A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

I was thinking about the opening credits of movies, and how that's not really a "thing" anymore. They used to run all the credits at the beginning of a movie in the "olden days," but now, not so much. Then this led me to think about my favorite opening credit sequences. So here, I'm sharing (because sharing is caring). 

1. Napoleon Dynamite

I love this sequence. I love all the food and textures and colors. This is definitely one of my all-time favorite opening credits. 

2. Phantom of the Opera

Even though there are no actual credits, this opening scene is mind-blowing. I got chills when I saw it in theaters and still get shivers watching it now. 

3. Edward Scissorhands

All of the Elfman/Burton credit sequences are pretty amazing, but I think this one is my favorite (possible other contender is Corpse Bride. "This is Halloween" would win hands-down, except there's no actual credits). I love how very Burton it is. And the music, of course, is stellar. It's just very indicative of their styles, and the movie is brilliant, too.

4. Mary Poppins

First of all, this is just a very musically sound overture. Musically, I like it a lot. But what I really love is the aerial view of Edwardian England. Plus, there's that sassy break in the middle where Mary Poppins is like, "Bitch, I might powder my nose on a cloud if I feel like it, YOU JUST TRY AND STOP ME." 

5. Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Again, this is a musically awesome opening sequence. But I also love how they went with the Medieval tapestry theme. Also, this movie is just great. 

6. Naked Gun

It makes no sense, but then, neither does the movie. It is funny though.

7. A Hard Day's Night

John, Paul, George, and Ringo star in what is, essentially, the first music video. Need I say more?

8. Babe

I couldn't find an embed-able version, so you'll have to follow the link: Babe Opening Credits

But it's cute because the artwork moves, and it's a cute little rendition of Saint-Saëns' Organ Symphony No. 3, Maestoso Allegro, which is a freaking outstanding piece of classical music. 

9. Star Wars

COME ON, if I didn't put this in you'd be like, "Who killed Mary and hacked her blog?" It's a classic, and it's still timelessly awesome, don't even play.

I realize my list is probably very amateur, but I chose only movies I've actually seen. What would be your favorite opening credit sequence?

Remember the scene in Master and Commander when Russell Crowe takes Paul Bettany to the Galapagos Islands after he gets shot? Because he denied him before and then Bettany gets shot and Russell Crowe feels bad, so he goes there even though it means losing the ship he's been chasing?

One day, I hope someone loves me enough to do that for me. Only I'd prefer not to have to operate on myself using a needle and a hand mirror in order to reach that point.

"...among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars."

So this movie. 

I don't even care that it only got 44% on Rotten Tomatoes. I loved it. 

Of course, as to be expected, it was visually stunning. I mean, dazzling. I think Moulin Rouge was more opulent, but this was no less amazing to look at. Sometimes it felt like it was being overdone, but I can forgive them that. 

As far as "was it an accurate representation of the book," well, yes and no. I mean, the executive producer was Jay-Z for God's sake. Of course it wasn't entirely accurate. It wasn't like the BBC set out to do a straight-from-the-pages adaptation. But I do commend Baz Luhrmann for managing to capture the tone of the novel. There's the frenetic, glittering energy of the parties that compliments and foils the emotional detachment of the characters. One of the complaints reviewers had, btw, was that there was no emotional depth. These reviewers had obviously not read the book. The whole thing is emotionally detached. All of the characters are so numb to what's going on around them, and that's what makes it such an extraordinary story. If the story had happened in 2013, the women would be like, crying and throwing vases and vomitting and the men would be doing lines of coke off of toilet seats in a Burger King. But it didn't, and the characters deal with their remarkable circumstances in such a cool, aloof manner. It allows the audience to feel the emotions for themselves, and by not transferring emotions through the film, I think every viewer gets a slightly different, personalized reaction. 

