Reviews

OK, I'm a pirate nerd, and I'll admit it. The first movie is still one of my all-time favorites. It had everything -- suspense, romance, action, fantasy, comedy, special effects, great characters, hot actors and actresses, etc. I jumped on the pirate bandwagon instantly and still love the first as much as I did back in the day. The second one was OK. It had too many subplots, but it was still kind of enjoyable. The third? Terrible. Atrocious. A monstrosity. I kid you not, it was that bad. I was so excited to see it that I stayed up all night and fought intense pirate-garbed traffic to see it at midnight on Thursday. Words can not express how disappointed I was in this movie and how disgusted I was after seeing it. I had to take a shower to cleanse myself of this filth.

There were just too many subplots that honestly made no sense whatsoever. The second one had a lot, but at least the rest of the movie was slightly enjoyable. Now I've watched deep movies like "The Departed" or "Crash" with no problem, but this one was impossible to follow. I am not an idiot, but this movie gave me an enormous headache. This guy's bad, no, he isn't, he is, no, he pretended, he pretended to pretend, she found out, they're mad, he's good, maybe, they'll make up, maybe, no, bomb falls, what? Maybe he is, I guess not, yes, no. She loves him, no wait, he loves her, no wait, this happened and made it crazy, never mind, OK, yes, no, maybe........ HUH?! Turns out that everyone else I've talked to about this movie was also confused. It had no coherence, much less a point. Stuff came out of nowhere and random things popped up that made no sense. Seriously.

The only redeeming qualities about this movie were the Johnny Depp comedy scenes and the fact that Kiera gets a bigger part than just sitting there and screaming. That's it.

From one pirate fan to another (perhaps), only see this movie if you're a die-hard fan, and I mean a DIE-HARD FAN. If you're only a semi-fan, wait for the DVD. It really is not worth going to the theater unless you'll die if you don't see this movie. Personally, I saw it because I wanted to see it before some idiot had the chance to spoil anything for me.

I thought this movie was very well-done. The characters were fun and the story had enough twists to keep you interested. Without giving the last bits away, I'll just say that it is fresh. Basically, this movie's story is based around a gun drawing competition. The winner gets glory and lots of money. Ellen (Sharon Stone) comes to the town to get even with gene Hackman's character, who she claims "stole her life." The other players in the competition are a lot of fun, especially Leonardo DiCaprio, Gene Hackman's son. Russel Crowe is a de-famed priest who once was an outlaw. Most of the characters are "bad-a**es." Overall, the acting is excellent.

Yes, this movie is a little cheesy and some of the situations are far-fetched. That's why it's so lovable, though. I think Sam Raimi did an excellent job with this movie, and it reminded me of a lot of his other work. Sharon Stone's character in particular reminded me of "Xena: Warrior Princess." If you like Raimi's work or movies that don't take themselves seriously and want you to have a good time, then you'll probably enjoy this flick. Being a Xena fan, I really liked this movie.

As with all of my other Olsen Twins movies, I rate this against their other movies, not against the standard world of Hollywood movies. Hence the ten rating.

This movie is probably the most entertaining and sensible of the Olsen Twins movies. Even my younger brothers, who were nineteen when they watched this, enjoyed this movie. There is actually a plot and the girls have distinguished characters for once. In most of their other movies, they're basically the same person. The Mexican scenery is beautiful. The collage at the end is a nice treat for fans of their movies. This is definitely one of their movies that would be tolerable to non-fans. If you liked the comedy in this one, I'd recommend "Our Lips Are Sealed." If you liked the distinct characterization, I'd recommend "Winning London." If you liked the tropical scenery, I'd recommend "Holiday in the Sun."

I rented this movie for my nephews and nieces (aged 4-11) and honestly tried to give it a chance. I grew up on Disney and am still a major fan of all Disney movies pre-2000 (e.g. - Cinderella, Aladdin, Tarzan, A Goofy Movie, The Lion King, etc.), plus even some made afterward (e.g. - Lilo and Stitch, the animated Three Musketeers). I, however, could not make it past twenty minutes of this travesty. The characters were annoying, as were their voices. The "story" was just lame and did not catch my attention. Even my nephews and nieces started walking around the house and ignoring the TV after twenty minutes. I turned the TV off a few minutes later, and no one protested or even seemed to notice. What a waste of a rental and half an hour of my life. Please do yourself and your children a favor and rent an older Disney flick. Save your money, time, and trouble. The only thing I got out of this flick was an incessant hunger for fried chicken.

