CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Returns to 4K Ultra HD Steelbook

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to 4K Ultra HD Steelbook from director Paul Greengrass and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment comes a story of a crew, pirates and a man known as CAPTAIN PHILLIPS.

Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) is a commanding officer of a U.S. container ship. Preparing for the next voyage he reads about pirates in the area so Capt. Phillips has the crew work on drills for safety.

As quickly as that is finished Capt. Phillips spots a few boats racing toward the container ship. Immediately taking action they manage to evade the pirates boarding their ship. What they don’t count on is the persistence of one particular Somali names Muse (Barkhad Abdi) who fixes his vessel and goes back for the ship.

Unable to stop them the second time, Muse and his crew board the container ship. Knowing it was inevitable, Capt. Phillips has the crew hide with orders not to show themselves no matter what.

Muse himself becomes a captive and an exchange is made – or one was to be made as the container ships lifeboat is launched and now Capt. Phillips is their only hostage. Heading for the Somalian coast, the pirates now including Bilal (Barkhad Abdirahman), Najee (Faysal Ahmed) and Elmi (Mahat M. Ali) are agitated.

As the military follows the lifeboat, plans are made that may bring everyone close to the edge!

Hanks in the starring role as Captain Phillips is everything an Academy Award winning actor should be. He is poised, controlled, in authority, smart and still a human being. The kind of acting Hanks does in this film is like a dream. I can honestly say I still walk away exhilarated by this performance.

Abdi as Muse is one of the saddest characters I’ve seen in a while. Knowing that every move he makes is wrong he continues to do so. Wanting to keep his village safe, it is desperation that hardens him to the realities of the situation of his own creation. Abdi is amazing and for his first role that is saying a lot. Born in Mogadishu, he immigrated to Minnesota in 1999 and worked for his brother’s cell phone business.

Working with Hanks and director Greengrass, Abdi knew he might face some resentment by the Somali people for his role. Determined to do the film, his performance is affirmation that CAPTAIN PHILLIPS would change his life forever.

Other cast include: Michael Chernus as Shane Murphy, David Warshofsky as Mike Perry, Corey Johnson as Ken Quinn, Chris Mulkey as John Cronan, Yul Vazquez as Captain Frank Castellano, Max Martini as SEAL Commander, Omar Berdouni as Nemo, Mohamed Ali as Asad, Issak Samatar as Hufan, and Catherine Keener as Andrea Phillips.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

Bonus Materials include: 4K Ultra Disc Feature Presented in 4K Resolution with Dolby Vision, English Dolby Atmos and Theatrical Trailer. On Bluray Feature Presented in High Definition, Commentary with Director Paul Greengrass, and Capturing CAPTAIN PHILLIPS – in depth behind-the-scenes featurettes on making the acclaimed film.

I’m just going to say it folks – there is nothing, and I mean nothing wrong with this film. It is flawless! Yes, Hanks proves why he is a stellar fixture in Hollywood with a performance that nearly took me out. The cast is on point and melded together so well that not one thing pulled my focus off what was in front of me.

The cinematography is nothing short of perfect as well. From the moment the ship leaves port until the films ending, it is emotionally exhausting. We find ourselves literally in the film surrounded by the same emotions as Capt. Phillips and his crew.

Although nothing could ever bring about the real-life experience, with Hanks at the helm (as it were), be prepared to experience the story for yourself.

In the end – out here survival is everything!

On Brilliant Bluray is NEWS OF THE WORLD

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to 4K, Bluray and DVD and currently on Digital from director Paul Greengrass and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is the journey that is filled with NEWS OF THE WORLD.

It is 1870’s Texas as Confederate Army 3^rd Texas Infantry Captain Jefferson Kidd (Tom Hanks) has a new career going from town-to-town reading newspapers for townsfolk who donate ten cents. He is well received as the news of the world brings so much to those who live in relative seclusion.

After one such reading, Captain Kidd is on the road again and comes upon an overturned wagon. In the tree is a man hanging and in the bushes he finds a very defiant young girl. Finding papers that identify her as Johanna (Helena Zengel), it is twist that this young blonde-haired blue-eyed girl is wearing the clothing of the indigenous people and has lost her family.

Told to take her to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, they let the Captain know that no one can care for her for months. He decides that it is his responsibility to make sure that Johanna is taken to next of kin. There are those who see it another way and want Johanna for themselves. That is their first encounter with problems and Johanna begins to understand that the Captain is protecting her.

Their journey is arduous, perilous and yet Captain Kidd and Johanna begin to understand one another and with each new day they help one another survive human and mother nature. A bond forms that is difficult to break once Johanna meets her next of kin. She is a child of two worlds, and he must decide which will bring her joy.

Hanks as Captain Kidd has once again turned in a touching performance that does not allow for a moments peace without heart string pulling. As this character he has a past of war pain and what was waiting for him when he returned. Trying to stay away from it all, he keeps busy on the road making others informed and even happy with the stories he reads. I would expect nothing less from Hanks than the performance he gives us as Captain Kidd. He is intelligent, crafty and has the heart to protect someone he does not even know. Just a beautiful character brought to life by Hanks.

Zengel as Johanna, in this performance, has already shown the wide range needed for such a young actress. She gives her character heart, fierceness and shares the same ability to think quickly through a problem for answers that save them both. What most would see as defiant, I see as a young girl trying to understand where she fits in because she truly is a child of two worlds. Zengel is a talent to be watched and appreciated in the years to come.

Other cast include: Michael Covino as J.G. Almay, Fred Hechinger as John Calley, Neil Sandilands as Wilhelm Leonberger, Thomas Francis Murphy as Merritt Farley, Ray McKinnon as Simon Boudlin, Mare Winningham as Doris Boudlin, Elizabeth Marvel as Ella Gannett, Chukwudi Iwuji as Charles Edgefield and Bill Camp as Willie Branholme.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own home theaters. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

Bonus Features on 4K, Bluray, DVD and Digital include Deleted Scenes, Partners: Tom Hanks & Helena Zengel, Western Action, Paul Greengrass Makes NEWS OF THE WORLD, The Kiowa and Feature Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Paul Greengrass.

NEWS OF THE WORLD is a roller coaster of emotions but focused on one thing – Captain Kidd protecting the young Johanna. As each event happens, his protection becomes stronger not realizing they share so much in common. Both have to come to terms with a past that is painful before they can each look toward a future they could never possible have imagined. Zengel and Hanks work together, and it looks flawless and seamless.

The cinematography is vast and impressive, and the costuming has once again added such a richness to the story being told. Writers Greengrass and Luke Davies took their time in telling the tale through writing and Greengrass allowed this story to unfold in its own time and in its own way. That is amazing directing and powerful.

In the end – find where you belong!