Gravity
Warner Brothers
Rated PG-13 for intense peril, disturbing images and brief strong profanity
Astronauts Struggle To Survive Shuttle Disaster In Harrowing Outer Space Thriller
Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) is set to retire following a distinguished career as a NASA astronaut. The veteran captain is currently in command of his final flight of the Space Shuttle Explorer with a primary mission to replace solar panels on the Hubble Telescope.
Upon rendezvousing, the spacewalk proceeds so routinely that the devastatingly-handsome bachelor is comfortable engaging in flirtatious chitchat with attractive Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), a medical engineer on her maiden voyage. But then Mission Control urgently orders them back into the capsule because the debris field from a damaged Russian satellite is headed in their direction at the speed of a bullet.
However, it causes catastrophic damage to the shuttle before they have a chance to reenter it, killing all their crewmates and destroying the vehicle beyond repair. Suddenly, Kowalski and Stone find themselves floating in space, no longer in radio contact with Houston, and with a very limited amount of oxygen left in their tanks.
This is the intriguing premise established practically at the point of departure of Gravity, a gripping sci-fi thriller written and directed by Alfonso Cuaron (Pan’s Labyrinth). What ensues is a desperate race against time in which the unflappable Kowalski does his best to keep the frightened rookie calm while trying to survive more by his wits than by the book.
The impromptu plan involves using their thrusters to reach the International Space Station 100 kilometers away before the shrapnel returns upon completing another orbit of Earth. This is just the first of many challenges to be faced successfully if the protagonists are ever to feel solid ground under their feet again.
Rather than ruin the plot’s unpredictable developments for you one iota, permit me to heap praise on a pair of nonpareil performances by Oscar winners George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. Of equal note are the picture’s breathtaking 3D cinematography and the magical way in which weightlessness is convincingly created onscreen.
Buckle up for a relentlessly-riveting, roller coaster ride through a deceptively-close outer space you can virtually reach out and touch!
Excellent (4 stars)
Running time: 90 minutes
Captain Phillips
Columbia Pictures
PG-13 for intense violence, sustained terror, bloody images and drug abuse
Somali Pirates Hold Captain Hostage In Navy SEAL Rescue Thriller
On April 9, 2009, the Maersk Alabama, an American container ship headed for Mombasa, Kenya, was hijacked on the high seas in an area that had become very popular with Somali pirates preying on international commerce. Despite having recently practiced evasive maneuvers in the event of just such an attack, the vessel’s 20-man crew’s flare gun and fire hoses proved no match for the fearless, heavily-armed quartet high on an herbal stimulant called chat.
After climbing aboard, the drug-emboldened buccaneers abandoned the idea of commandeering the cumbersome, 500+ foot-long craft carrying 17,000 metric tons of cargo, since all they were really after was a multimillion-dollar ransom. Instead, they opted to take Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) hostage on one of his own lifeboats as a very valuable bargaining chip.
However, when their demands fell on deaf ears, a standoff ensued in the middle of the ocean. Soon, a destroyer stationed near the Gulf of Aden, the USS Bainbridge, was dispatched to the scene, and its captain, Frank Castellano (Yul Vazquez), feigned negotiating while simultaneously securing permission from President Obama to hatch a daring rescue plan.
Directed by Paul Greengrass (United 93), Captain Phillips is certain to invite comparison to the somewhat similarly-plotted Zero Dark Thirty, given how both recount a real-life mission mounted by a crack team of Navy SEALs. The difference, however, is that this adventure amounts to little more than a high-anxiety orgy of worry unfolding from the perspective of the imperiled kidnap victim, while the relatively-cerebral Zero Dark Thirty devoted most of its attention to delineating the intricate details involved in the complicated manhunt for Osama bin Laden.
Curiously, this movie repeatedly makes the presumably politically correct point of reminding us that these madmen are not Muslim terrorists, but without offering much of a hint as to their motivations besides money. Nevertheless, Tom Hanks does bring his A-game here, even if he’s cooped-up in close quarters acting opposite a B-support cast (Barkhad Abdirahman, Mahat M. Ali, Barkhad Abdi and Faysal Ahmed) for the bulk of the picture.
Unfortunately, his one-note abductors are painted as soulless, primitive natives right out of a typical Tarzan flick. Sure, the bloodlust payoff is bigger when the bad guys are the frightening embodiment of pure evil with no redeeming qualities. Yet, this production would’ve benefited immeasurably from just a little development of the villains’ characters.
Shades of Cast Away (2000), with Tom Hanks being tortured by sadists as opposed to talking to a volleyball for over an hour while waiting for the cavalry to arrive.
Very Good (3 stars)
In English and Somali with subtitles
Running time: 134 minutes
OPENING THIS WEEK
Kam’s Kapsules:
For movies opening October 11, 2013
Machete Kills (R for profanity, sexuality and pervasive graphic violence) Danny Trejo reprises the title role in this high body-count sequel which finds the intrepid detective-turned-spy recruited by the U.S. President (Charlie Sheen) to foil a terrorist plot being hatched by a Mexican madman (Demian Bichir) and an eccentric billionaire (Mel Gibson). Cast includes Lady Gaga, Sofia Vergara, Jessica Alba, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Antonio Banderas and Amber Heard.
All The Boys Love Mandy Lane (R for sexuality, nudity, profanity, violence and pervasive drug and alcohol use, all involving teens) High attrition-rate horror flick about a 16-year-old blossoming beauty (Amber Heard) invited by classmates intent on taking her virginity to a wild weekend party at a remote ranch in Texas where kids start disappearing one-by-one. With Anson Mount, Edwin Hodge and Michael Welch.
Broadway Idiot (Unrated) Punk rockumentary highlighting the effort to turn Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong’s hit album American Idiot into a Broadway musical. With Michael Mayer, John Gallagher, Jr. and Michael Esper.
CBGB (R for sexuality, drug use, violence and pervasive profanity) Rock & roll retrospective revolving around Hilly Kristal (Alan Rickman), the founder of CBGB, the legendary, Greenwich Village nightclub which launched the careers of such new wave groups such as Blondie, the B-52s, the Ramones and the Talking Heads. Cast includes Malin Akerman as Debbie Harry, Joel David Moore as Joey Ramone, Mickey Sumner as Patti Smith and Taylor Hawkins as Iggy Pop.
Design Is One: The Vignellis (Unrated) Fashion documentary revisiting the career of the husband and wife team of Massimo and Lella Vignelli, influential Italian designers of futuristic modern furniture, packaging, housewares and signage.
God Loves Uganda (Unrated) Born Again documentary chronicling the campaign by Evangelical Christian missionaries to encourage the citizens of Uganda to abandon their cultural traditions in favor of Biblical law.
The Inevitable Defeat Of Mister And Pete (R for profanity, drug use and sexuality) Coming-of-age saga about a nine- (Ethan Dizon) and 13-year-old’s (Skylan Brooks) attempt to survive the summer on the sweltering streets of New York City after their substance-abusing mother (Jennifer Hudson) is arrested by the police. Cast includes Anthony Mackie, Jordin Sparks and Jeffrey Wright.
Romeo And Juliet (PG-13 for violence and mature themes) A tale of forbidden love, set in Renaissance Verona, loosely based on the Shakespeare classic about a star-crossed couple (Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth) hailing from feuding clans. With Paul Giamatti, Stellan Skarsgard, Damian Lewis and Ed Westwick.
