Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl movie review

"Perhaps, on the rare occasion, pursuing the right course demands an act of piracy," one character says at the end of this exciting movie. Right or wrong, this quote certainly describes the movie perfectly.

The theater darkens. The title comes and goes. Then we're treated to a ship coming through fog. A girl on the deck is singing "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" when she is stopped by a sailor employeed by the Royal Navy. He warns her that "accursed pirates sail these waters." He, in turn, is rebuked by Leftenant James Norrington for doing so. Elizabeth Swann later spots Will Turner, a boy about her age, floating unconscious on a wooden board. She alerts nearby men who haul him aboard. The superstitious sailor, Joshamee Gibbs, swears as he gazes at a blazing vessel. The captain and several men go out in a longboat to investigate. Elizabeth stays with Will, learns his name, and finds a medallion with a skull imprinted on it. Worried that he might be considered a pirate and treated as such, she takes the medallion and keeps it hidden.  Years later, a grown Elizabeth is living with her father in his mansion at Port Royal, and Will is apprenticed to a drunken blacksmith.  That night, Port Royal is attacked by a pirate crew.  Elizabeth takes it upon herself to parlay with the pirate Captain Barbossa, but is taken captive.  Will, deeply concerned for her safety, enlists the aid of intrepid pirate Captain Jack Sparrow to find her and bring her back.  Jack has his own reasons for finding Barbossa, as we come to find out.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is an enjoyable movie meant solely for entertainment.  It is mostly an action/comedy, although there are a few horror themes involved.  It's rated PG-13 for some violence and sexual references.

Emperor movie review

When I saw the trailers for Emperor, I knew I wanted to see it.  I'm a World War II buff, so a movie about the American occupation of Japan sounded interesting to me.

The plot is this: General MacArthur (played with good, old-fashioned American swagger by Tommy Lee Jones), put in charge of the occupation of Japan, is faced with rounding up war criminals for the Allies to place on trial.  The main problem he faces is that one of these suspected war criminals is Emperor Hirohito, who is guarded by soldiers who are willing to fight to the death to protect him from any intruders.

General MacArthur orders General Bonner Fellers (Michael Fox), who is familiar with Japan and Japanese customs, to investigate the emperor's role in the war.  Did Emperor Hirohito order the attack on Pearl Harbor?  Was he responsible for the atrocities Japanese soldiers committed during their occupations of Pacific islands and Asian countries?  While General Fellers is investigating this, he is also searching for the Japanese woman he loves.

So what can we glean from Emperor?  One thing is that the truth isn't always what we think it is at first.  Because of anti-Axis propaganda, Americans believed that Emperor Hirohito, being the monarch of Japan, should be held responsible for the actions of the Japanese military; however, they didn't understand the customs Japan had concerning its aristocracy.  There's also a Christian theme at the end, but I'll let you find it yourselves if you watch the movie.

The movie itself seems to be geared toward history buffs.  There isn't much action, but there's a lot of dialogue and several flashbacks to General Fellers' time with his Japanese girlfriend.

Captain America movie review

All Marvel superheroes have one thing in common: they were popular guys before becoming superheroes. Think about it. Thor, the god of thunder and lightning, was already destined for greatness when he was born; he's the son of a king. Mr. Fantastic (of the Fantastic Four) earned acclaim for his scientific efforts. Iron Man was a man of popularity, fame, and fortune. Steven Rogers, however, is a different story.

In "Captain America," Steven Rogers is a teenager living in 1942, a time when America was involved in World War II. He desperately wants to volunteer to serve in the army because, as he tells one character, he hates bullies "no matter where they're from." The problem? He's skinny, short, and he has multiple health issues. When a military scientist learns of this young man's determination, he makes arrangements for Steve to be placed in a special army division which, its colonel tells his men, "will escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of Hell."

We live in a culture where the "heroes" are the strong, the athletic, the good looking. Nobody really thinks about the secretary who's sitting at a desk typing memos, answering phone calls, and making schedules. What we tend to think about is the boss who runs the company like a well-oiled machine. Everybody thinks about the doctor who saves patients, not about the transcriptionist who types up the doctor's dictations so the doctor can get more work done. As the military scientist says, it's time for the little guy to step up. And step up he does. Even before he's given performance enhancers (surprise, surprise), Steve shows us his mental prowess, his unrelenting determination, and his courage in the face of death.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, another performance-enhanced man is working on world domination (no surprise there). His name is Johann Shmidt, the head of the Nazi's technological division called HYDRA; however, HYDRA is preparing to break free of Hitler and conquer the world on its own. It even has its own salute.

