| Pictured: Me after enduring two hours of this crap. |
I guess it's no secret to you guys, but Weisback and I detested this film. For me, it is actually a worse film than Gravity (Yup, I said it). Before I list my reasons, I am curious to know your thoughts on this Oscar-nominated movie.
- In the comment section of this post, please post your review of this film (I will not take points off if you like the film, I promise.).
- Also, explain why you think that Weisback and I did not enjoy this film (It's not because we are Anti-American!).
Post your comment by Midnight, this Friday (2/28).
Isaiah Johnson
ReplyDeleteI liked the movie Captain Phillips a lot, i like the action, it was suspenseful, and was just a great film overall. I think Weisback and Clark didn't like the film because they don't know what a good action film is.
Die Hard is a good action film. So is the Bourne Identity.
Deletei personally enjoyed the film Captain Phillips. Although you guys say the plot is never ending i think it builds suspense. I also am a fan of actions films which adds to my interest. The acting was believable and although the ending was predictable it still gave signs of the possibility of an unpredictable ending. As for Wiesback and Clark, I dont think they liked the film because it dosent reach out to older people. Older people tend to think with more logic while younger people use more emotion when thinking and using judgement.
ReplyDeleteRyan Samaroo
I am very emotional. I still cry when I watch ET.
DeleteI would first like to address that Carly and I are actually still dating. She just likes to be dramatic about every fight we get into and say we broke up. Don't cry over spilled milk Car! I luh yuh, les go get McDonalds and walk on the treadmill tonight.
ReplyDeleteSecond, there's no doubt that Captain Phillips was a well put together film. The shots were great and the acting was above par. However, it wasn't a movie that really had a deep plot like some of the other movies its categorized with. American Hustle, Wolf of Wall Street and Dallas Buyers Club were all stories with a deeper plot and the shots and acting that Captain Phillips had.
Clark and Wiseback didn't like the film because Wiseback is Canadian and, as discussed Thursday in class, Clark is not a Clark and Wiseback is actually his father. So together they just h8 th3 w0rld.
Psych, Na, but for real. You guys just don't like it for the same reasons I do. Still a well made film, just a straightforward story.
I cannot believe you did your film homework. You can no longer sing that song. It just won't be the same.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDear Diary:
ReplyDeleteToday was the best day of my life because I watched the best movie in all of the school. In all of the town. In all of the county. In all of the state. In all of the country. In all of the world. In all of the inner planets. In all of the solar system. In all of the galaxy. In all of the universe. This movie was the cat pajamas, the bees knees. The suspense had me so far on the edge of my seat I feel off and bruised my tukish. This movie was greater than any other movie we watched because it represented
"merica" and Tom Hanks. If chocolate and Peanut butter had a child that would be Tom Hanks. I feel bad for him because he seems to have trouble on the ocean being lost one time and having a volleyball as a friend and now this. Maybe he should stay away from planes and boats and try a train . But this movie rules it's action packed and is very suspenseful. One downfall is I couldn't understand what was being said 90.4567 percent of the time. At the end the navy comes in and saves Tom and I hope his wife didn't get a new husband so fast this time.
"Canada"back hates this movie because he is Canadian. He rooted for Canada in the Olympics and that is why we lost. I am still mad at him for that. If he likes Canada so much why doesn't he just go back because this is "MERICA." Also he doesn't like boats because on his 8th birthday he wanted a boat and his mom got him hot wheels and he was upset. What was he thinking anyway, you can't boat in Canada, maybe a snowmobile would have been a smarter choice. I haven't figured Clark out as to why he hates this movie but I think it because he doesn't like chocolate and peanut butter. (Tom Hanks) Or maybe he has a crush on Tom and is trying to play hard to get. They do say that people who make fun of you secretly likes you. Oh Clark you are such a mystery
I like Tom Hanks! This movie, not so much. Kenny?
