Feedback from our readers

Feedback from our readers

Bounty Hunters
Aye, mateys! Me timbers weren’t the only things shivering when I received the Pirates of the Caribbean issue. Your amazing cover shot and insightful article (”The Piracy Debate”) made my wait to see Dead Man’s Chest a more pleasurable experience.
Christine DiRienzo
Orlando

If Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is such a terrible film (Movies), why does it warrant the cover and a six-page story?
Lee Lodyga
Clermont, Fla.

Thanks for your review of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. I thought it was a mess with huge set pieces and no heart. After its massive box office take, I was starting to think that I was the last person on earth with any sense, or crazy. Either way, I’m glad Lisa Schwarzbaum will be there to keep me company.
Erik Noriega
Houston

Dead Man’s Chest fulfilled my wish for a fun romp on the high seas of swashbuckling adventure — adventure being the entire point of the film, a point missed by Ms. Schwarzbaum. Her comments about Depp’s acting (that ”louche weirdness” earned him an Oscar nom!) and Davy Jones’ ”facial pasta” are insulting to Depp’s creation of a pop culture icon and to the animators who provided a perfect visual fit for Bill Nighy’s performance. If box office is any indication, the rest of the country seems to get the ”barely intelligible plot.”
Amy Mayrhofer
Norwalk, Conn.

Is Lisa Schwarzbaum suffering from a humor-gene deletion? Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is thrilling and outrageously funny. How could you not love a movie with a squid-faced villain who speaks like a minister and a heroine who outpirates Captain Jack?
Diane Munz
Montreal

M. Night’s Tale
The results of M. Night Shyamalan’s my-way-or-the-highway approach to Lady in the Water remain to be seen, but if his post- Sixth Sense movies are any indication, it wouldn’t hurt for him to listen to a little constructive criticism, from voices besides the ones in his head.
Danny Bronstein
Woodland Hills, Calif.

I was ecstatic to read an excerpt from Michael Bamberger’s observations on M. Night Shyamalan (”Sink or Swim”). I eagerly await his every cinematic effort but constantly find myself defending his films to others. I do not rely on Shyamalan to surprise or scare me. I simply trust that he will entertain me with compelling drama and an original story. Allowing readers to witness his insecurities and bursts of emotion will hopefully sway those who see him as arrogant and pretentious.
Chad E. McDonald
Modesto, Calif.

Double Header
As a Radiohead fan, I’m ashamed to say this…but when I saw the picture of Thom Yorke near his new album’s review (Music), I thought it was Clay Aiken. Uncanny.
Sean Marier
Los Angeles

Baby’s Got ‘Backyardigans’
As a mom of three who would rather beat her head against a wall than endure Barney or the Wiggles, The Backyardigans is a refreshing change (Kids). I have been known to sing the James Brown-esque ”Yeti Stomp” without a single child around.
Karah Levely-Rinaldi
Grand Junction, Colo.

CORRECTIONS
We misspelled director Zack Snyder’s first name (Movies). We misidentified a photo of Stargate Atlantis‘ Dr. Rodney McKay (played by David Hewlett) as John Sheppard (played by Joe Flanigan). Flanigan is standing partially obscured behind a piece of scenery (What to Watch).

104
Number of fans outraged by Lisa Schwarzbaum’s D+ grade for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

2
Number of adult readers who didn’t appreciate our harsh words for kiddie-rockers the Wiggles

OBSESSIVE FAN OF THE WEEK!
Self-described ”art educator” S.C. Jones of North Las Vegas, Nev., takes his knowledge of Disneyland seriously. ”Pirates of the Caribbean is not an ‘amusement’ ride,” he complains, but a ”themed attraction,” which he sees as an art form comparable to cinema. He suggests that our unwillingness to perceive such a distinction is ”a clever but patronizing mockery…fashionable among elitists.” Us… elitists?