Captain Phillips (2013)

Movies keep giving me reasons why I avoid boats and the sea.  I don't like the water anyway.  It messes with my cybernetics!

Captain Phillips is the true story of the Maersk Alabama hijacking by Somali pirates back in 2009.  Even though this only happened a few years ago, I was totally in the dark about it.  I don't know if my ignorance was because of where it happened, or I just wasn't paying attention to the news at the time.  Sometimes I can get wrapped up a little too much in my own world.

Shortly after leaving port en route to Kenya, Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks) runs a drill to prepare the crew, as this is a dangerous shipping lane known for pirate attacks.  As if on cue, they pick up two skiffs on radar.  The Maersk Alabama's crew is initially successful at fending off the pirates, but on a second attempt four pirates succeed in boarding.  Captain Phillips orders the crew to hide and they are able to sabotage the ship and eventually overpower one of the pirates.  Unable to control the ship, the pirates have no choice but to take the ship's lifeboat and flee.  The crew attempts to exchange the captured pirate for the Captain, but the pirates double-cross them and escape with Captain Phillips.

Shortly after, the destroyer USS Bainbridge, under the command of Commander Frank Castellano (Yul Vazquez), is dispatched to catch up to the lifeboat and respond to the hostage situation.  As things escalate and appear more dire, a Navy SEAL team is also sent in to aid in the rescue.

Captain Phillips is a massively intense movie, and the fact that I had no idea how it turned out made it that much more agonizing.  There are several times when watching Captain Phillips where you genuinely aren't sure how he's going to get out of this situation.  Prior knowledge of these events won't make this any less harrowing.

The screenplay by Billy Ray, which was based off the book "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea", by the actual Captain Richard Phillips and Stephan Talty, feels very authentic without sensationalizing the event.  I've read that Richard Phillips felt the retelling of the events is accurate, and it's always nice to hear when the people involved feel their story's been done justice.  Stories like this make you wonder if faced with the same situation would you have been as brave.  It's easy to see these skinny-ass pirates and think, I could totally overpower them if I can catch them off guard.

One thing that surprised is that you actually feel sympathy for some of the pirates.  The opening of the film gives you a look into the conditions they live in, and how many of these pirates are just kids that are forced to do this by local warlords.  It's just how things are for them, and it kind of reminds me of when you see an otherwise good kid forced into a gang simply because he has no choice.  Even though they are doing wrong, there's a part of them you feel for.  It also helps they didn't kill anyone.  I credit director Paul Greengrass for balancing the sympathy you may feel for the pirates with the heroism of Captain Phillips. Despite over two hours, it's briskly paced and doesn't waste any time.  The score by Henry Jackman really drove the tension as well.

If there's anything I had a problem with, and it's the main reason why this isn't getting the full five Death Stars, it's the film's overuse of shaky cam.  I get that it was used to simulate the motion of the ocean and immerse you in the situation, but I found it to be unnecessary and even distracting at times.  I don't need help feeling seasick; let the movie do that on its own.

As you'd guess, Tom Hanks is great.  You feel everything he goes though and even what's going through his mind.  He kind of broke my heart a little at the end, and you just want to give him a big hug. After a bit of a downturn with some of his recent films, he's definitely back in the Oscar race with Captain Phillips.  Just as surprising are the performances from the pirates, particularly Barkhad Abdi as Muse.  All four have never acted before, which is impressive considering their performances, but it also makes them that much more terrifying because you don't know who they are.

Captain Phillips is an experience that may leave you feeling as exhausted as the Captain did by the end.  It's an intense tale of real heroism, and also a reminder of a what a great actor Tom Hanks is.  This is definitely one you don't want to miss.

4.5 (out of 5) Death Stars

Enough Said (2013)

Imagine if Enough Said featured the characters of Elaine Benes and Tony Soprano.  With their tempers this could have been the most violent romantic comedy ever made.  There would be a lot of bodies in their wake.

Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a divorcee and mother working as a masseuse.  She seems to be content with not dating, but her daughter, Ellen (Tracey Fairaway), is leaving for college soon.  Perhaps not wanting to face the reality of having an empty nest, she begins to date Albert (James Gandolfini), a regular guy she met at a party.  Albert is also a single parent with a daughter preparing to leave home.  The two hit it off and things seem to be going well.

Meanwhile, Eva takes on a new client, Marianne (Catherine Keener), and they form a friendship as they bond over stories about their exes.  However, Eva slowly realizes that Albert is actually Marianne's ex-husband.  Rather than come clean, she keeps everyone in the dark as Marianne continues to dish dirt about Albert and eventually poison their relationship.

This aspect of the film could have been an absolute mess if handled differently, and there are lots of bad examples of coincidence like this being horribly contrived, but fortunately Enough Said is a smarter and more realistic film.  It's clear that Eva is torn with the prospect of coming clean and how it will affect her relationships.  While it did bug me a little that she didn't fess up right away, you can understand why she didn't, and Eva doesn't escape without consequence.  Despite Eva's mishandling of the situation, you still can identify with her.  It's not like she's bad person.

Another interesting angle in the movie was how Eva was dealing with the impending send off of her daughter.  She forms an odd bond with Ellen's best friend, Chloe (Tavi Gevinson), which isn't something that Ellen is all that wild about.  This could have felt forced or melodramatic, but it fit in well with everything Eva was already feeling and dealing with.  It helped that both Chloe and Ellen were portrayed as normal teens, rather than bitchy or angsty.  I'm tired of seeing movies where teens hate their parents by default.  Some kids actually get along with and love their parents.

One of the things that puts Enough Said in another league from other romantic comedies is that it's chock full of great performances.  Even the supporting roles are developed and acted well.  Eva's best friend Sarah (Toni Collette) and her husband Will (Ben Falcone) are hilarious as a couple that always seem to throw subtle, and some not so subtle, digs at each other.  The two of them were a highlight of the film.  Did you know that Toni Collette is from Australia?  I had no idea until I saw Enough Said.  I don't recall ever hearing her speak with her natural accent before.

Enough Said is consistently funny and ranges from being very sweet to awkward and uncomfortable humor.  I didn't find it cheesy and this is due in large part to it avoiding a lot of the typical romantic comedy cliches.  It also has an open ending, rather than wrapping everything up neatly with a nice little bow.  Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, she does a great job of avoiding melodrama and balancing all the characters and plot elements well.  Even the limited interaction between Eva and her ex (Toby Huss) was handled in a cordial manner, rather than filled with acrimony.  Enough Said is a breath of fresh air for those frustrated with rom-coms where characters don't communicate or say what they really feel.

It's a shame this is James Gandolfini's last movie as he is really great in the role.  He's funny, charming and easy to relate to.  Part of me watched Enough Said with a heavy heart knowing this was gonna be it for him.  You will be missed, Mr. Gandolfini.

This is really Julia Louis-Dreyfus' movie though and she's fantastic.  I didn't really think about this until after, but this is a rare film role for her as she's stuck more to TV.  She's a total comedy pro and her timing and delivery is as sharp as ever.  Her chemistry with Gandolfini was very natural, and you never have any issues buying into their relationship.  She also shows a tender side and there's a few scenes toward the end that pulled on my heartstrings a bit.  I hope her success here encourages her to take on more roles on the big screen.

Enough Said is a mature romantic comedy.  It's sensitive, smart, realistic and features great performances from Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini.  This is a great date movie to catch on a matinee.

4 (out of 5) Death Stars