DeleteI chad high hopes when I heard we were going to watch Captain Phillips, I mean who doesn't like pirates? But instead, what I got was 2 hours of shaky camera and an extremely predictable and unexciting storyline. Tom Hanks plays Captain Phillips, the "heroic" captain of an unarmed merchant ship. If you consider staring into space and looking pathetic while tied up on a life boat heroic, then Captain Phillips is your man. The movie starts well and the first half an hour or so kept my interest, but after that it began to drag on and on and on until it got to the point I would be more entertained watching paint dry. However, I do like how the film portrayed the Somali pirates. Rather than depicting them as evil, vile beings, they are shown as unfortunate and underfed fisherman who have fallen on hard times and had to resort to piracy in order to make ends meet. They can be sympathized with and personally, I believe their story would've made for a better movie (four unfortunate men who have to resort to modern day piracy to make ends meet and end up taking on the mighty US Navy)
ReplyDeleteIsh Muhammad
*had
DeleteIsh Muhammad
I didn't like Captain Phillips because it was like reverse Amistad (the Africans were jumping to get on the ship instead of off). The experience was kind of like watching Taken (my least favorite movie), I wasn't sure how to feel after watching it. Thanks to this movie, I know it is possible for Tom Hanks to be a boring actor. I didn't appreciate the only part of his back story being him kissing his wife (who looked a lot like his real wife) and getting out of an antiquated van in Vermont. I felt bad when the kid died. All he wanted to do was get out of Somalia. And the captain of the heist wanted to become a taxi driver in NYC. The pirates were more human than the Merchant Marines and Navy Seals. So once again, how was I supposed to feel after watching this movie? I'd rather get an enema than watch this movie again.
ReplyDeleteClark didn't like it because there weren't any British people and it wasn't a coming of age film. Weisback wanted a good cry and didn't get one.
DeleteCristl, I am curious as to why it is the job of the film-maker to leave you "knowing how to feel." In reality, how to feel is the singular role of the viewer. Internalizing art is why art exists. Do your job. Make the leap yourself. Call it racist (which I think you almost did). Call it propaganda. Call it exciting fluff. But, do not expect emotional resonant to be handed to you in DVD commentary following the film. Auteurs are made of stricter stuff. If not, why watch? There would be no need for OHSFI.
DeleteFor me, the ambiguities of sympathy, flowing between pirates and captain, were what kept this from being a typical, American action film. I did not love this film, but I did not "detest" it (Weisback and Clark are a bit dramatic, alas, it is their role as head critics). The Captain didn't need back story, the filmmaker rightfully assumed you know this man. The pirates needed the back story, and the fact that they received it makes the film special. I loved the symmetry of tension and suspense as the pirates approached the vessel. I love that the American crew is afraid. That they hide behind union grievance. I will agree that the dichotomy that made the film's initial half hour so strong, is abandoned as the film unwinds. The narrative weakens as a result.
But think about that, Cristl. What would've strengthened the film would have been to leave you MORE unsure, not less. Thoughts?
Hanks's performance was boring? Surely, you missed the last ten minutes of the film?
I miss this.
"I'd rather get an enema than watch this movie again." Ha!
DeleteI do like coming of age films.
Costal makes a good point: under-fed, under-equipped pirates strike fear into the heart of the navy and a might merchant ship.
That being said, I am baffled as to why this film was even in the running for best picture. Hanks does the best he can with a very weak script. Kudos to Hanks for that.
And Christl, contrary to popular belief, I am not an anglophile. Remember: I love westerns!
When I found out we were watching Captain Phillips, I was anxious to watch it, because pirate movies are usually good! Not in this case. The first maybe hour of the movie was pretty interesting and had my attention. Then it was just very boring with a shaky camera and zooming in on Tom Hanks every few minutes. They kept trying to portray Hanks as this great hero when really, he didn't do anything heroic? He was captured, that's about it. The storyline was also dull, I feel like nothing really happened in the movie. I could've been an hour, tops, without all the unnecessary scenes they had. On the other hand, I do like how they portrayed the Somali Pirates. They didn't make them seem evil but more underprivileged and just trying to get any sort of supplies or money. All in all, this movie sucked. So although Clark and Weisback are un-American, they are not wrong.
ReplyDeleteI was really excited to see Captain Phillips because it was based on a true story that didn't happen too long ago. The first half of the film was pretty intense, but as the film went on the story seemed to drag on for forever. Captain Phillips let me down, I really thought he was going to be such a hero and fight off the Somalian pirates. Tom Hanks let me down. He's not even a true hero he's just a victim. This film made us Americans look so weak that it makes me want to throw up. I think Clark doesn't like this film because it makes the Somalians look so much stronger than us. Like we can't even do anything for ourselves until they Navy Seals come in and just kill everyone. That's just sad. And for Weiscoffbackner, he doesn't like the film because it was too slow and too dramtic for his liking.