The casting was good--Leo was, actually, the perfect Gatsby. Carey Mulligan was so pretty as Daisy Buchanan that it was almost painful to look at her, dripping in Tiffany jewels with her perfectly bobbed hair. And she managed to balance Daisy's inner turmoil with her outer cynicism and carelessness, so she gets major props. Isla Fisher, and the people who played Tom Buchanan and Jordan Baker were perfectly cast, too. Tobey Maguire was an odd choice, and I'm not 100% sure I liked it, but he was fine. 

I really liked the juxtaposition of modern music with the story--typical of Luhrmann, but it worked to awesome effect here. I mean, rap is about money and swag, and this film is dripping with swag. There is just so much swag.

So yeah, I liked the music. And you try listening to "No Church in the Wild" without it getting stuck in your head. 

As for people who are like, "Omg, F. Scott Fitzgerald would be rolling in his grave," I politely disagree. I mean, no, I don't think the movie captures all the depth the book has--film adaptations never do (Harry Potter, anyone?). But I think Fitzgerald would've been okay with the casting, and the aesthetic and probably would've been like, "Can Zelda and I come to that roaring great party?" 

It was really good. My only complaint was the non-cannon way they framed the narrative (I won't give details in case of SPOILERS), but that's forgivable. It was a good interpretation of a great story, and I highly recommend it. 

A Gif-Heavy Review Of Les Miserables From Someone Who Doesn't Like Musicals And Never Saw This One Til The Movie.

::There will be spoilers.::

Okay, so here's the deal. 

Apart from Phantom of the Opera and Mary Poppins, I actually don't like musicals. So sue me.

That being said, let me explain my history with Les Miserables. 

I knew it was a musical about this

And that's it. Then we did a marching band show in high school featuring the music, and being the complete and utter band geek I was, I tried to read the book so I knew the story to go along with the music. 

For anyone else who's ever tried to read Hugo and failed, you can guess how that went. Also, Les Miserables the book is like, a million pages. So I Sparknoted it. I know all the characters, chapters, plotlines, and important quotations now! 

I am also going to English major hell for admitting that. 

So anyway, we played the show and I vaguely got it. 

Then, for whatever reason, we had to read the part of the book where the priest gives Jean Valjean the candlesticks, I kid you not, like four separate times in high school. I'm not sure why out of the entire book that was the only part they ever made us read (probably because little else is appropriate for a school setting, but it was HIGH school. We all knew what a prostitute was.), but there it is. So I knew all about Jean Valjean and the candlesticks, too. 

Anyway, between my very scant "reading" and knowing the music from the show we did, that was it. I had no desire to ever see the Broadway show because a) the story did nothing for me, b) the book is HUGE so the musical was, I was sure, very long, and c) it's a DEPRESSING story. I mean, it literally translates to "THE MISERABLE." 

Then I saw trailers. And there was the music, but it was so much BIGGER than a 25 piece marching band. And there was Hugh Jackman. And Anne Hathaway, and Russel Crowe, of all people. And it looked big and epic and awesome and I was like

So, naturally, I had to go see it. 

WELL LET ME TELL YOU. 

First of all, I have NEVER seen a movie that left me as heartily depressed as I was after that movie. I mean, 4 days later, I was still recovering. And I'd like to see it again, but I don't think I can. Like, it's one of those movies you can watch maybe a couple of times IN YOUR LIFE and then you're like, "Wow, I have got to stop wishing to die." 

So the opening where there's the Work Song and the ship and stuff, I was like: 

Then I heard Russel Crowe singing and I was like:

Then there was all the stuff with the candlesticks, which I could've recited if I'd known how the music went. Then like, fast forward 8 years and we're up to Fantine aka: Anne Hathaway. And it was just a depressing downhill spiral from there. She loses her job, her hair, her teeth, and becomes a prostitute all in about 10 minutes. 

Oh, and then she dies. 

THEN we get to see her orphaned daughter, Cosette, who is also the little girl in the Les Miserables logo or whatever (do musicals have logos? Emblems? What's the proper term here??). And she's all sad and orphaned and is basically Helena Bonham Carter's slave. Everyone thinks "Master of the House" is like, the comic relief, but it was mostly just vulgar and it kind of grossed me out in the movie.

