Spanish Roses Have Thorns, Too!

Pirates of the Caribbean – On Stranger Tides

The fourth installment of this transformed Disney ride goes even farther than the other side of the world. Jack is back, Barbossa returns, and Jacks first mate – Gibbs, start out on a new adventure. My favorite fantasy creatures (I’ll give you a hint---they’re not named Ariel, but they’ve got a lot in common with her) are on hand and there are new characters stirring up the waters, both oceanic and emotionally. You may not have thought Cap’n Jack had much of a heart for anything other than gold, rum, and the Black Pearl (considering his treatment of women---pirates aren’t exactly known for their sensitivity), but we get to see a bit more of the man than the character this time. Ian McShane & Penelope Cruz are new additions. There’s definitely an opportunity to keep the franchise going forward and we’ll see what Disney & Bruckheimer have in mind to churn up the bright blue waters of the Caribbean. By the way, I viewed this in 3-D, a usual no-no for moi and I didn’t get even slightly seasick. Rating: 3.25 pieces of eight, arrrrh!

Thor (He-Man of the Universe--yeah baby)

Eight bazillion years ago in a galaxy, far, far away, the myths of the Norsepeople were born, or so we’re to believe. Chris Hemsworth is the new Marvel action hero. He’s picked up the gauntlet, or in this case, a really, really, really big hammer from Schwarzenegger, Reeves, Stallone, Ferrigno, and anyone else who’s built like a brick. Twists and turns and up and down the shoot from the land of Odin to New Mexico. Reminiscent of a bunch of sci-fi/fantasy films and screams sequel, almost from the moment we see Chris as super hunky Thor. Supporting cast, Natalie Portman, Kat Denning, Stellan Skarsgard, Anthony Hopkins, and Rene Russo, superb. Tom Hiddleston as Loki – absolutely spot on. I can see him down the road playing Johnny Weir in a bio-pic. Wonder if he can skate? No matter, he looks like la Weir’s brother, if he had one. No Queen soundtrack like Flash Gordon, not as cheesy, but will be a great double feature in the future. Rating: It’s hammer time – 3.2 strikes