Back in America, Steve has become famous, but not in the way we'd expect. Because of a mishap with the performance-enhancing formula, the experiment is considered a failure. A senator who witnessed the experiment, however, uses Steve as a stage actor to boost war bond sales. Steve doesn't mind, but he knows he's destined for something better.

Questions:

The military scientist tells Steve that a strong man knows the value of power and, consequently, loses respect for that power. Do you see that happening today? If so, how and were?

The military scientist and the colonel have a small argument over who should be chosen to receive the formula. The scientist insists that it be Steve. The colonel insists that it should be the strongest, fastest guy in the battalion. In the end, who is more worthy of the formula? Why?

Captain America is rated PG-13. It contains war violence, a character getting punched, and the villain executing some men. A character makes a suggestive remark to a woman ("we gonna wrestle? 'Cause I've got some moves that you'll really like"). An officer throws a grenade at his own men to test their courage. A character holds an emotional conversation with a woman while he's going down in a plane.

Tintin movie review

Indiana Jones has returned! What? It's not Indiana Jones? Well, he doesn't have the fedora or the bull whip, but he does have a nose for adventure and the courage to follow through on every expedition.

Tintin is a journalist who has been on various escapades. This time around, he stumbles onto a treasure hunt when he buys a model ship christened "The Unicorn." By the time his apartment is ransacked and the model is stolen, Tintin knows something's up. But what is it? What's so special about The Unicorn? Although he doesn't know it yet, Tintin is about to embark on the most exciting escapade yet, and meet a new friend in the process.

If you take the treasure hunting of Indiana Jones and throw in the swashbuckling action of Pirates of the Caribbean and the faithfulness of Lord of the Rings, you've got Tintin. The movie is rated PG for adventure violence and some drinking. A man is shot to death in one scene, but the only blood seen is the blood used in his dying message. There is fighting between good guys and bad guys, including a duel using cranes (the machines, not the animals). A character is addicted to alcohol, but gets dry before the film ends. This same character says the reason he gets drunk is so he can forget what his grandfather told him about his heritage, which is a good explanation for why people turn to alcohol in the first place.

Thor movie review

Cinema has seen its fair share of superhero movies, from the hilarity of The Incredibles to the darkness of Watchmen; however, "Thor" is the first movie in which the hero is a god (okay, he's not a god, but the Vikings thought he was). Honestly, I have to say that the creator of Marvel comics, Stan Lee, is having a stellar career having his comic-book heroes come to life on the big screen (and making cameos in them). There are more on the way.

In "Thor," the mystic kingdom of Asgard is under the benevolent rule of Odin "Allfather." After defeating his enemy, the kingdom of Jotenheim, Odin returns to Asgard to reign in peace and to raise his two sons, Thor and Loki, to succeed him. Fast forward two decades and we see that Thor has become an esteemed warrior and Loki a master trickster. As Odin is about to name Thor his successor, he learns that four warriors from Jotenheim have sneaked into the palace to steal a powerful weapon. These warriors are stopped, but Thor isn't satisfied. He takes Loki and four warriors to Jotenheim to exact vengeance for the deed. As they are overwhelmed by a massive force (and a massive creature), Odin arrives and saves his sons and their friends. When they return to Asgard, Odin chastises Thor for his arrogance and recklessness. Thor responds by calling his father an old man and a fool. Odin answers regretfully that he was a fool for thinking that Thor was ready to rule Asgard. He strips Thor of his power and banishes him to Earth. He speaks an incantation into Thor's Hammer, Mjolnir, and throws it after his son.

"Thor" is a story of learning humility. Once a proud warrior, Thor is forced to reckon with his circumstances while interacting with humans. Meanwhile, back in Asgard, Loki realizes that certain facts about himself have been kept from him. As we watch, we learn that Loki's trickery extends beyond mere mischief. On Earth, Thor stays with three humans: Jane Foster, who thinks he's crazy, but is still interested in him for astronomical reasons; her science partner Darcy (the only applicant); and Jane's uncle, Erik Selvig, who believes that Asgard is merely legend.

Questions

1. How does Thor use his hammer, Mjolnir at the beginning of the movie? How does he use it at the end? What is the right way to use a weapon?

