Disney Month IV: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Penelope Cruz
Directed by: Rob Marshall


It had been 4 years since we had seen a new Pirates of the Caribbean movie and a lot of fans had a bad taste in their mouth from the last two. So when it was announced that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides would be coming in 2011, moviegoers were skeptical to say the least, myself included. But then the details started to get released, including that it was going to be without Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. Since the first movie was released, I thought the proper direction of the series was to follow Jack Sparrow on his many adventures. Make him like a modern equivalent of Indiana Jones. There's a lot of sea out there. A lot of myths and legendary treasures to explore. The possibilities were out there for Pirates of the Caribbean to be the next great adventure franchise. I was begging for On Stranger Tides to be that film that steered the course of this franchise into the right direction. The result was a film that left people very disappointed, calling it the worst the franchise had to offer. Yet, here I am proclaiming that I actually think it's not that bad. In fact, there's quite a bit that I think is worth enjoying.

The standout of the new cast is Penelope Cruz as Angelica. Angelica is a former love interest of Jack Sparrow and the chemistry the two have is really good. They bicker like they've known each other for years and pick up with their romantic stirrings when the situation presents itself. If there's one thing to take note of Angelica is that you can't trust her. She may love you, but will give you up without a second thought if it will benefit her. There's a part in the film where she admits to baiting Jack with an obvious lie that actually ended up being the truth. That's some seriously clever deception and the film does a good job of building Angelica up as a legitimate threat for Jack Sparrow. As if to say he has met his match in the form of something we haven't expected. He's faced undead pirates, a tentacle monster, and come back from the dead, but he is no match for a woman running around impersonating him right down to his mannerisms and sword techniques.

Ian McShane plays Angelica's father, the legendary Captain Blackbeard. We're pretty much recycling stuff here with Blackbeard. He has a design similar to Davy Jones, he has an undead army at his command, and has a ship that destroys other ships in its path. We've seen it before, we'll probably see it again, so what really makes Blackbeard stand out? The answer is McShane's performance. I've been a big fan of his work since Deadwood, so I know he can make the most of even the smallest roles. And here, he seems to do a lot with what's given to him. I think his disdain for Sparrow is a bit downplayed, but he makes up for it with the roller coaster relationship he has with his daughter. You can tell both love each other, but are willing to use the other for leverage. Talk about dysfunctional.

Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann are swapped out for a pair of new characters. Replacing Will is a missionary named Philip Swift. Played by Sam Claflin (yes, Finnick for all you Hunger Games enthusiasts out there), I think it's interesting to see a film like this tackle a subject like religion. It plays a pretty key role here, and Philip is one of the main characters influenced by it. Replacing Elizabeth is a mermaid that Philip falls in love with named Syrena, played by Astrid Berges-Frisbey. She's pretty uninteresting, but she's a mermaid and that's kinda cool. Their love story isn't much to write home about, but at least one of the two has something interesting about them.

Lastly, I wanted to talk about a fun little cameo from this film and the previous one that serves as a fun little tribute to the conceptual stages of the films. Johnny Depp has stated in interviews that the inspiration for Jack Sparrow's appearance is from classic rock n roll. He said the pirates were the rock stars of the seas, and drew a lot of inspiration from Keith Richards, the legendary guitarist from the Rolling Stones. So to have Richards show up to play Jack's father Captain Teague is a great little wink to the ideas Depp had to create the look and attitude of one of film's most iconic characters.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a mixed bag. There's a lot of good to take from it. It's always good to see Jack Sparrow. We go on a fun treasure hunt for the Fountain of Youth. The stuff they do with Barbossa is fantastic and really shows off Geoffrey Rush's acting talents. But there are some flaws that shine through. The formula has gotten stale, some of the characters feel like carbon copies of previous ones, and the plot still feels a little more complicated than it has to be. But at the end, the movie is fine for what it is. With some fine tuning, the formula could work really well in another sequel. But I won't hold my breath. For now, I'll keep a weather eye on the horizon for the day that we have a sequel that can at least live up to the fun adventure of Curse of the Black Pearl.


Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

While a little downscale in scope from the previous sequels, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides still offers what a lot of fans were asking for. We see Jack Sparrow go on a solo adventure that still offers a lot of pirate fun and introduces one or two memorable characters to the franchise. Not great, but a step in the right direction for how the series should be.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures

Disney Month IV: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
Directed by: Gore Verbinski


At the time that Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was released, the trilogy was the rage with franchises. With celebrated titles like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, making a movie trilogy that is universally regarded as near-perfection is the goal at hand. However, At World's End was released at a time when movie series like Spider-Man, X-Men, and even Shrek had negative results with their third installments. At World's End definitely fit into that category like a glove. This was a disappointing movie to end the (planned) trilogy with. What's the saddest thing to note is when you see how much effort went into it. They were trying to make this the best film in the series. Heck, they were probably trying to get a Best Picture nomination out of this film and it just didn't work. It's a failure. Bottom line. I could not watch Curse of the Black Pearl and At World's End and feel like they are proper bookends to an acclaimed movie trilogy. Instead, I could watch the two and prove how you can ruin the foundation of a great movie by milking the cash cow for all its worth. And to think, we haven't even seen the end of the sequels yet.