But I will never speak ill of Helena Bonham Carter because she is perfection, so we'll move on.

Valjean-Jackman rescues Cosette, who grows up to be Amanda Seyfried. 

Really, the love story in this movie is about Russel Crowe and Hugh Jackman, which was totes okay with me. Russel Crowe stalks him for like, 25 years ruthlessly. They yell. They fight. They try to kill each other. It was beautiful.

THEN, enter the whole second half of the movie, which focuses on a pretty unrelated group of revolutionaries in France. Okay, they're not unrelated. The girl, Eponine (aka: world's most tragic character ever) is Helena Bonham Carter's daughter (in the film), and the guy, Marius, falls in love with Cosette/Amanda Seyfried. So it is all related. Just vaguely, by threads.  

Anyway, this part got boring and my mom and I did a lot of snarking during this bit because it was just like, love triangle between Eponine, Marius, and Cosette, more gayness cat-and-mouse between Valjean-Jackman and Javert-Crowe, and a lot of singing and plotting to start a revolution. 

The problem with revolutions is you need people to show up. Well guess what didn't happen in this story?

SPOILER ALERT:

Except Marius and Valjean-Jackman  They live by escaping through the sewers. Kind of exactly like the scene in Star Wars where Princess Leia saves everyone on the Death Star by jumping into the garbage chute. Yes I did just compare Les Mis and Star Wars. Don't even.

So blah blah, like a bunch of singing happens. Valjean-Jackman has his final confrontation with Javert-Crowe and lets him go instead of shooting his brains out, and this literally blows Javert-Crowe's mind so much that he can't even handle it and kills himself. But he does it so grossly. He jumps off a building into a reservoir or something and there's an almighty SNAP as his body breaks in half. I was like: 

So then ultimately, Cosette and Marius get married and the pain of losing Cosette causes Valjean-Jackman to lose his will to live. REALLY??

The guy survives 20 years in prison/work camp, evades Javert-Crowe for another 20 years, and he dies of heartbreak?!? SO LAME. 

Then, Fantine-Hathaway's ghost comes to usher him to the other side, where he sees the priest and all the people who died during the failed revolution. I was very bothered that in this version of heaven, Anne Hathaway's hair didn't grow back, and that paradise is basically the revolution. It's not HEAVEN at all! It's a war scene! 

And the movie just ends so abruptly. You spend 2 and a half hours working up to this epic thing and then it's just like "GASPslump" and Jean Valjean's dead and two minutes later, the credits are rolling. I was like:

And when I realized that was it, I was like:

But mostly:

It was just so depressing. There is not one happy moment in the whole thing. Everyone dies. It's dreadful.

Too long didn't read: 

So overall. The acting/singing was pretty good. Hugh Jackman impressed me. So did Anne Hathaway. Amanda Seyfried sounded like a bird, and Russel Crowe basically just barks and yells his lines, but it wasn't horrid. The costumes were nice, I guess. Everyone looked duly filthy and poor and smelly, so the makeup gets props.

Favorite characters had to be Jean Valjean, because he has the ultimate redemption story and I love that crap, and Javert, because he thought he was doing the right thing the whole time, legally and morally. I just wish he hadn't killed himself. I'd respect him a lot more if he'd just accepted that Valjean was both a criminal and a good man and gone on with his life. 

Musically, here's the deal. There are the few songs that everyone knows that are really good (Work Song, I Dreamed A Dream, At The End of the Day, Master of the House, On My Own, Can You Hear The People Sing, etc.), but everything in between is just like, disjointed notes being sung. I'm not sure how you'd rehearse for it, because it's so indefinable it'd be hard to read music for it, or pick it up by ear. I think Phantom is superior musically (and I know that's an unpopular opinion, deal with it) just because there are motifs and themes interwoven throughout the whole thing and even the "dialog songs" are very musical. Also, there is a pipe organ. 

