Johnny Depp at his best

From the crazy Mad Hatter to the subtle Gilbert Grape, Johnny Depp has given us a slew of wonderful performances over the years. With the recent reappearance of Captain Jack Sparrow in the fourth installment of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, I thought I’d bring forth my top five favorite performances by Depp. So here they are.

Edward from “Edward Scissorhands” (1990): “Edward Scissorhands” was the start of a beautiful friendship between Director Tim Burton and Depp, which would lead to an additional six collaborations over the years. I can’t imagine what Depp’s career would look like at this point if they had never met.

Depp portrays a young man who was left with scissors for hands, after his inventor (Vincent Price) dies before completing the full transformation. When a bored housewife comes along and finds Edward alone in his castle, she invites him to stay with her family. Through this good-natured act, Edward feels wanted again, and even manages to fall in love with their daughter (Winona Ryder), leading to a somewhat dark, fairy-tale ending that only Burton could pull off.

When watching “Edward Scissorhands,” I sometimes forget that Depp is the one portraying the character. Depp gives a brilliant performance straight from the get-go. Edward is as kind as anyone could be and Depp brought an innocence to the character that made us love Edward, despite his disfiguration.

George Jung from “Blow” (2001): “Blow” is one of my all-time favorite movies, partly due to the screenplay itself, but mostly because of Depp’s wonderful performance as real-life cocaine smuggler George Jung. With a great supporting cast — including Ray Liotta, Penelope Cruz and even Paul Reubens (aka Pee-wee Herman) — Depp could have easily been outshined. But he plays Jung with such determination and heart that sometimes it’s easy to rationalize his wrongdoings. It is especially disheartening when Jung gets set up by his former associates on his last deal, leading to a prison sentence of 60 years. We feel the disappointment and anguish that comes with his arrest, just as he does. It’s a powerful biopic and Depp did a superb job with it.

Benjamin Barker from “Sweeny Todd” (2007): Who knew that Depp could sing? Only pal Burton would have faith in that. Even though Depp’s singing performance as the so-called Demon Barber of Fleet Street was more speaking the words in a sing-song voice than full-throated singing, Depp still made it look easy.

“Sweeny Todd” tells the story of Benjamin Barker, aka Sweeny Todd, who seeks revenge on all those who made him suffer after the apparent death of his daughter. Todd opens up a barber shop, where he proceeds to kill off his customers and — with the help of a nearby tenant, Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) — processes their bodies into meat pies to cover up any wrongdoing.

Despite the recurring gruesome act, Depp brought an allure to the character and made it hard to look away from the screen. Todd and Lovett are a disturbing pair of characters, but Depp and Carter brought about a silly, likability. And it was a nice surprise to see Depp succeed in performing outside his comfort zone.

Captain Jack Sparrow from “Pirates of the Caribbean” (First appearance 2003): A lot of people were skeptical — me among them — when the previews for “Pirates of the Caribbean” first surfaced. I thought, “This will never work. A movie based on a theme park ride… about pirates? No way. What is Johnny Depp thinking?” Boy, was I wrong.

Although the movies can get a little lost in themselves and are way too long for their own good, what holds them together is the sense of adventure, along with the utter silliness and drunken stupor that Depp brings to central character Captain Jack Sparrow. Looking at Sparrow now, you can’t imagine anyone other than Depp playing the role. And I’m both glad — and surprised — that Depp has stuck with the character through four movies.

Mort Rainey from “Secret Window” (2004): A lesser-known novelty of Depp’s, “Secret Window” is based on a Stephen King novel and tells the story of a novelist who is confronted by a stranger, John Shooter (Jon Turturro), who claims Rainey stole his book idea. Throughout the movie, Shooter becomes more and more violent, wanting proof from Rainey that he published the idea first. In the end, all is not what it seems on the surface.

What’s great about Depp’s performance in “Secret Window” is that what you see is not what you get. Depp brings an eerie quality to a normal guy — you know something isn’t quite right, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. Depp adds a lot of depth to the character and does a great job concealing Rainey’s true identity until the very end.

'Bridesmaids' not just for the gals

Don’t be fooled by the title: “Bridesmaids” is NOT your typical chick-flick, rom-com special.

Yes, six of the main players are female. Yes, it does involve planning a wedding. And yes, you may only see the groom of said wedding for all of about 3 minutes during the entire 2-hour-plus movie. But “Bridesmaids” will have both the ladies and the gentlemen crying with laughter.

