what, you thought DAZED & CONFUSED was like FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH or something? It was supposed to be a melodrama of the 70's, or as some people try to argue, the "AMERICAN GRAFFITI of the 1990s" or whatever.

Still, glad you liked it.

POTC 2: DEAD MAN'S CHEST (2006) - ***

The first film was flawed but decent, with Depp taking a generic film and making it watchable. Well, the same story goes for the $250 million sequel, except perhaps the sequel is actually more well-made than the first, or at least less bullshit than I remembered from before. Instead of Bloom being a useless crying melodramatic putz, he actually is a crafty, purposeful hero (perhaps a residue from KINGDOM OF HEAVEN?), though unfortunately, if the 3rd movie coming next summer is any indication, then Disney will go back to the melodramatic love bullshit of the first flick. Pity.

However, DEAD MAN'S CHEST suffers from the same problems of the first, including the fact that its simply way too damn long. Sure I can take long epic runtimes, but only if its quantity equates in quality. I mean, I squirmed in my theater seat three times during DEAD MAN'S CHEST, but I didn't a few weeks ago when I saw LAWRENCE OF ARABIA at a special screening on the big screen, and that fucker is almost 4 hours long!

Still, decent ending shot for a cliffhanger for the next movie, AT WORLD'S END.