IMDB #4: Pirates of the Caribbean

Title: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Year Released/Rating: 2003 PG-13

Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush

Directed By: Gore Verbinski

Written By: Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert

Genre: Action Adventure

Star Rating: 4/5 stars

Where I Got It: We own it

Trivia:

Johnny Depp wore contact lenses which served as sunglasses so he wouldn't be squinting in the sun all the time.
The scene where Orlando Bloom impersonates Johnny Depp's performance was devised by Bloom who asked producer Jerry Bruckheimer if he could put it into the movie.
When returning from a night shoot on one of the Caribbean islands, Keira Knightley's boat struck a reef and went down. The only people aboard were Knightley, her mother Sharman Macdonald and the boat's skipper, all of whom escaped unharmed and were rescued within a few hours. However, the incident ultimately determined that the rest of the island night shoots needed would complete filming in a studio, rather than on location.
The East India Company (the real-life counterpart of the film franchise's East India Trading Company) really did brand pirates with a "P" but it was put on their forehead instead of their arm.
The "Fort" in Port Royal is actually not on St. Vincent's, but at a closed down amusement park (Marineland) in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
The name "Barbossa" might have been derived from the real Turkish pirate "Barbarossa". Barbarossa, also known as "Redbeard", was once a pirate in the Aegean and the Mediterranean seas before he became a fleet admiral of the Ottoman Empire navy.

Summary: Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.

Review: A fun movie, but just don't think about it too much. The best part of the movie is definitely Geoffrey Rush's Captain Barbossa. He is such a hoot. Love him! The rest of the cast is ho-hum in comparison. It's still a fun movie to watch for a night in.

Best Bits:

Jack Sparrow: Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid.
Norrington: No additional shot nor powder, a compass that doesn't point north, [looks at Jack's sword] and I half expected it to be made of wood. You are without doubt the worst pirate I've ever heard of. Jack Sparrow: But you have heard of me.
Will Turner: This is either madness... or brilliance. Jack Sparrow: It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide.
Elizabeth: Captain Barbossa , I am here to negotiate the cessation of hostilities against Port Royal . Barbossa: There are a lot of long words in there, Miss; we're naught but humble pirates. What is it that you want? Elizabeth: I want you to leave and never come back. Barbossa: I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request. Means "no".
Jack Sparrow: Parleley, parlelellyleloooo, par le nee, partner, par... snip, parsley... Ragetti: Parley? Jack Sparrow: That's the one. Parley. Parley. Pintel: Parley? Damn to the depths whatever man what thought of "Parley". Jack Sparrow: That would be the French.

IMDB #3: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Title: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Year Released/Rating: 1981 PG

Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Written By: Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas, Philip Kaufman

Genre: Action Adventure

Star Rating: 5/5 stars

Where I Got It: We own it!

Trivia:

The original name of the lead character in the script was Indiana Smith. His name was changed to Jones on the first day of production.
In the submarine pen, the German who comes upon Indiana says, in German, "Good day" "Tired? Why do you sleep? Wash yourself! And straighten your shirt, so that you don't look like a pig at your court martial..." "Stand up... [straight]" He is cut off by Indiana's punch.
Although the Nazis speak German in many scenes, most of the lines were dubbed for the German versions of the film because the actors spoke very bad German with a very strong American accent. Some lines were simply wrong. On the recent DVD release, no German lines are wrong. The majority of the German lines seems to be spoken by native German speakers with a slight south German accent.
In filming the Well of Souls sequence, the producers scoured every pet shop in London and the South of England for every snake they could lay their hands on. Hence there are snakes that are identifiable from many different geographical areas. However, once all the snakes were on set, it became clear that there were not nearly enough of them, so Steven Spielberg had several hoses cut into lengths, and these were used as well. Looking closely, you can tell which are the real snakes and which are not. A sheet of glass separates Harrison Fordand the arched (and highly dangerous) cobra when he falls in. The snake actually did spray venom onto the glass.
The submarine pen on the island where the Ark is taken and finally opened is not a set, but in fact an actual German U-Boat pen left over from World War II in La Rochelle, France. Producer Robert Watts was amazed at how preserved the submarine pen was (even down to the graffiti on the walls) that he described it as "a actual set in existence".
Body Count: 67 (including the monkey).

