Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 84th Academy Awards®.

Today, the latest Pirates film becomes available to take home or download. Being a fan of the franchise I liked the film in spite of it's one major flaw, unfortunately my biggest issue comes from the lack of special features included in this release.

On October 18th, Disney's PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES releases on Blu-ray & DVD! Climb aboard with Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) as he searches for the Fountain of Youth. This turbulent trip includes encounters with mermaids, zombies, Jack's old flame (Penelope Cruz), Jack's nemesis (Geoffrey Rush), and Blackbeard (Ian McShane)!

In a recent virtual round-table, McBride -- who's served as Visual Effects Art Director on all four Pirates films -- discussed the process of developing the intense and visually stunning mermaid sequence, what challenges were presented in creating the beautiful sirens and then transforming them into deadly creatures of the sea.

From Walt Disney Pictures and director Jerry Bruckheimer, the fourth installment of the popular Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise has become the eighth film to gross the international top dollar mark.

The Steven Spielberg produced film opened in theaters to positive reviews and a solid box office gross, pushing X-Men: First Class to second place.

The highly anticipated raunchy comedy sequel takes the top spot over the three day weekend followed by the animated sequel Kung Fu Panda 2.

When the first Pirates movie debuted in 2003 it caught many people off guard. What looked to be an obvious cash grab based off the iconic Disneyland ride was mostly well received by both everyday movie goers and critics alike. From there, the inevitable sequels took in huge amounts of money but, for many, diminished in quality with the third being the most panned. On Stranger Tides attempts to right its previous wrongs by tightening things up but forgets to bring other items to the table for this fourth adventure.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is scheduled for 2D and 3D release in May 2011. The film is directed by Rob Marshall and stars Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane and Geoffrey Rush.