Captain Phillips Review



            Pirates have always captured the imaginations of people around the world.  Even in the last decade we’ve had the mega-hit franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean, engage people in theaters all over.  This probably leads to the reason why we automatically think of rum drinking swashbucklers whenever we hear the word pirate.  In reality, pirates still exist in the world today, whether they are online users who upload a TV show they recorded or poor Somalis driven by vicious warlords to come up with money through hijacking passing ships.  It’s the latter that is the subject matter of a film released just recently.  A few years ago a story made national headlines in which Somali pirates took an American captain of an American-owned cargo vessel captive.  With Captain Phillips, United 93 director Paul Greengrass gives us his account of that event.  While some have already come out of the woodwork to claim just how inaccurate this film it is, it really doesn’t matter because Captain Phillips is an intense thriller filled with strong performances.

            Captain Phillips recounts the events of the 2009 Maersk Alabama hijacking through the point of view of Captain Richard Phillips (who is played by Academy Award winner Tom Hanks in the film).  The film is directed by Paul Greengrass and is written by Billy Ray (State of Play and The Hunger Games).

            Due to its similar style and its presence in the awards season, this film will receive a lot of comparisons to Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty.  That will probably be a disservice to Captain Phillips as it doesn’t have the lofty ambitions that Bigelow’s film had.  That being said Paul Greengrass crafts an engaging film.  The intensity that Greengrass brought to his Bourne installments is present here, and Greengrass also once again turns a small set (this time a closed-in escape vessel instead of the plane in United 93) into a disturbing yet captivating piece of the film.  Most of what is on display in this film is something that we have seen before from Greengrass, but this film is also a combination of all of Greengrass’ best parts.  It was also nice to see Billy Ray’s script turn the antagonistic pirates into fully fleshed characters.

            The entire cast is also really strong.  Tom Hanks delivers his best performance since Cast Away as he takes complete command of the screen throughout the film’s entire duration.  However, it’s within the last ten minutes that Hanks performance reaches the next level with a scene that involves a lot of acting on Hanks’ part but really strikes home as being realistic.  The other performance that will have everyone talking is that of Barkhad Abdi as the head pirate.  It was nice to see a film actually cast an actor from the actual ethnicity of the real life performance.  Hopefully, Abdi’s performance convinces people to do this more often, and it very well could because Abdi is asked to be almost as much of a lead as Hanks and he steps up to that task with such natural precision.  

            Captain Phillips may not be the most memorable film of its genre but it gets by on Paul Greengrass’ direction and memorable performances from Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi.

8/10

Rush Review



            With sports films and Ron Howard films struggling as of late it would seem that a sports film directed by Ron Howard would be a very bad idea.  There really haven’t been any good sports films outside of Moneyball and 42 in recent years while Ron Howard’s latest two films have been such critically derided films as The Dilemma and Angels & Demons.  Yet Rush (the racing film directed by Howard and released into theaters last month) is quite an entertaining film.  Gorgeously filmed and well acted throughout there is not much to complain about with Rush.

            Rush is the real-life story of the 1976 Formula One season as rivals James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) race for the championship.  The film is directed by Ron Howard (with what is easily his best directorial effort since Cinderella Man) and is written by Peter Morgan (who also worked on Frost/Nixon with Howard).

            One of the more common complaints against Ron Howard as a director is that he has a bland style.  While that can be true in some of his lesser films, this is the man who directed Apollo 13 and made the dark yet trippy A Beautiful Mind.  His direction on this film fortunately falls much more in line with the latter examples.  His direction of the racing scenes are visually striking and intense while he also (with the help of a talented crew of costume designers) makes the 1970s setting work well in the quieter scenes.  It also helps that Howard received a script from Peter Morgan that allows him to direct the performances in such a fashion that they end up dictating the plot rather than the writing.  That brings up my only complaint in the film.  Morgan’s ability to let the performances and direction speak for themselves makes the film seem much more sophisticated so when the script spells out some important character development that the audience could have figured out for themselves in the final scene, it seems like a betrayal of what has come before.  Ultimately, though it’s one quibble in an otherwise strong film.

