Movie Recommendation: "Captain Phillips" Starring Tom Hanks

Welcome back Tom Hanks. Truly great roles have eluded the two time Academy Award winner in recent years, but Hanks still has the ability to deliver award worthy work when he has quality material to work with. He has found such material in Captain Phillips, which is based on the true story of Richard Phillips' struggle with Somali pirates in 2009, when they boarded his ship, the MV Maersk Alabama, threatening his life and that of his crew.
 
Before the action begins, Phillips is shown in a casual conversation with his wife, Andrea (Catherine Keener), discussing one of their children, who had recently gone through a tough time. That small scene helps to define the character of Phillips, who truly cares about those who he feels responsible for protecting/keeping safe. However, Phillips is all business when it comes to his ship and his gruff, by the book demeanor does not go over well with his crew. But when their lives are placed in jeopardy by the gun toting pirates, they could ask for no one more emotionally capable and shrewd than their Captain.

The look of terror on Phillips' face when the pirates take over the ship masks his overall awareness of the situation and his ability to think how best to outsmart them. As Captain, Phillips takes charge, as well as responsibility and places his own life in danger to hopefully save his crew. While the pirates pose a significant threat, their leader, Muse (Barkhad Abdi), is a businessman who understands that if they can peacefully work out an agreement, the U.S. government might pay a hefty ransom. Of course that does not stop his three accomplices from waving their guns around in the faces of various crewman, thus ratcheting up the tension with the potential loss of life at any moment.

The tension is palpable before the pirates are even seen because Phillips seems to sense something is not quite right. When his suspicions turn out to be true, he does everything is his power to thwart the pirates and is initially successful. However, when the potential payoff might be huge, the pirates simply refuse to be denied. Hanks, along with director Paul Greengrass, tag team to amp up the suspense for over two hours and with firepower in the hands of the pirates for the majority of that time. When the second act begins, Phillips finds himself in even more danger, partly because of his concern for others that may come back to haunt him. He seems to understand how the ordeal will end, but is less sure if he will survive.

Paul Greengrass has mastered the action thriller with his previous work on United 93 and The Bourne Supremacy and Captain Phillips is an equally strong effort that boasts an outstanding performance from Tom Hanks, who is terrific throughout, but then morphs into brilliance during his final scene. Greengrass also elicits fine work from the four pirates, all newcomers, including the aforementioned Barkhad Abdi as well as Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed and Mahat M. Ali. Captain Phillips is a well acted and taut thriller that brings to life an unforgettable true story that showcases the depths one person is able to go to in order to survive while never losing his sense of humanity.

Family Film Recommendation: "The Croods" - Starring Nicolas Cage

Believe it or not, Nicolas Cage may finally have a hit movie on his hands. Cage provides the voice for Grug Crood, the patriarch of a prehistoric family in the new animated film The Croods. Grug's family includes wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), their two children, Eep (Emma Stone) and Thunk (Clark Duke), and Ugga's mother, Gran (Cloris Leachman). Shortly after the film begins, viewers familiar with another stone age family, The Flintstones, will understand that there is nothing modern about The Croods. Not that there is anything wrong with that. However, Grug is similar to the well meaning, but often mistaken fellow father Fred Flintstone. They both love their family and want to keep them safe and secure, but their ideas on how to accomplish those goals and not always sound. For instance, while Grug takes his role as protector seriously, he refuses to allow anything "new" to disrupt his tried and true ways of living.

The Croods live in a cave and have a huge boulder as a front door. After sunset, no one is allowed to leave the cave because of the predators who lurk just outside. However, the headstrong teenage Eep decides to break the rules and her decision will have long lasting consequences for her family. After sneaking out, Eep soon notices light emanating from the darkness and finds a fellow caveman, Guy (Ryan Reynolds), who is disguised as an animal to keep himself safe. Guy has started a fire, which captures the attention of Eep, who is not sure what to make of him, but is drawn to him nonetheless. After spending some time together, Guy gives Eep a horn that she can use to signal him if she is ever in danger, which comes in handy on more than one occasion.

The next day, an earthquake hits and virtually destroys the Croods home, forcing the family to search for a new one. This "new" development disturbs Grug, but the family soon discovers a beautiful new world that emerged from the dust of the old one. However, the new world holds unknown dangers, which forces Eep to use the horn to alert Guy, who soon arrives and saves the family. Grug is upset with the arrival of the much younger and more intelligent Guy and decides to keep him rolled up in a log to keep him under control and away from Eep, who clearly likes the young man. 

During their journey, Guy entertains the Croods with interesting stories and new ideas and inventions, much to the dismay of Grug, who finds himself competing with Guy for dominance. Guy is clearly winning out, so Grug becomes jealous, but also motivated to come up with (gasp!) a new idea or two of his own. Considering the challenges that they will soon face, the Croods and Guy will need all the help they can get.

The Croods offers something for viewers of all ages. Younger viewers will marvel at the use of animation, color and the lovable characters, including Guy's sloth, Belt (Chris Sanders), the family dog, Douglas, and a huge lovable saber- toothed tiger. In addition, the message that everyone in a family has an important role to play in their overall happiness is conveyed very well. Older viewers will smile at the familiar family dynamics, such as the classic battle between mother-in-law, Gran, and son-in-law, Grug. In addition, Grug's paternal instincts move him to try to protect Eep from the new man in their lives, Guy, who seemingly poses a threat to all that Grug's holds dear. Indeed, new people and ideas shake up the Crood family, but in a positive way. 

Many important elements are present for The Croods to become the starting point for a new film franchise that has cross generational appeal, including fun and relatable characters, a screenplay that will make you smile frequently, and a solid score/soundtrack. If nothing else, the additional revenue from merchandising, including stuffed animals of Belt and the saber-toothed tiger, could ensure financial success. Finally, the talented cast, including the voices of the aforementioned Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds, help to create memorable and beloved characters that viewers will want to see again and again. 

Directors: Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders
Screenplay: Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco, from a story co-created by John Cleese.

Movie Snapshot: "A Late Quartet" - Starring Christopher Walken

Play classical music. Insert melodramatic plot twist. Rinse and repeat. A Late Quartet stars Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Mark Ivanir, as a string quartet celebrating their 25th anniversary, while also dealing with a series of personal setbacks that may threaten their future. Cellist Peter Mitchell (Walken) experiences weakness in his left hand which may signal the onset of Parkinson's disease, married couple Robert (Hoffman) and Juliette (Keener) have an unexpected argument that bruises Robert's ego and leads to a poor decision on his part, and Daniel (Ivanir) falls in love with someone close to the group, which causes even more problems among the quartet.

When the focus is on the music and the Fugue quartet practices for Beethoven's String Quartet No. 14, Op. 131, the film works well. The four lead actors look natural as musicians, although the music viewers hear is by the Brentano String Quartet, and they realistically behave as though they have known each other for many years. While it is important to explore characters, the screenplay, by Yaron Zilberman and Seth Grossman, gets bogged down in the sordid details of their personal lives of three of them. As a result, I did not particularly care for or about Robert, Juliette or Daniel, despite the performances from the aforementioned actors.

A Late Quartet is initially anchored by Peter's medical problems, which works well, courtesy of the understated and completely effective work from Walken. However, the film then loses momentum and focuses on the aforementioned sordid details of an affair and a love affair, neither of which ring true. Further problems result from a miscast and completely obnoxious supporting character. I also found myself losing interest intermittently throughout the film, especially when Walken, Keener and Hoffman are absent. My anticipation was high for A Late Quartet, but I was somewhat disappointed in the overall film. The talent is present to produce something memorable, but the execution is lacking.