Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tiles (movie critique)

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:
DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES
movie poster

Dear Readers, have you seen the new "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie yet?  The Friday Movie Mavens and The Travelling Toe recently saw it at the local multiplex.  This is the fifth Pirates movies created in the franchise. 

2003      The Curse of the Black Pearl

2006      Dead Man's Chest

2007      At World's End

2011      On Stranger Tides  


As the storyline (and movie) is rather long and drawn out, The Travelling Toe has included the plot overview from internet:

Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Capt. Jack Sparrow feels the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost sailors led by his old nemesis, the evil Capt. Salazar, escape from the Devil's Triangle. Jack's only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it, he must forge an uneasy alliance with a brilliant and beautiful astronomer and a headstrong young man in the British navy.

We did enjoy the movie but we all felt it was a tad too long.  About 30 minutes of various scenes could have been trimmed to make it more entertaining. But above all, Javier Bardem is awesome as the bad guy. He played Captain Armando Salazar who is looking to exact revenge on Captain Jack Sparrow.

The following is a spoiler alert so if you have not seen the movie then skip this note.  We left as soon as the theater lights came on as we were not expecting a nugget after the credits. However, The Travelling Toe found our missed scene on the internet:

We see Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner sleeping in bed. Outside it is a stormy and rainy night, with thunder and lightning. Suddenly the bedroom door creaks open and a huge monstrous dark figure (or shadow) enters the bedroom and slowly approaches the sleeping couple. Just before the monstrous figure/shadow reaches the bed, Will Turner awakes and the figure dissolves. The scene ends with a pan beneath the bed to show barnacles.

CAST:

Geoffrey Rush
Captain Hector Barbossa

Johnny Depp
Captain Jack Sparrow

Javier Bardem
Capital Armando Salazar

Brenton Thwaites
Henry Turner

Kaya Scodelario
Carina Smyth

Orlando Bloom
Captain William "Will" Turner

Keira Knightley
Elizabeth Turner

One last note, Paul McCartney makes a cameo appearance as one of Captain Jack Sparrow's crew!

The Travelling Toe gives this movie 1 big toe up with a bottle of sunscreen because if you go to the Caribbean Dear Readers, you will need a lot of it!

"Alice In Wonderland" presented by Texas Ballet Theater

ALICE IN WONDERLAND
ballet program

The Texas Ballet Theater recently presented "Alice In Wonderland" at Bass Hall.  The ballet was choreographed by Ben Stevenson, Artistic Director.  

Ben Stevenson
Artist Director
TBT

Texas Ballet Theater

The Fort Worth Symphony, led by Michael Moricz, provided the live accompaniment to the ballet story.  Live music always adds more enjoyment to any ballet production. 

Michael Moricz

Fort Worth Symphony

 The music was composed by Joseph Horovitz

Joseph Horovitz
composer

The ballet was based on the much beloved book written by Lewis Carroll.

Lewis Carroll
1832 - 1898

The first act stated with Alice reading a book under a tree and becoming very drowsy.  Then  a white rabbit comes running by and jumps down a hole, so  Alice decides to follow him and down she went.  And many tales were told about Alice's adventures in Wonderland.

The costumes were so beautiful and colorful.  All the animals were so imaginative and expertly created.  The snail was adorable along with the dodo bird, Zebra, unicorn, turtles, dragonflies, butterflies, and lobsters.  Plus the Cheshire Cat was not forgotten and we did get to attend the Mad Hatters Tea Party as well.

The Travelling Toe and Dear Friend so enjoyed the entire performance.  What a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon by attending a beautiful ballet with a Dear Friend!

Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?

Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?

"King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" (movie critique)

KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD
movie poster

The Friday Movie Mavens and The Travelling Toe went to the local Movie Tavern to see the much hyped movie,"King Arthur: Legend of the Sword".  The group was somewhat divided as to whether they liked the movie or not. The three Movie Mavens were of the opinion that it was not that good, while The Travelling Toe found it enjoyable.  Apparently, the movie-going masses agreed with the Movie Mavens as it has not that popular at the box office and the moola is not rolling in.

