Month: October 2013

Most people hear the word “pirate” and think of peg legs, parrots and Johnny Depp, but modern piracy is still a serious problem. With cargo freighter crews continually downsized to cut costs, even a small skiff of armed men can successfully board a ship to steal cash from the onboard safe, rob the crew, or even commandeer the vessel.

Captain Phillips is based on the 2009 hijacking of the US-flagged Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates. Despite a few problems, it’s an intense thriller with direction tighter than the confines of a lifeboat.

Though countless photos exist, it’s something most of us will never actually see – the awesome beauty of our beautiful blue Earth from orbit. And even as the title cards at the beginning of director Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity remind us that travelling into space is madness, we’ve all considered what it must be like to hang weightless above the clouds. The movie is a thrilling adventure, with moments of poignant drama.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com – click the title link.

2009′s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was an original and very humorous story about an inventor’s machine that goes haywire. The sequel, with its new directors, committee-written script and forumulaic plot, feels like it’s been produced by an equally haywire machine. Luckily, it does throw a lot of funny material at the wall, and more often than not it sticks, so at least the kids should enjoy it.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com – click the title link.