pirates of the caribbean 3 Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Last year at this same time, I wrote a Monday Morning Poll that attempted to reveal which summer blockbuster would turn out the biggest unsatisfactory performance. Though I'm far from a negative guy (I really do hope all of this year's blockbusters provide highly entertaining moviegoing experiences), sometimes it's fun to try to pick out which film won't please the fans. Back in 2006, prior to the season's official start, I chose Superman Returns to be that film. And, from a personal standpoint, I was right. Not only did the film not live up to my expectations, but Singer's Superman just wasn't believable. He looked more suited to save the day during a fashion catastrophe than a national crisis. But that's me. That's how I felt.

This year, it's a whole different story. The majority of blockbusters are sequels, and all of them look pretty damn awesome. While Michael Bay is always an easy target, his Transformers has the words "visual orgasm" written all over it. Tacky special effects aside, it's hard for me to sit here and say anything bad about Live Free or Die Hard when the franchise has been nothing but kind to the fanboy inside me. Though early reviews are mixed, I'm certain Spider-Man 3 will win over everyone in the end. Shrek the Third, Surf's Up and Ratatouille will all cancel each other out. Regardless of the bad vibe I've been feeling, the legions of Johnny Depp fans will keep Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End from sinking. And, as much as I feel it won't be the best installment in the series, Harry Potter is Harry Potter -- the boy can't can do no wrong.

So, where does that leave us? Well, this year I'm going to drop down a tier and include films like The Simpsons Movie and Rush Hour 3. Yup, these are my picks for most disappointing blockbuster(s) this summer. Yes, The Simpsons fans (including me) have been waiting a long time for this film, but I feel it's too little, too late. The magic has passed, and it's about time we start realizing that. As far as Rush Hour 3 goes, c'mon -- Chris Tucker hasn't acted in six years, Brett Ratner can't do anything without pissing off a few hundred thousand people and, face it, Jackie Chan's shtick has gotten a little old. But that's me.

So, what do you think: Which summer blockbuster do you feel will turn out the most disappointing?

Note: Don't worry, to combat the negative, next week we'll take a look at summer surprises. So start thinking ...

With all the movie news and release date announcements flying here, there and everywhere, I haven't yet had the chance to feel out next summer's line-up. After all, it's only August, and we have a long way to go before 2007 starts to matter. However, when the Movie Blog threw up a list, the thing completely blew me out of the water. Oh yes, next summer has the potential to go down as one of the greatest in the history of blockbuster seasons. Check this out folks:

• May 4: Spider-Man 3
• May 18: Shrek the Third
• May 25: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
• June 8: Ocean's Thirteen
• June 15: Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer
• June 22: Evan Almighty
• June 29: Live Free or Die Hard, Ratatouille
• July 4: Transformers
• July 13: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• July 27: The Simpsons Movie
• August 3: The Bourne Ultimatum
• August 10: Rush Hour 3

Okay, so they're not the most intelligent films. But if summer is supposed to be all about blockbuster popcorn flicks, then you are sure to get your money's worth out of 2007. Did I miss anything? What are you looking forward to the most?

[Hat Tip to Alex from First Showing]

Borat Comes Under Fire!

As Sacha Baron Cohen prepares to release his film, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, the poor schmucks caught up in Cohen's cross-country practical joke are pissed. And they want you to know there's nothing funny about being a fool. George Matthews Marshall -- who was one of the men suckered into believing Borat was a real person -- claims the whole thing was "disgraceful" and "disgusting." Marshall explains, "He intimated we might have favored slavery ... we were horrified." Now, if that's not the perfect tagline for this flick, I don't know what is.

Save the Rocky Statue!

After discovering the famous bronze Rocky statue (Um, remember Rocky III?) was placed in storage by city officials in Philadelphia, Sylvester Stallone has been fighting to find the thing a permanent home. Although there was a campaign to stick Bronze Rocky at the foot of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, museum bosses felt poor old Rocky just wasn't artsy enough. Now, no one knows where to put it. Hey, worse comes to worse, I have a ton of friends who would love to throw that puppy in their living room. Just an idea. You can get back to me. I'll be here.

