Month: June 2017

Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales

On By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews1 Comment

https://trendsinternational.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/1/5/15402---potc-5---collage_4x6.jpgA little history: I saw the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie in theatres three times, and Captain Jack Sparrow became one of my all-time favorite characters.  The only midnight showing I’ve ever been to was Pirates 2: Dead Man’s Chest. Life has changed a little in the last fourteen (!) years since Captain Jack first sailed in, but I was still pretty excited to see Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales this past weekend.  You never can tell by the time you get to installment five of a series, but I intended to take it for what it was, and it was a fun time!

The movie circles back to plot threads left by Pirates 3: At World’s End, picking up with Henry Turner, the son of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann.  Henry is determined to rescue his father from Davy Jones’ curse, and thinks the answer is to find Poseidon’s Trident.  He intersects with a series of characters after the same goal: Carina Smith, an astronomer and scientist branded as a witch; Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) who wants it to rule the sea; and of course, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and his ragtag crew, who need the Trident to fend off Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) and his crew of the dead.

There’s a lot going on in here, and things move fast with few pauses between new crises, upheavals or full-scale battles.  There are still ample funny moment, though they do tend to have some degree of franticness to them.

Jack Sparrow is still a lot of fun and I expect always will be; I especially enjoyed a (fairly brief) flashback to how he first became a pirate captain.  It better showcased that weird and engaging mystery of never quite knowing how in control Jack is.  Present-day Jack seems to have lost his grip on things a bit, though never on his ability to ride through an insane situation and come out standing. Continue reading “Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales” →

Blog Hop: Luncheon for Two

On By cherylmahoneyIn Blog Hop2 Comments

book-blogger-hop-finalToday’s Book Blogger Hop question is: If you could have lunch with any living authors and/or book bloggers, who would you choose and why?

Meeting with authors is always an intriguing question, and slightly complicated when I try to be realistic about who I would really enjoy meeting over lunch, and who I would be terribly intimidated by.  I’d love to have lunch with Geraldine McCaughrean, who seems especially friendly and who I could talk with about Peter Pan and Kensington Gardens.  I’d love to meet Tamora Pierce, but I’m not sure if I wouldn’t be a bit terrified to actually have lunch–and I know I’d be terrified of Robin McKinley, who is amazing but also distinctly intimidating. Gail Carson Levine, on the other hand, seems very approachable and I’d love to chat with her–but I probably wouldn’t work up the nerve to ask what she really thought of the movie version of Ella Enchanted.

Technically Michael Crawford is an author by way of an autobiography, but I never wanted to meet him, just to hear him sing live (accomplished!)  I think I’d have a wonderful time with Gretchen Rubin, my happiness guru who I so often identify with.  I’d be pretty intimidated to meet with Brene Brown–but if ever there was an author I could just outright say, “sorry, I’m feeling really vulnerable right now” and expect her to understand–well, that’s the one.

As for book bloggers…of course I’d love to meet all you lovely people who read my blog and write your own, who welcome me into your online homes to promote my books and who leave such nice comments here.  I think we’d have a delightful lunch, and none of you seem too frightening! 😉

Who would you like to have lunch with, among favorite authors and bloggers?

 

Favorites Friday: Newbery Medal Winners

On By cherylmahoneyIn Favorites Friday2 Comments

I’m on my second year reading Newbery Medal winners, reviewing as I can, but I’ve never done a best-of reflection on Newbery Medal books.  Here’s a round-up of favorites–some I read before this challenge, others read in the last couple years.  In no particular order…

  1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  2. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
  3. The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman
  4. The Giver by Lois Lowry
  5. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
  6. Dicey’s Song by Cynthia Voigt
  7. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
  8. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsberg
  9. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
  10. Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Bank

What are your favorites among the Newbery winners?  (Not sure? Find the complete list here!)  Maybe you’ll give me an idea for what I should read next.