New Movies to Crave: Pirates and Paris

By Chris Kavan - 05/20/11 at 10:10 AM CT

If you haven't seen a few hundred ads for it yet, you haven't been paying attention very well. It's all about pirates once again as Johnny Depp once again channels Jack Sparrow for the fourth time in what Disney hopes is another lucrative high seas outing.

1) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides bids farewell to Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom (along with director Gore Verbinski) and welcomes Penélope Cruz and Ian McShane to the mix. Geoffrey Rush is back as chief rival / kind of friend ( in an Odd Couples kind of way) of Jack Sparrow and it looks like there are some killer (literally) mermaids as well. I have no doubt this will be a rollicking good time, but I also have a sneaking suspicion this will be hard pressed to rise above just another typical summer blockbuster.

2) On the exact opposite of "summer blockbuster" you have Woody Allen's latest film Midnight in Paris, which continues the director's love affair with France. I admit I haven never been a fan of Woody Allen, but I won't stop anyone. At least the cast - Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Léa Seydoux and Kathy Bates amongst others, looks promising. It's only opening on a limited basis, so it may not be in all areas, but if you happen to catch it, make sure to let your opinion known.

Two big films on completely different levels, but that's really all you get this week. I'm sure Pirates will dominate the weekend, but we'll see what kind of pirate tale there is to tell come Sunday.