Captain Phillips PG-13
Captain Phillips is based on the true story of an American captain whose freighter is hijacked by Somali pirates. It’s 2009 when Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) is at the helm of an enormous container ship headed for Kenya. He spots a pair of fast-moving skiffs off the coast of Somalia heading for his ship. Given the recent rash of pirate attacks, Phillips calls the authorities for backup, but they accuse him of overreacting. What follows is a harrowing account of pirates taking control of Phillips’ vessel, threatening the captain and his crew and demanding to make millions from their misadventure, by means of kidnap and ransom if necessary. Kicking off Oscar-bait season along with Gravity and Rush, the film features Hanks in another moving portrayal of an everyman. Director Paul Greengrass cranks up the tension, then cranks it up some more. (Lisa Miller)
Machete Kills R
Seeking to satirize violent B-movies, director Robert Rodriguez releases the second chapter of his Machete series starring the director’s cousin, Danny Trejo as the titular character. Summoned to the White House by President Rathcock (Charlie Sheen, billed here as Carlos Estevez), Machete is ordered to kill Mexican revolutionary Marcos Mendez (Demian Bichir), who is threatening to shoot a missile at the White House unless the United States invades Mexico and neutralizes its drug lords. To foil Mendez, Machete must cooperate with undercover agent Miss San Antonio (Amber Heard), as well as Cereza (Vanessa Hudgens), who lives in a house of prostitution run by a heavily armed Madame (Sofía Vergara). Gratuitous sex and gore are found in abundance, along with gags that are recycled until you want to gag. (L.M.)
The Patience Stone R
In The Patience Stone, a young woman tends to her much older, comatose husband, telling him of her life as she was never able to do before. Most of The Patience Stone consists of her monologue, a theatrical device made cinematic through beautifully shot, fluidly angled scenes. The unnamed setting is Afghanistan, where the place of women was always precarious and the unending cycle of war and revenge has only coarsened everything. Directed by Afghan refugee Atiq Rahimi from his own novel, The Patience Stone is an elegant, archetypal drama that lifts the veil on a troubled corner of the world. (David Luhrssen)
The Patience Stone opens Friday, Oct. 11, at the Downer Theatre.
Romeo and Juliet PG-13
Julian Fellowes, creator and scribe of “Downton Abbey,” adapts the Bard's play for its umpteenth film incarnation. Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar nominated for her riveting possession of True Grit’s tough-minded Mattie Ross, takes on the role of love-struck Juliet. The actress, pretty in a tomboyish way, appears masculine next to Douglas Booth, the girlishly pretty actor cast as Romeo. A lack of advance screenings could indicate the pair’s onscreen chemistry is wanting, but the power of this perennial love story can’t be underestimated—even if this rendition is best suited to air on PBS. (L.M.)
TAGS: Captain Phillips, Tom Hanks, Paul Greengrass, Lisa Miller, Machete Kills, Robert Rodriguez, Machete, Danny Trejo, Charlie Sheen, Carlos Estevez, Demian Bichir, Amber Heard, Vanessa Hudgens, SofíaVergara, The Patience Stone, Atiq Rahimi, David Luhrssen, Downer Theatre, Romeo and Juliet, Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey, Hailee Steinfeld, Douglas Booth
