Director: Alan Taylor
Writer: Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Nartalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston
Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Cormac McCarthy
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt
Director: Paul Greengrass
Writer: Billy Ray (screenplay) Richard Phillips (Book)
Cast: Tom Hanks, Barhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman
Rich Phillips (Hanks) is a 20 year veteran captain with a reputation for efficiency and hard work. His true strength is tested when a vessel he is working on is hijacked by a team of Somali pirates led by Muse (Abdi) a ruthless and dangerous young man. From the moment the pirates board the magnificent ship it is a non-stop stream of action and suspense. The story of the heroics of Rich Phillips is not just Hollywood magic it is an account of actual events.
The threat of hijacking is a terrifying reality for many shippers, especially when travelling around Africa. Somali pirates are well-known and their actions well documented. Many of the young men on these modern-day pirate ships view the act as a job rather than a criminal act. Despite the lack if food and proper healthcare Somali pirates are equipped with an incredible amount of firearms. This film provides a realistic glimpse into the world of high seas hijacking that is truly thrilling. Though there is some violence it is minimal and not gratuitous, you can bring the children but be prepared for many questions afterward. Don’t go to this movie expecting Tom Hanks to run on water or perform some impossible action stunts, the direction of the film remains true to the real story with the kind of action and heroism actual human beings are capable of without movie magic. Go see the film and witness one man’s terrifying account portrayed by one of cinemas brightest stars.
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Writer: Alfonso and Jonas Cuaran
Cast: Sandra Bullock and George Clooney
Medical Engineer Ryan Stone (Bullock) tries desperately to survive after an accident leaves her and astronaut Matt Komwalski (Clooney) adrift in Space. Miles above Earth there is no gravity, no oxygen and nothing to hold on to. Being set adrift in the infinite void of space is a terrifying thought. Despite its Sci-Fi implications the film is an accurate account of realistic space travel. There are no aliens or strange ghostly figures haunting vessels, just the real life terror of the unknown. For 90 minutes viewers are transformed into passengers on a harrowing journey of survival. In Imax 3D the clarity and expansive screen give the illusion that you are floating in the vast darkness of space.
Director: Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen
Writer: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Cast: Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, and Jonah Hill
Recently at the Park Avenue Screening Room, we had the pleasure to be amongst a select few journalists to see an early screening of the insightful documentary “HEY BARTENDER”
Director: Todd Phillips
Writer: Todd Phillips, Craig Mazin
Cast: Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha
The Iceman, a film by Ariel Vromen, starring Michael Shannon as Richard Kuklinki, the contract killer who murdered more than 100 people over the span of three decades is a film that delves into the soulless world of organized crime. Primarily it is a portrait of a cold-blooded killer who happens to have a lovely family, none of whom know anything of his sinister profession. In the mid 1960s, Richard Kuklinski meets and marries Barbara (Wynona Ryder) quickly establishing himself as a family man.