Summary: Archeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the US government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis.

Review:

One of my all time favorite movies. How can you not love Indiana Jones? This is just a fun action adventure movie. We introduce the twins to it last year and they loved it. A must see for everyone.

Best Bits:

Belloq: What a fitting end to your life's pursuits. You're about to become a permanent addition to this archaeological find. Who knows? In a thousand years, even you may be worth something. Indiana: Ha ha ha ha. [under his breath] Indiana: Son of a bitch.
Sallah: Indy, there is something that troubles me. Indiana: What is it? Sallah: The Ark. If it is there, at Tanis, then it is something that man was not meant to disturb. Death has always surrounded it. It is not of this earth.
Indiana: Do we need the monkey? Marion: I'm surprised at you. Talking that way about our baby. He's got your looks, too. Indiana: And your brains.
[Upon opening the Well of the Souls and peering down] Sallah: Indy, why does the floor move? Indiana: Give me your torch. [Indy takes the torch and drops it in] Indiana: Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes? Sallah: Asps... very dangerous. You go first.
Indiana: Meet me at Omar's. Be ready for me. I'm going after that truck. Sallah: How? Indiana: I don't know, I'm making this up as I go!

Total Eclipse by Rachel Caine

Title: Total Eclipse (Weather Wardens #9)

Author: Rachel Caine

Publisher: Roc 2010

Genre: Paranormal

Pages: 305

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seriously Series; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading;

How I Got It: I own it

Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin, her husband, the djinn David, and the Earth herself have been poisoned by a substance that destroys the magic that keeps the world alive. The poison is destabilizing the entire balance of power, bestowing magic upon those who have never had it, and removing it form those who need it. It's just a matter of time before the delicate balance of nature explodes into chaos-and doom.

Holy crap! What a way to end the series! I sped through this volume on the edge of my seat. I couldn't wait to see how Joanne got herself of the end-of-the-world situation she got herself into. The volume did not disappoint. Like most of of the books in the series, this one hits the ground running. The action starts right away and never stops. I loved that! We get a whirlwind of activity and yet we still connect to the characters. I loved seeing some of the side characters reappear, but glad that Caine focused on our main group. I was even satisfied with the ending and epilogue. Usually I hate epilogues, but this one was nice. Overall, I really liked this series. The middle books meander a bit from the main story arc, but everything gets back on track for a couple of explosive books at the end.

Weather Warden:

Cape Storm by Rachel Caine

Title: Cape Storm (Weather Wardens #8)

Author: Rachel Caine

Publisher: Roc 2009

Genre: Paranormal

Pages: 308

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Seriously Series; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I own it

Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin and her new husband, the Djinn David, are running from a malevolent hurricane bent on destroying her. Joined by an army of fellow Wardens and Djinn onboard a hijacked luxury liner, Joanne has lured the storm into furious pursuit. But even their combined magic may not be enough to stop it-nor the power-mad ex-Weather Warden controlling it...

After the whirlwind that was Gale Force, I liked the slightly slower pace of this volume. I liked getting back to being focused on the main characters of the series. Instead of attempting to update everyone, we get more Joanne, David, and Lewis. I really really love Lewis in this volume. He has taken complete responsibility for the Wardens and for the Earth itself. I also love the villain in this volume, very over the top and slightly cartoonish, but in a good way. And I was very excited about where the whole series is going. I'm very excited to read the last volume in the Weather Wardens series.

