i watched johnny depp run around on wide screen today. and me sitting on a really comfy couch with a popcorn and soda on a table. ah.. the pleasures of true cinematic experience. okay, i admit, i have seen pirates of the carribean: dead man's chest last thursday at the SM mall of asia. but the whole experience was disappointing, if it wasn't traumatic. mon, tonton, & i decided to watch pirates there because we had hoped that they were showing it at the IMAX theatre. i got my first taste of disappointment that day when we found out that the best they could offer was the director's club, which was their version of gateway mall's platinum club cinema. lazy boy seats and all that. since we had truly wanted to try IMAX we decided to watch pirates at the regular cinema since it's fairly new. and they did say it was reserved seating. and up to now, i'm still wondering if i have expected too much of my money's worth. 150Php for reserved seating in a new cinema. i had expected something like a greenbelt 3 movie experience. i would have even accepted a glorietta 4 cinema movie experience. but i shouldn't just have expected at all since the experience was altogether traumatic. here's what happened.
since we were there early, we had to stay outside of the cinema for about thirty minutes before the actual theatre was opened. we even had plenty of time to boker and take photo ops. when the ushers did came, we naturally were first to get in since we were the early birds. imagine my surprise, no, my shock when i got in. it was a total time warp experience. remember those days when disney cartoons looked like cartoons? the prime years of devon sawa and macaulay caulkin? when local movie experience didn't have any concept of reserved seating except in premiers? do you remember those cinemas? i got a perfect recall that day when i entered cinema 2 at the mall of asia. because it was an exact replica of it. it was the theatre where i watched pocahontas on gray hard-cushioned seats. where i watched casper sitting on the linoleum-tiled floor (gray, again) because it was continous screening and there wasn't a single seat on the house that's available. where there were these neon lights that waved through the walls in between screen times. where there were such archaic arrangements called premier and deluxe. where the screen was just a few meters larger than the plasma screens on display at abenson's today. and when surround sound meant putting up speakers all over the place. that was what i payed 150Php for. i have paid cheaper at the eastwood cinema and that was even better. at least they had SDDS. it might not be THX or DOLBY, but there was an effort there. it didn't have speakers hanging about five meters from each other on the wall. and what's the whole idea of this premier and deluxe seating when we're all paying the same goddamned amount?
i've been continously asking myself if i have expected too much. maybe i've just been spoilt. but the cinemas at SM megamall were better when i last watched there. and they're older. maybe because they had the imagination to renovate the place. whoever designed the mall of asia failed in just one facet. i was amazed with all the things i saw at that place. a mall situated in front of the bay. and extremely large. going around it, there didn't seem to be anything i didn't like. but the cinema, at least the regular ones, were a disappointment. i'm not recommending it for any viewing experience. it doesn't inspire anything.
it seems to be much more disappointing on my part since i have waited for pirates to come out ever since i found out they were making a sequel. and that's counting over a year of waiting. and when i did get to watch it, i was imagining a real movie experience. i had no qualms about the film. what ruined my day was the cinema itself. i didn't want to dwell on it, but then i'm writing this now, ain't i?
for that, we had to watch pirates again. this time on a tried and tested cinema. the cinema, i believe, that gives a complete cinematic experience today. we had to watch it at gateway mall's platinum club cinema. and only then were we completely satisfied. i was thinking i might not be laughing all that much anymore today since i have already watched it. but i still did. i probably laughed more. and every scene that aimed to shock me did just that. and of course, i completely fell in love with johnny depp all over again. but then, there's nothing new to that since i'm always in love with the bastard. even when he did marry someone else before even meeting me.
now, let's discuss the film. the synopsis is that on will turner & elizabeth swann's wedding they both get charged of treason because of aiding captain jack sparrow. as we now all know, he had escaped the english navy and recaptured the black pearl with some help from the couple. now, the two are in trouble and it's a certain lord beckett, who heads the east india trading company, that holds cards and mysteries beneath that powdered wig of his. he offers will an escape from the noose as well as to save elizabeth by finding jack and getting his compass and surrendering it to him. now you remember that. the one that never points north. so will goes to find jack so he can save his elizabeth and marry her properly. then he finds jack in an island inhabited by cannibals who treats the captain as their god. the catch? they believe that they have to release him from his earthly body prison by roasting him, and eating him. and not only is jack caught in that dilemma. he also has to find the dead man's chest and it's key to avoid being sentenced to his death by davy jones. a pirate who had sold his soul to the sea and has then evolved into becoming this creature who looks very much like your calamares before it gets cooked. and here i have to stop telling the story because i'll end up telling it all. and then there'll be spoilers and it won't be fun anymore.
what's so amazing about this movie is that even though it's this huge blockbuster type, being a jerry bruckheimer production and all, it still manages to fulfill a story that only walt disney can provide and get away with. the history of davy jones is cheesy at worst, but it still makes you sad for him. even if he is a slimy villain. the film has this kid story in it that appeals to every age. the amazing realization of the true nature of jack's compass. and they have made a good cast in all of the characters. the return of all those you've loved in the first movie and some additional ones. as well as queery ones. and despite all the swashbuckling involved it still comes out heart whole. each character has a story of it's own and they more or less get tangled together but you see their story. and they're all human here. they all have their own quirks and faults. you won't love your heroes here all the time. at some point you'll hate them. and that makes you realize that these characters have something deeper than face value.
