Third Time Is The Charm

HOME

ABOUT JACKIE

NEWS

BOOKS

MOVIES

VIDEOS

TELEVISION

COLUMNS

LINKS

CONTACT

Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"
courtesy of Disney Home Entertainment

"Third Time Is the Charm"

At Christmastime you will get to see another Johnny Depp incarnation. In "Sweeney Todd" he acts and sings! But before you take in that event, it is time to watch Depp perform as Captain Jack Sparrow one more time. And this he does in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." The "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy comes to a close with this latest segment.

This final installment is the best of the three movies because it combines more adventure, more comedy, and more romance with the magic that is Johnny Depp. Still you better have studied the first two movies' plots because there is no recapping here. The moviemakers assume the audience knows the backstory so off they go.

Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) and Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) track down Chinese pirate leader Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat) and ask his aid in taking them to the land of the dead at the world's end. Meanwhile Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) is working on getting Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) involved. The goal is to go to the land of the dead and bring back Jack Sparrow (Depp) who is trapped there.

Of course the treacherous Lord Beckett (Tom Hollander) is in constant pursuit and has some dirty tricks up his sleeve. Plus Will is not really out to help Jack but rather wants to rescue his father from Davy Jones' ship. As you can tell there are plots and subplots galore in this movie and it is almost impossible to keep them all straight.

The secret to enjoying the movie is just to go with the flow and let the plot take you where it will. It is more important to listen out for the one liners that fall from Jack Sparrow's mouth. Depp tosses them off with a devil may care attitude and it makes for hilarious moments in the movie. But he is not the only funny one. There are some lesser characters who also get in some laugh-getting moments.

Plus Keira Knightley has never` been more beautiful than in this film. She and Bloom recapture the ardor of Will and Elizabeth's love and serve it up with gusto. Even in the midst of battles at sea there is time for romance.

When I saw the first "Pirates" I was mildly entertained because I wasn't expecting much. The second "Pirates" disappointed me because I expected it to be oh so much better than it was. This final segment of the trilogy amazed me because I was expecting another dreary film like "number two" and it isn't. It is long - two hours and forty something minutes - but it has to be to get it all in there. The ever delightful Depp and his cast of truly brilliant actors make this "Pirates" a rollicking, romantic extravaganza of fun. Don't expect to understand it, but do expect to enjoy it.

And make sure to check out all the DVD bonus material. There are a lot of extras to make this DVD even more entertaining. It is packed full!

The contemporary Brazilian music scene is explored in "Antonia," a DVD about four young women working their way to the top of the music scene. There are hardships along the way but these women are determined and that makes up the core of the story.

On the DVD you also get to watch "The Making of Antonia" as well as getting a music video titled "In the Shade of a Tree." You will love the music and love the movie.

One of the best kept secrets on HBO is the amazing series "The Wire." This show has always garnered praise but it never draws the audience of a "Sopranos" or "Nip/Tuck." Still it is well worth watching and when the series is released on DVD that is when you can catch up.

"The Wire: The Complete Fourth Season" is now on DVD and in stores. So get it and watch it and see what all the fuss is about. This fourth season concerns four young men and their struggle to get a good education. It's timely and all too true in its presentation.

Just in time for the holidays is a DVD to keep your kids "powered up." It is "Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive Volume 3." This is a seven-episode experience for your kids and it involves some tricky adventures for the multi colored fighters. All five fighters are involved in protecting the world from evil domination.

Plus there are two bonus features - "Reserve Ranger Training Course" and "Ranger Profiles." This is new and unseen material your kids will love. So rush out and get this DVD now and keep your kids entertained during the long days leading up to Christmas.

Three of the Disney Channel's most popular shows are "Hannah Montana," "The Suite Life of Zach and Cody," and "Cory In the House." The stars of these three shows appear on the new Disney DVD "Wish Gone Amiss." In each episode there is a theme about a wish going wrong.

There is also a bonus on the DVD - "I Wish I May, I Wish I Might: A Guide To Making Wishes." This bonus is hosted by Jason Earles who plays Miley Cyrus' younger brother on "Hannah Montana.

So make your kids delightfully happy by getting them the new DVD - Wish Gone Amiss." It's a winner!

Click above to find out more about Jackie's books!