I picked this up from the video store not expecting much, but I really was surprised. This is sure to become an instant classic. As usual, Disney has the characterization right-on -- Mickey's the straight, normal guy, Goofy's the clumsy goofball who surprisingly has brief moments of genius, and Donald's the loudmouth with a bad temper. Pete was his usual bad self, and his scenes had me cracking up. For example, when he's preparing for a shower at the beginning, he says to himself, "I've been looking forward to this all month!" The songs are based on melodies from classical music, so they're tolerable and stick in your head afterward. Thank goodness for that, because Disney's music has slipped down the drain in the past several years. The comedy is a little slapstick at parts, but has the classical charm of the old cartoons we grew up on. However, as one reviewer said, the turtle guy at the beginning is a little boring, but the rest of the movie more than makes up for it.

All in all, this story of three underdogs really is worth viewing. It is excellent for kids and adults will actually be able to giggle at some parts and enjoy it, especially since it is reminiscent of old Disney cartoons. I was so impressed that I had my adult brothers watch it, and they were impressed and giggled through the whole thing. This movie is proof that Disney still has the ability to make good movies and that Disney's original characters are still capable of starring in their own films. Highly recommended!

As an avid Disney fan, I feel that this is one of Disney's most underrated films. The score and songs are great, the characters are excellent and somewhat believable, and the animation is nice. I used to watch this movie daily when it hit shelves when I was ten, and I still love it as much as I did then. My entire family loved watching this movie over and over again. Younger people will relate to Max's struggles with popularity and teen life, while older viewers will enjoy watching Goofy try to reconnect with his son. I recommend this film to Disney fans, Goofy fans, "Goof Troop" fans, adolescents who "hate" their parents, parents, and anyone looking for a family-safe comedy. The comedy, while a little slapstick at times, works. The father-son message is great but never preachy. Max's love interest, Roxanne, looks realistic; she has wide hips, slightly tangled hair, a normal-sized bust, and is not a stick figure unlike Disney's Esmeralda and Pocahontas characters. As an added bonus, fans of 90's culture will be in Heaven while watching this movie. Several references are made to 90's culture, including several articles of clothing, songs, etc. Unlike timeless Disney movies such as "The Little Mermaid," or "Alice in Wonderland," this movie makes its era obvious. Nostalgia alert!

Overall, highly recommended. One of Disney's best, and it also has high replay value and lots of 90's nostalgia.

As with "Our Lips Are Sealed," I found this to be one of the better Olsen movies. The sets are beautiful; then again, Southern California is usually beautiful. Some of the acting is a little cheesy, especially on the character Nigel's part; this is inevitable in most children's movies, however. Overall, this movie is cute and harmless fun with a semi-unique storyline to boot. I give it a 10 in the field of Olsen movies, because I feel that it can't be rated against mainstream blockbusters such as "Crash" or "Braveheart." I would definitely recommend this movie if you're looking for a good family movie that adults and children can tolerate and enjoy.

First and foremost, I feel that this movie must be judged against other Olsen Twins movies, not against major blockbusters; hence the 10 rating. When looked at from this perspective, this is actually one of the better Olsen Twins movies out there, if not the best. In essence, I feel that even a non-"MKA" fan could watch this and possibly enjoy it. The girls speak into the camera several times and don't take themselves seriously. Also, the other actors in the movie actually have some talent. The comedy in this flick is lighthearted and cute; for example, the enemies are from a fictional Eastern European country called "Urugly," which is pronounced like "Yer Ugly." Overall, I enjoyed this MKA flick much more than the others. I would recommend it to younger people and someone who's looking for a light-hearted comedy for the family. Trust me, it's not as cheesy and pointless as most other Olsen Twins flicks. It's also probably something males and adults could watch without getting sick from the "girliness overload." No, this movie is not the next "Titanic" or "Ben-Hur." However, it is a cute flick worth watching.

P.S. - This movie would probably be unbearable for Australians to view due to all the stereotypes and overdone "Crocodile Dundee' accents. If you are Australian or are close to any Australians, this would probably be a movie to avoid. My Australian fiancé would probably die of shock if I showed him this flick and told him that I loved it...