OK, maybe only the females will shed tears of laughter, but still, the boys will enjoy the raunchy and obscene take on a typical “Happily Ever After” storyline as well.

“Bridesmaids” was born from the comedic minds of Producer Judd Apatow (“Superbad,” “Knocked Up”) and current SNL leading lady Kristen Wiig, who co-wrote the script.

Wiig plays Annie, a thirty-something woman who’s going through a rough patch in life. Her self-owned bakery shut down due to the recession and her best friend from way-back-when, Lillian (former SNL cast mate Maya Rudolph), has accepted a marriage proposal that leaves Annie hating the fact that she’s still single — although some of the most memorable scenes in the movie involve Ted (the surprisingly funny Jon Hamm), a complete jerk of a boy-toy to Annie.

When Annie is asked to be the Maid of Honor at Lillian’s wedding, Annie is forced to live up to high expectations (with a low bank account) and compete with a new friend of Lillian’s, Helen (Rose Byrne), for the coveted job — all while pleasing three other bridesmaids (Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) — all while losing her apartment, her car and, perhaps, even her best friend along the way.

What makes “Bridesmaids” work so well is it blends the perfect amount of love-story — Annie undoubtedly finds the right man in the end, an Irish cop (Chris O’ Dowd) who can’t help running into her all the time (or pulling her over, for that matter) — with just the right amount of comedy, which may be extreme at times but not so over-the-top that it creates for dumb comedy.

“Bridesmaids” is a perfect ensemble movie and all six women hold their own. But it is Wiig who is perfect in her role as Annie. With a subtle look here or a minor comment made there, Wiig is a great actress even beyond comedy, and I think she has yet to realize just how good she is. Wiig makes you feel for Annie as her life crumbles bit by bit, but also makes it easy for you to laugh along with her, not at her.

Aside from Wiig, McCarthy takes the cake with her performance as a bridesmaid. Her character Megan is so out-of-the-ordinary, and McCarthy truly delved in full force to play her. Megan is the sister of the groom and a macho one at that, but McCarthy brings an intense-yet-lovable quality to her character. McCarthy is fortunate to have some of the funniest lines in the movie, along with some of the film’s best and most bizarre moments.

So yes, in the end “Bridesmaids” does tie all its loose ends up in a picture-perfect way. And yes, everyone gets what they wanted and are able to make nice with each other. But the difference between “Bridesmaids” and the typical rom-com is that “Bridesmaids” proves that six ladies can create a great comedic film that appeals to both genders without playing second-best to the men in the film. Wiig and company did well their first time out of the gate, and I hope that the success of “Bridesmaids” paves the way for more female-driven comedies to come.

Adapting a book for the big screen can be tough

Adapting a book to play out on the big screen can be quite a challenge, I’m sure. Imagine taking on the task of adapting a beloved book (not to mention an entire series such as “Harry Potter,” “The Lord of the Rings,” or even the “Twilight” Saga) — reading through pages and pages of text in order to translate it into a cohesive way onto the screen; all the while deciding which details, characters and key moments to keep alive and intact to please the fans. As we all know, you can’t please everyone.

Every year a slew of novels get adapted. More recently, some of the better reads — “Atonement,” “The Da Vinci Code” and even “The Notebook” — translated beautifully on screen. While others — “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” “The Cat in the Hat” and “The Lovely Bones,” for example — didn’t fare so well. All are wonderful books, so what went wrong with the latter three? Why didn’t they work on film?

It’s all in how broadly the screenwriter and the director define the word ‘adapted.’ Once the rights are snatched up, it’s no longer about the author’s vision, but how the screenwriter and director see it, which could be completely off track.

With “The Lovely Bones,” a young adult book about the rape and murder of a teenage girl in the ’70s who, in turn, tells her story from the afterlife, was a powerful read. When Peter Jackson, director of “The Lord of the Rings,” adapted the book for the screen, he brought it down to an early-teen level, dismissing the heart of the novel. Jackson took away the grit, leaving a void in the story line on screen.

I bring up the notion of adaptation in the first place because the most recent book to hit the big screen — “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin — debuted in theaters last weekend. And despite bringing in a modest $14 million against “Thor’s” $66 million, it still landed in fourth place for the week and most likely won’t last another two weeks in theaters. Does mega-hit “Thor” have something to do with it? Maybe, but if “Thor” and runner-up “Fast Five” are geared toward male audiences, shouldn’t “Something Borrowed” still have raked in a bit more from female movie-goers?

