DVD REVIEWS PLENTY TO DIG IN 'PIRATES'.Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor All the accolades that Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II[1] (born June 9 1963) is an American actor. Biography Early life Depp was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, to John Christopher Depp Sr., a city engineer, and Betty Sue (Wells), a waitress. received for his performance as the idiosyncratic id·i·o·syn·cra·sy n. pl. id·i·o·syn·cra·sies 1. A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group. 2. A physiological or temperamental peculiarity. 3. buccaneer buccaneer: see piracy. buccaneer Any of the British, French, or Dutch sea adventurers who chiefly haunted the Caribbean and the Pacific seaboard of South America during the latter part of the 17th century, preying on Spanish settlements and shipping. Capt. Jack Sparrow Jack Sparrow is a fictional character in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe. He was introduced in (2003) and appeared in the back-to-back sequels, (2006) and (2007), where he was portrayed by Johnny Depp. in last summer's hit ``Pirates of the Caribbean This article is about the franchise. For other, more specific uses, see Pirates of the Caribbean (disambiguation). For real pirates, see Piracy in the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean : The Curse of the Black Pearl The Black Pearl, originally HEIC Wicked Wench, is a fictional ship in , , and . The Black Pearl is easily recognised by her distinctive black hull and sails. This turns out to be an advantage in more than one way. ,'' out now on DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. , should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the eclectic actor's career. Over the years, Depp has played such oddball characters as the rocker delinquent Cry-Baby in the John Waters film of the same name, the boy with the cutting appendages in Tim Burton's ``Edward Scissorhands,'' the Chaplin-like mime in ``Benny & Joon,'' the legendary bad filmmaker ``Ed Wood,'' the wanted man/supposed dead poet William Blake in ``Dead Man,'' Hunter S. Thompson's alter-ego in Terry Gilliam's ``Fear and Loathing fear and loathing - (Hunter S. Thompson) A state inspired by the prospect of dealing with certain real-world systems and standards that are totally brain-damaged but ubiquitous - Intel 8086s, COBOL, EBCDIC, or any IBM machine except the Rios (also known as the RS/6000). in Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. ,'' Ichabod Crane in ``Sleepy Hollow,'' a crazed drug dealer in ``Blow'' and an opium-addicted Scotland Yard detective trying to catch Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper, name given to an unidentified late-19th-century murderer in London, England. From Aug. to Nov., 1888, he was responsible for the death and mutilation of at least seven female prostitutes in the East End section of London. in ``From Hell.'' Coming up are turns as James Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan, in ``J.M. Barrie's Neverland,'' and it has been announced that he'll play Willy Wonka in ``Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' and Sparrow once again in a ``Pirates'' sequel. What may be surprising is Depp taking part in such an obviously commercial enterprise - Disney mining a theme park ride for a film. Directed by Gore Verbinski (``The Ring'') and enhanced by a top-flight cast - Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush, the always excellent Jonathan Pryce and up-and-coming major stars Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley - ``Pirates'' is more fun than the ride. And I like the ride. Depp commands the screen when he's on, but the film's overall sense of fun (it never takes itself seriously) and action make the family-entertainment-friendly ``Pirates'' enjoyable. There is plenty of fun on the extras of this two-disc set, too - from the 40 minutes of deleted scenes to a featurette on the ships used in the production. There's even an episode from Disney's 1968 TV show on the opening of the theme ride - overkill overkill Vox populi An excess of anything for sure but archivally interesting. ``Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' (Disney; $29.99) includes commentary by director Verbinski and Depp, a second commentary by producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Knightley; a third commentary by the writers, a making-of feature, 19 deleted and alternate scenes, a number of other featurettes and a blooper reel. Bursting with extras The unusual thing about ``Alien Quadrilogy'' - the nine-disc DVD box set of the four movies plus some 45 hours of ``never-before-seen footage'' - is that there were four very different directors behind the films. The original 1979 ``Alien'' was conceived more as a horror film by Ridley Scott (``Gladiator''), while James Cameron (``Titanic'') turned the sequel - 1986's ``Aliens'' - into a sci-fi shoot-'em-up action adventure. The 1992 ``Alien 3,'' helmed by David Fincher (``Seven'' and ``Fight Club''), was - while visually provocative - ultimately dark and dreary. The final chapter - ``Alien Resurrection'' (1997), Frenchman Jean-Pierre Jeunet's only English-language film - is both glossy and grim. The only real constant is Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley, who morphs from a cautious and pragmatic officer on a space crew in the first film to a sexy predatory clone in the last. All the while she fights her inner (literally) and outer demons Demons See also devil; evil; ghosts; hell; spirits and spiritualism. ademonist one who denies the existence of the devil or demons. bogyism, bogeyism recognition of the existence of demons and goblins. in the form of the raptorlike killer aliens. It's hard to imagine anyone wanting this much ``Alien'' stuff except fanatics. One interesting feature, though, is the new re-edited version of ``Alien,'' which was out in theaters in October and contains new scenes but is still a minute shorter than the original. ``Alien Quadrilogy'' would take weeks to get through completely - so I won't pretend I did. There is the usual commentary from all the principals from the various films taking part except Fincher, and on the ninth disc there is a new interview with Scott and a British TV documentary on the ``Alien'' franchise. ``Alien Quadrilogy'' (Fox; $99.98 or $26.98 individually) includes all four movies, directors' cuts of the movies, features and featurettes, and more extras than can be listed. Rob Lowman, (818) 713-3687 robert.lowman(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: JOHNNY DEPP, left, and ORLANDO BLOOM in ``Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' |
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