the only thing you can take against it is that it makes you anticipate for the third installment. (which, i believe, includes chow yun-fat in the cast. if i'm not mistaken.) because there's a lot of twists in this film that you don't expect. and nothing in this film is actually predictable. and it's about two hours and a half of extreme eye candy. and i don't just mean that beacause i love johhny depp. every scene is an encounter with the carribean islands and it's secrets. if something's supposed to be beautiful, it's truly beautiful. if it's supposed to be grotesque, then it's extremely grotesque. when a scene is sad, you truly feel the sadness. it's entertainment at it's best. without failing to make you laugh a lot and cry a little.
in the end, it;s not just jack sparrow who becomes the movie. but he still stands out.
since we were there early, we had to stay outside of the cinema for about thirty minutes before the actual theatre was opened. we even had plenty of time to boker and take photo ops. when the ushers did came, we naturally were first to get in since we were the early birds. imagine my surprise, no, my shock when i got in. it was a total time warp experience. remember those days when disney cartoons looked like cartoons? the prime years of devon sawa and macaulay caulkin? when local movie experience didn't have any concept of reserved seating except in premiers? do you remember those cinemas? i got a perfect recall that day when i entered cinema 2 at the mall of asia. because it was an exact replica of it. it was the theatre where i watched pocahontas on gray hard-cushioned seats. where i watched casper sitting on the linoleum-tiled floor (gray, again) because it was continous screening and there wasn't a single seat on the house that's available. where there were these neon lights that waved through the walls in between screen times. where there were such archaic arrangements called premier and deluxe. where the screen was just a few meters larger than the plasma screens on display at abenson's today. and when surround sound meant putting up speakers all over the place. that was what i payed 150Php for. i have paid cheaper at the eastwood cinema and that was even better. at least they had SDDS. it might not be THX or DOLBY, but there was an effort there. it didn't have speakers hanging about five meters from each other on the wall. and what's the whole idea of this premier and deluxe seating when we're all paying the same goddamned amount?
i've been continously asking myself if i have expected too much. maybe i've just been spoilt. but the cinemas at SM megamall were better when i last watched there. and they're older. maybe because they had the imagination to renovate the place. whoever designed the mall of asia failed in just one facet. i was amazed with all the things i saw at that place. a mall situated in front of the bay. and extremely large. going around it, there didn't seem to be anything i didn't like. but the cinema, at least the regular ones, were a disappointment. i'm not recommending it for any viewing experience. it doesn't inspire anything.
it seems to be much more disappointing on my part since i have waited for pirates to come out ever since i found out they were making a sequel. and that's counting over a year of waiting. and when i did get to watch it, i was imagining a real movie experience. i had no qualms about the film. what ruined my day was the cinema itself. i didn't want to dwell on it, but then i'm writing this now, ain't i?
for that, we had to watch pirates again. this time on a tried and tested cinema. the cinema, i believe, that gives a complete cinematic experience today. we had to watch it at gateway mall's platinum club cinema. and only then were we completely satisfied. i was thinking i might not be laughing all that much anymore today since i have already watched it. but i still did. i probably laughed more. and every scene that aimed to shock me did just that. and of course, i completely fell in love with johnny depp all over again. but then, there's nothing new to that since i'm always in love with the bastard. even when he did marry someone else before even meeting me.
now, let's discuss the film. the synopsis is that on will turner & elizabeth swann's wedding they both get charged of treason because of aiding captain jack sparrow. as we now all know, he had escaped the english navy and recaptured the black pearl with some help from the couple. now, the two are in trouble and it's a certain lord beckett, who heads the east india trading company, that holds cards and mysteries beneath that powdered wig of his. he offers will an escape from the noose as well as to save elizabeth by finding jack and getting his compass and surrendering it to him. now you remember that. the one that never points north. so will goes to find jack so he can save his elizabeth and marry her properly. then he finds jack in an island inhabited by cannibals who treats the captain as their god. the catch? they believe that they have to release him from his earthly body prison by roasting him, and eating him. and not only is jack caught in that dilemma. he also has to find the dead man's chest and it's key to avoid being sentenced to his death by davy jones. a pirate who had sold his soul to the sea and has then evolved into becoming this creature who looks very much like your calamares before it gets cooked. and here i have to stop telling the story because i'll end up telling it all. and then there'll be spoilers and it won't be fun anymore.
what's so amazing about this movie is that even though it's this huge blockbuster type, being a jerry bruckheimer production and all, it still manages to fulfill a story that only walt disney can provide and get away with. the history of davy jones is cheesy at worst, but it still makes you sad for him. even if he is a slimy villain. the film has this kid story in it that appeals to every age. the amazing realization of the true nature of jack's compass. and they have made a good cast in all of the characters. the return of all those you've loved in the first movie and some additional ones. as well as queery ones. and despite all the swashbuckling involved it still comes out heart whole. each character has a story of it's own and they more or less get tangled together but you see their story. and they're all human here. they all have their own quirks and faults. you won't love your heroes here all the time. at some point you'll hate them. and that makes you realize that these characters have something deeper than face value.
the only thing you can take against it is that it makes you anticipate for the third installment. (which, i believe, includes chow yun-fat in the cast. if i'm not mistaken.) because there's a lot of twists in this film that you don't expect. and nothing in this film is actually predictable. and it's about two hours and a half of extreme eye candy. and i don't just mean that beacause i love johhny depp. every scene is an encounter with the carribean islands and it's secrets. if something's supposed to be beautiful, it's truly beautiful. if it's supposed to be grotesque, then it's extremely grotesque. when a scene is sad, you truly feel the sadness. it's entertainment at it's best. without failing to make you laugh a lot and cry a little.
in the end, it;s not just jack sparrow who becomes the movie. but he still stands out.
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