The Pirates: Band of Misfits 3D

Laugh Your Booty Off!

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Rated: PG Mild action, rude humor and some language
Release Date: April 27, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 28 mins

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Director: Peter Lord, Jeff Newitt
Writers: Gideon Defoe, based on his books 'The Pirates! in an Adventures with Scientists' and 'The Pirates!  in an Adventure with Whaling'
Cast: Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton

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SYNOPSIS: Trying again to win the coveted Pirate of the Year award given out annually on Blood Island by the Pirate King, the Pirate Captain travels the high seas in search gold booty and notoriety to clinch the first place trophy.

REVIEW: Peter Lord, director of the 2000 Chicken Run, takes a break from the drudgery of producing various Walter and Gromit films and Arthur Christmas to return to the wheel to rudder in a new animated kids movie based on the works of Gideon Defoe. Based on elements from Defoe's 'The Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists' and 'The Pirates! in an Adventure in Whaling', director Peter Lord takes us on kid-friendly adventure on the high seas.

The Pirate Captain (voiced by Hugh Grant, Did You Hear About the Morgans?) has the adoration of his crew, with weekly Ham Night dinners and upbeat attitudes. Since he hasn't yet won the coveted Pirate of the Year award, he believes he is a shoo-in to win this year. Traveling to Blood Island where the annual event is held, he realizes that he doesn't have the ruthlessness of Cutlass Liz (voiced by Selma Hayek, Puss in Boots) or the gold booty of Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven, Entourage) to stand out from the pirate crowd to win. Laughed off the island, the Pirate Captain vows to return with chests full of treasure to win the entire competition. When the Captain and his crew come across Charles Darwin (David Tennent, Fright Night), Darwin makes a discovery that could led the Pirate Captain to win the Scientist of the Year award in London and have enough gold to get back to the Pirate of the Year ceremony to win!

The Pirates! Band of Misfits is a silly, high-seas romp following a group of scurvy pirates with only hope in their hearts and cutlasses in their hands. Following their Pirate Captain into any adventures are his Number 2 man, the Pirate with a Scarf (voiced by Martin Freeman, What's Your Number?), the Albino Pirate (voiced by Anton Yelchin, Fright Night), the Pirate with Gout (voiced by Brendan Gleeson, The Raven), the Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate (voiced by Ashley Jensen, Arthur Christmas), the Pirate Who Likes Sunset and Kittens (voiced by Al Roker, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa), and more. With formidable names like that, the Captain and his crew are certainly pirates not to be trifled with. Add in a big boned parrot named Polly, and you have a formula of adventure and high sea hi-jinks.

The Wallace and Gromit type of animation has come such a long way. Still a little choppy and 'stop-action-y', the world that the Aardman Animation studios created is so intricate and detailed. From the opening panning shot of 1837 London that flies over the town, through windows, and chandeliers hanging in Queen Victoria's (voiced by Imelda Staunton, Arthur Christmas) dining chambers, the film has more depth and weight than any of it’s style of film produced before. Director Peter Lord is quick to point out the importance of the 300 plus crew members in all aspects of the films design and production. From the beautiful ebb and flow of the CGI ocean tides to the fog banks of Victorian London, The Pirates! Band of Misfits approaches true CGI production quality without sacrificing the three dimensionality of stop action artistry the studio is known for.

What thumps within this pirate's chest of a movie is heart, not gold trinkets. Of course, the Pirate Captain is not that successful in plundering for ample treasure for his crew, but he makes up for it with his crew with fun and planned events. From water skiing behind the ship to the weekly dance-filled Ham dinners, the Captain and the crew are a close-knit family. No matter what obstacles come their way, this seafaring group will stay united. Even Polly the Parrot is considered the heart of the family! The Captain may stray off course with visions of trophies and awards from time to time but we hope, with a little bit of support from his mates, that he comes through in the end.

In the tradition of Walter and Gromit, Flushed Away, and Chicken Run, Aardman Animation studios bring a silly, salty, sea worthy whale of a tale to the silver screen. Hugh Grant voice transforms itself from his usually stuttering, unsure self to a confident cutlass-toting man of the sea. Gleeson, Yelchin, and Freeman are endearing as part of the crew. Gleeson emotes his typical gruff self, Yelchin is as innocent as he was in The Smurfs, and Freeman remains ever even and faithful to his commander. On the other side of the sea, Imelda Staunton commands notice as Queen Victoria. David Tennent plays both sides as the evolutionist Charles Darwin.

The Pirates! Band of Misfits is a funny, creative and daffy look at a life at sea. Full of action and adventure, both on the ocean and on solid ground, the film will delight children and adults alike. Like a captain following the North Star, this animation holds true in its course of humor and message. There may be better and more ruthless pirate captains out there on the ocean, but this Pirate Captain is worth dropping anchor for.