The last of the major characters three or four characters to talk about is Elizabeth Swann, played by Keira Knightley. Of the main characters, Elizabeth grows the most and you can certainly see Knightley come into her own as a rising young talent as these films progressed. Although, a lot that her character undergoes in this film specifically feels like about 2 or 3 movies worth of character evolution crammed into one. By about midway through the movie, she's gone full pirate to the point where she is completely against the side of the law. A smoother transition is more necessary for that. Of course she does have a revenge motivation due to the murder of her father, played by Jonathan Pryce. I'm willing to forgive the rushed extremes of her character since they're fueled by revenge.

A recent character addition to the franchise was in the form of Singapore pirate lord Sao Feng, played by Chow Yun-Fat. He doesn't add a whole lot to the film except that he is one of the nine pirate lords. He's in all of 3 scenes and for some reason, THAT earns him top billing with the rest of the main cast. Also, the stuff in Singapore seemed to be the main marketing point for the film's poster campaigns, which doesn't make sense since they're only in Singapore for the first 20 minutes of the movie.

It's odd to think how the villains have gone downhill since the first film. First it was Barbossa, and then Davy Jones. In At World's End, the main villain is Lord Cutler Beckett, played by Tom Hollander. He's not necessarily a bad villain, he just doesn't do anything exciting. All we know about his character is that he has power and has a history with Jack Sparrow. At least Barbossa and Jones would fight their enemies and were characters that were developed over the films.

Naomie Harris plays Tia Dalma. I wasn't too blown away by her character in the last movie, so I wasn't really expecting much from her in this film either. But man, they take her character somewhere that made me go "they jumped the shark." And believe me, they get there a LOT in this movie, but this was one of the strongest shark jumping moments. I kept saying to myself "cut her out of the movie and you can shave probably a good 20 to 30 minutes with all that they give her story arc." It's just some of that fat that needed to get trimmed to make a more cohesive story in a shorter runtime.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End doesn't really learn from the mistakes of Dead Man's Chest. In fact, it takes those mistakes and puts them on a grand scale. There's another movie full of a million different double crosses and alliances. They rely too heavily on an action-packed climax and special effects than getting down to a simple idea that would make for a good movie. Curse of the Black Pearl didn't need to complicate things with the plot. It was a fun, little adventure with a brilliant screenplay and memorable characters that pulled in a massive positive response from critics and audiences. I know there's a lot of diehard fans out there that have a nostalgia for the series as a whole, but take off the goggles for moment and admit that At World's End is a weak entry, possibly the weakest. They would have to try HARD to make a Pirates of the Caribbean movie worse than this one.


Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

This movie started off with such promise, but about midway through, you'll be begging for it to be over. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End has way too complicated a plot for its own good, and fails very hard at trying to deliver the most epic conclusion imaginable. The first movie didn't have to be overly complex to be a fun and enjoyable adventure, so I'm not quite sure how these sequels have had such a problem understanding that.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures

Disney Month IV: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
Directed by: Gore Verbinski


When a sequel for Pirates of the Caribbean was announced, I lost my freaking mind. I was so happy that we were going to be returned to that world we enjoyed so much in Curse of the Black Pearl. And when Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest came out, I enjoyed it, just not as much as the first movie. And now it's been ten years and the more I watch it, the more flawed I find it. When you go into this movie with the mindset that it's the middle chapter of a planned trilogy, you know the film you're watching will most likely be a transitional movie. And it is. It picks up where you were with the characters at the end of the last film and takes you to where you need to be at the beginning of the next film. Does that mean that the entire film is bad? Not entirely. The film has some memorable moments that stand out as some of the franchise's best. But there's also a very confusing and convoluted plot to try and keep up with, and the film really doesn't get going until about an hour in. With that all in mind, let's see what's salvageable about Dead Man's Chest.

The main character I wanted to talk about in this film was Will Turner, played by Orlando Bloom. Look, I get that the guy was very popular at the time. He had this role and had just wrapped up playing Legolas in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I'm sorry, I can't take it seriously how we let Orlando Bloom happen. He's a stereotypical good looking guy, but has absolutely no charisma whatsoever. He's just so plain in personality, which isn't so bad when he's playing Legolas, but he's really lacking something as Will Turner. He's way too whiny and dainty to be considered a legit and heroic pirate. Admittedly, Bloom is probably the best of the main cast members to handle a sword, but again, he brings over the skills he learned while playing Legolas. He's probably the least interesting of the main cast to watch and undergoes little to no major development.