Weather Warden:

Gale Force by Rachel Caine

Title: Gale Force (Weather Wardens #7)

Author: Rachel Caine

Publisher: Roc 2008

Genre: Paranormal

Pages: 306

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Seriously Series; Dusty Bookshelf

How I Got It: I own it

Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin is on vacation when her Djinn lover, David, asks Joanne to marry him. She’s thrilled to say yes, even if some others may be less than happy about it.
Unfortunately, Joanne’s pre-marital bliss is ended by a devastating earthquake in Florida. And she can’t ask David and his kind for assistance. Because the cause of the quake is unlike anything Joanne has ever encountered—and a power even the Djinn cannot perceive.

Hmmm... I feel like the series is losing a bit of steam, but I'm determined to finish it this close to the end. Only two more books to go. I still love Jo and David, but their constant being in the middle of these huge catastrophes is starting to take its toll. Maybe it's because the timeline for the entire series is so short. Or maybe it's because each threat is crazier than the last. For whatever reason, I just want, no need some closure to this whole idea. I still enjoyed the book. It had the same well drawn out action sequences. We still got snarky comments from Jo. The book still had all the fun side characters (Kevin, Cherise, Ashan, Venna). I just think we need to start wrapping some of this up now.

Weather Wardens:

Ill Wind
Heat Stroke
Chill Factor
Windfall
Fire Storm
Thin Air
Gale Force
Cape Storm
Total Eclipse

The Impossible Cube by Steven Harper

Title: The Impossible Cube (Clockwork Empire #2)

Author: Steven Harper

Publisher: ROC 2012

Genre: Steampunk

Pages: 380

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Steampunk; New Authors; Library Loan; Bingo - 5 from series

How I Got It: Library loan

Once, Gavin Ennock sailed the skies on airships and enchanted listeners with his fiddle music. Now, the clockwork plague consumes his intellect, enabling him to conceive and construct scientific wonders—while driving him quite mad. Distressed by her beloved’s unfortunate condition, Alice Michaels sought a cure rumored to be inside the Doomsday Vault—and brought the wrath of the British Empire down on them.

Declared enemies of the Crown, Alice and Gavin have little choice but to flee to China in search of a cure. Accompanying them is Dr. Clef, a mad genius driven to find the greatest and most destructive force the world has ever seen: The Impossible Cube. If Dr. Clef gets his hands on it, the entire universe will face extinction.

And Gavin holds the key to its recreation…

Fun fun! I am really loving these quick action adventure reads. I am extra excited that this series is all steampunky goodness. Harper has the right mix of character and action to make me keep reading. The characters are intriguing. I especially loved the addition of Feng and Dodd to this volume. Harper's characters expand and grow, but they still retain their core of being. I loved continuing to follow Alice and Gavin (with Dr. Clef, Click, and Kemp) on their journey to China to bring about the end of the Clockwork Plague and a cure for Gavin. Plus, we get great stopovers in Luxembourg, Berlin, and Kiev. The encounter with the Gontas and Zalzinaks was fabulous. I can't wait to see what happens in the next volume.

Clockwork Empire

The Doomsday Vault
The Impossible Cube
The Dragon Men
The Havoc Machine

The Doomsday Vault by Steven Harper

Title: The Doomsday Vault (Clockwork Empire #1)

Author: Steven Harper

Publisher: ROC 2011

Genre: Steampunk

Pages: 391

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Steampunk; Library; Eclectic -- Action Adventure; 52 Weeks -- W12

How I Got It: Library loan

In a clockwork Brittania, Alice's prospects are slim. At 22, her age and her unladylike interest in automatons have sealed her fate as an undesirable marriage prospect. But a devastating plague sends Alice off in a direction beyond the pale-towards a clandestine organization, mad inventors, life-altering secrets, and into the arms of an intrepid fiddle-playing airship pilot.

I picked this up on a whim at the library. It looked interesting. And it was amazing! I loved it! Cross the Gail Carriger Parasol Protectorate series with George Mann's The Affinity Bridge. I loved the twists and turns. The action never stops... And the characters are too much fun. Alice has such spunk and life! Gavin is the perfect hero. I couldn't wait to see these two get together. Of course, it had to be difficult and fraught with other complications. The side characters round out the whole story. I can't wait to see where this series goes.