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WORTH: Matinee or DVD

Fright Night (3D)

A Bloody Good Time

Director: Craig Gillespie
Writers: Marti Noxon, Tom Holland

Cast: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette, David Tennant, Imogen Poots, Chistopher Mintz-Plasse

SYNOPSIS: After schoolmates start disappearing, a high school senior starts to suspect that his next door neighbor is a vampire.



REVIEW: Craig Gillespie, director of Mr. Woodcock, Lars and the Real Girl, and several episodes of the HBO series United States of Tara, puts a stake in the ground with a remake of the 1985 vampire semi-classic Fright Night. With a screenplay from Marti Noxon, whose pedigree includes episodes from the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, as well as the sci-fi actioner I am Number Four, and Tom Holland, writer of the original Fright Night and Psycho II, this version with Anton Yelchin and Colin Farrell has all the earmarks to be a great remake. Since remaking a horror film is all the rage and relatively successful - just look at the upcoming Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Let Me In, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - this year's Fright Night, with its added 3D thrown in should pass the acid (or Holy Water) test.

Anton Yelchin, from the Star Trek reboot and Alpha Dog, returns to the screen as Charley Brewster, the role that William Ragsdale played in the original. Taking on the Chris Sarandon role of Jerry is the always volatile and fun to watch Colin Farrell. The late night B-movie host Peter Vincent (what a perfect name) that Roddy McDowall played so well and with great aploumb in the original is now a Las Vegas magician in the hands of the good Doctor Who David Tennant. Rounding out the cast are Toni Collette as Charley's mom, Jane, Imogen Poots as Amy, and Chistopher Mintz-Plasse as Charley's former best friend Ed.



Moved to the desert communities outside of Las Vegas, Fright Night (2011) is geographically perfect for the modern day vampire tale. With a transient, more nomadic suburban community - where families move in and move away on a fairly consistent basis - and a society where people are as likely to be working and living at night as they are the day, where better can a vampire named Jerry hunt, seduce, and feed on the living without people raising an eyebrow or nosing about. High school senior Charley Brewster lives next door to Jerry, all the while oblivious to his neighbor's lifestyle. When former best friend Ed tries to confirm with Charley that the disappearances of friends and their families is the result of the vampire, Charley begrudgedly plays along until he can not deal with Ed's outrageous ramblings any longer. But when Ed turns up missing the next day, Charley finds proof in Ed's room that Jerry is exactly the fanged bloodsucker that Ed claimed him to be. Fearful for his mom Jane and girlfriend Amy, Charley hunts down and is granted an audience with Las Vegas Strip magician Peter Vincent, whose reputation is anchored in the occult and supernatural. Armed with information and a stake, Charley takes it on himself to confront and battle his bad neighbor to save the lives of the people he holds dear.

Derived and modernized from the 1985 original, Fright Night mirrors our 21st century lives. Gone are the schlocky, late-night B-movie creature features with aging ghoulish hosts. We are too desensitized for that nonsense. Instead, we are faced with a recessionary economy with foreclosures and 'For Sale' signs more prevalent than ever. Noxon and Holland build a brand new future vampire classic with the roots of the original, the slackerism of Disturbia, and the uncertainty of the world we live in.

Anton Yelchin, so good in almost any role he touches, exudes the modern average teenager. Just trying to get along without incident and with a glimpse of hope that popularity will propel Charley along to the next phase of his life, Yelchin's thin frame, lack of tan, and morose eyes tells a tale of it own if a teenager unsure of whether the Sun will come up tomorrow. Colin Farell's casting offers his vampire Jerry to be more primal and predatorial than Chris Sarandon's original, using his good looks, fit physique, brooding eyes and vampire skills to woe and wound. Farell's body language as Jerry as he hopes to be invited in to Charley's kitchen is as mesmerizing as a cobra flitting to the music of a flute. Toni Collette, who has worked with director Gillespie on Tara in the past, is as versatile and solid an actress as always. Chistopher Mintz-Plasse final scene, starring in a duel role of sorts, was reminenscent of Paul Reuben's final scene as Amilyn in the theatrical release of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Fright Night (2011) is funny, nerve-racking, slick, well-crafted, respectful of the original where it needed to be and reworked where changes were demaned and would work best. The 3D effects are used sparingly, using classic 3D horror gags throughout and offering up some great new CGI 3D blood and smouldering ash to throw at the audience. The story works and the acting is superb. If you are a fan of the overly popular vampire genre, or a fan of the original, give this bloodsucker a chance. What do you have to lose?



WORTH: Matinee or DVD