Will is brought on board of the Flying Dutchman, captained by the legendary Davy Jones, played by Bill Nighy. The effects for Jones are very well done, I can hardly recognize Nighy's face. I also like how Nighy brought a lot of eccentricities and inflections into his portrayal and the filmmakers kept it in. His crew is an interesting sort, mainly comprised of creatures that resemble sea life. The crew member that should stick out the most is Will's father Bootstrap Bill Turner, played by Stellan Skarsgard. I love how Jones isn't even phased by this, he just gives the Turners an even worse time aboard his ship. And of course, the one major thing this film had going for it in marketing was that Jones was in control of the beastly Kraken. Considering that we aren't properly introduced to Jones, the main villain, until about an hour in, he leaves a pretty good impression that will carry over into the next film.

One of my favorite bits of character growth in Dead Man's Chest is with James Norrington, played by Jack Davenport. The former commodore that we saw in the previous film, we learn that Norrington sailed his ship into a hurricane, chasing after Jack Sparrow, lost his crew in the process, resigned his post as commodore, and has become a miserable drunk. That's a lot for a character to go through, and he wasn't exactly a character that I hated in the last film. He was a noble character, which in the case of pirates isn't who we're necessarily rooting for, but I didn't want that amount of bad things to happen to him. As a result, Norrington is willing to do anything to regain his old job. You can see that even when he's drunk, the wheels are turning in his head and he can see what he needs to do next in order to stir the pot in his favor. I love it.

With Jack back in command of the Black Pearl, we get to spend some time with his crew. His first mate Mr. Gibbs, played by Kevin McNally, is a superstitious, rum loving, pirate who serves to explain a lot of the stuff about the sea that we don't understand. Other characters like Marty and Mr. Cotton, played by Martin Klebba and David Bailie, are enjoyable for more superficial reasons. Marty is a shorter character, so that's where a lot of his material comes from. As for Cotton, he had his tongue cut out and taught his parrot how to talk. And then there's Pintel and Ragetti, played by Lee Arenberg and Mackenzie Crook. I just love these guys. Former crew members under Barbossa, these two are ready to command the Black Pearl on their own when they discover it vacated. Then, when our heroes return, they're just kind of accepted onto the crew. From there, they just add so much comedic timing and chemistry that just works for them. In my opinion, they're one of the few comedic duos in a major franchise whose material never gets tired and stale. Arenberg and Crook had amazing chemistry with each other and I would love a movie that took these two on their own adventures of incompetency.

In hindsight, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest had a lot to live up to and it just couldn't do it. The main plot of the film doesn't even get underway until about an hour into the film. From there, everything feels rushed, people are turning on each other left and right, and the viewer realizes that they've sat through a 2 1/2 hour transitional film by the time you get to the end. It's got some highlights, like a three-way sword fight between Will, Jack, and Norrington, the effects on Davy Jones, his crew, and the Kraken look nice, and I'll admit that I'm in love with the cliffhanger ending. But apart from that, this one left me wanting more bang for my buck. Although, knowing the direction this franchise takes, I'll forgive Dead Man's Chest a bit and say that it could've been worse. Much worse...


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a fine adventure if you're into a few key action sequences. If you want a clever story to rival the first film, you're not going to find it here. This is one entry in the series that forgoes substance for style.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures

Disney Month IV: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom
Directed by: Gore Verbinski


I'll never forget watching Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl for the first time. It was the summer of 2003. My dad and I made an agreement to see two movies together. If my dad took me to see Pirates of the Caribbean, I would go with him to see The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I think you know which movie we had a better time watching. That movie consumed our lives for many years. When we got it on VHS, I'm pretty sure we would watch the film once every couple of weeks. We would quote the film in any opportunity. We patiently waited for the sequels so we could have a chance at rekindling that initial fun we had with the first film (if only we had known what would come of those sequels). And this wasn't just how WE were responding. The film took the world by storm and there was a period in the mid-2000s where Pirates of the Caribbean was one of the biggest phenomenons on the planet. Not too shabby for a movie that initially had people laughing at the mere concept simply because it was based on a Disneyland ride. So let's see how Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl made pirates cool for a new generation of moviegoers.