Depp Records Entire Album of Sea Shanties!

Not for nothing, but when Johnny Depp is finally finished with all this Pirates of the Caribbean nonsense, I wouldn't be surprised if the guy disappears, only to be caught hijacking cargo from a ship in the Atlantic a few years from now. Yes, he's that obsessed with this role. According to reports, the actor has joined forces with folks like Bono, Bryan Ferry and folk singer Eliza Carthy to produce an album full of sea shanties with plans to use the songs in Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Keith Richards (who is set to play Depp's father in the third installment) was supposed to appear on the album as well until -- I love this part -- he was injured after falling out of a tree. I have no idea what in the world a 63-year-old man would be doing up in a tree, though it makes for one hilarious story.

Growing up with a thumb protruding from your forehead probably wasn't easy. Or how about your friend who had hair growing out of her eyes? That was strange. School was torture. Kids ridiculed. No one wanted to be around you. The opposite sex posted flyers warning the community to stay away ... or else. Yeah, life sucked. Well, now you might have a chance to shove it all back in their faces, because Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is casting ... freaks!

That's right! If you're male, 18 or above and have eyeballs sticking out the back of your neck, there's a chance you can be an actual pirate in the upcoming third installment. It seems those casting folks have enough good looking people, so now they're really into the weird, the odd and the abnormal. However, you will have to be in or around the area of Sherman Oaks, California to participate. Oh, and in case you're wondering whether it's worth a trip, here's more of what they're looking for: "You must be an extreme character type! We need extremely skinny, very tall, very short, hunchback, little people, unusual facial features and body types, exotic amputees, albinos, etc." Well, I'm out. How about you?

Odds and ends from just another manic Monday:

• Okay, now that I've forced the song Manic Monday into your head, let's kick things off with another casting for the film Hairspray. Young Zac Efron has nabbed the role of Link in the big-screen version of the popular musical, which was based off the 1988 John Waters film. Efron, who previously appeared in The Disney Channel's High School Musical, had to convince producers that he could lose the wholesome Disney attitude and add the spunk needed for Link, the hunky heartthrob of The Corny Collins Show. I'm not sure what exactly he had to do to prove he was past Disney's cute and cuddly persona -- perhaps he took a page out of Britney Spears' book and just removed all his clothing.
• The rumblings, whispers and rumors are now over -- Keith Richards is officially onboard for a role in Pirates of the Caribbean 3. According to director Gore Verbinski himself, Richards will make an appearance in the third installment, albeit a small one. While Verbinski did not confirm who or what Richards would be playing, we all assume the character will be related in some way to Captain Jack Sparrow. Seeing as Johnny Depp used Richards as his inspiration behind Sparrow, it would be fitting if the Rolling Stones guitarist played Father Sparrow. I'm sure a script will leak online at some point so, until then, we're playing the waiting game.
• Paramount is definitely on the move and, unfortunately, it appears some future projects are being shelved for the time being. Two such projects are the big-budgeted Tom Clancy adaptations of Without Remorse and Rainbow Six, both recently placed into turnaround by the studio. Though Remorse was already building up steam, having John Singleton attached to direct and Joaquin Phoenix in the starring role, it appears Paramount wants to, instead, focus on reviving the character Jack Ryan. They want to update the role, which was previously played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck, by searching for a younger, new star. Hey, as long as they stay away from Freddie Prinze Jr., I'm a happy man.

Although Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest isn't due out for more than a month, those of us in movie news land are already gearing up for part three. A new picture of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow has surfaced online and some believe this is the first image from Pirates 3 (rumored to be called World's End).

Seeing as parts 2 and 3 were being shot at the same time, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to believe this is an actual image from the third installment. In it, Captain Jack is wearing some bizarre warrior outfit that appears to be asian-inspired. While none of us have actually seen Dead Man's Chest yet, there's a chance this could just be an image from that film instead. Regardless, it looks pretty neat and certainly pumps me up for more Pirates of the Caribbean this July.