Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips 2013
Directed by Paul Greengrass

Captain Phillips is the true story of a freight ship that is making a run off the coast of Africa that is boarded by Somalian Pirates.  Captain Phillips(Tom Hanks) is the Captain of the ship and is trying to keep his crew and himself alive.  The Pirates are led by Muse (Barkhad Abdi) who is a bold and fearless man who is doing what he has to in order to survive.  The film becomes a battle of wits and chance as the tide turns on all these characters multiple times throughout the film.

I really enjoyed this film.  Greengrass, the director has taken what he has learned about the speed a story can reach from his other films like The Bourne Supremacy and United 93.  One thing that I was concerned about before seeing this film is that it would be too predictable.  I was happily surprised that this film is very unpredictable.  The twists and turns of this film will keep you fully engaged from start to end.  The driving force of the film is the performance by Tom Hanks.  His performance in this film is the best I have seen from him since Saving Private Ryan.  There is a particular scene at the end of the film that is a great example of what makes Tom Hanks a level higher then pretty much everyone else in Hollywood.  Tom Hanks is probably the best actor working today in film.  There are a couple other examples of scenes where his performance shows that little bit more then everyone else working in Hollywood in the films Forrest Gump and The Green Mile.  The scene from Forrest Gump is when Jenny(Robin Wright) tells him that he has a son and his first concern is if his son is smart or like him.  The scene in The Green Mile is the scene when he has to order the power turned on for John Coffey(Michael Clarke Duncan).  Until seeing this film I believed Forest Whitaker had the Oscar for Best Actor in the bag for his performance The Butler, but after seeing Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips I think it could go to either one of them and it makes me excited for a couple of the other films that are getting Oscar buzz that have yet to come out.  This is a great film that I would recommend to any adult out there who wants to be fully engaged by a film.

RUSH

Rush
Directed by Ron Howard
2013

The Film Rush is the true story of what is one of the greatest rivalries in the history of motor sports.  The rivalry takes place during the 1970's between formula one James Hunt( Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl).  The rivalry was a very interesting dynamic because James Hunt from England was the rock star on the edge driver while Lauda from Austria was a very calculating and precise driver.  The rivalry in the film meets it's zenith during the 1976 season.  If you don't know what happened then you'll have to watch the movie to know why the 1976 season was so important.

This was a great film. Ron Howard delivers again as he seems to always does with his films.  His films are always a great balance. It had a great balance between the action, drama, and comedy.  The period piece of the film feels very authentic throughout the film and as an audience we are always drawn into it.  The racing sequences were truly intense with the cinematography and the music.  You will want to drive fast after watching this film.  The score by Hans Zimmer is amazing and will really keep the intensity up.  The song from the ending credits is on my workout mix for the gym.  The film seems to be about the relationships that can develop around us.  In the film there are several different types of relationships, from friends and family, love and love lost, and the relationship between enemies.  The most prominent relationship is the rivalry and how Hunt and Lauda as enemies push each other to be the absolute best they can be.  The film shows how relationships make us grow as people and that even an enemy can make you a better person especially an enemy you respect.  I would recommend this film for anyone.

The Score by Hans Zimmer