Clockwork Empire

The Doomsday Vault
The Impossible Cube
The Dragon Men
The Havoc Machine

Thin Air by Rachel Caine

Title: Thin Air (Weather Wardens #6)

Author: Rachel Caine

Publisher: Roc 2007

Genre: Paranormal action adventure

Pages: 320

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Seriously Series; Dusty Bookshelf; Book Bingo -- 4 from series

How I Got It: I own it

After preventing Mother Earth from destroying the planet, Joanne Baldwin lost her memories thanks to Ashan the djinn-and they will remain lost forever unless Joanne can recover her identity-and destroy the demon who is impersonating her, fabulous shoes and all...

For most of this series, I have enjoyed the books but they haven't blown me away. This one changed all that. This is the best book in the series (at least so far.). Taking away Joanne's memory makes her more human and relatable. She's like the rest of us now. I loved seeing that vulnerable side to her. We re-meet so many interesting characters. We wrap up a few story lines and open a few more. I am really loving how the story is progressing. Can't wait for number 7!

Weather Warden:

Ill Wind
Heat Stroke
Chill Factor
Windfall
Fire Storm
Thin Air
Gale Force
Cape Storm
Total Eclipse

NMF #21: Explorers

Title: Explorers

Year Released/Rating: 1985 PG

Starring: Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Bobby Fite

Written By: Eric Luke

Directed By: Joe Dante

Genre: Adventure, Scifi

Star Rating: 5/5 stars

Where I Got It: Netflix

Trivia:

As the boys look through the junkyard for the pieces for their ship, Rosebud (the sled from Citizen Kane) can be seen sitting at the top of a pile.
When the helicopter pilot looks at the newspaper, one of the headlines says "Kingston Falls 'Riot' Still Unexplained". Kingston Falls was the town where the events in Gremlins(also directed by Joe Dante), took place.
The film was never finished, and was released as a work in progress when the studio decided to move up the release date and release the film as it was, telling director Joe Dante that he was finished and they were going to go ahead and release what he had at that point.
Wolfgang's "talking" rat is named Heinlein, after science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein, who wrote many stories about young boys experimenting with spaceflight.
Inside Wolfgang's basement, the toy monkey from the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, can be seen.
Feature film debut for both Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix.
River Phoenix, who had grown up in communes in South America, was somewhat unfamiliar with popular culture and slang words. During rehearsals it became a running joke when he would attempt scripted well-known words and phrases and usually pronounce them incorrectly.

Summary: Ben Crandall, an alien-obsessed kid, dreams one night of a circuit board. Drawing out the circuit, he and his friends Wolfgang and Darren set it up, and discover they have been given the basis for a starship. Setting off in the ThunderRoad, as they name their ship, they find the aliens Ben hopes they would find... but are they what they seem?

Review: This is a great movie. I feel like I would've completely fallen in love with this movie if I had watched it during childhood. Even watching it during my 30s, I really enjoyed the movie. We get three precocious children making contact with an alien race. There are enough science fiction references to keep the adult geek in me entertain. Plus, we get some awesome 80s-ness. I think we need to introduce the boys to this movie during the summer. Something tells me they would love it!

Best Bits:

Wak: Look, I know I must look weird to you but how do you think you look to me? Listen, I watched four episodes of "Lassie" before I figured out why the little hairy kid never spoke. I mean, he rolled over, sure, he did that fine but, I don't think he deserved a series for that.
Ben Crandall: [stuttering, astounded at the violent film footage] But thi - see, this isn't real! A-a-and we don't really kill people! Well, we do, b-but n-not aliens, 'cause we haven't met any!
Ben Crandall: I've waited all my life to say this. Darren Woods: Be my guest. Ben Crandall: We come in peace.
Heinlein the Mouse: [pressing buttons] I would like... cheese... go... to... hell...
Ben Crandall: What's that? Wak: Uhh... Space Pirates.

