Captain Phillips

ACTION/ADVENTURE, DOCUMENTARY, SUSPENSE/THRILLER, DRAMA

Piracy

8.0 out of 10 | Movie, DVD

---

Rated: PG-13 Sustained intense sequences of menace, some violence with bloody images, and for substance abuse
Release Date: October 11, 2013
Runtime: 2 hours 13 minutes

---

Director: Paul Greengrass
Writers: Billy Ray, based on the book "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea" by Richard Phillips
Cast: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Adbi, Catherine Keener, Michael Chernus, Corey Johnson, Max Martini, Yul Vazquez

---

Watch Trailer

SYNOPSIS: The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.

REVIEW: Paul Greengrass, director The Bourne Ultimatum, brings his gritty style of kinetic cinematography to screen again to adapt the harrowing tale of the first American seafaring vessel to be hijacked in over 200 years. Based on a story by Billy Ray adapted from the first account book by Richard Phillips, Captain Phillips is a realistic portrayal of the actual events.

Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks, Cloud Atlas) leaves his wife (Catherine Keener, 40-Year-Old Virgin) and his home in Vermont to take on the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama as its captain to deliver goods around the Horn of Africa to several destination points. Running the freighter through the Somalian Basin, frequented by Somali pirates, Captain Phillips uses his years of experience to deliver his cargo with speed. On this voyage the captain and crew of the Alabama are pursued by two skiffs manned with armed bandits. Using whatever countermeasures at his disposal the captain tries to out run the Pirates. When the pirate captain Muse (Barkhad Adbi) and his pirates do get aboard the vessel, the Captain tries to distract the pirates from his crew. Faced with an eventual stand-off Captain Phillips finds himself in the Alabama's lifeboat with the pirates. What follows involves the U.S. Navy, Navy SEALs, and a directive from the White House to keep the Pirates from ever reaching shore – no matter what.

Helmed by director Greengrass of the Bourne franchise, Paul shoots Captain Phillips with the same hand-held and grainy stock film as he did in those previous films. Adding in both steady cam and handheld camera work, the film has an inherent realism to serve as a backdrop for the true story it is based on. Greengrass stays away from a slick overproduced look that could have made this into a lesser film. Greengrass's style works best for the type of film that he intended to develop.

Captain Phillips is truly about him. Tom Hanks, always the consummate A-list acting talent, takes on the captain's New England accent and demeanor to reinvent himself as this new character. From start to finish, Hanks proves why he is a two-time Oscar winning actor. Some celebrities eventually have to succumb to their Hollywood status, no matter what role they play. Hanks still manages to morph into whatever character he pursues.

The other major character is that of Somali pirate Muse, trying to prove himself as a man who can earn for his warlord bosses. He seems uneducated, but he is deadly and driven enough to try and make a name for himself by trying to hijack the massive cargo freighter. Greengrass portrays Muse as a dangerous young man, but manages to offer background to allow for some sympathy of his plight. Adbi plays the "skinny rat" as an unpredictable man to be feared.

Based on the true story of the pirated US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama in 2009, the film does an amazing job telling both sides of the story with equal measure. While we will never root for the Somali pirates we do understand the reasons why they do what they do. We applaud the cleverness and ingenuity of the Alabama's captain and crew, as well as the businesslike precision of the US Navy and SEALs. Greengrass and Ray make sure we see both sides of the coin.

A tour de force effort by Hanks, Captain Phillips is a harrowing tale of how the world now works. Hanks is understated in the perfection of his performance, staring down the wily crazy eyes of his attackers. If there's a first Oscar contending performance of the fall season, this is it.

---

Pacific Rim

SCI-FI/FANTASY

To Fight Monster, You Need Monsters

8.25 out of 10 | Movie and DVD

---

Rated: PG-13 Sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, an brief language
Release Date: July 12, 2013
Runtime: 2 hours 11 minutes

---

Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writers: Travis Beacham, Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Diego Klattenhoff, Burn Gorman, Max Martini, Robert Kazinsky

---

Watch Trailer

SYNOPSIS:  When an alien attack threatens the Earth's existence, giant robots piloted by humans are deployed to fight off the menace.

