Anna HarveyJohnny Depp, Anne Hathaway or Will Farrell in Your Stocking
December 14th 2006 15:33
Three hit movies on DVD to consider for the Holidays.
The second installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man's Chest, although earning over half a billion dllars worldwide (wouldn't that come in handy while shopping this year), received mixed reviews. But many fans, while enjoying this installment, are also very much looking forward to part three, which will feature Keith Richards as Captain Jack Sparrow's father. I can't help it, I start laughing just at the thought of seeing those two together on the screen.
Rolling Stone magazine said,
[CENTER]]"Returning director Gore Verinski and screenwriters Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott have wisely taken a cue from Depp and learned how to play fast and loose with the material. Lively is an odd word for something called Dead Man's Chest, but lively it is. You won't find hotter action, wilder thrills or loopier laughs this summer.
Where did they go right? Start with Depp who could have hit paydirt just by repeating himself as Capt. Jack, the skeeviest pirate on the high seas. How easy it would be to let the dreads, the mascara and the gold teeth do the acting for him. Instead, Depp builds on the role, investing his pirate prince with quick wit, erotic mischief and a sneaky sense of decency. Keith Richards, who will play Jack's father in the third chapter of the series, is only one of Depp's inspirations for a character that keeps springing surprises. Depp's Capt. Jack is a classic comic creation and also the most subversive hero ever in a Disney movie -- [/CENTER]]
Also available is The Devil Wears Prada, again a hit, returning roughly three times its $35,000,000.00 estimated production costs. The film narrative of bad boss, good employee was viewed as rather thin by many critics, but the performances of Meryl Streep as the Darth Vader of Employers', and Stanley Tucci as her henchman, brought many compliments.
Talladega Nights was considered a return to the top for Will Farrell. It doubled its $74,000,000.00 cost in release worldwide.
Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle summed it up:
Fun stocking stuffers for any movie fan.
The second installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man's Chest, although earning over half a billion dllars worldwide (wouldn't that come in handy while shopping this year), received mixed reviews. But many fans, while enjoying this installment, are also very much looking forward to part three, which will feature Keith Richards as Captain Jack Sparrow's father. I can't help it, I start laughing just at the thought of seeing those two together on the screen.
Rolling Stone magazine said,
[CENTER]]"Returning director Gore Verinski and screenwriters Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott have wisely taken a cue from Depp and learned how to play fast and loose with the material. Lively is an odd word for something called Dead Man's Chest, but lively it is. You won't find hotter action, wilder thrills or loopier laughs this summer.
Also available is The Devil Wears Prada, again a hit, returning roughly three times its $35,000,000.00 estimated production costs. The film narrative of bad boss, good employee was viewed as rather thin by many critics, but the performances of Meryl Streep as the Darth Vader of Employers', and Stanley Tucci as her henchman, brought many compliments.
Talladega Nights was considered a return to the top for Will Farrell. It doubled its $74,000,000.00 cost in release worldwide.
Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle summed it up:
"Talladega Nights" may be light entertainment, but the skill is apparent on a number of fronts.
What is it about Ferrell that makes him so good at playing people in the grip of a delusion? Possibly, it's the way he combines absolute stupidity with absolute conviction -- alas, a common combination in this world -- and holds it up to ridicule. The screenplay comes up with ample opportunities for Ferrell to act deluded. The funniest one is that Ricky, following a car accident, becomes convinced he's on fire every time he gets behind a wheel. This allows for the absurd physical comedy of Ferrell, rolling around on the grass, running in circles and stripping down to his underwear, attempting to put out flames that aren't there. Not every bit is on that exalted level, and the picture gets a bit long near the finish. But comedies live and die on the basis of their laugh quotient, and "Talladega Nights" gets its share. "
What is it about Ferrell that makes him so good at playing people in the grip of a delusion? Possibly, it's the way he combines absolute stupidity with absolute conviction -- alas, a common combination in this world -- and holds it up to ridicule. The screenplay comes up with ample opportunities for Ferrell to act deluded. The funniest one is that Ricky, following a car accident, becomes convinced he's on fire every time he gets behind a wheel. This allows for the absurd physical comedy of Ferrell, rolling around on the grass, running in circles and stripping down to his underwear, attempting to put out flames that aren't there. Not every bit is on that exalted level, and the picture gets a bit long near the finish. But comedies live and die on the basis of their laugh quotient, and "Talladega Nights" gets its share. "
Fun stocking stuffers for any movie fan.
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