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Dead Men Tell No Tales (But I Do)
Captain Jack Sparrow is attempting the impressive cinematic “high-five” (five films in a beloved movie series).
And there’s new proof that this daring adventure will reach new depths.
When Disney first released Pirates of the Caribbean back in 2003, and even further back to when this film was pitched, do you think Disney’s studio executives had any conceptualized idea of the treasure money the film (and subsequent sequels) would steal take in at the box office?
That global box office currently runs at $3 billion+, just as an FYI.
Pirates are mostly known as ruthless treasure and gold hunters. Yes, pirates were savages who sailed the high seas on ships with swords, adult beverages, beards, bandanas, planks and a chronically low inventory of toothpaste and toothbrushes. And yet, as a result of brilliant casting, creatively endearing writing and boundless imagination, Disney took full advantage of its theme park ride fame and nostalgia to put a modern (yet centuries old) spin on a group of individuals from yesteryear made most infamous from legends, illustrations, hearsay and stories from our parents and grandparents.
You’ve seen The Goonies, right?
Johnny Depp, with help from his fantastic first cast (Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush), composers Hans Zimmer and Klaus Badelt and the thematically gifted Jerry Bruckheimer, defined (and redefined?) a past world and its pirates with equally gritty, mythical and larger-than-life perceptions for generations of moviegoers.
Thankfully, there is one final chapter up the always clever, smooth-talking sleeve of Captain Jack Sparrow. Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the brand new trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales released earlier today.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales arrives in theaters on May 26, 2017.
The first film in this series was subtitled, The Curse of the Black Pearl. After four successful films, and a fifth on the way, Disney may want to edit that original subtitle that set the stage for this blockbuster franchise.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Disney’s Box Office Pearl.
Redefining Immortality
(Source: Wikipedia)
Transcendence will project on movie screens all around the United States today. As a science-fiction thriller, first-time director (and acclaimed cinematographer) Wally Pfister and his all-star cast (Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy, Paul Bettany) will pose surprisingly relevant questions about the current state of mankind and womankind and whether racing on the autobahn of developing increasingly personal technologies and building machines with only “pure upside” is the road we should be taking. Or, at the very least, at the speed innovators appear to driving their savvy imaginations in this day and age.
Can (or should) humans live forever, consciously, inside a computer?
The term “the grid” is taking shape and evolving in ways many of us either didn’t think was possible or were, quite frankly, fearful of. Once this mainframe is built (or perhaps it already is), is it even possible to dismantle it?
There are infinite questions to be pondered from this movie and other science-fiction thrillers. For instance: What does artificial intelligence look like today? What is its true reach? Is that reach good or bad?
Some may think that technology is tinkered with in basement facilities with pale walls, computers, wires and varying degrees of limitations. But what if the concept of “the cloud” is as unlimited and open as its sounds?
This blog has written about technology before, including its benefits and drawbacks. Without seeing Transcendence, an opinion cannot rightly be rendered. But this film presents a couple hours to escape into a creative and entertaining story of artificial intelligence and the pursuit of advanced technology on a Friday or Saturday night, as well as to take a moment to pause and reflect on the subject matter.
How long until we are in the “age of transcendence” as defined by Pfister and Co.? What does this mean for society as individuals, as well as the collective? Is the infinite space above and all around us becoming finite and controlled without us knowing? Should it be if it’s guided by a genius?
There’s one way to find out and it’s called Transcendence, playing in a theater near you.
Maybe we should ask Siri about transcendence…
Jimmy's Daily Planet 