As a film franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean was really surprising. That is to say, who would have thought that a film based on a ride at Disneyland would do so well? It didn’t work for The Haunted Mansion, which failed to connect with audiences in a way that Jerry Bruckheimer’s action-packed spectacle apparently did. Last year’s sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest was little more than a transitory middle film, designed to introduce us to new characters …

Saw Pirates of the Caribbean last night. It wasn’t the final print of the film; the music was still incomplete (but was about 95% there). This film, in a nutshell, is a blast! I checked my brain at the door once Bruckheimer introduced the screening, and retrieved it with my iPAQ (which they took away from me!) at the end of the film. As Captain Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp totally steals the show. He’s funny, entertaining, and a real character. …

Well, after months of anticipation, I finally saw The Ring. It wasn’t a “holy crap I peed in my pants” scare-fest, but rather was a well done creepy flick that actually bothered me more than I realized, after the fact. There are some images in that film that are disturbing, and honestly, I don’t think I’ll sleep too well tonight. Directed by Gore Verbinsky (Mouse Hunt, The Mexican), the film is the American remake of Ring, a Japanese horror flick …