This is a true story that took place in 2009 . Tom Hanks portrays the commanding officer Captain Phillip, an ordinary man who lives in Vermont and is about to board a flight to East Africa where he will pilot a container ship.
The ship is on course and approaching the coast of Somali where international robbers on the high seas is prevalent. The people of Somali were dependent on fishing until the waters became polluted by ships coming through dumping chemical wastes and killing off their only means of income, fishing. Somali became poverty stricken and a civil war disbanded their navy. They turned to kidnapping and piracy for high ransoms. The captain was told to stay a certain distance from the coastline of Somali but did not adhere to that order, his desire was to save money on fuel.
Four teenage Somalis , in a small motor boat, are seen approaching the ship. The ship does not have enough speed to escape or the right to bear arms in hostile waters. They attempt to fight off the Somalis with water hoses, their only method of defense, to no avail.
Captain Phillips hides the crew in the engine room trying to save them but has to deal with his capture. The energy between the captain and the Somali leader "Muse" is exceptional. Muse
is trying to influence the captain to disclose where the crew is hiding and commanding them to surrender, a lot of suspense and anxiety going on.
It is a long harrowing experience, the U S Navy and Seals are summoned and attempt to take over, they convinced the kidnappers to release one of their crew to negotiate a settlement. The others are to be released to a lifeboat that will take them home. They take Captain Phillips along with them in the lifeboat as a hostage, it is a long drawn out process of man (at a disadvantage) against pirates with guns in a confined lifeboat bobbing around in the Indian Ocean.
The Navy and the Seals do their part in a dramatic rescue operation that you will long remember.
Tom Hanks made the part of Captain Phillips believable and the young Somalis could not have been better cast. Some awards may be forthcoming for this one.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Sunday, October 6, 2013
GRAVITY
Gravity is a science fiction thriller that will keep you captive from beginning to end. While George Clooney is the leading man in this story this is surely Sandra Bullocks movie.
She is Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer, on her very first space mission. He is Matt Kowalski commander in charge of the flight.
It begins with them walking around outside of the space craft doing repairs when mission control warns them of high speed debris flying from a Russian satellite test causing much destruction. Their space shuttle is damaged and Stone falls out of control away from the shuttle.
Kowalski, who is wearing a propelled device that can take him from one place to another, retrieves her and the two of them make it back to their space craft but find it damaged and not usable and the rest of the crew are dead. They decide to try and make it to the International Space Station, which is not far away, before the debris starts falling again.
When they get there they see the crew evacuated in one of the modules and the one left behind was damaged and could not be used to return to earth. They are still connected together but complications with tangled cords force him to cut loose from her and sacrifice himself so that she can be saved. He tells her the damaged module can still be used to travel to a nearby Chinese space station that may have a module that she can use to return back to earth.
There's a lot going on, cables are all tangled, a fire breaks out, the fuel tanks are empty, it takes forever for her to figure out how to work the controls. She considers suicide instead of waiting to die. She imagines that she sees Kowalski, he gives her instructions on how to make it to the Chinese station. This was not an easy task. She manages to get into the capsule that will take her back to earth. Her desire now is to get back to earth.
My journey with her was a long one, I was totally exhausted at the end of the movie. As for the 3D
I think it would have been just as effective without it. The cinematography was excellent.
This movie is not for everyone as for Sandra Bullock this might have been her best acting yet.
Gravity is a science fiction thriller that will keep you captive from beginning to end. While George Clooney is the leading man in this story this is surely Sandra Bullocks movie.
She is Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer, on her very first space mission. He is Matt Kowalski commander in charge of the flight.
It begins with them walking around outside of the space craft doing repairs when mission control warns them of high speed debris flying from a Russian satellite test causing much destruction. Their space shuttle is damaged and Stone falls out of control away from the shuttle.
Kowalski, who is wearing a propelled device that can take him from one place to another, retrieves her and the two of them make it back to their space craft but find it damaged and not usable and the rest of the crew are dead. They decide to try and make it to the International Space Station, which is not far away, before the debris starts falling again.
When they get there they see the crew evacuated in one of the modules and the one left behind was damaged and could not be used to return to earth. They are still connected together but complications with tangled cords force him to cut loose from her and sacrifice himself so that she can be saved. He tells her the damaged module can still be used to travel to a nearby Chinese space station that may have a module that she can use to return back to earth.
There's a lot going on, cables are all tangled, a fire breaks out, the fuel tanks are empty, it takes forever for her to figure out how to work the controls. She considers suicide instead of waiting to die. She imagines that she sees Kowalski, he gives her instructions on how to make it to the Chinese station. This was not an easy task. She manages to get into the capsule that will take her back to earth. Her desire now is to get back to earth.
My journey with her was a long one, I was totally exhausted at the end of the movie. As for the 3D
I think it would have been just as effective without it. The cinematography was excellent.
This movie is not for everyone as for Sandra Bullock this might have been her best acting yet.
ENOUGH SAID
If you are wondering how they could pair a couple like Julia Louis Dreyfus and James Gandolfini in a middle age romantic comedy, well they did and it came out sparkling like a beautiful gem stone.
They are both single divorced parents, she has a teen age daughter about to leave for college. She is a masseuse who drags her folding table to a clients home, he is a sweet unassuming easy going guy who at times seems insecure.
They meet at a cocktail party and both complain to each other about the quality of the people attending being the worst ever, not one of special interest. In spite of that they seem to bond with each other and a relationship is formed. They enjoy each others company and are both funny with remarks, especially with rebound answers..
She also meets a woman at the same party who she befriends and takes her on as a new steady client. She listens to the woman constantly complain about her ex-husband and his many faults. One day she comes to realize that the clients ex-husband and the man she is dating are one and the same person. At this point the plot is coming to a head and the bubble is ready to burst. The way these two pros handle the situation is dynamite, it is funny, sad and dramatic all at the same time.
This movie is a gift all wrapped up waiting for you to open so don't waste time, go see it now.
If you are wondering how they could pair a couple like Julia Louis Dreyfus and James Gandolfini in a middle age romantic comedy, well they did and it came out sparkling like a beautiful gem stone.
They are both single divorced parents, she has a teen age daughter about to leave for college. She is a masseuse who drags her folding table to a clients home, he is a sweet unassuming easy going guy who at times seems insecure.
They meet at a cocktail party and both complain to each other about the quality of the people attending being the worst ever, not one of special interest. In spite of that they seem to bond with each other and a relationship is formed. They enjoy each others company and are both funny with remarks, especially with rebound answers..
She also meets a woman at the same party who she befriends and takes her on as a new steady client. She listens to the woman constantly complain about her ex-husband and his many faults. One day she comes to realize that the clients ex-husband and the man she is dating are one and the same person. At this point the plot is coming to a head and the bubble is ready to burst. The way these two pros handle the situation is dynamite, it is funny, sad and dramatic all at the same time.
This movie is a gift all wrapped up waiting for you to open so don't waste time, go see it now.
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