Johnny Depp stars as the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow. By now, we all know about Jack Sparrow. He's become one of the big pop culture icons of the millennium. Seriously, walk into Disneyland or Hot Topic and you'll see all kinds of Jack Sparrow merchandise. It's the role Johnny Depp is most well-known for nowadays, and a role that really brought Depp back into the public eye. I remember seeing this in theaters and being absolutely blown away with Jack Sparrow. From beginning to end, he's the character you remember. He's got the best lines. The mannerisms are something only Depp could have brought to the role. In fact, he's so tied together with Jack Sparrow that any quirky role he has done since Curse of the Black Pearl has been almost a self-parody of Jack Sparrow. While his acting roles post-Pirates of the Caribbean have been questionable, I'm always down for seeing him play Jack Sparrow in even the cruddiest of Pirates of the Caribbean movies (which we will definitely get to talking about). Heck, the man was so legendary in his performance that his character was given a tribute song thanks to The Lonely Island and Michael Bolton (and good luck getting that out of your head now).

But a good pirate film needs some great villainous pirates, and this film has one in Captain Barbossa, played by Geoffrey Rush. Like Depp as Sparrow, I really can't imagine anyone else bringing what Rush does to the role of Barbossa. He's menacing, but also has a sense of mysticism and charm. He pulls you in by being a gentleman pirate, but can be ruthless with the rest of them. I also love how annoyed he gets by Sparrow's antics. The way he rolls his eyes at him has me laughing every time. Of course, if you know this movie or saw the trailers, commercials, or posters, you know that Barbossa and his crew are cursed to be undead, skeleton pirates when the moonlight shines on them. The scene of their epic reveal is worth checking out alone. It's a phenomenal combination of all the technical things that work in these movies: costumes, scenery, music, and special effects. Not to mention, it follows a tremendous narration from Barbossa that explains how they are the way they are. Barbossa is a great villain that you love to hate, and a lot of that is attributed to Rush's portrayal.

Hans Zimmer composed the soundtrack for these movies and I'm already sure that you have the theme song stuck in your head. The music just fits so perfectly on such a grand scale. I'm sure a lot of people are rolling their eyes at the idea that we're getting more of these movies in the next couple of years, but once that theme song kicks in, I'm sure we'll all be singing a different tune. It's been a memorable movie soundtrack for over 10 years now, and it will have a nostalgic feel to it by the time we get some more sequels in theaters.

The special effects team also does a pretty impressive job with these films. They've been able to bring a lot of mystical creatures and characters to life on the big screen, as well as create a number of action sequences that are not actually possible to film. But that's the beauty of special effects sometimes, is that they can make the impossible to film a reality to see. Not much else to say. If you have the DVDs, pop in the bonus features and see how they can bring a number of memorable scenes and creatures to life.

I know the film has a number of plot holes, but I really don't care. It's a fun movie. It's one of my favorite films to watch. It's a film that I've been able to pull countless quotes from for the last 12 years. It's an important film in my life. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a game changer for live action Disney movies. While not perfect, it was the film that made pirates cool again. It's introduced Captain Jack Sparrow to the world of cinema. And it's a movie that I watch frequently, and for good reason. It's one heck of a ride from start to finish, and is one of the great action and adventure movies in the modern age of film.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is one of my go to choices for a movie when I want to have fun. I love the characters. I love the performances. I love the story. I love the effects. I love the action. I love the humor. I love this movie and that will never change, no matter how many inferior sequels they throw at us.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures

Disney Month IV: D3: The Mighty Ducks

D3: The Mighty Ducks (1996)
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Joshua Jackson, Jeffrey Nordling
Directed by: Robert Lieberman


With the success of the previous two Mighty Ducks films, naturally a third one was given the green light. By the time D3: The Mighty Ducks was released, I'm sure a lot of moviegoers were asking how they were going to make this movie stand out from the others. The formula can only go so far in a movie franchise before the audience catches on and goes "we've seen this crap before." You have to keep rolling with the punches and produce something that keeps the characters firmly planted within their roots, but also allows them to launch towards something that fits a natural progression. To do this, they took the Ducks and put them somewhere they had never been before: separated from their coach. It puts the now high school level kids in a position where they have to make decisions for themselves. Some will get along with the new coach, and one will have to try harder than the rest to accept the changes the coach is bringing to the team. How does the film hold? Not as strong as the second film, but it still finds a solid way to end the Mighty Ducks trilogy on a memorable note.

About 95% of the Ducks from the last movie return for this film. The only one who didn't come back with the character Jesse and as a result, a lot of the material that was probably meant for him was given to the character of Russ Tyler, played by Kenan Thompson. Maybe it's Kenan's popularity on Nickelodeon at the time, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much they did with his character in this one. But the best character in the film is Charlie Conway, played by Joshua Jackson. This is before his role on Dawson's Creek, but you can really detect the teenage angst just pouring out of him. He does a great job of making the problem of having a new coach feel like life or death. It's the first time we've had Charlie, who has been a memorable supporting character, be at the forefront of the film's plot, and Jackson is able to make the most of his opportunity.