REVIEW: Guillermo del Toro, known for hits like the sequel better than the original Blade II, the fantasy Pan's Labyrinth, and the Hellboy franchise, works with Clash of the Titans (2010) scribe Travis Beacham to bring to screen a Godzilla / Mech Godzilla epic sci-fi/fantasy adventure for a new generation. How do you fight enormous alien monsters? Build mechanized monsters of your own!

In the very near future a dimensional rift tears at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. From the depths of this scar allows giant alien monsters called Kaiju to come up from the depth and decimates major coastal cities. In response to the threat, the nations of the world pool their resources to construct giant mechanical warriors called Jaegers manned by two pilots to combat this new threat. Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam, Sons of Anarchy) and his older brother Yancy (Diego Klattenhoff, After Earth) are recruited into the program and fight all Kaiju monsters that comes at them. When Raleigh's brother is killed in combat, he drops out of the program and disappears for five years. When Marshall Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba, Prometheus) faces the elimination of the Jaeger program in favor of a towering coastal wall, Pentecost recruits Raleigh again to pilot one of the four remaining Jaegers in an all out offensive against the dimensional breach. Raleigh is forced to pilot with a new generation pilot named  Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi, The Warped Forest) and join the international collection of pilots for the remaining Jaegers to combat the monsters who seem to evolve each time one of them comes through the breach. Are they doomed to fail and are the inhabitants of the earth destined to become extinct?

Guillermo Deltoro directs his version of a Godzilla epic for a brand-new generation. But this time we have no sympathy for the misunderstood monsters that come from the ocean's depths. Instead we have to side with the military and scientists trying to rid the planet of the continual threats and possible eminent extinction. Never has a species faced such a continual threat, each monstrous incursion taking a toll on our defenders.

The concept of giant robots piloted by humans against the enormous monsters is not a new concept. Anyone who has watched weekday afternoon and Saturday morning cartoons from the 70s, 80s and 90s can remember shows like Voltron, G-Force, Power Rangers, or Robotech as examples of this type of action/sci-fi/fantasy. In this case, Voltron would come the closest with its human piloted mechanical defenders against alien invaders. With two human pilots, each Jaeger has vast offensive armaments, and hand-to-hand that are an extension of the pilots own combat skills.

Both the Jaegers and the alien Kaiju monsters are beautifully rendered CGI eye candy. The entire film flows seamlessly with no week FX elements. While not wholly original as it pertains to this kind of action adventure film, del Toro takes some of the typical disaster film motifs and work them expertly into the movie. From Pentecost's rally speech for his soldiers (a la Independence Day), to the UN officials forcing the Jaeger program disband in favor of a less tested solution, to familiar character archetypes that are both clichéd and well worn. Pacific Rim provides a simple light story and elaborate action that lets you enjoy every kernel of popcorn.

The Pacific Rim cast looked like they're having fun during the filming of this monster flick, not taking it too dramatically or seriously. The film is high octane action from the Jargers and their pilots, and fun comedic relief by Dr. Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day, Horrible Bosses) and Gottlieb (Burn Gorman, The Dark Knight Rises), with a light story to piece it all together. Guillermo del Toro is a fine visual storyteller, and this effort is no different. Pacific Rim may not have the same aesthetics and drama as Pan's Labyrinth, but the film does fit into del Toro's canon of films similar to the Hellboy franchise and the Blade II sequel. Max Martini (Colombiana), Robert Kazinsky (Red Tails), and Ron Perlman (Drive) round out the main cast.

During the film the first Kaiju monster become a plush toy, a video game characters, and the other source for other merchandising opportunities. But when the second Kaiju appears to ravage another city, that is no longer the case. For Pacific Rim, I could see the Jaegers becoming oversized Mattel toys like the Shogun Warriors of the 70s and 80s, and the Kaiju monsters being their plastic opponents. Whether this is a signal for great merchandising or for this film's success, there are plenty of opportunities to be had surrounding this film.

Pacific Rim is a great adventure in the style of any of a number of 60s Japanese monster flicks. The action is crazy, the Jaegers cool, and the Kaiju monsters ferocious. The film may be a little light in story but the action makes the 131 minutes go by very quickly. I am almost upset that I did not have more popcorn to eat!

---