Our favorite dreadlocked, eye-shadowed pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, has made his way onto Lihu‘e’s silver screens once again. Famed on Kaua‘i for parts filmed here, the Disney picture “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” premiered last weekend on the
Our favorite dreadlocked, eye-shadowed pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, has made his way onto Lihu‘e’s silver screens once again.
Famed on Kaua‘i for parts filmed here, the Disney picture “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” premiered last weekend on the top of the domestic box office, grossing $90 million and set a record overseas with $256 million.
Personally, I’m not a fan of going to Kukui Grove 4 Cinemas to see a movie during its opening weekend. This is especially true for films rated from G to PG-13, since weekend moviegoing is one of the few activities the youth of Kaua‘i have at night and they alone as an audience can pack a theater.
Despite high school graduation happening a week ago, it’s still a school night for the rest of the students from kindergarten to 11th grade. I decided to check this film out on a Monday night, when going out to the movies isn’t such a social spectacle for younger adolescents. I arrived to the cinema half an hour before the scheduled screening and saw no line whatsoever snaking out of the front entrance.
Although I didn’t take any photos inside the building, an usher caught me with my digital point and shoot camera in hand. I was required and obliged to turn it in to the cashier until the movie finished.
Still, it made me wonder how archaic this no-camera rule is becoming. Almost every person owning a cell phone has photo and video capabilities, and I’ve never seen those confiscated.
Bootlegged movies have long gone away from the shaky footage captured from shady, trench coated characters in the audience. These days of the interwebs, it is common to have friends who can download newly released films (in DVD quality) via online peer-to-peer file sharing, which may or may not be legal (Ed. Note: it’s not).
At the concession stand, no pun intended, I bought myself a cream cheese-filled pretzel dusted with cinnamon to forget about the temporary seizure of my personal property. Of course, I ate it all during the 20-minute period of movie trailers preceding the feature presentation.
In the opening scene of “On Stranger Tides,” the viewer is instantly sent into the 18th century with its powdered wigs and bad personal hygiene. Before the “Pirates” series, I haven’t seen so much broken skin, yellowed teeth, and bloodshot eyes since attending the health and wellness fairs as a Kaua‘i High student. It is hard to believe this is a multi billion-dollar movie franchise based on a Disneyland ride.
Thankfully, “On Stranger Tides” has a storyline that is much easier to follow than the last two sequels, “Dead Man’s Chest” and “At World’s End.” There were enough instances of backstory contained in the dialogue, so we are given context in a quick, convenient manner. The current movie centers on the search for the Fountain of Youth. According to legend, Spanish explorer Ponce De Leon discovered it in the 16th Century in what is now known as the state of Florida.
Honopu Beach, Kalalau Beach, Kalalau Valley, Allerton Gardens, and Blue Room were the most distinguishable Kaua‘i locations on the screen. Whenever someone recognized a place, I could see audience members elbowing each other in the ribs and whispering about it. It was a sort of scavenger hunt for the locals.
At the conclusion of the screening, I asked other viewers to give their opinion of the film simply with a thumbs up if it was good, or with a thumbs down if it wasn’t. I then photographed their responses.