Emilio Estevez doesn't spend a whole lot of time in the film, so I'm not going to say much on Coach Gordon Bombay in this. Instead, I want to take a moment to talk about the awesome new coach Ted Orion, played by Jeffrey Nordling. I know that one of the big conflicts in the movie is how the Ducks are able to cope with the different coaching methods Orion brings to the team, but I honestly side with Coach Orion on this one. Sure, he's a bit strict, but he has a reason behind it that doesn't just make him heartless. Far from it. The more you find out about this guy, the more you like him. I honestly could've seen these series go one more movie with Coach Orion leading the team. Maybe they could've taken the Ducks to a collegiate level. Anyways, I wasn't too upset with Bombay not being a huge part of the film because Coach Orion was introduced and developed very well.

One thing I'm not really able to wrap my head around when it comes to D3: The Mighty Ducks is how contained it feels. Taking place in one major location, having the least amount of hockey games played, and feeling like it had a reduction in budget makes this film look like it was made for an initial release on television or home video, instead of theatrical. That might make you feel cheapened out, but then the movie goes somewhere they wouldn't normally be able to in earlier installments because of the team's age. We have the touching backstory of Coach Orion, the angst and tension that is existing within the team as they are unable to get on the same page with Orion's coaching strategies, and we even get *SPOILER ALERT* a major character death that really triggers the proper emotions if you've been a fan of the three movies. All in all, the movie is a suitable finale to the trilogy, but suffers from a few noticeable, but harmless, flaws.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

D3: The Mighty Ducks is a worthy enough finale to the trilogy. It might seem a bit repetitive at this point, but there's a number of highlights to make it watchable. If you're hoping to spend the film with Emilio Estevez, however, you will be very disappointing.

D3: The Mighty Ducks and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures

Disney Month IV: D2: The Mighty Ducks

D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994)
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Joshua Jackson, Elden Henson
Directed by: Sam Weisman


After I gave The Mighty Ducks a bit of a reaming last week, I wondered if I would have to eat my words when I reviewed the two sequels. At the end of the day, I think I partially will have to. I said in my previous review that the second and third movies are superior installments that bring more to the table than the first one. I still don't think I'm wrong on that claim, but I fear I might have boosted the hype a little much when talking about them. I mean, they're still Mighty Ducks movies. They're formulaic, and honestly the formula is very repetitive. The way they change it up is to trim some of the fat from the previous movies. Unmemorable characters from the previous films are replaced with new characters. It's like throwing mud at a wall and seeing what sticks. Is that a bad thing when it comes to D2: The Mighty Ducks? No. In fact, so much works in this movie's formula that I think it's the best film in the trilogy. Let's take a look.

Let's start by looking at the returning characters. Emilio Estevez is back as Coach Gordon Bombay. This time, he's coaching an Olympic-like hockey team called Team USA. Estevez does a fine job of playing Bombay again, but Bombay lets fame go to his head a little quickly for my taste. And he's not just flirting with the fame, he's in a committed relationship with it. The more interesting story with Bombay was his lost chance at playing professionally in the NHL. That's barely touched in the film. But I digress. He starts Team USA by assembling the Ducks that agreed to return for the sequel. We have the usual favorites. Charlie Conway, played by Joshua Jackson, Fulton Reed, played by Elden Henson, and Greg Goldberg, played by Shaun Weiss. They all get good bits, nothing wrong there. But my favorite character that grows in the film is Adam Banks, played by Vincent Larusso. He's the all-star player that has pressure on him in making his family proud and impressing talent scouts watching their games. He suffers a wrist injury and hides it for a while. The resolution to that is when he heals. I won't give the rest away, but it's a pretty gripping story because you want this kid to succeed.

We have some new characters joining Team USA. Of course, all of them have a flaw that they must overcome by the end of the film. For that, they get a lot of the conflict resolution moments in the film. There's only two that I wasn't really invested in. Ken Wu, played by Justin Wong, and Luis Mendoza, played by Mike Vitar. Ken is a former figure skater that needs a lesson in being tough and Luis is a fast skater who doesn't know how to stop skating. Those aren't very interesting stories. We could be spending that time with other characters, or giving these two something else to do. Dwayne Robertson, played by Ty O'Neal, is a lot of fun for his cowboy antics, and Dean Portman, played by Aaron Lohr, is a great addition for his attitude and bromance with Fulton that leads to the creation of the Bash Brothers. But the best overall character in this new bunch is Julie "The Cat" Gaffney, an alternate goalie played by Colombe Jacobsen. Bottom line, she's a better goalie than Goldberg. But she's not really given a shot and that eats her up inside. We actually find out about her backstory. She left a good team in Maine to join Team USA and wants to be able to show that she didn't make a mistake and has the skills to succeed on a team like this. That's some pretty good stuff to do with any character in a sports film, let alone a female character in a male-dominated sports film in the '90s. This doesn't scream "girl power" attitude, it just screams a gender neutral proclamation of "I'm good at what I do. Don't underestimate me."

