From my favorite movies..

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Okay, first off, I LOVE pirates, pirate movies, stories, books, shows, most anything pirate-related, such is why I rented this from Netflix. This movie was entertaining about the first 20-30 minutes, then the story became drab and poorly put together. There was little to no sense throughout the remainder of the film, and despite what has been written in many reviews above, you can tell this was filmed in three weeks, and the script seemed to be written in a lot less time than that. Kirby Heyborne who I've never heard of or seen before, did an excellent job with his performance, even though he had little to work with, and was about the only good thing about this movie. Trenton James gave a more than decent performance as well. As for the rest of the cast, appeared more like friends and family, than actual talented or trained actors. The description is that of "Two Teenagers," but yet neither of the main characters looks even close enough to play a Senior in college, so either the casting was bad, or the description should have been changed. I have a feeling that the majority of the positive comments hailing this film as great, are from people associated with the film, and/or members of the "Free The Pirate" fan club. The "Idea" is good, and I can get past the quality of filming with low-to-no budget films, when the quality of the story is prevalent, this, however, is not one of those cases. As with any opinion on a movie or anything at all, it is just that, an opinion. I still however support filmmakers who want to get their stuff out there, but as well, I support the honesty and criticism of people close to me, and would've hoped those close to the makers of this film, had told them to spend much more time during pre-production before diving in.

In short: This is a great indie flick, and if I said anything more I'd give it away, so watch it yourselves ye scurvy dogs!In long: It's really hard for me to believe that a movie this good took six months to make from idea to post-production, it was really great. I loved the excellent characters and plot presented in the movie. The story is honestly funny with very few cheap gags, and the actors go over the top in a way that makes them genuinely believable. The film work was excellently done, and the locations that were chosen perfectly set the mood of the film. The whole movie just embodies the classic pirate feeling that pirate fanatics have come to cherish; it has cursed treasure, romance, thrills, conflict, and plenty of laughs throughout. I hate to compare it to something like Napoleon Dynamite, but there are definite similarities between the two, strictly in the sense that both are highly quotable and are destined to become cult classics. Really though, if you like pirates, you'll love this movie.

Pirates on the Great Salt Lake, what a novel idea. The film was clever--an evil pawn broker, two pirates, a worried mother, a gypsy, a detective, and a girl seeking a bad boy. The pirates are of course looking for buried treasure; their dialogue and comic relief was hilarious and they take you to the end of the journey effortlessly. The pawn broker makes an excellent villain. The cinematography was amazing, I never realized the Great Salt Lake was so beautiful, it is breathtaking. The film has a good message and the soundtrack is very well done. I would recommend this film to anyone that liked Office Space, Oh Brother Where Art Thou, or My Name is Earl (TV show).

On Sunday Feb 5th I flew down to SanFrancisco to attend the San Francisco Independent Film Festival and the second showing of Pirates of The Great Salt Lake. I arrived at the theater an hour early in order to meet up with ER Nelson, the director of the film, Kirby Heybourne (who plays Kirk) the star of the film and several of the producers.I was told by the SF Indie film fest organizers that the much awaited Friday night World Premiere of PotGSL received a standing ovation from a sold out crowd. I was getting so excited to see it, and hoping I wouldn't let down. I've been sitting and waiting since August, not an easy thing to do. Independent films are a tricky business, often it is the director's first film ( as in this case) , often the actors are less experienced "unknowns", and in almost all cases the production budget puts extreme limitations on everything. Despite these factors or because of them , Pirates of the Great Salt Lake is like finding that elusive buried treasure. This film is a real gem! It is original and refreshing, and dare I say.... OK, so I hate the comment "it's a Feel Good movie". just not the kind of comment Pirates should make. Well........This is a Very Very Feel Good Movie, and its a feel good Buddy Movie!! I smiled all the way through the screening Dammit! I hope I wasn't being watched or there goes my Pirate rep.. A very well thought out script ,co-written by Eric Nelson who also skillfully directs, and solid comedic performances by the principle actors had me laughing out loud within the first few seconds. It has everything that a good Pirate film should, Pirates (duh), ships (er, boats) , the plank, weapons, maps and cursed treasure, ghosts, skirmishes, thievery, back stabbing, murder, wenches ( and not all in that order) It's campy, it's tongue in cheek, it pokes fun at the current pirate culture, and stereotypes. It even pays backhanded homage to Johnny Depp. And I loved this film for it. The music perfectly underscores that our two heroes are living their Grand Pirate Dream. And while they may be two average young guys,... they are truly Pirates! There are also some unique cover versions of contemporary rock songs strategically placed that will have you chuckling. Like when Kirk and Flint meet for the first timeSpread the word and keep a weather eye open for this Treasure, and keep our cutlasses crossed that this film gets picked up and distributed. It deserves it and we all NEED it!Synopsis: Kirk Redgrave and Flint Weaver are two young, 20- something loners in Utah who live near the Great Salt "Sea". Each with their own issues, they meet through chance and set out together to become the best Pirates the world has ever seen. As in real life, Piracy is a tough go for our heroes, filled with much failure and disappointment, it is a hard life ( well, three weeks anyway) and then they come across a long lost treasure map. They must battle a ruthless rival and contend a curse in order to collect the treasure and fulfill their dream. Will they or will they not....