            As for the performances, they are equally as good as Howard’s direction.  Chris Hemsworth doesn’t veer to far away from his normal shtick, but he is well casted in a role that needed his typical schtick in order to make an otherwise unpleasant character likeable.  Speaking of unlikeable characters, Daniel Bruhl easily plays the most unlikable one in the entire film.  Yet through Bruhl’s performance, Niki Lauda ends up becoming the most fascinating character in the film.  The rest of the supporting cast is mostly gone to waste (such as Olivia Wilde in a poorly-written role and Natalie Dormer being charming in a role that amounts to little more than a cameo), but Alexandra Maria Lara is able to stand out from the crowd as the love interest for Niki Lauda.

            Featuring some sturdy direction and two strong performances, Rush is a good start for the fall movie season. 

8/10

Gravity Review



            Genre films: they are the films that make all of the money at the box office, and yet they rarely get attention from critics and film historians.  Yet there are certain genre films that are so good, so creative and so risky that they demand everyone’s attention.  Whether it be Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey or Steven Spielberg’s Jaws there are exceptions to the rule.  The latest exception to the rule actually builds off of these two films to create one of the most technologically impressive and well-directed films in cinematic history.  Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity is not just one of the best films of the year.  It’s a film for the ages.

            Gravity follows Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), an astronaut who finds herself without a ride back to Earth after a debris incident damages her crew’s space shuttle.  With oxygen running low and the debris field’s imminent return, Stone and surviving crewmember Kowalski (George Clooney) must find a new way home.  The film is directed by Alfonso Cuaron, who also wrote the script with his son Jonas.

            This is a film that is entirely reliant on its visual imagery, and Alfonso Cuaron uses this as an opportunity to show that he is one of the best directors working today. Cuaron smartly uses imagery to tell his story, and while some may complain about the film’s “simplistic” storyline, there is a lot there in the imagery (especially when it comes to letting go and faith).  Every set piece is breathtaking in its beauty and intense in its action.  Cuaron’s trademark tracking shots are also back and better than ever (the opening shot is an instant classic and the second shot isn’t afraid to test the boundaries of filmmaking). 

            It also seems that Cuaron’s ambition on this project caused everyone else on the crew to up his or her game.  Enough can’t be said of director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki.  He’s a true master of his art form, and his work on this film might just be his best work yet.  The tracking shots and the physics of light in space push Lubezki to his limits, but he fully delivers with some of cinema’s most awe-inspiring images.  Enough also can’t be said about the sound design, which makes sure that it plays an important role in the film despite sound not existing in space, and the visual effects make sure that you feel like you are in space with these characters constantly.

            The only sign of weakness in this film is ultimately with the acting.  Cuaron’s presence is so large in this film that not much is required of the actors despite Sandra Bullock and George Clooney being asked to be the only two actors in the film for its entire duration.  Sandra Bullock does some fine work.  However, you never for a second believe this is Ryan Stone instead of Sandra Bullock, and you do see a bit of strain in her performance when Cuaron finally relinquishes the stage to her in a pivotal scene in an escape pod.  George Clooney is another actor who has a very difficult time disappearing into rules so it’s good that the film uses him as more of a plot device and tries to rely on his charm as much as possible.  It’s actually one of his stronger performances in a while.

            Gravity is going to be a film that we are going to be talking about for a long time.

10/10

66th Primetime Emmy Awards Predictions: Year In Advance Predictions


This year's Emmy season may have just concluded, but that won't stop me from looking ahead to next year's Emmys.  Here are my predictions for the 66th Primetime Emmy Award nominations:


BEST DRAMA SERIES
1. Breaking Bad
2. Homeland
3. House of Cards
4. Downton Abbey
5. Game of Thrones
6. Mad Men

BEST COMEDY SERIES
1. Modern Family
2. The Big Bang Theory
3. Veep
4. Orange is the New Black
5. Louie
6. The Michael J. Fox Show

