Paul Greengrass is known for making some rather hard-hitting films. Regardless of whether those hits land physically (see: his Bourne films) or emotionally (see: United 93) he’s a no nonsense director who tells taut and weighty white-knuckle tales about survival and the potential power of the human spirit. His latest effort Captain Phillips, the adaptation of the autobiographical novel “A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea” written by the actual Captain Richard Phillips is, in short, a tense and involving kidnapping movie. In a way it is very much the maritime counterpart to United 93 which makes Greengrass the right man for the job. We live in a…
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FourScore Match-Up #17: “Capes?? We Don’t Need No Stinking Capes”
Superman gets its highly anticipated reboot this week in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel and it’s likely to be the biggest movie of 2013. While the Big Blue Boy Scout is perhaps the most famous superhero to don a cape, the truth is there are plenty other heroes out there who are “super” without a yard a half of fabric. Despite popular belief, capes don’t make the man and to prove it is this collection of heroes, and their accompanying film scores, who save the day just fine minus any snag-prone underoos. The great Edna Mode once said that superhero outfits should be “bold, dramatic, heroic” and the one thing she insists so emphatically, “No…
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Off the Shelf…’Winnie the Pooh’
If there’s one Disney staple that I am the most ignorant of it is Winnie the Pooh. Not that the world is hard to comprehend or that I’m oblivious of the characters but I’ve just not had much time with everyone’s favorite rumbly tumbly bear and his endless quest for honey. Not like it takes a lot to become familiar with the inhabitants of A. A. Milne‘s stories, I’ve just never been drawn to those characters. That said, after seeing this newest (and infinitely pleasing) story about Pooh and his friends I don’t mind telling you I am growing quite fond of them all.
