this one’s a little overdue because i was hoping to pair it up with league of extraordinary gentlemen for a summer blockbuster comparison, but with the moving out process, that excursion just doesn’t seem to be happening. so we’ll just get down to it.

the pirates of the caribbean: the curse of the black pearl – 5 stars (out of 5)

what can i say, i love pirates. but no, i can say more than that, because i didn’t just like this so much because pirates is my favorite ride at disneyland and i still have a jolly roger flying from atop the lamp stand in my bedroom. i liked this movie because as everyone else who remarks on this film has stated, johnny depp plays a deliciously enjoyable scoundrel of a character. he’s funny and eccentric and smooth and daring all at different moments, with such a rich personality that every moment he’s on screen i was smiling. then there’s the excellent geoffrey rush who had less screen time to work with but is just a cool actor across the board. good swordfighting sequences, fun ship battles, an adventurous story that wasn’t a facile excuse for action scenes but a real plot i was really compelled by . . . it was fun the whole time through. extra points awarded for using CGI to add special touches and not to support your whole film (hear that, matrix?), and a ravishing romantic lead in keira knightly i certainly would have died at sea for as well. if the dvd is out by christmas then put it on my list.

(my only complaint is the title is too long. but does it suggest a sequel? i may be able to forgive in that case.)

and a few from my recent netflixin’:

o brother, where art thou? – 5 stars

i’m not going to pretend that i don’t have a non-sexual crush on the cohen brothers already after the big lebowski and miller’s crossing, but this only cemented it even more. i swear to god if i could write a script like that, even if no one ever produced the movie, i would be happy just creating something so delightfully vernacular and fun. in all three of these, i just love hearing words come out of the characters’ mouths, every line is so expertly crafted. excellent appearances by john goodman in this one too, plus excellent uses of the phrase ‘olde tyme’ — pronounced in three syllables of course. you know what, why don’t we just rename this list of reviews “brian’s early christmas list”.

secretary – 4 stars

if i were going to break down and resort to decimal ratings — which i’m not — i’d put this at 4 and a half, but it was just a little bit disturbing to give a full five. don’t get me wrong, the creepiness was definitely part of what made it a great movie, i admit that for sure. i was squirming in my chair watching it until it dawned on me that this was simply a love story, and a good one. the movie is funny and endearing while it’s unsettling, but in the end it’s still just a new twist on a romance film. and i think part of the accomplishment here is daring you to accept it as just that, which i’m just about okay doing after digesting it. still, it gets that point (or half a point) off because james spader whispers all his lines which drives me insane.

[now hearing this: recover – ceci n’est pas recover.]