BEST MINISERIES/MOVIE
1. The Normal Heart
2. True Detective
3. American Horror Story: Coven
4. Bonnie and Clyde
5. The Honourable Woman
6. Sherlock

BEST VARIETY SERIES
1. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
2. The Colbert Report
3. The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon
4. Jimmy Kimmel Live!
5. Saturday Night Live
6. Late Night With David Letterman

BEST REALITY-COMPETITION SERIES
1. The Voice
2. The Amazing Race
3. Project Runway
4. Top Chef
5. So You Think You Can Dance
6. Dancing With the Stars

BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
1. Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
2. Michael J. Fox, The Michael J. Fox Show
3. Louis C.K., Louie
4. Don Cheadle, House of Lies
5. Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
6. Jake Johnson, New Girl

BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
1. Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
2. Damian Lewis, Homeland
3. Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
4. Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
5. Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
6. Jon Hamm, Mad Men

BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
1. Matthew McConaughey, True Detective
2. Idris Elba, Luther
3. Woody Harrelson, True Detective
4. Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock
5. Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart

BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
1. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
2. Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
3. Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
4. Lena Dunham, Girls
5. Taylor Schilling, Orange is the New Black
6. Anna Faris, Mom

BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
1. Claire Danes, Homeland
2. Robin Wright, House of Cards
3. Kerry Washington, Scandal
4. Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
5. Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel
6. Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife

BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
1. Julia Roberts, The Normal Heart
2. Jessica Lange, America Horror Story: Coven
3. Maggie Gyllenhall, The Honourable Woman
4. Helena Bonham Carter, Burton and Taylor
5. Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
1. Ty Burrell, Modern Family
2. Tony Hale, Veep
3. Ed O’Neill, Modern Family
4. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
5. Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
6. Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
1. Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
2. Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
3. Mandy Patinkin, Homeland
4. Damian Lewis, Homeland
5. Dean Norris, Breaking Bad
6. Jeffrey Wright, Boardwalk Empire

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
1. William Hurt, Bonnie and Clyde
2. Martin Freeman, Sherlock
3. Jim Parsons, The Normal Heart
4. Alfred Molina, The Normal Heart
5. Patrick Stewart, The Hollow Crown

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
1. Julie Bowen, Modern Family
2. Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
3. Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
4. Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie
5. Anna Chlumsky, Veep
6. Allison Janney, Mom

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
1. Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad
2. Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
3. Morena Baccarin, Homeland
4. Betsy Brandt, Breaking Bad
5. Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
6. Christine Baranski, The Good Wife

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
1. Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Coven
2. Holly Hunter, Bonnie and Clyde
3. Janet McTeer, The Honourable Woman
4. Angela Bassett, American Horror Story: Coven
5. Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Coven

BEST DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
1. Louie
2. Orange is the New Black
3. Girls
4. Modern Family
5. Orange is the New Black

BEST DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
1. Breaking Bad
2. Breaking Bad
3. House of Cards
4. Boardwalk Empire
5. Homeland

BEST DIRECTING FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
1. True Detective
2. Olive Kitteridge
3. The Normal Heart
4. Bonnie and Clyde
5. Sherlock

BEST DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL
1. The Kennedy Center Honors
2. The Oscars
3. The Grammys
4. The Tonys
5. The Golden Globes

BEST WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
1. Louie
2. Veep
3. Orange is the New Black
4. The Michael J. Fox Show
5. Episodes

BEST WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
1. Breaking Bad
2. Breaking Bad
3. Downton Abbey
4. Homeland
5. Mad Men

BEST WRITING FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
1. Sherlock
2. The Normal Heart
3. True Detective
4. The Honourable Woman
5. Luther

BEST WRITING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL
1. The Tonys
2. The Kennedy Center Honors
3. The Golden Globes
4. The Oscars
5. The Grammys

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
1. Dancing With the Stars
2. So You Think You Can Dance
3. So You Think You Can Dance
4. Glee
5. Dancing With the Stars

AllTrail's Connecticut Top 10

If you ever want to get into hiking there is no greater app that I could recommend than AllTrails. Due to a large user base, AllTrails has o...

Popular Posts