The Rum Diary (2011)

If you have been living under a rock then you obviously wouldn't know that there is some controversy in Hollywood surrounding the lives of Johnny Depp (Mortdecai) and Amber Heard (Pineapple Express) as both are engulfed in a nasty case. So, I have decided that I was going to check out a film that both former lovers starred in together as I watched The Rum Diary which was released in 2011 and was written and directed by Bruce Robinson (How to Get Ahead in Advertising) and is based off of the Hunter S. Thompson novel. Depp stars as freelance writer Kemp who decides to take a job as a writer for a newspaper in Puerto Rico. The only problem is that things are not what they seem as he tries to navigate himself between the culture of the island and certain characters that inhabit the island. The film also stars Aaron Eckhart (Thank You For Smoking) as Sanderson,  Michael Rispoli (While You Were Sleeping) as Sala, Richard Jenkins (The Witches Of Eastwick) as Lotterman, Giovanni Ribisi (Gone In 60 Seconds) as Moberg, Amaury Nolasco (A Good Day To Die Young) as Segurra, Marshall Bell (Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead) as Donovan, Bill Smitrovich (The November Man) as Mr. Zimburger, Julian Holloway (Carry On Up the Khyber) as Wolsley, and Bruno Irizarry (Looking for Maria Sanchez) as Lazar.

One thing is definitely for sure and that this film was not as good as Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas which was a classic Thompson novel turned into a film. Johnny Depp was well Johnny Depp and that is you can definitely enjoy his performance in the film, but Eckhart deserves some of that credit as well. This was definitely not my favorite Amber Heard performance as her sexuality was more of the tool used for this film as they had that forbidden affair in the film and most of the time I was like God do it already and get it over with. One thing that I definitely loved about the film was the cinematography which was excellently shot with beautiful tones and some amazing shots of the island and the beach life which was amazing in this film. I think that honestly the sets, the cinematography, and the editing of the film were probably my favorite parts of the film besides the obvious performances I talked about above. I didn't think the story was as interesting as Fear and Loathing, but it definitely keeps you somewhat near the edge of your seat for most of the film. I was curious and the film has a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes which is just about probably where I am overall with the film which means that it may seem a little harsh, but this is not I have to rush to see this kind of film. Which means that I am going to give the film an C for a final grade.

Mortdecai (2015)

There was absolutely no rhyme or reason in why I chose the film that I did for today other than who stars in the film. So with that being said, the film that I chose for today was the 2015 comedy Mortdecai. The film stars Johnny Depp (Murder On The Orient Express) as Charlie Mortdecai, an British aristocrat and a shady part time art dealer who lives a certain lavish lifestyle that has gotten him into hot waters with England. You see Charlie owes the government 8 million in back taxes that have not been paid and he agrees to take a job tracking down a once thought to be lost art piece by Goya that could have some information on it that leads it's possessor to millions. The only problem for Charlie is that other people are after this piece too and he'll have to be quick. The film also stars Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man 3) as Johanna, Paul Bettany (Avengers: Infinity War) as Jock, Ewan McGregor (Harley Quinn: Birds Of Prey) as Martland, Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse) as Georgina, Jonny Pasvolsky (Picnic At Hanging Rock) as Emil, Michael Culkin (A Very English Scandal) as Sir Graham, Guy Burnet (The Feed) as Maurice, Jeff Goldblum (Deep Cover) as Krampf, Ulrich Thomsen (The Celebration) as Romanov, Paul Whitehouse (Alice Through The Looking Glass) as Spinoza, and the film was directed by David Koepp (Stir Of Echoes).

I actually thought for the most part that the film was a lot of fun and while that might not make the film brilliant, it was enjoyable to sit through for over an hour. I have always been a huge fan of Johnny's and I always have believed that no matter how bad the film, he has rarely ever given a bad performance. I thought the supporting cast was also very helpful in making it what it was, but I was not a fan whatsoever of McGregor's role in the film. I am not entirely sure if that was the point or if I just hated his role altogether, but this was definitely one of my least favorite roles of his. Paul Bettany deserves some credit in this film as he delivers what is his Ponton to the Clouseau like character that Depp plays as the roles almost mirror each other, but the difference is Bettany's character Jock is more loyal and Depps Mortdecai is a little more spineless and they are not cops. I definitely think that without Bettany and Paltrow, I don't think this film would have been that good in the long run, but the film has some fun action and not enough of Jeff Goldblum. That was definitely one of my biggest complaints was that there was not enough Goldblum in this film who you don't even know is in it till it's almost too late. The film is available right now on HULU and while this was not my first choice for the day, I am not entirely disappointed. I am going to give the film an B-/C+ for a final grade.