Maybe it's the sense of American pride that this film brings out. Maybe it's the the fact that surrounding this film in as much '90s culture as possible helps give the film a nostalgic charm. Maybe it's that throwing mud at the wall strategy I was talking about earlier. But for my money, D2: The Mighty Ducks is the best made film in the Mighty Ducks trilogy. It picked up on the success of the first movie and expanded it to newer heights. They aren't fighting for a silly Pee Wee hockey league anymore. They're getting older and representing the country and each other. There's a real sense of proving your worth in a story like this. And for kids that are supposed to be 13-years-old, that can be some pretty heavy stuff. But they know how to have fun with it. That's what this movie is. Appropriately serious at times, but doesn't forget to have fun. Which is a strategy that Bombay gives the team at the beginning of the film to help them win. If that's not a solid metaphor for this film, I don't know what is.


Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

D2: The Mighty Ducks is an underdog film packed with new characters, family-friendly entertainment, and a sense of patriotism. There's an improvement on plot and tone that fits better in this installment than any of the others in the trilogy. Give it a watch if you want a fun '90s sports movie.

D2: The Mighty Ducks and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures

Disney Month IV: The Mighty Ducks

The Mighty Ducks (1992)
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Joss Ackland, Joshua Jackson
Directed by: Stephen Herek


But then there's the Disney sports movie that is probably the most famous, The Mighty Ducks. At a time in the late '80s and early '90s where sports movies were being marketed towards kids, The Mighty Ducks is regarded as one of the biggest successes. It kicked off a trilogy of movies in the '90s, is probably the most famous hockey movie ever made, and led to the creation of a professional hockey team that exists to this day. With that in mind, the first Mighty Ducks movie kinda...sucks. I really enjoy the other two movies (as you'll find out soon), but this one was really hard for me to get into. I know, I know, there's probably a good chunk of readers that are ready to kill me for that kind of opinion. Everyone knows this movie, and it should be regarded as a classic right? Well, THAT'S the problem. Going into a movie like this, you already know what's going to happen. If the film wants to stand out, it needs to add something extra, and I don't think it holds up with other sports underdog movies. But let's get into the details that made The Mighty Ducks so popular that we got two more (and better made) movies as a result.

Emilio Estevez stars as Gordon Bombay, a hot shot lawyer turned Pee Wee hockey coach. I really like Emilio, so I think he's the selling point for a lot of the film's success. He has to be the actor to help carry the story and lead the child actors to bring their A game in their performances. He does a great job, able to grow as a character over the course of the film. You can see his relationship with the team grow over the course of the film, and his compassion feels natural. But, his early scenes of him being a jerk work really well too. You're being brought from his world and being dropped into a team of misfits and screw ups. Yeah, you'd feel like a fish out of water too.

If you're familiar with the team in the sequels, the original team of Ducks might actually surprise you. A lot of the fan favorites are there, and I'll talk a bit more on them next time, but there's actually a lot of Ducks that are just left forgotten about by the time we get to D2 and D3. The two I really didn't think added anything to the mix were Karp and Peter. They're both generic punks, but they don't grow as characters, and they don't get any big payoff scenes on the ice. Jesse has a brother named Terry that plays on the team, but isn't even a part of the team with Jesse in the sequel. How do you explain keeping one of two siblings in the script for the next movie with no explanation? Tammy and Tommy Duncan are a pair of siblings that are just thrown in with the rest of the team midway through the film. They blend into the background, with the only development between the two of them being Tammy's passion for figure skating. These Ducks don't show up again after this film, but they weren't really up there with key players like Charlie, Goldberg, Banks, Averman, and Fulton. If you've seen these movies once, you know exactly who those guys are without me even explaining. But can you say you remember Terry or Peter? I rest my case.

Like I said, the plot formula in The Mighty Ducks is one we've seen over and over again. The formula works best in movies where the characters are older, and that's where I think the other two movies succeed. When they get older, the stakes are age appropriate. When grown men and grade school kids are treating hockey like it's life and death, you can't help but roll your eyes at it and question the logistics behind it. If you love this formula, you'll probably enjoy this movie enough, but if you're looking for a little more depth, there are other options worth seeking out.


Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The Mighty Ducks features a movie formula that has been done to death by now, but if you really like hockey, this is one you'll most likely enjoy watching. Nothing truly awful, but nothing overly groundbreaking either. If you're interested in checking out the sequels, it would probably benefit you to see how the Ducks got their humble beginnings.