Guy Ritchie

Guy Ritchie directed the movie and is also one of the produces and assisted with the screenplay  He used some of the same camera techniques in this movie that he used in the Sherlock Holmes movies that were so successful.  That time it worked, this time maybe not so much.  

There were several things that were enjoyable about the movie.  Young Arthur had a strong relationship with his friends and they played well off each other with a lot of humor in their scenes.  The movie locations were beautiful and just the right backdrop for this time period. It was full of green vegetation, craggy outcroppings and a few bogs as well.  The special effect artists created some interesting characters for the movie such as the sea witches.

One tidbit we did notice was the scene when Arthur was slogging in a mire pit trying desperately to find Excalibur. The Lady of the Lake reaches up and gives him the sword. As Arthur lifts it above his head, his clothing is filthy dirty but his teeth are bright and shiny.

The plot of the movie, courtesy of the internet, is as follows:

After the murder of his father, young Arthur's power-hungry uncle Vortigern seizes control of the crown. Robbed of his birthright, he grows up the hard way in the back alleys of the city, not knowing who he truly is. When fate leads him to pull the Excalibur sword from stone, Arthur embraces his true destiny to become a legendary fighter and leader.

CAST:

Charlie Hunnam
Arthur

Jude Law
Vortigen
brother to the King

Uther Pendragon
King 

Astrid Berges-Frisbey
The Madge

Djimon Hounsou
Sir Bedivere

The Travelling Toe awards this movie 2 pinky toes up with a tube of toothpaste for those movie closeups in the muck and mire.

Tributary Cafe
Fort Worth, Texas

Tributary Cafe


The Travelling Toe and 3 Dear Friends are always on the hunt for some yummy bread pudding.  Recently another Dear Friend recommended a rather new restaurant called "Tributary Cafe".  It is located in the historic Riverside suburb of Fort Worth.

The picture above is a tad wobbly as city employees were working out in the street in front of the cafe and it was hard to get a good picture of it.

The cafe is in a refurbished house and is very cute inside. 

The inside dining area is not large but there is a sizable shaded area outside. 

The menu offering is not large but large enough. They cook all the food fresh and there is a glass door where you can even watch the kitchen staff hard at work.  Our wait person was friendly and attentive.  Most of the food was geared towards Creole and Cajun.  But there are a few other offerings for those of us to can not eat spicy.

But now for the "piece de resistance".....the bread pudding.  Oh my it was so so good.  It has a praline sauce on top of the bread pudding then chopped pecans are sprinkled over that.  It appears to be bad manners to lick ones plate in a social setting but it was so tempting.

it was being divided up when the picture was taken

What a fun place to enjoy a casual meal, a quick lunch or even drinks and appetizers. But don't forget the bread pudding!!


Tributary Cafe
2813 Race St
Fort Worth  TX

817-744-8255

"Rasheeda Speaking" presented by the Circle Theatre

RASHEEDA SPEAKING
play program

On a warm, breezy Saturday afternoon, The Travelling Toe and Dear Friend attended the matinee production of "Rasheeda Speaking".  It was performed at the Circle Theatre in downtown Fort Worth. It runs for 90 minutes without an intermission

The play was written by Joel Drake Johnson. It was first published in 2015 and was recently performed at an off-Broadway theater, Pershing Square Signature Center.

Joel Drake Johnson
playwright

The plot is rather difficult to describe, so the overview below is taken from the Circle Theatre's promotional material.

Rasheeda Speaking, Joel Drake Johnson’s psychological thriller, pits two co-workers against each other, when one receives a promotion to monitor the other. Office politics, fueled by racial contention, creates a battle to control the workplace. This chilling, dark comedy blends the realities of racism, superiority, and friendship to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Regional Premiere Adult language & subject matter

We found the play to be funny sometimes and uncomfortable sometimes.  Still not sure who was out to get who. 

All the local actors in the play were phenomenal.  They really made the play the success it is.

