You're listening to Mousalja, May 16, 2011.

Hey, Mousalja listeners, this is Jeff.

And before we start our supersized Pirates special episode this week, I just wanted to do a quick report.

I was able last week to see Pirates of the Caribbean Four on Stranger Tides. And I'm here to give you a quick

report. It was part of a Facebook fan screening, a ton of fun, crazy crowd, really hyped up,

and I'm going to give you a quick capsule review just to pump you up for the movie next weekend.

Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides is a whirlpool of excitement, thrills. Hoopla. It plays like a mashup

of the latest Indiana Jones epic and Talk Like a Pirate Day. It's an amazing return to the heart

of the original pirates, but at the same time it kind of winks at the fact that Jack Sparrow has

become a cultural phenomenon. There's no lack of Jack Sparrow here, gratuitous Johnny Depp,

but it plays to the strengths of the film.

The addition of Penelope Cruz as a female pirate, surprisingly humorous.

I just loved her character.

And Ian McShane as Blackbeard, incredibly creepy, incredibly good performance.

It's a new kind of pirates.

It's more of an adventure mystery.

So this is an interesting way to tell a story, like I said, similar to Indiana Jones. Competing bands of pirates, racing to discover Ponce de Leon's

famed fountain of youth. And of course, they encounter numerous obstacles along the way. Mermaids,

voodoo, and in Captain Jack Sparrow's case, something that he calls stirrings that he feels inside

of his heart, very unfamiliar for Captain Jack.

So it's interesting to see how Johnny Depp adds this element to the character we know as Captain Jack.

Mermaids! There's Mermaids in this film, you've probably heard about it.

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