NMF #14: The Black Hole

Title: The Black Hole

Year Released/Rating: 1979 PG

Starring: Maximillian Schell, Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster

Written By: Jeb Rosebrook, Bob Barbash, Richard H. Landau, Gerry Day

Directed By: Gary Nelson

Genre: Action Adventure

Star Rating: 5/5 stars

Where I Got It: We own it

Trivia:

To film the special effects, Disney originally wanted to rent the Dykstraflex camera system that was created for Star Wars (the first computer-controlled camera) from Industrial Light & Magic. However, the price and rental terms were unacceptable so Disney created its own version instead. What resulted was Disney's A.C.E.S. (Automated Camera Effects System), which was radically superior to the Dykstraflex system; the Mattescan system, which enabled the camera to move on a matte painting (that was previously impossible); and a computer-controlled modeling stand.
Dr. Reinhardt's ship was originally called the Centaurus. It was renamed Cygnus after the constellation where the first known black hole was discovered in 1964.
At the time of its release, the movie featured the longest computer graphics sequence that had ever appeared in a film: the "green grid" sequence that appears under the opening titles.
Almost all of the dialog in the film was re-recorded by the cast during post-production looping (ADR) - with the exception of only a couple of lines.
This was regarded as the last big special effect production to be made under the "old studio system." All of the elaborate special effects were created within the Disney studio and not farmed out to outside special effects companies.

Summary: A research vessel finds a missing ship, commanded by a mysterious scientist, on the edge of a black hole.

Review: This is one of those movies that J was amazed that I haven't seen. Of course, we had to rectify that tonight. This is a treasure. I loved the story, the design, the effects, the actors. For 1979, this just looks amazing. Dr. Reinhardt is a mix between a James Bond villain and Captain Nemo. In fact, the entire Nemo is a lot like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but in space. The rest of the crew are fun and very logiacl in their behavior. Plus the dialogue is a lot of fun. And the sets look great for the year. There is a great consistency to the universe. I can't believe I've never seen this.

Best Bits:

Dr. Hans Reinhardt: Some cause must have created all this, but what caused that cause?
Lieutenant Charles Pizer: Vincent, were you programmed to bug me? V.I.N.CENT: No, sir, to educate you.
Kate McCrae: If there's any justice at all, the black hole will be your grave!
[after first seeing the black hole] Lieutenant Charles Pizer: Every time I see one of those things I expect to spot some guy dressed in red with horns and a pitchfork. Dan Holland: It's a monster, all right. V.I.N.CENT: A rip in the very fabric of space and time.
Lieutenant Charles Pizer: When I volunteered for this mission, I never thought I'd end up playing straight man to a tin can.
Dan Holland: It's only dinner. V.I.N.CENT: Said the spider to the fly.
V.I.N.CENT: A wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep.
Dr. Hans Reinhardt: Maximilian, the time has come to liquidate our guests.

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

Title: Kidnapped

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Genre: Classics

Pages: 218

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Classics -- International; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading

How I Got It: I own it

The young orphan David Balfour is sent to live with his Uncle Ebenezer. When he discovers that he may be the rightful heir to his uncle's estate, he finds himself kidnapped and cast away on a desert isle. A historical adventure novel originally intended for a young-adult audience, Kidnapped deals with true historical events relating to the Jacobite Rising, and has won the admiration of an adult audience.

This may be considered a classic, but I just didn't love it. I couldn't really get into the adventures. I didn't feel anything for David. I thought he was naive and silly at many times in the books. Not that I wanted Uncle Ebenezer to win, but David just wasn't the easiest hero to like. Overall I thought the writing was stilted and pretty dry. Maybe it's the time period. I just am not a fan of Stevenson's writing at all. Not my cup of tea.