The Mighty Ducks and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures

Disney Month IV: Remember the Titans

Remember the Titans (2000)
Starring: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Donald Faison
Directed by: Boaz Yakin


If there's one thing Disney has done a lot of since the '90s, it's making inspirational sports movies. Cool Runnings, Glory Road, Miracle, and many more. A lot of them exist, but there are two I'm going to talk about this weekend. The first is Remember the Titans, which I will go on record to say is the best sports movie that Disney has made. There's two majorly important points that will help validate my claim. The first is the exceptional cast, composed of some of my favorite actors from film and television. The other is the story, fueled by motivation and the ability to overcome adversity. That might not seem like a groundbreaking concept to today's moviegoers, but the formula was still fresh enough when Remember the Titans was released. Because of that, all sports movies of the modern era look to Remember the Titans as the prototype for making a serious sports movie.

The film features a strong focus on the integration of race. A great display of that is in the dueling coaches that eventually learn a lot from each other. Denzel Washington stars as Coach Herman Boone, and does an amazing job at commanding the screen. He has scenes that are filled with raw, sincere dedication, as well as scenes that show a lighter, more humorous side. He's hard on his players, but you understand that he isn't being a jerk. He knows that his methods will benefit his players in the long run, so you just have to trust what he says. Boone's assistant coach Bill Yoast, played by Will Patton, is another great character. He's being replaced by Boone, so you get to see a lot of scenes that are filled with tension and animosity, at first. Over time, however, you can see that they both have something to teach the players that the other coach doesn't specialize in. Boone's key strategy is for them to get along and act as a team, while Yoast helps them on the field and shows compassion for them as individuals.

Another great thing about Remember the Titans is the supporting cast. This film has a cast that is full of hungry, young stars working to steal the show, and many of them do. Ryan Hurst and Wood Harris are phenomenal as bickering players Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell. You feel their animosity, but are able to see how they form a friendship throughout the film. Other notable cast members include Donald Faison as Petey Jones, Ethan Suplee as Louie Lastik, Kip Pardue as Ronnie "Sunshine" Bass, Craig Kirkwood as Jerry "Rev" Harris, and a young Ryan Gosling as Alan Bosley. Another great cast member is a very young Hayden Panettiere as Coach Yoast's daughter Cheryl. She's such a spitfire for a girl her age and knows a lot about football that you'll be laughing at her adorableness in all her scenes.

I have no issues saying that Remember the Titans is a great film. It's powerful and it moves me every time I watch it. It's a movie that transcends race and teaches viewers that the greatest of success can come from overcoming adversity. The cast is great, the story is great, the movie is well-executed, it's a movie that can make people think, it's a movie that can make people cry, and it's a movie with a message that is still relevant in today's culture. If you like sports movies, I'd tell you to go check this one out, but odds are that you already have.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Remember the Titans is an inspiring story worth telling and watching. With a tremendous cast and gripping storytelling, it's a movie that I can honestly recommend all sports fans watching. Add this one to your collection, you won't be disappointed.

Remember the Titans and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures

Disney Month IV: Snow Dogs

Snow Dogs (2002)
Starring: Cuba Gooding, Jr., James Coburn, Nichelle Nicols
Directed by: Brian Levant


When I was talking about George of the Jungle, I had no idea how much it would parallel a movie like Snow Dogs. In George of the Jungle, the filmmakers knew the kind of movie they wanted to tell and fully committed themselves to it. It resulted in a fun family film that got a good number of laughs from people of all ages. Snow Dogs, on the other hand, is trying to tell two different types of movies and can't commit to either in the process. The result is a movie that is so stupidly unfunny and so phoned in, that it has been considered one of the absolute worst live action movies that Disney has ever produced. My goodness, this movie was bad. Not even actors like Cuba Gooding, Jr. and James Coburn could save this piece of junk. And this was the first time in a long time that my wife and I have seen this movie, and trust me when I say we remember the disappointment more than the actual plot. So join me as I suffer the pain of reviewing Snow Dogs.

Cuba Gooding, Jr. stars as Ted Brooks, a dentist from Miami. I will give Cuba Gooding, Jr. some credit and say that he's actually trying here. But the material gives him very little to work with. Another actor that tries his best with the material is James Coburn, who plays Ted's biggest competition Thunder Jack. These two are accomplished actors and belong in a much better movie. This was part of a time when Cuba Gooding, Jr. couldn't pick a good movie role to save his life and sadly, James Coburn died 10 months after the film's release. This film proved to be poison to the careers of both leading actors. What's worse is that they had a story going on that really could've worked had the film been committed to it. It's a film that could've focused on overcoming adversity, meeting your competition and challenges, bonding over similarities and differences. Unfortunately, the tone that would follow for that particular story doesn't flow with everything else in the movie.

The movie was marketed as a comedy centering on a team of sled dogs, and that's what we get...sort of. The poochies are a great thing to see if you like dogs, but the comedy is so over the top and disjointed with the other subplot, that it really splits Snow Dogs into two completely different movies. We have the competition between Ted and Thunder Jack, but we also have the slapstick of seeing Ted try to train the sled dogs. The dogs were probably what you came for, but they're the story that's focused on the least. Someone give the Disney marketing team kudos for fooling all of us, right?

