Captain Phillips

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

    

by Frederick William Springer III

 

Captain Phillips

Release Date:  11 October 2013                                                          Runtime:  134 Minutes              

Review Date:  28 January 2014                                                           Rating:  4 (of 6)

      If you want to see a film about modern day pirates, Captain Phillips is the way to go.  (Also, really, who are we kidding?  It's your only option.)

     The cast did a great job, particularly the aggressors played by Faysal Ahmed and Barkhad Abdi.  Tom Hanks was on top of his game as well, though I don't really get what accent he was going for.  As depicted in the movie, we know his character is from Vermont but people from that state don't talk that way.  Upon further research, not mentioned in the movie, the real Phillips grew up in Massachusetts but Hanks doesn't sound like he has an accent from there either.  So it is left rather a mystery as to what he was going for.

     The story was well structured and the pacing good.  However, I wouldn't say it was riveting or gripping.  Having seen it after it was nominated for an Oscar (and it being only the 2nd Oscar pick of the 9 selected this year that I've screened), it leaves me wondering what the Academy is thinking, neither Captain Phillips nor Gravity being all they've been built up to be.

 

Thor: The Dark World

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

by Frederick William Springer III

Thor: The Dark World

Release Date:  8 November 2013                                                         Runtime:  112 Minutes              
Review Date:  3 January 2014                                                               Rating:  5 (of 6)

     While not quite as amusing as its predecessor, Thor: The Dark World still pays off.

     ***It is now a month later and this one-sentence review is still sitting on my desktop begging to be finished.  But it has yet to be expounded upon because that concise line sums up my opinion quite nicely, not warranting anything further.

     I can needlessly add that it's also a good blend of both action and humor, many of the snickers occurring during Jane's sidekick Darcy's (Kat Dennings) scenes.  I can also say it's more enjoyable watching Loki (Tom Hiddleston) here than it was in The Avengers.

     At this point, anything else would be grasping at straws as too much time has passed.  But you shouldn't let any more time pass before entertaining yourself with this sequel if you haven't already!