‘Frozen II’ stays cool

“I never want to know a day that’s over 40°. I’d rather have it 30, 20, 10, 5 and let it freeze.” – Snow Miser What happens after the ever after? Frozen II takes a much better stab at answering … Read more

‘Lion King’ fails to roar

“A lion is called a ‘king of beasts’ obviously for a reason.” – Jack Hanna As a kid, I had an odd disliking for The Lion King. Sure, perhaps I thought it was fine the first time through, but it … Read more

‘Aladdin’ is low on magic

“Arabs are the most maligned group in the history of Hollywood. They’re portrayed basically as subhumans.” – Dr. Jack G. Shaheen During the cinematic reckoning I underwent in my undergraduates years, one of the films that impacted me the most … Read more

Johnny Depp in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales'

Pirates of the Caribbean: Apparently, Dead Men Tell No (New) Tales

Javier Bardem in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales'
Javier Bardem in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’

Dead men tell no tales. Neither do movies on the fifth go-around, apparently. However, the latest installment in Disney’s goldmine franchise proved two things. One, that a return to the glory days of Pirates, while somewhat repetitive, was necessary and long past due. Two, Orlando Bloom, even with a barnacle-encrusted face, can never look bad.

After a flop in 2011 with the release of On Stranger Tides, it was clear that the newer Pirates movies were lacking their original charm. While Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow may have been able to hold the movies on his own for a little while longer, the original storyline that involved Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightly) and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) was too strong and too unfinished to forget about.

Read morePirates of the Caribbean: Apparently, Dead Men Tell No (New) Tales

2016 at the box office

As of December 28, 2016 here are the top ten movies at the box office (worldwide) for movies that were released in 2016: #1 – Captain America: Civil War with $1,153 billion in box office #2 – Finding Dory with … Read more