Cinema Civilian

*This review will contain SPOILERS for Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl , Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest , Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End , Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides , and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales . In 2003, Jack Sparrow arrived in Port Royal for the first time. Now, 14 years later, we find ourselves at the end of Jack's journey. I have to say I enjoyed the first three installments. They had an interesting story, compelling characters, and some impressive action sequences. However, I wasn't a huge fan of On Stranger Tides . I felt that Jack, as a character couldn't carry an entire film on his own. It was for this reason that I had my concerns going into Dead Men Tell No Tales , as I feared more of the same. I am pleased to say that the series returned to its roots, where there were several subplots in addition to the main story line. And, with that in mind, let's dive into...

13 years ago, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Pheobe, Rachel, and Joey, walked out of their famous New York flat for the final time. This final episode punctuated what is perhaps, in my opinion, the strongest sitcom in television history. Why do I think this? Well, let's take a look into the series to find out. Let me start off by saying I did not grow up with the series. In fact, I still remember my parents telling us to leave the room for the final episode, as we wouldn't understand the significance of this finale. Friends follows the lives of six people living in New York City. Each member of the group has their own quirk, as in most sitcoms: Rachel's the rich, pretty one; Monica's excessively neat; Ross's the smart one; Joey, the "dumb" one; and Pheobe's the odd one. However, the show develops each of these characters over the 10 seasons to the point where these became more footnotes in the characters' profiles. And that's something I ha...

*This review will contain spoilers for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl With the series coming to a close this month with Dead Men Tell No Tales , I figured I would take a look back at the film that started it all. Jack Sparrow first sailed into Port Royale on July 9th, 2003. Well, sot of sailed, that is. Since then, Jack has sailed the seas of the Caribbean for four films thus far.  After facing mutiny from his first mate, Barbosa, and his crew, Jack seeks to take revenge and reclaim his vessel, the Black Pearl. His journey leads him to meet with William Turner and Elizabeth Swan, and together the three go on a swashbuckling adventure as pirates. The plot of this film is very easy to follow throughout, with interesting subplots, such as Elizabeth's relationship to Will and the Commodore, and the various backstory elements of Jack's life. While there is a lot going on in this film, I am glad to say that it is nearly impossible to lose tra...

This summer, PIXAR Animation studios releases their 18th film,  Cars 3 . To commemorate this film, I have created a list of my top ten films by the studio, as of the conclusion of the 2016 releases. You can click the title of a film to watch it on Amazon Video. Doing this helps support the blog and enables me to review more films currently in the theater. In tenth place, we have  The Incredibles . PIXAR created a superhero film that actually had a villain with a compelling story. Most movies of this genre really don't give strong cause to the villains, but Syndrome's origin is actually truly tragic. I won't spoil it here, but it makes you wonder about how your actions can shape another person's life. The animation is very crisp and clean, despite having a lot going on, especially the jungle chase and the final battle. If you haven't seen it yet, it's worth the time. Coming in ninth is  Cars . I remember being unimpressed by the trailers of this film,...

*This review contains minor spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 I adored the original Guardians of the Galaxy  a lot. It was funny, exciting, and established this side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This one, however... focused of the characters a whole lot more. Normally, I would summarize the plot of the film here. Seeing as I am writing this opening weekend, and wish to minimize spoilers, here is my summary:  Peter finds out who his dad is.  That's all I can summarize it as. Those of you who have seen the film will know exactly what I mean. Let me start off by saying that, given the lack of family developments in the Marvel story lines, I found this one to be the most emotionally involving film I have seen produced by the studio. This film is all about family, both the good and the bad. We learn a lot more about Nebula's relationship with Gamora, her sister, and Thanos, her father. And I have to say, Karen Gillian (Nebula) and Zoe Saldana pl...

*This review will contain spoilers for Big Fat Liar and Bigger Fatter Liar Well, we've reached a new milestone on this blog: I have found a film I do not like. But, before I get too into the new film, a little background on the original. Big Fat Liar  was a 2002 comedy about a high school student who lies. A lot. One day, his final paper is accidentally left in a limo with a Hollywood director. When he finds his paper is being turned into a film, he and his girlfriend travel to LA to get revenge, and hijinks ensue. I enjoyed this film fifteen years ago, and still find it amusing today. The slapstick and timing was perfect, and there was a reasonable background on the characters. Bigger Fatter Liar  is about the same thing, only it's a video game instead of a movie. It also lacks the comedic nature of the film. The lead male, Ricky Garcia, has none of the charismatic charm of Frankie Muniz, and thus the premise is less agreeable. The original benefited from the...