Really, my opinion is this: we love the musicals we grew up on. Unless we just like musicals, like the entire cast of Glee. I don't. But I knew the music from Phantom before I even had any idea what the story was about. And the people I know who love Les Mis say the same thing about their lives--their parents loved the show so they grew up around it. I don't know. Overall, it's worth seeing. Just bring prozac/ice cream/whatever antidepressant you prefer . I didn't cry, I just wanted to stop existing after I saw it. The singing wasn't awesome, but it definitely could've been worse. 

And Phantom of the Opera is better, so see that instead if you have a choice. :)

Sic gorgiamus allos subiectatos nunc.

5 Halloweenish Movies That Get Me in the Spirit That Aren't By Tim Burton:

1. The Addam's Family

Omg, I love these movies. They're so great. I totally want the Addam's family to adopt me for like, half the year.

2. Young Frankenstein

"ROLL, ROLL, ROLL IN ZE HAYYY!"
This movie's hysterical (hello? It's Mel Brooks, what'd you expect?). It makes fun of the old black and white monster movies. And it has Gene Wilder. DONE AND DONE.

3. Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein

This is the kind of old black and white monster movie Young Frankenstein snarks. It's so cheesy and campy, but it's Abbot and Costello! And you get the Wolfman (lol), Frankenstein, and BELA LUGOSI AS DRACULA. Omg, if you've never experienced the old monster movies of the 40's and 50's, rent/youtube/whatever this RIGHT NOW.

4. Van Helsing

This movie is actually really terrible, but it ALSO has the Wolfman/Frankenstein/Dracula trio of terror. Also, it has Hugh Jackman. I can suffer through any amount of heinous plot for a couple hours if it involves getting to look at him (same with Kate Beckinsale).

5. The 'Burbs

I know I shared this one last year, but it's seriously probably my favorite Halloween movie, and it's not even really a Halloween movie. It's just (darkly) hilarious and so 80's. I love it. You should watch this one too. :)


YAY HALLOWEEN!!!

Have fun storming the castle!

L-R: Wallace Shawn (Vezzini), Billy Crystal and Carol Kane (Miracle Max and Valerie), Chris Sarandon (Prince Humperdinck), Cary Elwes (Westley), Robin Wright (Buttercup), Mandy Patinkin (Inigo Montoya), and Christopher Guest (The 6-Fingered Man). Andre the Giant and Peter Falk photographed.

I'm sorry, I just absolutely had to post this. My creys!

"Everyone, just pretend to be normal."

I just watched this movie and kind of felt it incumbent upon myself to share my thoughts with you.

This movie is so odd. It's an indie film, so I'm not sure what I was expecting. But even with it's bizarre plotlines and characters, there was something unforgettable and deeply touching about it. You've got the Dad who's a failed motivational speaker with an obsession with winning; the overworked Mom who's attempting to hold it all together; the foul-mouthed, heroin-using Grandpa; the angst-ridden teenage son who's taken a voluntary vow of silence until he achieves his dream of getting into the Airforce Academy; the gay, suicidal uncle who's the country's leading scholar of Proust; and the quirky little girl who dreams of being Miss America. It's such a ramshackle bunch of people crammed together in a yellow VW Minibus. How could it NOT be a great movie?

There are parts that are really sad and really moving. The comedy is definitely what I'd call "dark." That being said, I definitely laughed out loud at a number of scenes. The movie starts out with each member of the family doing their own thing individually. And it ends with all of them performing a burlesque striptease-esque number on stage at a child's pageant. The overarching theme of the movie is the fact that alone, you're only so good. Together, with the people you love, you can be great. And I think that's a really decent message.

"It's not really goodbye, after all."

I feel like I have to do a little thing to close all this out. "Little thing" here meaning "movie review."

I don't want to say too much since I'm already one of those a-holes who spoils movies (sorry, Michael!), but I will say the following:

-It was REALLY good. Such an awesome ending to a phenomenal film series.

-Did it do the book justice? The parts included in the film were definitely done amazingly well. They did leave out some major plotpoints (or at least they were major in my mind). I understand that there just simply isn't time to cram everything into a movie though, so given what they had to work with, yes, absolutely, they did a wonderful job. You really need to read the books though.