Murder On The Orient Express (2017)

There are times in life when things happen that prevent us from seeing a brand new film or a concert that you wanted to go to. The film that I chose for today is an example of a film that for some strange reason I haven't seen until now as it was being offered for free on demand. The film is 2017's Murder On The Orient Express which is based off of the novel by Agatha Christie and was directed by  Kenneth Branagh (Mary Shelley's Frankenstein) and he also stars as the films main character Hercule Poirot, the greatest detective in the world. After solving a case in Jerusalem, Det. Poirot is offered a ride to his next destination on the Orient Express. Unfortunately for him, a man is murdered on the train and Poirot is forced to put his detective skills to the test as he tries to figure out who murdered this man, but it may not be as easy as it seems this time. The film also stars Johnny Depp (Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest) as Edward Ratchett, Josh Gad (Frozen) as Hector MacQueen,  Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) as Miss Mary Debenham, Leslie Odom Jr. (Red Tails) as Dr. Arbuthnot, Tom Bateman (Snatched) as Bouc, Penélope Cruz (Blow) as Pilar Estravados,  Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Magnificent Seven) as Biniamino Marquez, Sergei Polunin (Red Sparrow) as Count Rudolph Andrenyi, Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody) as Countess Elena Andrenyi, Judi Dench (Skyfall) as Princess Dragomiroff, Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse) as Gerhard Hardman, and  Michelle Pfeiffer (Dangerous Minds) as Caroline Hubbard.

The amount of star power that is in this film is absolutely amazing from Branagh to Johnny Depp to Willem Dafoe, but let's be honest about something. When you have that much star power in your film it can go one of two ways and that is one with it being a huge success and the second being a total failure. The first option in my opinion was definitely the case as every actor seemed to bring their a game no matter how large or small of a role they had in the film. Kenneth was definitely the star of the show as he proved why he is one of the best in the business and he was definitely the better Frenchman than Steve Martin from yesterdays film (but two totally different films). The huge surprise for me from this film has to go to Daisy Ridley who I loved in the Star Wars series, but she held her own with some of the best like Dench, Pfeiffer, etc and she was absolutely fantastic. I have never read the story or seen the original film, but I definitely did not see the ending coming because the whole time I was trying to figure out who it was. I definitely love films that throw the monkey wrench in and they do a terrific job of explaining it. They don't try to throw you in a loop just for the sake of having it, but in this they do it with expertise. I loved the costumes and I loved the cinematography in the film which helped a lot in execution. This was a lot of fun to watch and I am happy I was finally able to see it and I suggest you do the same. I am going to go ahead and give the film an A for a final grade.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

There are a lot of franchises out there that made a ton of money, had a lot of fans, but yours truly never bothered to check out or finish watching. Thanks to the brand new streaming service from Disney, I am finally able to catch up on all of the films I missed in the Pirates Of The Caribbean series and for today we are checking out the second film in the series Dead Man's Chest. Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) are about to get married, but all of that is put aside when the two are arrested for treason because they helped Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) escape with the Black Pearl. To save them both, Will is tasked with having to bring back a compass that Sparrow possess. Meanwhile, Jack is in search of a chest that contains the key to finding freedom from the feared Davey Jones (Bill Nighy) or he will be enslaved for eternity. The film also stars Jack Davenport (Kingsman: The Secret Service) as Norrington, Jonathan Pryce (Tomorrow Never Dies) as Gov. Swann, Stellan Skarsgård (Thor) as Bootstrap Bill, Kevin McNally (Curse Of The Black Pearl) as Gibbs, Mackenzie Crook (The Office) as Ragetti, Lee Arenberg (Waterworld) as Pintel, Naomie Harris (Skyfall) as Tia Dalma, and the film was directed by Gore Verbinski (Rango).

I remember thinking that the first film in the series was incredible, but I have no idea why I never continued and then they kept releasing more films and I kept procrastinating. Once again the film featured incredible performances from Depp, Knightley, and Bloom with nice additions like the incredible Nighy who made an amazing Davey Jones. The acting is only one part of it because the special efffects were absolutely amazing in my opinion, but I wish we had a better view of the Kraken if I am being 100% honest because he is an epic beast. Nonetheless, they did great with the looks of Dave Jones and his men who were becoming part of the sea like the hammerhead guy or the crab guy which was cool too. The choreography in the film was great as well especially the sword fight scene which involved a giant wheel and a triple threat match for the key to the dead man's chest. I definitely like how the film ended because I think they knew that they had something so they left the ending the way they did to get you excited for the return of Barbosa and the quest to save Jack Sparrow as they will travel to World's End hence the title of the next film. If you only intend to make one film then you leave it with an ending that is satisfying, but if there is a sequel in mind then you leave us on a cliffhanger of sorts where we want more and this one did just that. So, I am going to go ahead and give this one an A- for a final grade.