The long weekend is drawing to and end but we definitely made the most of it. We spent Saturday AM shopping for some things at Fleet Farm for the yard etc. Ended up coming home with some vegetables to plant and a few other things for the yard. While it didn't happen this weekend, we're really looking forward to doing some work in the yard and planting the seeds.
Saturday afternoon-ish, we went to see Cirque Du Soleil "OVO" under canvas by the Mall of America. It was a insect/nature-themed performance and I was really impressed. The level of skill and precision is absolutely amazing, It's something that you just can't see anywhere else. The tent added a very cool backdrop, especially with the thunder rumbling and the rain falling outside. I had a fantastic time and will definitely see another performance in the future.
Saturday evening we spent some time at a house-warming party. We had to giggle when we left the house at 9:30pm, considering most of the time we're in bed by 11pm. Either way, it was a good time and we enjoyed the company and this year's bottles of Summit Heifeweizen.
Sunday was the annual Valley Fair trip. As usual, the weather held and there were barely any lines. We managed to ride everything without to much hassle, although it wasn't warm enough this year for any water rides. Regardless, it was a great time and we were pretty exhausted when we came home. We capped of the day by watching "Black Swan." Without going into detail, I thought the movie was decent, but perhaps built up a little too much to meet my expectations.
On this last day of the bunch, I've just been cleaning and putzing around the house a bit. At 3pm I'm heading up to Lifetime Fitness to open a membership. I'm excited to participate in some structured work-outs and classes, and at the same time, ensure that riding my bike stays fun and doesn't become a daily grind for exercise only.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Pirates of The Caribbean: On Strained Tides
With the latest Pirates movie (#4) still fresh in my mind, I thought I'd take a few moments to write a quick review. For this latest entry in the series, I decided to splurge and see it in 3D. Apparently the "D" stands for Damn! that cost a lot of money! $26 for two tickets to be exact.
It's no secret that I love Pirate history, and along with the truth, the fictitious Captain Jack Sparrow. The pirates movies have sailed with tide over the years, some absolutely brilliant (#1) and some quite convoluted and tiresome (At World's End). Whatever the future holds for the franchise, I walk the plank to the theater, clinging to both $26 and my illusions that the best movie is still on the horizon.
On Stranger Tides is a stand-alone entry, meant to be character driven and unique in it's plot. Johnny Depp has admitted that during the filming of the sequels he paused frequently to say WTF? It's also a fact that he doesn't tend to watch is own movies, which has nothing to do with my review, I just find it interesting. Regardless, the main goal of this entry was to move the characters forward and leave the long-winded back story in the past.
For the most part, I found the movie to be quite dim and drab, both comically and literally. Part of what made the series my favorite was the colorful characters, breathtaking scenery and well-balanced comedy/drama/action sequences. On Stranger Tides never really takes off and becomes a summer blockbuster, it feels more like a series of ideas strung together from the cutting room floor of previous entries. While I managed a few chuckles, the comedy seemed a bit too familiar for my liking.
My biggest disappointment didn't lie with the actors (or lack thereof in the case of Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley) or the story (predictable, much?) but rather with Jack Sparrow. In my mind I was thinking this movie would take Jack to a whole new level, but unfortunately, I really felt like this was a step backward for him. Overall, I wouldn't say the movie is dead in the water, however, it didn't shiver me timbers and/or blow me down as much as I would have liked.
It's no secret that I love Pirate history, and along with the truth, the fictitious Captain Jack Sparrow. The pirates movies have sailed with tide over the years, some absolutely brilliant (#1) and some quite convoluted and tiresome (At World's End). Whatever the future holds for the franchise, I walk the plank to the theater, clinging to both $26 and my illusions that the best movie is still on the horizon.
On Stranger Tides is a stand-alone entry, meant to be character driven and unique in it's plot. Johnny Depp has admitted that during the filming of the sequels he paused frequently to say WTF? It's also a fact that he doesn't tend to watch is own movies, which has nothing to do with my review, I just find it interesting. Regardless, the main goal of this entry was to move the characters forward and leave the long-winded back story in the past.
For the most part, I found the movie to be quite dim and drab, both comically and literally. Part of what made the series my favorite was the colorful characters, breathtaking scenery and well-balanced comedy/drama/action sequences. On Stranger Tides never really takes off and becomes a summer blockbuster, it feels more like a series of ideas strung together from the cutting room floor of previous entries. While I managed a few chuckles, the comedy seemed a bit too familiar for my liking.
My biggest disappointment didn't lie with the actors (or lack thereof in the case of Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley) or the story (predictable, much?) but rather with Jack Sparrow. In my mind I was thinking this movie would take Jack to a whole new level, but unfortunately, I really felt like this was a step backward for him. Overall, I wouldn't say the movie is dead in the water, however, it didn't shiver me timbers and/or blow me down as much as I would have liked.
