Until Midnight (& Sometimes Later)

Captain Phillips Director: Paul Greengrass Writers: Billy Ray, Richard Phillips (book), Stephan Talty (book) Stars: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, Mahat M. Ali, Michael Chernus, David Warshaofsky, Corey Johnson, Chris Mulkey, Catherine Keener, Yul Vazquez, Max Martini

It’s the season for Oscar bait and awesome performances, and “based on historical events” movies have always been a favorite of Academy voters. Hot on the heels of Rush comes Captain Phillips, based on the true life experience of a freighter captain who runs into Somalian pirates.

The situation would make an awesome board game. Resources for the freighter crew include limited or improvised weapons, money for bribes, knowledge of the environment versus superior firepower on the side of the pirates, who are reluctant to actually kill anyone–that greatly decreases the possibility of a big ransom payoff. Both sides have the limited ability to call for help and advice from their colleagues outside, who are moving toward the ship . . .

The movie shows you both sides of the equation: Captain Phillips, first in Vermont, then in Oman as he takes command of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama; and a group of poor men in Somalia, sent off to grab a ship for ransom.

Phillips (the ever impressive Tom Hanks) is vigilant, well aware of the dangers of the coast off Somalia. But preparation can only take you so far.

When the pirates actually show up on radar, the crew works it by the book, calling Maritime Operations for help and evading as best they can. Eventually, though, there begins a days-long confrontation between four armed pirates led by the impulsive Muse and the virtually unarmed crew.

Terror in a situation they never expected is portrayed amazingly through the eyes of the freighter crew, in scene after scene as the stress levels up. The pirates are more playing things by ear, and less certain when things don’t go as planned. The film makes clear just how much influence a leader can have, as the two groups of men, respectively, take their cues from their captain and his demeanor.

As the title Captain Phillips indicates, Tom Hanks is all over this one, and he delivers. In spades. On the other side of the equation, first-time actor Barkhad Abdi is remarkably convincing and terrifyingly real as the pirate captain. These two playing off each other are the best moments in the film.

This one is not for the faint of heart–the reality it’s based on is even grimmer and more extreme than the movie, but they took it plenty far. It is well worth seeing and will easily keep your
attention for its more than two hour running time.

A movie about spirituality and desperation and what happens when hope is all but lost, Prisoners is gripping and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

An amazing cast led by Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal gives absolutely outstanding performances of a compelling script. See the full review at buzzymag.

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Keller Dover’s (Hugh Jackman) personal philosophy, passed down from his father is: “Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.” He’s a devout survivalist, and a bit of a control freak. When his daughter and her friend are kidnapped–his world is turned upside-down.

Mobsters with some issues trying to play it straight and keep a low profile. Who thought that was a good idea? The full review is at buzzymag.

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The Family is a dark comedic slice-of-life film about a not-so-ordinary family in extraordinary circumstances.

They’re a family that takes nothin’ from nobody, in the finest mob tradition, as seen through the filter of European eyes, played absolutely over-the-top for maximum silliness.

Vin Diesel is back in the epic conclusion to the trilogy begun in Pitch Black. See him fight more mercenaries, deal with an even more hostile environment, see him fight against overwhelming odds and . . . my full review is at buzzymag.

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Are you afraid of the dark? Are you afraid of the boogeyman? Did you like Pitch Black? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes”–you will enjoy the new follow-up to The Chronicles of Riddick, titled simply Riddick.

Paranoia is full of fabulous stars and solid performances, but I couldn’t find anyone to identify with, so it was a real hard sell for me. I go into more detail about way in my reivew at buzzymag.

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Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth) is a whiny, entitled, 20-something techie who has spent the last six years working for Wyatt Corp, a major player in the telecommunications industry. He and his friends are impatient that they haven’t advanced yet, to big bonuses and living large.

The latest attempt to capitalize on the young adult market that so loved the Harry Potter series steps up to the plate with The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. It’s got great special effects, but doesn’t explain things as well as it might, and there’s a definite lack of adult supervision. See my full review at buzzymag.

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What glimpses we do get of the world are tantalizing and interesting, including a trip to the titular City of Bones, watched over by the Silent Brothers, under the cemetery, where the bone and ashes of dead Shadowhunters are laid to rest. Those remains hold a certain amount of power, when used properly.

Thinking man’s science Fiction from the writer/director of District 9, Elysium shows us utopia in a future where most people are leaving anywhere but–and what a desperate man on the raggedy edge will do when all hope fails. There’s a lot to like here, with both social commentary and action and explosions. The full review is at buzzymag.

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On Earth, Max (Matt Damon) is leaving a life of drudgery, working in a factory owned by the very, very rich John Carlyle (William Fichtner). He’s trying to walk the straight and narrow, but his past as a criminal legend makes things difficult.

A fun enough franchise, the new Percy Jackson film (Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters) fails to take any real risks, and any character growth seems forced. Mostly, it’s just a rehash of the “Am I good enough?” plotline from Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. My full review is at buzzymag.

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Percy Jackson isn’t like a potato chip–you can watch just one. The second? Leaves you bloated, uncomfortable and a bit confused . . .

Hugh Jackman is back in The Wolverine, bridging the gap between X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: Days of Future Past. While not his best outing, it’s far from his worst, and there is enough here to recommend going to see. A detailed review is up at buzzymag.

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On the plus side, I cannot say enough good things about Yukio–the character as created for the movie (very different from the comics) is multi-faceted, strong, and compelling. The movie definitely becomes less interesting during a long stretch when Yukio is absent from the screen.

Yet another comic book adaption at the cinema, R.I.P.D. is lightweight fun with heavyweight effects. Watch Jeff Bridges vamp it up! Full review at buzzymag.

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R.I.P.D. was completely harmless, goofy fun that didn’t take itself too seriously. You shouldn’t either and you’ll have a great time. It’s Ghostbusters meets Men in Black meets Lethal Weapon with a touch of Quantum Leap.