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Best pirate movies

Thursday, 26 May 2011 0 comments

Best pirate movies

Best pirate movies. Pirate movies have been a Hollywood staple since the silent film era. They did well in theaters for many years, but fell on hard times until Disney revived them with "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." The fourth installment, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," just hit theaters, so we take a look back at the best pirate movies of all time.

'The Sea Hawk'
Just before he directed this classic love story, Michael Curtiz showed that he also knew something about pirates. Errol Flynn played the pirate in this classic, and was there ever any actor who better swashed a buckle? Johnny Depp has nice cheekbones, but everything he brings to the character of Jack Sparrow was done first by Flynn

'Captain Blood'
Although they later reached pirate perfection in "The Sea Hawk," director Michael Curtiz and Errol Flynn combined for one of the greatest sea adventures ever put on film. Flynn plays a doctor who is driven to become a plundering pirate and seeks gold, justice and Olivia de Havilland.

'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'
The two sequels of this movie -- "Dead Man's Chest" and "At World's End" -- seemed to run about 12 hours each. But the first one was fun, particularly because of Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush as the irrepressible Capt. Barbossa. Sure, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom were in it,

'Mutiny on the Bounty'
One could debate whether this is a true pirate movie, but Fletcher Christian certainly acted like a pirate when he took command of the Bounty from Captain Bligh. You may prefer a different version, but this is the one that won the best picture Oscar

'The Buccaneer'
Anthony Quinn directed, Cecil B. DeMille produced and Yul Brynner starred as pirate Jean Lafitte, who assists Andrew Jackson during the Battle of New Orleans. DeMille directed a pretty solid version two decades earlier

'Treasure Island'
Rent this version of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic, and introduce your kids to the late, great Jackie Cooper.

'Peter Pan'
Disney's animated version of James Matthew Barrie's tale is just about perfect.

'The Pirate'
Cast alongside Judy Garland, Gene Kelly was the greatest dancing pirate who ever lived not that it's a very big field.

'The Pirates of Penzance'
Based on a Gilbert and Sullivan classic, this film is very theatrical. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Kevin Kline is amazing.

'The Black Swan'
Not to be confused with the dark ballet movie starring Natalie Portman, this swashbuckling film is an excellent, if dated, example of the genre, with Tyrone Power and the magnificent Maureen O'Hara.

'The Crimson Pirate'
Burt Lancaster, pirate. Enough said.

Johnny Depp is Back To Buckle Your Swash on Stranger Tides

Monday, 16 May 2011 0 comments

The fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film sets the franchise even with two good and two lousy.

Try as we might, we can't see any movie in a vacuum. This is most evident with a franchise film. Is there a way to critically approach Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tideswithout contextualizing it among the previous three films? Is there a point? This movie does not exist on its own, nor could it. To say, then, that On Stranger Tides is good "for aPirates film" is a reasonable analysis, even if film studies purists may turn their nose at such a turn of phrase.

But I think we all know what I mean. The Pirates franchise is a curious one, indeed. For something that has greatly altered what we wear on Halloween and what embarrassing uncles like to quote, it's been an intellectual property with a rather noticeable problem: only one of the three previous movies is any good. The third one, in fact, was bloody awful.

This fourth one is not. By Pirates standards it is streamlined and focused. Jack Sparrow is back and the lost love of his life (Penelope Cruz) needs him to help her find the Fountain of Youth for her father, Blackbeard. Captain Barbossa on the hunt, too, looking to avenge himself against Blackbeard, but also to make sure that the Spaniards don't get to the fountain first. Stand-ins for Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are here, too, this time as a hunky minister and a mermaid.

The movie has serious problems. It thinks the comedy is far funnier than it is (the vamping is, at times, insufferable) and some of the action scenes feel undercooked (a chase through London could only be described as medium-speed.) Special effects-wise there's nothing that comes close to the breathtaking Davy Jones or his band of undead, barnacled seamen from Dead Man's Chest - a five year old movie. The big fountain set at the end may as well have had had a Stage 12 sign it looked so fake. (Points, though, for a very calculated homage to the Star Trek episode City on the Edge of Forever in the production design.)

And yet I found myself having what can only be described as "a good time at the movies." Johnny Depp ably buckles swash and, dammit, it's just fun to hear him "do the voice" again. Philosophically, I know this places me very much in the "part of the problem" camp with regard to Hollywood's addiction to sequels, but if I'm feeling this way, there's a good chance you'll feel this way, too.

Also, Fans of Deadwood will lose their sh*t at Ian McShane's hammy portrayal of Blackbeard. He's basically doing Al Swearingen in Disney drag and it is phenomenal. His big reveal and monologue probably wasn't meant to elicit laughter, but I couldn't help myself.

With the much blander Rob Marshall at the helm instead of the inspired and kinetic Gore Verbinski, this does, at times, feel like a movie on Prozac. It doesn't fall low, but neither does it reach highs. Even the most memorable scene - an attack by vicious mermaids - fails to completely wow. Despite its big 3D production, there's not much going on visually that you'll miss if you wait for this on Blu-ray. Unless you've got cash brimming from your pockets or absolutely have to get out of the house, I think this one will do much better with the reduced expectations of home viewing. Plus you can even dress up like a pirate and no one will notice.