-Professor McGonagall is a BAMF. She kind of kept herself on the DL for the last few movies being all like

but then she BROUGHT IT in this one. And it's even more touching because Dame Maggie Smith has been battling cancer throughout the filming of the last few movies. And she OWNED. So mad props to her.

-That being said, ALL THE AWARDS TO ALAN RICKMAN. ALL OF THEM. The HP movie franchise has never won an Oscar, which is like "okay whatevs," but omg, Alan Rickman, you wrecked my heart (apparently his performance generated some Oscar buzz. So ironic, because he's been in some of the most iconic films ever, and "greasy-haired, hook-nosed Professor Snape" might get him an Oscar nod.). The Prince's Tale was done, in my opinion, in a heartbreakingly perfect way. I bawled. Thank GOD no one sat next to me. This, to me, is like the whole story of Harry Potter. I mean, there's the "kill Voldemort" bit and all that, but this just adds something to the story (SOMETHING LITERARY) that makes it like, "whoa." So anyway, well done on that.


-Was it epic enough? Um, yes. For those of you who disliked the world's longest camping trip Part 1, this should more than make up for it. It literally starts right in the middle of the action. There's way less emotional drama crap and, actually, very little "sitting around and discussing things" (which is almost always for the audience's benefit). But yes, definitely a perfect climax. And plenty emotional for the pathos-addicts among us.

-I feel like I need to give a nod to the actors and actresses who played the Weasley's and the Malfoy's, too. Kudos, Weasley fam, for making us believe that you guys were crazy close-knit (Julie Walters, Rupert Grint, and Oliver Phelps, you guys were amazing) and that this battle (I am so struggling to not be spoileriffic here!) tore your family apart. Awesome job.
And Helen McCrory did an awesome job as Narcissa Malfoy. I've always loved her portrayal of Narcissa (and Mrs. Radcliffe in Becoming Jame. Anyone? Anyone?) because she gave her the level of complexity I feel her character deserves. The moment when she lies to Voldemort is the turning point of the whole Malfoy family. That being said, I so wish they'd gotten their more redemptive moment. But I've waxed eloquent about this before and will shut up before I've wasted three paragraphs on something nobody else cares about.

-Also, how about that awkward moment when Voldemort tries to hug you?

My whole theatre erupted in laughter. Oh, Tom Felton. I think I love you.

-THE EPILOGUE. I'm trying very hard not to spoil this for people who haven't read the book or seen the movie yet, but I'm not sure how I feel about this. I mean, granted, if it were up to me, none of those people would've ended up with each other (which is why if I'd written the books, about 30 people would've read them). But those are just semantics. I loved it in the book, and I'm not sure how I felt about it on screen. Daniel Radcliffe was the only one who looked somewhat age-appropriate. Rupert Grint, Bonnie Wright, and Emma Watson all looked the same to me. And then there's the issue of Draco Malfoy suddenly being 1000 years old. He's seriously like a walking fossil. Wtf, makeup department? The kiddies were cute though, and I LOVED how they used John Williams' original score from the ending of The Sorcerer's Stone to close out the whole thing. So if for no reason other than an epic music win, I think I liked it.


My TV dinner has now been sitting in the microwave for like, an hour while I wrote this. So I should probably go and get that. But anyway, yes, movie = good, and one of these days I'll post something about my life. Because it's soo interesting and I know you all are absolutely apoplectic with desire to know the scandalicious details of my innermost doings. ;)


What did you think of the HP movie? If you haven't seen it yet, wtf, get off your lazy derrières and go. Tomorrow. Regal Cinemas has $5 Tuesdays, so you have no excuse.

Super 8

I hate feeling like my blog is becoming a place where all I do is talk about crap like TV shows, books, and movies I like. I especially dislike it when I'm all bossy and like, "GO SEE THIS RIGHT NOW OMG."