What really doesn't work about Snow Dogs was that it came, went, and left little to no impact in Disney history. I mean, some movies can be so bad that they become memorable. But here, does anyone actually remember seeing this movie? Does anybody actually enjoy watching this? Does anybody dust this off their DVD shelves and pop it in from time to time? No? Why do I even own this on DVD? Simple. I bought it for the dogs. Another point goes to their marketing team. This movie is a waste of time, a waste of energy, a waste of resources, it's unfunny, it's lazy, it's cliched, it's unmemorable, and I don't like it.


Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

While Cuba Gooding, Jr. and James Coburn are trying their hardest to make this film work, it just doesn't. Snow Dogs is lazy filmmaking in a nutshell and is a huge blemish on the legacy of film Disney has left us. Only watch this movie if you really, REALLY love dogs.

Snow Dogs and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures

Disney Month IV: George of the Jungle

George of the Jungle (1997)
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Leslie Mann, Thomas Haden Church
Directed by: Sam Weisman


It's 2016 and I'm back to doing what I normally do every couple of months: reviewing a string of Disney films. This time, I wanted to do something very different. In the past, I stayed as close to the theatrical animated movies as possible. But I realized I was leaving a lot of Disney's popular live action movies out of the shuffle. To rectify that, I'm going to go through my DVD collection and review some of my favorites this month. With that in mind, let's talk about George of the Jungle. We live in a modern era of film where most movie adaptations of older cartoons are disasters. And on paper, this film may seem that way too. Yet, it's actually a really well-made family film. And I'm not just saying that from a kid who grew up enjoying this film. I've seen the movie twice now in the last year and I can honestly say that a lot of it still holds up really well. I even find new jokes and subtleties that I hadn't noticed in previous viewings. How can a movie with the premise of a Tarzan-like spoof possibly achieve that? That's what we're here to find out.

The first thing that really works about George of the Jungle is its cast. Brendan Fraser is really good as George, Leslie Mann is really good as Ursula, Thomas Haden Church is really good as Lyle. These are three well-known entertainers who know their way around comedy, and they're dedication to the jokes and gimmick of the movie is spot on. They never treat their roles like they're jokes. They are committed to keeping this light-hearted, but sincere with the delivery. And it really works. But my favorite member of the cast is John Cleese voicing the talking ape named Ape. He adds a level of class and civility to a talking animal that is truly memorable and hilarious to watch. And it isn't hammered in just how much of a joke it is. Again, it's handled in a very subtle way. George talks to Ape like he would a brother, so it's never in question. Ursula, for the longest time, believes that Ape talking is a hallucinations, so she goes on with it like it's part of a dream. When other characters discover it, they're surprised, but they don't spend a lot of time harping on it. In fact, many characters end up discussing and arguing with him like he's a regular human being. Wouldn't you probably spend at least an hour going "Holy crap! How does that ape know how to speak perfect English in a British accent?" Yet here, it's almost treated as commonplace in order to keep the narrative flowing, while also being self-aware. That's a bit of cleverness I wouldn't have imagined showing up in a film like this.

What also works well for the film is the jokes. For a Disney family film, it is insanely witty with the delivery. Not every joke works, but for the most part, it's miraculous how much of it isn't dependent on toilet humor or a lot of pop culture references. A lot of it is very self-contained and heavily meta in the humor. Heck, we have a narrator that goes out of his way to remind the audience that we are watching a movie, so not everything needs to be taken seriously. The narrator also breaks the wall a number of times to actually interact with the other characters. Again, this could have been handled very poorly for many films, but it works really well in George of the Jungle. I think a lot of it boils down to the actors and filmmakers knowing that they didn't have to take things so seriously, but also knowing how to be smart about it.

I don't know if many Disney fans go around praising George of the Jungle, yet I don't know if they've gone around belittling it. Either way, it definitely deserves another look from people who either watched it when it first came out or passed on it altogether. The performances are genuine, a lot of the humor is handled very well, it has atmosphere with the sets and the animals, and it's family friendly while also being a smart film that kids, teenagers, and adults can enjoy. That shouldn't work for a movie like this. You made that today and I can guarantee you it would be like The Smurfs or Alvin and the Chipmunks. Yet it avoided being a disaster adaptation from the late '90s and early '00s. How did it manage to do that? George just lucky I guess...


Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

George of the Jungle proved to be a very funny movie with some good comedic performances. Smart on delivery and a fun story for viewers of all ages to enjoy, I can truly recommend the film as a live action gem from Disney that deserves to be watched at least once.

George of the Jungle and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures