Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

BENDIGO’S residential Strategy will be reviewed because of greater than expected growth.

The State Government has announced a grant of $50,000 to carry out the review.

The review is needed because, according to the State Government, 40 per cent of the forecast growth between 2006 and 2031 had already been realised.

Regional Development Parliamentary Secretary Damian Drum made the announcement this morning.

Mr Drum said the Bendigo Residential Strategy Review would deliver greater community and investor certainty, helping the region grow.

“The Bendigo Residential Development Strategy was adopted in 2004 and is currently being audited because of the faster than anticipated growth that has occurred in Bendigo in recent years,” he said.

“Strong residential growth has many flow-on economic benefits and having a clear framework for future development will position Greater Bendigo City Council to undertake more detailed, place-based planning in the future.”

Deputy Premier Peter Ryan said about 40 per cent of the forecast growth between 2006 and 2031 had already been realised.

The Residential Strategy impacts directly on where and how property developments use “infill” parcels of land, range of housing styles and also on housing affordability.

“This project will review the strategy, assess current and estimated land supply and demand and consider various legislative and policy changes,” Mr Ryan said,

“It will also consider the latest demographic data and establish a new strategic framework to guide the long-term residential growth of Greater Bendigo.

“The project will result in a revised residential strategy that will give developers, the community and service providers greater surety and confidence about where land can be developed for residential purposes, and that sufficient land is available to accommodate the City of Greater Bendigo’s future growth.”

Mr Ryan said a contemporary strategic planning framework was essential to the economic development of a large regional centre like Bendigo.

“Clearly identifying future growth options and supporting infrastructure needs will enable the Greater Bendigo City Council and other infrastructure providers to plan their capital works programs well in advance,” he said.

“Identifying long-term growth areas will enable the council and other service authorities to start planning for the delivery of services, thereby minimising the lag time between when residential development occurs and when the services need to be in place.”

| Bendigo Weekly | 09-Jun-2011 4:01pm

JACK Sparrow and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise are like a friend — you know when you catch up with them that they are good for a laugh and that they are pleasant company for a couple of hours.

It is a movie miracle that a fairly innocuous water ride at Disneyland, Los Angeles, could inspire a string of four successful movies with more on the drawing board – making it one of the most successful franchises in the art form’s history.

Apart from a meatier story this time around by Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott, Jerry Bruckheimer adds another dimension by shooting the latest instalment in 3D and has added a whopping big soundtrack in Dolby 7.1 surround sound.

It is my firm belief that the best way for movie studios to fight movie piracy and the PC download industry, is to offer a product that makes downloaded copies vastly inferior.

Bruckheimer has down that with the 3D shooting and magnificent sound quality which cannot be replicated on any download making it a must see in a legitimate cinema.

Unfortunately Bruckheimer has fallen for the old trick of mainly using 3D as a poke-in-your-face effect rather than the integrated component it was in James Cameron’s Avatar. Making you duck your head is a tired gimmick and a lazy use of 3D which should be used as an innovative tool in film making not an old trick dating back to the 1950s when the audience wore blue and red cardboard glasses.

On Stranger Tides takes the Caribbean story on a more involved level. For the first time historical characters have been introduced including Edward ‘Blackbeard’ Tech (magnificently played by Ian McShane best remembered for his work on the outstanding TV series Deadwood), King George II of Great Britain (comically played by Richard Griffiths) and King Ferdinand VI King of Spain (Sebastian Armesto).

Acting great Dame Judith Dench gets the best line in the whole movie when she says: “Is that all!” And for fans of the series, Keith Richard is back as Jack’s father Captain Teague. He has the second best line saying: “Do I look like I found the fountain of youth”.

Other great casting additions include attractive Spanish actor Astrid Berges-Frisbey as mermaid Syrena, Penelope Cruz as a credible love interest for Jack called Angelic and the perennial favourite our own Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa. Be assured Pirate fans, his teeth are as disgusting as ever.

Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley’s characters are not missed in this episode.

Maybe Johnny Depp’s camp Jack Sparrow is now seen as slight over-kill as his limp wrist affectation does not sit well with macho pursuits slashing his way through tropical jungle and climbing massive cliffs. But on the other hand his effeminate nature is one of the character’s endearing traits.

The movie’s special effects are again an important player and are the result of excellent work by cinematographer Dariusz Wolski and art directors Drew Boughton, John Chichester, Robert Cowper, Zack Grobler and Tomas Voth. Watch for an extraordinary treatment of bringing mermaids to the screen.

On Stranger Tides was good enough to have me wanting more. Little did I know that years ago sitting in a boat floating past Disneyland dioramas would lead to watching and enjoying four movies inspired by the experience?

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7 ½ stars out of 10