2. Erik Selvig doesn't believe that Thor is who he says he is until he sees him in his true form. Were there any signs before then that would convince Erik that Thor was telling the truth? What evidence is there that proves that what God says in His word is the truth?

3. We see in the movie that Loki is a master of guile. Is using trickery a good thing? In what ways? In what ways are using trickery bad?

4. A long time ago, the Vikings believed that Odin, Thor, and Loki existed, and they worshiped them. Compare these three "gods" with the one true God. Who is more powerful? Who is more worthy of worship?

"Thor is rated PG-13 for scenes of intense sci-fi action and violence. There are several battle scenes. There is one battle scene in which a warrior is wounded. No blood is seen and the warrior survives. In the same battle, the six Asgardians face an overwhelming force AND a monstrous creature that will give small children nightmares. Another battle scene involves Asgard's deadly guardian, The Destroyer, which destroys anything that's hit by its infernal blast. Knowledge of Loki's treachery may cause children to feel a bit uneasy when it seems as if nothing will be done about it.

Invictus movie review

Question: What's more impressive than a former freedom fighter being elected President after being released from prison? Answer: That same man being willing to forgive the people who imprisoned him. Welcome to "Invictus," the story of President Nelson Mandela and the South African Rugby team's momentous victory in the (Rugby) World Cup. The movie begins with the Rugby team witnessing Mandela's release. "Remember this day, boys," the racist coach says. "This is the day our country went to the dogs." His sentiments reflect the views of many white people living in South Africa, especially those government employees who were employed by President DeClerk, who supported "apartheid." President Mandela, however, is quick to assure them that he wishes for them to work for him. He even hires DeClerk's former bodyguards to bolster security, much to the chagrin of his three native security guards. Meanwhile, Francois Pienaar, the captain of the South African Rugby team, faces the challenge of leading the South Africa Springboks to victory in the midst of the change in government. Then, one night, he receives a phone call inviting him to have tea with President Mandela the following day. During his visit, Pienaar gets the impression that President Mandela wants the Springboks to win the World Cup. So begins the attempt to win while facing heavy odds. "Invictus" is a story of forgiveness and learning to forgive. It takes the African security guards a while to forgive the men they are working with. "Not long ago, these men tried to kill us," one of them tells Nelson Mandela, wondering why he had hired them. "Forgiveness starts here," the president answers. It takes a while for the rugby players, with the exception of Peinaar, to accept the change in government. "Our country is changing," the captain says. "And we need to change as well. "Invictus" is rated PG-13 for brief strong language. "f---" is used. A player complains that a can of beer tastes like "sh--," and Peinaar says the same thing when he tastes the beer. There is a scene where people are drinking in a bar. There is some sports violence, which is to be expected in a rugby match. There are a couple of scary scenes: one at the beginning initially looks like there's going to be an assassination attempt, but it turns out to be two men delivering a stack of newspapers, and one near the end in which an airplane pilot looks like he's going to crash into a rugby stadium, but he pulls up at the last minute.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets movie review

For those of you who have "National Treasure" on DVD, you may have seen the alternate ending. In it, producer Jerry Bruckheimer says that this ending was cut from the movie because the staff didn't want to give the impression that a sequal was coming. Indeed, a sequal wasn't planned. But, as with all successful movies based on fiction, a sequal was inevitable. After finding the Templar Treasure in the first movie, Ben Gates has restored honor to the family name. His father, Patrick, once skeptical of the treasure's existence, has had his faith restored. When we first see them in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," the father/son team is finishing a presentation about Patrick's great-grandfather Thomas' heroism in preventing a slave-state extremist group called Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) from finding a vast amount of gold, and dying while doing it. The group included John Wilkes Booth, whose diary is missing some pages. After the presentation, a man in the audience holds up one of the missing pages from Booth's diary and claims that Thomas was, in fact, the mastermind behind the Lincoln Assassination. When the page fits in the diary, Ben and Patrick are compelled to find the treasure that Thomas died to protect, in order to clear his name. The sequal to "National Treasure" is entertaining and it provides some historical information that people may find fascinating. However, there are some points that people will find a bit unethical (breaking into the Queen's office, stealing a car, and abducting the President come to mind). These are done by the heroes. But if you watch the movie, you will see that the third unethical thing is not as bad as it sounds. "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" is rated PG for some violence and action. Four characters are forced to work together to balance on a very unstable platform. A man drowns (offscreen). We see John Wilkes Booth shoot Lincoln in Ford Theater. We see Thomas Gates get shot after burning some of Booth's diary pages.