychological horror film directed by Robert Wise. Dr. John Markway (Richard Johnson) has spent years investigating the supposedly haunted Hill House. He conducts a psychological study to determine whether or not the house truly is haunted. The patients are Theo (Claire Bloom), Nell (Julie Harris), and Luke (Russ Tamblyn). This movie is nothing short of a horror masterpiece. There’s a slow burn style to this movie that really lets the atmosphere sink in. This is really helped by the look of the house. The house itself feels like a living, breathing character. At once, it can feel both frightening and enchating. It actually looks more and more sinister as the movie goes on, changing and evolving. The movie begins with the backstory of the house narrated by Dr. Markway, telling us of the mysterious deaths that occurred within the perimeter of the house. Mixed in between these frightening, haunting moments, we are given small character moments to progress these people forward. They feel real. Theo is a woman with psychic abilities. She lives alone, and is unmarried. The movie subtly hints at the possibility that Theo might be lesbian, but it’s never outright said. The film delves into Nell’s mind, showing her start to go crazy. What we’re never told is whether or not the house is what’s driving her crazy. We do get her internal thoughts. If anything, they provide a look into her mind. Harris proves to be the best performer. She truly captures every aspect of the character. She is a skeptic of the supernatural, a woman going insane, falling in love with the house. Wise’s direction should also be commended. He puts every bit of atmosphere and mood into the movie as he possibly can. The shadows of the house add to the movie’s tension. Overall, The Haunting proves to be an exceptional ghost story with incredible atmosphere, phenomenal direction, and amazing acting.

10 / 10

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract

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Teen Titans: The Judas Contract is the newest movie in the DC Animated Universe. The Teen Titans must deal with a threat from within, Brother Blood (Gregg Henry), and Deathstroke (the late Miguel Ferrer in his final film role). The animation is stellar, pretty damn on par with the rest of the DCAU. The voice cast is also excellent. The first cast member I really want to compliment is Taissa Farmiga as Raven. In Justice League vs. Teen Titans, she felt off to me. This time around, the actress felt a lot more comfortable with the character. Miguel Ferrer as Deathstroke feels cold and calculating, as the character should, even if the movie never really makes it clear why he wants to take the Teen Titans down so badly. The absolute best performer in the movie is Christina Ricci as Terra. As a character, Terra is a tragic villain. Ricci sells her pain and anger with apparent ease. The character’s backstory is interesting. You understand why she is the way she is. Don’t get me wrong; as much as I did like the movie, it isn’t a perfect film. I already mentioned Deathstroke’s lack of motivation. Beyond that, the opening scene isn’t really necessary to the overall story. It wasn’t a bad scene, but it could’ve been cut, and wouldn’t have changed anything.

8 / 10

Dressed to Kill (1980)

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Dressed to Kill is a 1980 erotic thriller film. It is written and directed by Brian De Palma. The film stars Michael Caine, Nancy Allen, and Angie Dickinson. Housewife Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson) is murdered. The only witness is call girl Liz Blake (Nancy Allen). The killer begins stalking her, while she attempts to evade the killer and solve the crime herself. She teams up with the victim’s teenage son Peter (Keith Gordon), who wants revenge. Nancy Allen and Michael Caine provide solid performances. Allen, in particular shines as call girl Liz. She provides some weight to the character of a woman who witnesses a murder, and over the course of the film, finds herself both a target and a suspect. For the most part, the film is well directed. This comes as no surprise because Brian De Palma is a master director. However, I did feel that there were certain points where he would just let a scene play out a little bit too long. It doesn’t feel relevant by the time the scene ends. It feels more like begging for the audience to notice his directing instead of letting the story play out. I had mixed feelings about the end of the film. On one hand, De Palma really does a good job building up tension. On the other hand, it falls into one of the ultimate horror clichés of all time. Something I found interesting about the film was the (possibly unintended) similarities to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. However, they aren’t bad, as they work well enough within the context of the movie’s plot. Overall, Dressed to Kill has its rough spots that easily could have been smoothed out better. But, the performances by Michael Caine and Nancy Allen, and the film’s mystery aspect make this movie a fine one-and-done.

6 / 10