ReplyDelete-Devon Goetze
Though it was good to highlight a moment in time where terrorism does not win, i did not like Captain Philips. I in fact hated the movie because of the simple fact they dragged the movie so long to make it longer then it actually should have been. It in fact should have been a 42 minute movie if it wasnt such a slow dragging not getting to the point movie. Movies like that take the suspense and interest out of it and I believe Mr. Clark and Me. Weisback weren't held nor interested in the film and there for because of the uninteresting scenes which were dragged out took away from the movie and the did not like "Captain Philips".
ReplyDeleteCaptain Philips lost my attention fairly early on. It didn't pull me in, the voices and dialogue just sounded like white noise, all at the same level and just monotonous. The film lacked movement. It would advance a bit, taking two steps forward, then would move back one and two thirds steps back, it just seemed that the forward flow was just in a stalemate with the flow moving backwards, it didn't feel like suspense like it was supposed to- not like thriller suspense where you're anxious to find out what happens next, but the suspense of finding out how much longer the film will go before the credits roll. It felt like a hit and miss with the director's suspense strategy. Nothing was intriguing, not the acting, not the camera work, sound, story line, nothing. Everything just culminated into one big stale saltine of a movie.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a friggin mind reader, so I'm not certain as to why Clark and Weisback disliked the movie. My guess could only come from their endless commentary that more than likely stems from their desires to have been a part of Mystery Science Theatre. They didn't seem to like the fact that this was another movie that perpetrated other cultures to be villains while the first world white people were painted as victims and heroes. They also didn't seem to like the plot line, suspense and seemed to have an irrational hatred towards Tom Hanks. Whatever the reasons may be, the bottom line is that I'm glad I didn't pay to see this movie.
"My guess could only come from their endless commentary that more than likely stems from their desires to have been a part of Mystery Science Theatre."
DeleteThis applies to me 100%.
But let the record show: I love Tom Hanks.
Going into "Captain Phillips" the viewers already know the whole plot and outcome of the film. Which makes watching the film tedious and displeasing. The films' trailer gives the whole storyline in 3 minutes, which it should have been. I lost interet in the film rather quickly. Especially since the beginning highjacking scene is so overdone, that if you fast forwarded 30 minutes, the ship would be in the same spot and you would have not missed a single beat of action. The only thing the trailer doesnt show is, shocker, Hanks character gets rescued. They then continue to show a pointless scene of him being integrated by the nurse. In my opinion that scene was annoying and unnecessary much like my view point of the entire film. It takes away from the ending eventhough the ending/film was lacking potential to begin with. The entire film is very predictable and suspenseless. If I went to the movies and bought a ticket for this film, I'd be very disappointed.
ReplyDeleteFrom the moment we hit play, Clark was wishing the film was over. Weisback couldnt even get through the film, the first time he watched it. The reason being is because its a terrible movie. The acting, camera work, storyline are all in the least bit intriguing. Throughout the film we heard the lovely commentary of the two, Clark stating countless times at how suspenseful the film was, sarcastically of course. Also they show their distaste for the fact the film was so predictable, and that before the film even started they could name almost everything that would happen in 3 sentences. You know a film is bad when people get more enjoyment from sittimg through a lock-down drill than you do sitting down to finish a film.
That pre-planned lockdown drill was much more suspenseful.
DeleteCaptain Philips was a great film. It was extremely suspenseful all the way up until the end, and it was emotionally gripping. The aspect I admired the most about the movie was the fact that in the beginning, the viewer receives both sides of the story: the lives of the Somalians, as well as the simple life of Philips. This background information was vital because it causes the audience to have sympathy and understanding for both parties, despite the pirates obviously being the antagonists and Philips the protagonist. Because of this, the end of the film causes you to be sort of torn. You feel bad for both sides because the Somalians were only trying to help feed their people, and Philips was an innocent captain of a cargo ship. Another great factor to take into account was the camera angles. Almost the whole second half of the movie is filmed using confined angles. This caused you to feel claustrophobic and trapped just as Tom Hanks' character did.
ReplyDeleteClark and Weisback did not like the film because the ending was predictable and the setting never really changes. However, if you watch the trailer, you know exactly what you're getting into before you watch it, so this wasn't really a surprise to me. Some people just happened to like the idea while others did not.
