The return of Captain Jack

I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides yesterday, and liked it well enough. Thrills, laughs, scares, they're all there. However, it didn't have anywhere near the ambition and scope of the last couple of Pirates movies, Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, nor the variety of characters.

On that last point, there aren't many "normal" characters this time, like the previous films' Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) or Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), for the larger-than-life characters to contrast with and stand out against. Here, nearly everyone is a big, eccentric character... Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow, Geoffrey Rush's Captain Barbossa, Ian McShane's Blackbeard, among others, which eventually makes everything feel somewhat over the top. Making these characters seem even more eccentric is the fact that there isn't a big, ambitious story for them to fill this time, just a fairly modest one about different interests racing to reach the Fountain of Youth.

Despite the smaller, less epic story, there are some high points in the movie, however, including a terrific set piece involving Blackbeard and his crew, with a conscripted Jack Sparrow along for the ride, trying to lure a school of mermaids into a trap, in order to secure the tears of one of the lovely but deadly creatures (the tears being needed to activate the Fountain of Youth once it's found). The whole mermaid sequence starts out bad for the hunters then gets worse, eventually resembling the Pirates version of a fire fight with the Vietcong. It's something to see.

I could tell you a few more things, some good and some less so, about the movie. But in the end, if you liked the other Pirates of the Caribbean movies, you'll probably enjoy this one enough to justify a trip to the theater. You may even like it more than the last couple, if you felt those were getting a bit too bloated and complicated. Me, I found On Stranger Tides to be a bit of a step back in most key areas, but not enough of one to get upset about. I'm glad I saw it.

More ponderables

On this fine Thursday, here are a few more age-old questions for you to ponder...

Why is it when you give someone your opinion, you're "putting your two cents in", but when someone asks for your opinion, they only offer "a penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

If a deaf person goes to court, is it still called a hearing?

If the professor on Gilligan's Island could make a radio out of a coconut, why couldn't he fix a hole in a boat?

Why do we press harder on the TV remote when we know the batteries are weak?

Something for grown-ups

The memorable, entertaining, and decidedly adults-only Burning Palms delivers five edgy, shocking, often funny tales, all centering around sexual and social taboos, and various other sex-related themes. Once you get into the mood of the movie, which is that it's basically a sex-drenched Tales From the Crypt (right down to the comic-book graphics that introduce each segment), you'll enjoy the over-the-top plot developments and shock endings.

My wife and I did utter a few "Oh, come on!" type comments throughout, in response to some of the characters' actions, but to be fair, the filmmakers were probably going for those particular audience reactions. The second story, about a young girl's mental breakdown after her boyfriend asks her to perform a fairly mild (in our opinion) bit of kinkiness, particularly caused some eye-rolling. Aren't these characters supposed to be sophisticated, nothing-can-shock-us residents of hip-and-trendy L.A.? Still, the tale was entertaining, as are all the stories to varying degrees.

The final segment, about a young woman's unconventional response to her recent rape, was actually done pretty much as a straight drama, and ended up being the most memorable of the tales. What would most women do if they stumbled upon the identity of their masked attacker, including his full name, home address, and work address? They probably wouldn't do what this woman does during the course of the movie's thoughtful, complex closing story.

Burning Palms is well acted by an interesting combination of familiar faces and talented lesser-known actors, and sharply directed by Christopher B. Landon (the son of actor Michael Landon) The movie looked and sounded great on the standard DVD we watched.

Give Burning Palms a shot if you're at all open to this type of material. It's worth a look.

Postscript

Extra, extra... I just learned via a web search that, in addition to the new Kobo reader with touch-screen technology coming out in June (and discussed in my previous post), next month will also feature Barnes and Noble's new touch-screen Nook, priced at $139.00.

In fact, it looks like both devices were announced pretty much simultaneously, most likely to take advantage of the need of so many of us to buy Fathers Day gifts.

Does that mean that Amazon's touch-screen Kindle will be announced tomorrow? Sheesh.

New kid on the block

Borders' new Kobo E-Reader Touch Edition, out in June, dumps the ugly rubbery controller, retains e-ink technology, but adds a touch screen. Also including WiFi connectivity, the new device is priced at a very attractive $129.00. As far as I can tell, today is the first day the product is being shown to the public (many of you probably received the same promotional e-mail from Borders earlier today that I did).

So far I've been a Kindle man, but this looks interesting. For some reason I always thought that e-ink was incompatible with touch-screen technology, but why should it be? The sensors are in the main screen, right, regardless of what's underneath it.

Anyway, this whole thing is kind of like the space race during the Cold War, isn't it? You just know that Amazon's Jeff Bezos and his fellow executives are annoyed that Borders got its touch-screen e-ink reader to market before they did.

So, you Kindle purists, would you be tempted to buy this new reader, with its cool new touch screen? Or will you wait for the Kindle 4, which will undoubtedly feature touch-screen tech as well? Myself, considering that e-book readers are plummeting in price, it might not be too extravagent to own both! It might be prudent, even, as we won't be tied to any one retailer to buy our e-books.

One thing's for sure. The e-book playing field has just gotten a lot more interesting.

Ha

Recently spotted on a bumper sticker:

I bet you that I could stop gambling.

Breaking the routine

Never let it be said that I only enjoy mystery novels and superhero movies. Yesterday a friend and I took a jaunt into center city Philadelphia to hear the famed Philadelphia Orchestra perform the majestic Beethoven Symphony #9. It was a tremendous performance, one my friend and I will remember for years to come.

Nicely accessorizing the 2:00 p.m. performance were a couple of glasses of wine prior to the performance at a nearby French bistro, and a couple of glasses after the performance, at a popular Italian restaurant in the area. The less said the better about the glass of indifferent Chardonnay we each had during intermission.

The Philadelphia Orchestra performs in Verizon Hall, the main performance venue inside the Kimmel Center on Broad Street, the city's main thoroughfare. Pictured is the public space just outside Verizon Hall, but still inside the Kimmel Center, just after the conclusion of yesterday's performance. Yes, that's replica of the Eiffel Tower in the photograph. The impressive structure, which is lit up at night, was recently constructed as part of a citywide arts festival.