In addition to the poor intake of money, “Something Borrowed” also received awful reviews. Entertainment Weekly gave it a D+. On the Rotten Tomato scale, it only scored a 15 percent approval rating. And the Associated Press and Washington Post didn’t like it either. As for me, unfortunately, the Claremont Cinema decided not to release the movie in their theater, so I didn’t have the pleasure of seeing whether the critics were wrong or not.

But I have read the book. All of Giffin’s books actually. And I will campaign for those.

I suppose a brief plot synopsis should be given at this point, eh? Ok, stay with me here: “Something Borrowed” is told from the viewpoint of Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin), a low key, down-to-earth lawyer. Rachel is best friends with Darcy (Kate Hudson), an attention-seeking, loud, pretty-perfect-on-the-outside girl. Darcy is about to marry Dex (Colin Egglesfield) who Rachel actually introduced to Darcy back when Dex and Rachel were in law school together. Ever since that day, Rachel has been pining over why she didn’t set Dex up with herself rather than Darcy. Darcy, always outshining Rachel in popularity and love, doesn’t know how good of a thing she’s got. So on Rachel’s 30th birthday, Dex and Rachel hook up and quickly start falling in love with each other, as if Darcy never existed.

And so the book follows the tales of friendship and love and the complications that ensue when one is stronger than the other. Throw in longtime childhood friend Ethan (John Krasinski), and it’s the perfect recipe for a big screen rom-com adaptation. So what went wrong?

Perhaps it was the wrong choice in actors — Hudson, who plays Darcy, is the complete opposite in looks as compared to the book version of Darcy — or simply a bad weekend to open up on. Or maybe people are just tired of the usual chick-flick, rom-com fare. Either way, what makes a book successful on the big screen is still a mystery to me.

The moral of the story is: Always read the book first. You’ll be far more pleased with it than the movie, and it will satisfy your imagination to the fullest. And when it comes time to see the movie, go with an open mind. I think the viewer must look at the film as an entirely different entity from the book. If a reader picks apart each scene in the movie and gets caught up in the nitty-gritty of things, the viewer is simply setting themselves up for disappointment.

Upcoming Books Made Into Films

Priest (out in theaters today)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (July 15)
The Help (Aug. 12)
The Three Musketeers (Oct. 14)
Breaking Dawn: The Twilight Saga (Nov. 18)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Dec. 19)
The Descendants (Dec. 16)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Dec. 21)
The Hunger Games (March 23, 2012)

SUMMER MOVIES ARE ON THE WAY

Plenty of superheros, animated animals, heartfelt dramas, wizards, cowboys, aliens, pirates and crazy comedic antics are coming to theaters this season.

It may not feel like summer yet, with the never-ending dreary weather and the fact that the kids are still in school, but fear not: Summer is here, at least when it comes to the movies. This weekend begins the glorious four-month stretch we like to call summer movie season, and the agenda seems to be packed with plenty of blockbusters, encompassing every-which genre. To keep you on the edge of your seat, here’s a brief rundown of what’s coming to theaters this summer. Enjoy!

REINCARNATIONS

“Conan the Barbarian” (Aug. 19) — Conan returns in an updated version of the 1982 film staring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film tells the story of Conan (Jason Momoa), a man on a quest to avenge the murder of his father and the slaughter of his tribe. The only difference between this and the 1982 version: it’s in 3D.
“Fright Night” (Aug. 19) — A remake of the 1985 horror comedy classic, Collin Farrell plays a vampire who targets his next door neighbor (Anton Yelchin) after the neighbor has discovered that Farrell is responsible for a slew of recent murders.

COMIC BOOK ADAPTATIONS

“Thor” (May 6) — The Norse god of thunder (Chris Hemsworth) is cast into exile on Earth after defying his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Natalie Portman also stars as a physicist and mortal love interest.
“Green Lantern” (June 17) — Ryan Reynolds ends up the owner of a ring that gives those who wear it superhuman powers. In turn, Reynolds helps stop an evil force from destroying the universe. Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard also star.
“Captain American: The First Avenger” (July 22) — Chris Evans, most recognizable as another comic book hero, the Human Torch in the “Fantastic Four” series, snags the role of Captain America. After his character is deemed unfit for the military, he volunteers for a top secret project that turns him into Captain America.

