Captain Phillips

My View:  Captain Phillips  (2013)  PG-13  Based on a true story, the American ship, Maersk Alabama, captained by Richard Philips (Tom Hanks), becomes the first U.S. ship in two hundred years to be hijacked by pirates.  The Somali pirates want millions of dollars to return the ship and its crew.  Can Capt. Philips and his crew stall long enough for help to arrive? This is Tom Hanks' best performance in years as he plays the New Englander Capt. Philips to perfection.  The film is filled with action sequences but also gives you an accurate picture of not only the crew of the ship, but its attackers, as well.  Barkhad Dbdi plays the leader of the pirates, Muse, as he makes several attempts to take over the ship.  The film is expertly directed by Paul Greengrass, who uses hand-held camera shots to create a sense of intimacy and tension as the film progresses.  This film and Hanks' performance are capped off in the last three minutes of the movie which makes Hanks a sure-fire nominee for Best Actor.   My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   Captain Phillips Website

Indiefest:  Romeo & Juliet  (2013)  PG-13  This film is a remake of the time-honored story of the two star-crossed lovers whose love is forbidden by their warring families. The film has created a bit of controversy because not all the dialogue in the movie is from the Shakespeare text - some of the lines have been modernized.  I like Hailee Seinfeld’s performance as Juliet, but I feel that Douglas Booth lacks the charisma that Romeo needs to take a woman’s breath away.  I liked Paul Giamatti as the Friar who tries to help the doomed couple, and I especially liked Ed Westwick, who brings some life and energy to the screen as  the villain, Tybalt.  I didn't like the cinematography of the film, as scenes seemed to be always shot a dusk, making the film look dull.  The film, though, never really finds its footing, and after you see this two hour re-do, you will be wondering, as I did, since nothing new was brought to the screen, so why remake it?  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Romeo & Juliet Website

Indiefest:  The Summit (2012)  R  K-2 is one of the tallest and most dangerous mountains to climb in the world.  1 in 4 climbers that attempt the final summit climb die.  In 2008, 11 mountain climbers died on a single day, and several more lost fingers and toes to frostbite.  This film is a riveting combination of photos / videos from the actual climb with incredible recreations of what happened.  The film not only explores what happened on that climb but why it happened.  There are a number of interviews with the survivors of the climb along with family members of people that died, making it a touching and moving film.  The movie does a great job of showing how incredible the human spirit is and just how heroic people can be when the chips are down.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee  The Summit Website

Forgotten Film:  Logan’s Run (1976)  PG   The year is 2274, and people are living inside a dome without a care in the world, living a life filled with pleasure.  That is until you turn 30.  When you reach 30, your life is terminated in a religious ceremony known as Carousal.  Not everyone goes to Carousal willingly.  Some try to run, and the men whose job it is to track the “runners” down and kill them are known as Sandman.  Logan (Michael York) is such a Sandman, and he is recruited by the authorities to find a subversive group known as Sanctuary and destroy it.  Things get complicated when Logan falls for a woman who is also a runner named, Jessica (Jenny Agutter), and now Logan must choose between his job as a Sandman and his love for Jessica.  This is a splendid Sci-Fi action film with very impressive special effects. (It won two Academy Awards, and one of them was a Special Achievement award for visual effects.)  It has a well thought out storyline that has plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.  Look for a very young Farrah Fawcett in a small role.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee  Logan's Run Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blu-ray): Much Ado About Nothing  (2013)  PG-13  I loved this Joss Whedon film of the William Shakespeare comedy about Beatrice (Amy Acker) and Benedick (Alexis Denisof) who are two life-long single people who everyone is determined to get together.  I especially enjoyed the performances of Nathan Fillion and Tom Leck who play two bumbling police officers.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See It Again  Much Ado About Nothing Website

In Memory of Ed Wood ( A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): Bad Grandpa (2013)  R  Johnny Knoxville playing an 86 year old man on a trip with his 8 year old grandson.  Uh, no, I think I will skip that trip.   Bad Grandpa Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Captain Phillips:  breakdown artist

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  About Time (2013)  R  Richard Curtis, who wrote and directed Love Actually (2003), brings us a film about a young man (Domhnall Gleeson) who discovers he comes from a long line of Time Travelers.  He uses his new found skill to win the girl (Rachel McAdams) of his dreams.   About Time Website

Until Next Time!