Saturday, January 25, 2014

Best Picture Blitz 2014, Part 2

Precocious Daughter and I are continuing our quest to see every Best Picture Academy Award-nominated film before the Oscars on March 2nd. Except Wolf of Wall Street.

Because 556 f-words in three hours.
Pictured: Leo DiCaprio saying the f-word.
Today we saw Captain Phillips.  It's the story of a plucky big-box appliance store employee with dreams of making it big in the high-stakes world of musical theatre.

We're gonna make it after all!
Wait, no.

It's the fictionalized true story of a container-ship captain whose vessel is commandeered by Somali pirates off the coast of Africa. And it's really good, Drunkards. I was a wee bit not so much looking forward to seeing it, because movies where the Navy SEALS come in and blast everything to justice fuck yeah 'Murica are not my favorite. But I really liked Captain Phillips, and here's why:

1. Who doesn't love Tom Hanks, especially when he's rocking a New England accent that varies during the course of the film from Ben Affleck Lite to the Pepperidge Farm Guy Talking About Bread.

Yes, children, not just a "Family Guy" meme.
2. Barkhad Abdi, who was a limo driver and retail clerk before being cast as the head Somali pirate, completely deserves his Best Supporting Actor nomination. He takes what could have been a one-dimensional "evil foreign bad guy" role in a lesser movie and makes the character funny, human, and a totally believable analog to Hanks' all-American good guy.

And if you've seen him making the rounds at the awards shows
this season, you know he's having an absolute ball.
3. Michael Chernus, who plays hard-working first mate Shane Murphy, is adorable. And I totally want to watch "Orange Is the New Black" because he plays Cal Chapman in five episodes.

4. Since All is Lost and Robert Redford got totally, unforgivably snubbed for Best Picture and Best Actor nominations, respectively, I'm glad to have one Treasured American Actor in Peril at Sea movie to root for.

I totally recommend this movie.  Check it out. Tomorrow PDaughter and I are going to check out August: Osage County, I think. Spoiler alert: It has Benedict Cumberbatch in it. I'll let you know what the Oscar/squee factor is.
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5 comments:

  1. Bill the ButcherJanuary 26, 2014 at 12:02 AM

    I have no intention whatever of watching it, but at least they cast an ethnic Somali (and very Somali-looking) man to play the part of a Somali pirate. Unlike, say, that piece of vainglorious racist trash Black Hawk Down.

    I'd have watched it if it were a drama about interpersonal relations between captive and captor without any US Navy Seal chest-thumping.

    (Also, no, I am not fond of Mr Hanks. Who doesn't love Tom Hanks? I don't love Tom Hanks.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chuck BaudelaireJanuary 26, 2014 at 12:09 AM

      Like you, I appreciate that the Somalis were played by Somalis. But Tom Hanks? I'm American, my DNA commands me to love some Tom Hanks. ;)

      Delete
    2. Bill the ButcherJanuary 26, 2014 at 12:15 AM

      :D

      Well, if it wasn't a piece of Hollywoodised crap, maybe.

      Delete
  2. RagemichelleJanuary 26, 2014 at 12:01 PM

    ohhh...I really want to hear what you think about Osage County...I'd like to see that

    ReplyDelete
  3. CarrieJanuary 30, 2014 at 4:50 PM

    I enjoyed Captain Phillips too

    ReplyDelete

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