ORIGIN FILMS

“X-Men: First Class” (June 3) — “X-Men: First Class” takes us back to when Professor X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) were young, before they realized how much of an impact their super-human powers could have. Here they are allies, but as we all know, they end up enemies later in life.
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (Aug. 5) — Starring James Franco, “Rise” focuses on the experiments that lead to the mutation of the apes and the battle that ensues from it.

SCI-FI

“Cowboys and Aliens” (July 29) — Exactly that. Starring Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde, the film is directed by “Iron Man’s” Jon Favreau, so it’s bound to be good.
“Super 8” (June 10) — From “Lost” creator J.J. Abrams, “Super 8” is about a group of kids who witness a mysterious train crash. Soon after, strange things start to happen within their town and the kids take action.

SEQUELS, TRILOGIES, ETC.

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (July 1) — A third installment of battling Decepticons and Autobots, minus the horrible acting job from Megan Fox.
“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (May 20) — Jack Sparrow is back — with a whole new storyline — searching for the fountain of youth. “On Stranger Tides” co-stars Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane, along with Geoffrey Rush reviving his role of Barbossa.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” (July 15) — Oh, you know, only the biggest movie of the summer. Harry and friends conclude their eight-part adventure with a fight to the death against Lord Voldemort.
“The Hangover 2” (May 26) — Similar premise as the first film, only this time Stu is about to get hitched and the shenanigans take place in Thailand, rather than Vegas.
“Cars 2” (June 24) — It’s been five years since Lightning McQueen raced into our hearts. This time he and fellow cars Sally, Luigi, Mack and Mater head to the international race circuit, where Mater is mistaken as an undercover spy.
“Kung Fu Panda 2” (May 26) — Po the panda and his fellow pals are back, as they join forces to defend against Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), a peacock who has unleashed a new weapon that could destroy their home.

FOR THE KIDS

“Zookeeper” (July 8) — Kevin James listens to animals for love advice.
“Mr. Popper’s Penquins” (June 17) — Based on the beloved children’s book, Jim Carrey takes on the task of caring for penguins.
“Winnie the Pooh” (July 15) — Pooh and friends set out to find a missing Christopher Robin.
“The Smurfs” (July 29) — The Smurfs come to life in Manhattan after Gargamel exiles them from their village.

COMEDIES

“Bad Teacher” (June 24) — Cameron Diaz plays a bad teacher who hits on fellow colleague Justin Timberlake. Wait, didn’t this happen in real life?
“Horrible Bosses” (July 8) — Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell and Kevin Spacey play horrible bosses to Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day. The latter devise a plan to get rid of the former.
“Friends with Benefits” (July 22) — Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake travel down the friends-with-benefits road, only to find that it only complicates matters more.
“Bridesmaids” (May 13) — Aiming to diminish the chick-flick stereotype, SNL folk Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph take on a girly topic, in a not-so-girly manner.
“Something Borrowed” (May 6) — Based on the popular book by Emily Giffin, Ginnifer Goodwin and her best friend’s (Kate Hudson) fiancé (Colin Egglesfield) fall in love. “The Office’s” John Krasinski plays their longtime pal Ethan.
“The Change Up” (Aug. 5) — A “Freaky Friday”-eske premise with funnier actors: Ryan Reynolds and Jason Batemen switch bodies.

DRAMA

“The Help” (Aug. 12) — “The Help” — a hugely-popular book by Kathryn Stockett — delves into the lives of black maids in the 1960s, when aspiring writer Skeeter (Emma Stone) decides to write a novel on the subject.
“Larry Crowe” (July 1) — Tom Hanks goes back to school after losing his job and falls in love with one of his teachers (Julia Roberts).
“Beginners” (June 3) — Christopher Plummer embraces life after coming out of the closet at the age of 75. Ewan McGregor co-stars.
“Midnight in Paris” (May 20) — Woody Allen casts Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams as a couple who learn on a trip to Paris that their life may be better apart from one another.

DRAMA / COMEDY

"Crazy, Stupid, Love” (July 29) — Ryan Gosling takes Steve Carrell under his wing, as Carrell attempts to get back in the dating scene after his wife kicks him out.
“Our Idiot Brother” (Aug. 26) — Paul Rudd is forced to live with each of his three sisters, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer, while each goes through a struggle of their own.
“Everything Must Go” (May 13) — Will Ferrell gets kicked out from his house and loses his job, so he decides to live on his lawn and have a massive yard sale to get rid of his painful past.