Welcome to French Toast Sunday’s new feature that is all about YOUR opinions. Talk It Out is designed to generate group discussion on specific movies, general topics and other burning questions plaguing the movie world. We want movie fans to unite and bring with them whatever it is they want to say. Keep reading to join in our discussion topic.
Last week we talked about Alfonso Cuarón’s new film Gravity receiving heaps of praise from audiences and critics alike. This past weekend seemed to deliver the same results for Paul Greengrass’s new film Captain Phillips. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes calls the film “Smart, powerfully acted, and incredibly intense, Captain Phillips offers filmgoers a Hollywood biopic done right — and offers Tom Hanks a showcase for yet another brilliant performance.”
The movie is based on an actual event that took place in 2009. Slate and Time have done in depth articles on the film, helping to sort out the facts from fiction. Check them out here:
The True Tale of Captain Phillips (Time)
Below you’ll find the film’s trailer and synopsis:
“Captain Phillips is a multi-layered examination of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates. It is — through director Paul Greengrass’s distinctive lens — simultaneously a pulse-pounding thriller, and a complex portrait of the myriad effects of globalization. The film focuses on the relationship between the Alabama’s commanding officer, Captain Richard Phillips (two time Academy Award®-winner Tom Hanks), and the Somali pirate captain, Muse (Barkhad Abdi), who takes him hostage. Phillips and Muse are set on an unstoppable collision course when Muse and his crew target Phillips’ unarmed ship; in the ensuing standoff, 145 miles off the Somali coast, both men will find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control.
The film is directed by Academy Award® nominee Paul Greengrass, from a screenplay by Billy Ray based upon the book, A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea, by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty. The film is produced by Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, and Michael De Luca.”
Will and I attended the press screening for the film and both really enjoyed it. I compared it to Greengrass’s other film United 93 which has a similar focus and method of storytelling. Will’s review of the movie is very much in line with my own view point of the film. He writes:
“The story is well written, something that cannot always be said for an adaptation of a true story. The film’s writer, Billy Ray, also adapted scripts for The Hunger Games and State of Play. The dialogue is especially effective, including the subtitled Somali conversations. I actually think that speech adds an element of fear or uneasiness to the film when the viewer realizes that the characters have no idea what is being said all around them. “
You can read the rest of Will’s review here.
Have you seen the film yet or do you want to see it? Do you think this will be a contender come Oscar time? Feel free to let us know what you think or even leave a link to your review in the comments if you have already reviewed it on your personal blog.