CAST:

Lisa Fairchild                      

                        Ileen Van Meter

M.Denise Lee

                       Jacklyn Spaulding

Ken Orman

                       Dr. David Williams

Barrie Alguire

                       Rose Saunders

After the conclusion of the play, attendees were asked to remain in the theater if they wished, to join in a Community Conversation which is meant to bridge the divide between communities and devise steps to bring about real change.  Denise Lee, who played the part of Jacklyn, was the leader of the discussion.

Once again another excellent play in the local community theater circuit.

Circle Theatre

FWSO Symphonic Series at Bass Hall

The Travelling Toe and several friends attended the last symphony of the season presented by the Fort Worth Symphony.  Music Director, Miguel Harth- Bedoya, conducted the performance.

Dmitri Shostakovich
1906 - `975

The concert began with a selection written by renowned Russian composer, Dmitri Shostakovich. The piece was titled "Festive Overture" which Shostakovich wrote in 1954.  According to the program notes, it is often thought this piece of musical work was a reaction to the death of Soviet Dictator Joseph Stalin who was Dmitri's long-time nemesis.

Vadym Kholodenko

A brief pause was next, in order to roll the grand piano out to center stage.  Then the featured performer, Vadym Kholodenko walked on stage to resounding applause.  He then sat at the piano and with a nod to Miguel, began to work his magic on the keyboard.  In watching his fingers, it appeared that not one key, black or white, was not touched. It was a truly amazing performance of Piano Concerto No 3 in C Major, written by Sergei Prokofiev.

Sergei Prokofiev
1891-1953

The audience gave an extended standing ovation to Vadym and the orchestra.  Vadym did return to the piano and play a very dramatic encore.

Vadym is the 2013 Gold Medal winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. The competition is held in Fort Worth every 4 years.  So this year in 2017, the competition will begin Thursday, May 25th.


2017 Van Cliburn Piano Competition


Vadym recently experienced a horrible personal tragedy.  But in an interview he said that music is healing.  Indeed it is!

After a 20 minute intermission, the musicians returned to the stage and the final selection was played.  It was the majestic piece written by Antonin Dvorak, Symphony No 9 in E minor, also know as the New World Symphony.  

Anton Dvorak
1841-1904

What a wonderful program to close out an abbreviated season.

Bass Hall

Fort Worth Symphony

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (movie critique)

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 2
movie poster

The Travelling Toe along with the Friday Movie Mavens, went to the local multiplex to see the latest superhero flick,"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2."  We had seen the first "episode" of this franchise and were eagerly awaiting this second sequel.  It did not disappoint!

Rather than try to re-cap the entire plot of the storyline, here is a short overview from the internet:

Peter Quill and his fellow Guardians are hired by a powerful alien race, the Sovereign, to protect their precious batteries from invaders. When it is discovered that Rocket has stolen the items they were sent to guard, the Sovereign dispatch their armada to search for vengeance. As the Guardians try to escape, the mystery of Peter's parentage is revealed.

One of the fun things about the movie is the music track.  Since Peter was born on earth in the 80's, that is the music he loves to listen to on a Sony Walkman.  Needless to say we Golden Girls did know the songs and grooved to them during the movie.  Another plus was that the dialogue was so funny.  There are a lot of laughs during this movie.  Most of the cast from the first movie returned to re-create their characters.

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2" has been a blockbuster so if this is your type of movie you have probably already seen it.  If not, be sure to stay through the credits as there are 5 nuggets to see.

The movie cast is extensive so only a few of the main characters will be highlighted.

CAST:

Chris Pratt
Peter Quill/Star Lord

Zoe Saldana
Gamora

David Bautista
Drax the Destroyer

Bradley Cooper
Rocket Racoon

Vin Diesel
Baby Groot

Michael Rooker
Yondu

Kurt Russell
Ego

The Travelling Toe gives this movie 1 big toe and 1 pinkie toe up with a Sony Walkman so you too can listen to the music of Fleetwood Mac, Electric Light Orchestra, Cheap Trick and Cat Stevens!.