Captain Phillips was alright – not amazing, but not terrible. My initial issue with it is that it is slow to start. And I understand that it is a set-up to the main storyline, but even the set-up can be done in a way that will excite and draw in the viewer. I think that the pirate scene that sets up the plot would have been a tension-rousing sequence, but it’s the lack of subtitles that kills it, because we don’t really have much of an idea of what is going on there. It takes around twenty-or-so minutes before the pirates actually come on to the boat.
ReplyDeleteThe main problem with Captain Phillips is that it is predictable, like Nicole and Gabe said. Too predictable. That can kill any amount of excitement or tension that you’re trying to create. And while there are some movies where you know what you’re going into and you know what you’re getting, it should still be fun to watch – Lone Survivor being a good example of this, I think. Ultimately, Captain Phillips is in the middle ground between boredom and excitement. It’s not terribly exciting when you know exactly what happens, and things happen the way you would imagine it. Captain Phillips and his crew are attacked by pirates, and in the end, the Captain comes out alive – I kind of predicted that the moment we watched the trailer, and I’m sure many others did, too. And that is not to diminish the actual events that transpired at all – it’s just that the scenes are too predictable, though they are done adequately. I did like, like Gabe says, how they showed where the Somalians were coming from, though.
We talked about this previously, Mr. Clark, so I’m going to guess that your main problem with the film was its predictability and how you knew how the film would end before you even watched it. For Mr. Weisback, I’m going to guess that it is the same issue.
Also, in comparison to Gravity, at least there is only one primary conflict that the protagonist experiences, rather than 57. Seriously, man, in Gravity it was one conflict after another. Oh, she's lost in space! Oh, they're almost out of gas! Oh, they can't hold on to each other! Oh, the space station doesn't work! Oh, there's a problem with the escape pod! Oh, the parachute's stuck to the space station! Oh, THERE'S ANOTHER BARRAGE OF DEBRIS! IT'S SO HARD TO WATCH
DeleteWait, Gravity wasn't a video game?
DeleteKenny, seriously, you should write film reviews. You are concise and insightful!
DeleteThe main problem with Captain Phillips is the source material. There is tension, but there is little action. And you're right: despite being a much dumber film, Lone Survivor is more fun to watch. This is due to the fact that the story that inspired that film is more action-packed.
Hanks does his best to humanize this film, and his portrayal of genuine human terror is quite notable. However, I agree with Nicole: showing his breakdown at the end of the film doesn't really contribute anything in regards to the film's entertainment factor (or complete thereof).
*(or complete lack thereof)
DeleteCaptain Phillips was an alright movie, I thought it would've better. In my opinion, when I hear or see movies that are one scened movies, I automatically begin to hate them. But throughout the movie it kept my on toes and the suspense made me want to watch the movie more. But altogether in my opinion it was a good movie.
ReplyDeleteNow i honestly couldn't tell you why wiesback and clark didn't like the movie. Maybe cause how little action it was dumb, or the plot of the movie was dumb. So yeah, i really don't know why clark or weisback didn't like the film.
Captain Phillips was an alright movie, I thought it would've better. In my opinion, when I hear or see movies that are one scened movies, I automatically begin to hate them. But throughout the movie it kept my on toes and the suspense made me want to watch the movie more. But altogether in my opinion it was a good movie.
ReplyDeleteNow i honestly couldn't tell you why wiesback and clark didn't like the movie. Maybe cause how little action it was dumb, or the plot of the movie was dumb. So yeah, i really don't know why clark or weisback didn't like the film.
I’m in the middle with this movie. The plot was bland and had basically no story. The way the film was made was pretty interesting. Even though we didn’t understand the Africans they were great actors. The main guys face was creepy and disturbing. Perhaps the best part of the movie. It gave the movie a realistic sense. I love seeing the shot of the boat and life raft from above. Those shots were directed greatly in the movie. It shows the comparison between the big and the small boat. It’s funny that the small boat really has all the power in the situation even though there is a huge boat right next to it. Clark and Weisback don’t like this film because it is very predictable. It is a “military film and it shows its greatness. It is a simple I’m-better-then-you-film. They always say history is written by the winner side. This movie fluffs up American military and how it is above other countries’.
ReplyDeleteAlejandra londono