Pirates of the Caribbean:On Stranger Tides - 加勒比海盜 神鬼奇航:幽靈海

Pirates of the Caribbean:On Stranger Tides (加勒比海盜 神鬼奇航:幽靈海) is an 2011 film from Disney. The movie stars Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz. The supporting cast includes Geoffrey Rush and Ian McShane. This movie is without Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, whom appeared as co-stars in the first three of this film series. This is the fourth movie in the film series.

Jack Sparrow tries to rescue his first captain in England. In a failed attempt, he piggy backs on a quest to find the fountain of youth. Along the way, Sparrow makes a uneasy alliance with Cruz's character Angelica and Angelica's father, Blackbeard, played by McShane. There they go on their quest to find the fountain. However, its like a a treasure hunt and they have to collect artifacts for a ritual at the fountain. However, on this quest, they are not the only ones. The spanish and brits are both on their quest too. Who will make it their first and how can Sparrow survive and live another day!

The movie was actually pretty entertaining for me. I had read so many negative reviews that I thought it was going to suck really bad. Which it didn't. It was entertaining and fun to watch. Being a long time fan of Depp (from the 21 Jumpstreet days) and love his rendition of Sparrow. Maybe if you go in with such low expectations as I, you might like it!

星空 - Starry Starry Night - Upcoming

星空 (Starry Starry Night) was released this past weekend in Taipei. The movie stars the "boy" from CJ7, Josie Xu. The film is directed by Tom Lin, whom also directed another coming of age story in Winds Of September.

The movie looks a little too "young" for me. Josie looks like shes still in Jr. High. I am gonna pass.

Thor - 雷神索爾

Thor (雷神索爾) is an 2011 film from Marvel Studios. The movie stars Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth. The supporting cast includes Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, and Kat Dennings. The movie is based on an Marvel Comics character of the same name. A sequel is in the works for a 2013 release. I really wanted to see this in the theaters this summer, but had to settle for it on Blu-Ray.

In norse mythology, there are nine worlds. The immortal gods live in Asgard, whereas the mortals live in Midgard or Earth. Thor is the son of the ruler of the gods of Asgard, Odin. As Odin's son, Thor is brought up to be a super warrior and given the hammer called Mjolnir. When Thor almost starts a war with the frost giants, Odin sends Thor to Midgard to figure it out. Along the way, Thor's powers are bound to Mjolnir and given an enchantment of "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." Once Thor figures it out, he can regain his powers along with Mjolnir. Sent to earth, Thor lands in a remote town in New Mexico to figure it out. However, when he lands on earth he's met by Natalie Portman's character of Jane Foster. Jane Foster is an astrophysicist study alien energies. Well, Jane got it in the form of Thor! Loki, whom doesn't know he's not the birth son of Odin starts to feel a need to rebel and take over Asgard. Thor to the rescue.

The movie was a pretty straight forward introduction to Thor. A lot of norse Asgard and a lot of Thor figuring it out. Throw in a very lovely Natalie Portman and the occasional Kat, you've got a pretty entertaining movie. What's a little cool about the movie is the multi-ethnic take on Asgard. Tadanobu Asano as Hogun was quite weird and didn't work for me. There were some Asian extras, but beyond that, it was only Tadanobu Asano.

13 Assassins - 十三人刺客

13 Assassins (十三人刺客) is an 2010 film out of Japan. The film stars Kōji Yakusho. The rest of the group is too many to name. The movie was released in various ways in the US. First on VOD, than limited theatrical, and eventually to DVD. I got this from Netflix.



In ancient Japan, a tyrant is having his way with the people, leaving a murderous trail behind him. A group of people want to eliminate this tyrant. However, it must be covert and in a time of peace, not a lot of people know how to fight. The recruiting process starts by looking for capable people. When they get the crew together, they plan a attack. These 13 take it to the tyrants 200+ entourage. Will they succeed or die trying.



The movie was quite good. Bloody good. Quite literally, bloody. The movie does start slow because of the recruiting process, but the rest of the movie is all about getting the "bad" guy. I can also see why this movie got so much hype. It's really a story about good vs. evil. We can all identify with that type of concept. We have an "unfairness" gauge in us that loves to see the struggle. This isn't a deep film or one built on character development. But there was enough to keep you engaged when each of them met their fate.

How to Train Your Dragon - 馴龍高手

How to Train Your Dragon (馴龍高手) is a 2010 animated film out of the US. It ended up being a very successful animated film and a sequel is on the way for 2014.

The story of a vikings battling dragons. The chief of the village has a son Hiccup. He's not too keen on killing dragons. Much less anything. On his way to the forest one day to retrieve a dragon, he comes across an egg and a dragon pops out. Hiccup can't find it to kill it and lets it go free. Going back to search for it, they become friends. However, back at home, Hiccup is getting pressure to from everywhere to kill dragons. But he's seen them as friendly creatures. As the story progresses, Hiccup has to make a choice. The dragon or his clan. BUT there's more, they find the nest and hunt it down.

The movie was just OK for me. I think it had been hyped too much for me going in. I don't normally go and rent animated features, not even pixar ones. But did so on many adult recommendations. Do I regret it? Yes. I normally find it hard to follow the animation. I like real people in general.