So I'll keep it short. ;)

Today, I saw Super 8. I was pleasantly surprised! It was actually a really good, solid piece of moviemaking and sci-fi. It was like...E.T./Lost/Signs/War of the Worlds. Which isn't a too-shabby mix. Plus, it was carried really well by a cast of KIDS. With kids, you tend to get a lot of overacting and, especially in scary movies, a ton of obnoxious child-shrieking. But there was little shrieking. Or at least, it wasn't obnoxious. And they were SUCH good actors. My mind was probably more blown by how strong the cast was than by any of the special effects or anything.

It was quite suspenseful and tense in that Abrams-"Lost" way. And it had a very Spielberg feel (think "Jurassic Park" and "E.T."). So if you like either of those two guys, aliens, or good sci-fi stories, it's definitely worth seeing.

Oh also, JJ Abrams: YOUR LENS FLARES, OMG. It's like DARK and there are lens flares. It was SUPER noticeable in "Star Trek", so I was loling when it showed up here too.

Overall?

It's on like Donkey Kong.

So those of you who know me know that if it's put into a documentary, I will watch it. I just have this thing about well done documentaries. I'm crazy about them. So imagine my pleasure when, last week in my Evolution of Video Games class, we spent the entire class period watching A DOCUMENTARY.

It's called, "The King of Kong: A Fistfull of Quarters." It's basically about the guy who set the world record for arcade Donkey Kong back in 1982 and how he's being challenged by a sweet nobody from Washington State. And the nobody guy, Steve Weibe, is GOOD. He plays his games up to a million points (Billy's high score was 800,000 something). And even though he CAN do this and has proven it time and time again, the video game community just REFUSES to recognize his records. It's sad, but awesome.
When it first started I was like

Then I was like

And at the end I was like

It's like "Trekkies" in that it opens your eyes up to this world that you didn't even know existed. And to those people, it IS the whole world.
I LOVE stuff like that.

I got it for my dad for Father's Day, and if you have a dad or a boyfriend or brother who's into video games, I'd say it's a pretty safe bet as far as presents go. And it was $5.99 at Barnes & Noble. BEAT THAT.

Anyway, just wanted to share with you guys. Not much else is new with me at this point. Just plunking along.

Maybe I should attempt to beat a video game world record. HMMM...

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."

BLARGH! I haven't done a "Link Me Up, Scotty" post in AGES. And I was cleaning out my internets when I found that I have a BUTTLOAD saved and ready to post. So here you go!

-Here is a blog dedicated to 1000 Awesome Things. It's just cool to look at it and remember GOOD things, especially when you're having a crummy day. Kind of reperspectionizes (I'm like GW Bush making up words!) things.
-Pics of some totally awesome treehouses. Pandering to the 5 year old adventurer in all of us.
-32 Ways to Make Someone Happy, which is a cool list and a good reminder to get our heads out of our own asses and remember that there are 6 point-something billion other human beings on the planet.
-For people like me who either seem to be too early or too late and never exactly on trend, don't worry. Laver's Law of Fashion explains that sometimes, it's okay to be a little early or way late to the fashion party.
-This kind of would've been apt to post at the end of my Favorite High School Movies post, but alas, I guess I'll do it now. Here's a list of 5 Life Lessons from High School Movies. On that note...why wasn't "The Breakfast Club" on my list?!? IT SHOULD BE.
-And lastly, for you macabre sickos who read my blog (*_~), a short list of Famous Last Words. Poor James Joyce...NOBODY UNDERSTANDS HIM.


;) Enjoy, Readers!

A long time ago...

When I was a kid, my parents got me "From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga," and it's basically a behind-the-scenes film on Star Wars. It focuses on Return of the Jedi (which was my favorite as a kid due to Jabba's Palace and the Ewoks), but you get a pretty good look at some of the scenes and ideas from the entire trilogy.

I watched this thing INCESSANTLY. Of course, it was on VHS, so eventually all the tapes unwound. So I'd sit there and meticulously try to rewind them so I could watch it again. And the cardboard box it came in was completely beat up from overuse, a few puppies, and a long life in general. But it was SUCH a great thing. It changed my third grade life.

I FOUND IT ON YOUTUBE AND WANT TO SHARE IT WITH YOU! SCRAGGLY STRIPS OF TAPE NOT INCLUDED!
(Yes, that's Mark Hamill narrating. Yes, it's before the "remastered" versions. Yes, it's incredibly grainy. DEAL WITH IT.)



"Puppet maker" for a movie like Star Wars remains on my list of dream jobs.

Not on my list of dream jobs? Being INSIDE Jabba the Hutt.


I'm not going to post anymore on here, but if you want to finish it, you can watch it on Youtube.

Star Wars geeks fans of the world, REJOICE!
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

A pirate's life for me.

So I saw this yesterday, and actually, I enjoyed it! I went in expecting the ultimate worst, but it was better than I expected.

The plot for me was a little weak-ish. Basically, everyone in the world is after the Fountain of Youth (as in Ponce de Leon, and that nasty insufferable water down in St. Augustine), but we really don't know why. Apart from the whole "eternal life" business. Also, I liked the Blackbeard character, but I felt he was underdeveloped, as was his backstory with Captain Barbossa (played once again by the brilliant Geoffrey Rush). And as much as I loved Davy Jones in the second movie, I felt that Blackbeard was a more formidable and realistic enemy (despite having a magical sword that controls his ship...hey, it's more plausible than a crew made up of barnacle-men, right?).

I liked the banter between Penelope Cruz's character and Captain Jack Sparrow. I thought it was cute, and they had good chemistry onscreen. I wanted to know more about their backstory, too, but I feel like it was left shrouded for a reason. I think my favorite part was the inclusion of a captured clergyman and his weird quasi-relationship with a captured mermaid. Actually, the mermaids in general were my favorite part. It's such a huge part of pirate-lore that I'm surprised it wasn't done sooner. But I think they actually did a really wicked job with all that.

Overall: So well acted. The plot could be nonexistent and if you have a cast that talented and that into what they're doing, you can't really fail (also cameo appearances by Keith Richards and Dame Judi Dench can't really be a bad thing). If the plot had been tweaked and developed a little more, this one might've been as good as the first. As it stands, it was still better than the nutsy scene with 100 Jack Sparrows and the part where Tia Dalma, resident voodoo queen (oh yeah, and CALYPSO) grows to epic proportions, a la Ursula in "The Little Mermaid."

My biggest gripe with this movie is that I will now never be able to publish my pirate story, which features a Spanish lady-pirate and an epic scene involving carriage-jumping (which was also in the movie) without being accused of plagiarism. Oh well. I wasn't planning on publishing that till much, much later anyway. ;)

Overall: Maybe like a 6-7 out of 10. It was funny (I laughed out loud at some of the quips), piratical, and overall just a fun summer flick. Don't expect anything Oscar-worthy, but if you're just looking for a more character-based romp with Jack Sparrow, this probably won't disappoint.

It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

I recently watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and wanted to share some screencaps I made during the process. This movie is rife with lulzy expressions.





^Man, I HATE when that happens.



^I feel like I'm this small in about 90% of chairs I sit in.



SO then I noticed that in this movie, VOLDEMORT HAS A NOSE. Which then reminded me of this graphic (which is sadly, not mine):


Lol, then I'm watching and I see this guy's painting in the background and I'm like HOLD IT.

And I was like, "I KNOW WHERE I'VE SEEN THIS GUY BEFORE."

He's hanging out at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Bethany and I had NO idea who he was, but we were just like, "LET'S GET A PICTURE LOL." And then lo and behold, he's IN THE MOVIE. It made me wonder if it's actually the same picture used in the film and if so, how many other portraits were originals?

Then I just took a few of scenes that were pretty.
I DEFINITELY want to celebrate Halloween at Hogwarts.


"I'm not going home. Not really."

For more better funny screencaps of the HP movies, I simply must recommend theboywhoderped.tumblr.com .