Watch Kids Say the Darndest Things while Reenacting Best Picture Nominees

Forget all the lobbying and schmoozing that come with the Academy Awards, it's important to remember that these movies are supposed to be fun. Right? Ok, maybe not in the case of 12 Years a Slave, but even the grimness of Steve McQueen's historical drama can lighten the mood when performed by children. Cinefix have gathered up a bunch of kids, complete with oversized clothes, fake mustaches, and great wigs, to reenact scenes from this year's Best Picture nominees. So you can imagine how they look in vintage American Hustle gear, or giving a childish take on The Wolf of Wall Street. It's all cute and hilarious stuff, and the 12 Years A Slave bit is pretty clever, too. Frankly, I found the most offensive one to be Captain Phillips with a little boy waving a gun around. It's obviously fake but couldn't they have used a NERF or something?

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The PDC Staff Picks the Most Underrated/Overrated Movies of 2013

To call something overrated or underrated is usually pretty controversial, but especially when you're a critic. What it tends to mean is that you're battling back against the popular opinion of learned colleagues, and those discussions can get pretty heated. It's not as simple as saying "Hey I like this better", what you're saying is a certain movie doesn't deserve the respect it's getting, or another is deserving of more than your colleagues are willing to give. There's a little bit of personal criticism that comes with it that can't really be avoided.

We here at the Punch Drunk Critics engage in our share of disagreements (Julian is dead wrong about Man of Steel and he knows it!!) in which one of us has had to face an uphill climb to back or rip a certain film we feel strongly about. And so we got together to list the movies we felt were underrated or overrated during 2013, and as usual it turned out pretty interesting. Enjoy. And no, Anchorman 2 isn't on anybody's list, but it probably should be.

Roxana Hadadi

UNDERRATED

Teens in 2013: The Kings of Summer, The Bling Ring, The Spectacular Now

When did everyone stop caring about movies starring teenagers, unless they were Twilight or The Hunger Games? The ‘80s and ‘90s were full of great coming-of-age films, and yet it feels like the 2000s have been shortchanged when it comes to the genre—which was especially frustrating when 2013 saw the release of some great teen-centric films that were slapped with R ratings, isolating them from the younger audiences who really should have been seeing them. No surprise, then, that the three movies were promptly forgotten by moviegoers. The summer releases of The Kings of Summer, The Bling Ring, and The Spectacular Now went largely unnoticed by the general public—bringing in about $1.5 million, $19 million, and $6.8 million, respectively—which is frustrating given how well-acted, emotionally true, and affecting they all were. If Emma Watson licking her lips and dancing seductively in a club couldn’t get people out for Sofia Coppola’s “Bling Ring,” then The Kings of Summer (about three boys who rebel against their parents and run away) or The Spectacular Now (about young love between a teen alcoholic and his too-kind-for-her-own-good classmate) didn’t have a chance. And yet these are movies that you need to see, to remember how those ages felt and to wrap yourself in the yearning and desire and freedom that went along with adolescence. We shouldn’t forget those feelings, or these films.

OVERRATED

Gravity

Sure, Alfonso Cuarón’s film starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney was undeniably beautiful—to look at. But can we all admit that the story was lacking; the dialogue sometimes clunky and frustrating; and the final plot twist obvious and expected? Bullock’s and Clooney’s performances were solid and the tension omnipresent, but the fantastic visual effects, for me, didn’t engross me in the story; they kept me outside, looking in. Instead of feeling engrossed, I felt like an interloper. Gravity is a visual achievement for sure, but let’s not pretend it was the best film of 2013.

+Julian Lytle 

UNDERRATED
Rush

Man I don’t understand why there isn’t more people talking about one of the best films I’ve seen all year and clearly the best sports film all year. Let’s be honest here movies about the actual sport of car racing are pretty much boring. For me the greatest film in the car racing genre is Talladega Nights. Now you can say “Julian don’t you love The Fast and Furious franchise” and I say “ Man that ain’t about no sports, that’s about awesomeness”  but seriously Rush got me so involved in this story of these two men James Hunt and Niki Lauda probably got me the most invested in two characters this whole year. It let me see Chris Hemsworth as something other than Thor and it showed me just how good of an actor Daniel Bruhl is. Between this and Cinderella Man, Ron Howard has the lock on making dude movies that make dudes cry.

OVERRATED
The Butler

Man I don’t really even get how this movie is doing so well. This movie is essentially "Black Forrest Gump" in terms of the way it handled its main character’s travel through history. I think for me main issue with the movie is how it’s far too loose with the facts for to completely sell itself on being a TRUE story. For all the acclaim for Oprah’s performance I think what bothers me the most is that her character arc makes no sense at all. It didn’t work for me and it’s one of the few times where I don’t get how or why it worked for many others. I think this half decent movie is being boosted by the situation of Hollywood neglecting an audience.

+Travis Hopson

UNDERRATED

Blue Caprice

I don't shock easily; nor do many movies come out of nowhere and punch me in the face quite as hard as Alexandre Moors' Blue Caprice. One of the very first films I saw this year back before it ever had a hint of distribution, the subject matter was both worrying and intriguing. The Beltway Sniper shootings of more than a decade ago are still an open sore here in the District, and other movies on the matter have done a good job of sensationalizing it. But not Moors, who instead turns it into a terrifying character study on killer John Allen Muhammad, played with unsettling efficiency by Isaiah Washington, and the forces that turned him into a monster. Moors and writer R.F.I. Porto delve deep into Muhammad's twisted, "me against the world" psyche, but the real trick is how they make us understand without sympathizing. They're also quick to show how quickly Muhammad's sickness can be spread as he takes on a fatherly role to the wayward Lee Malvo (Tequan Richmond), the two forming a deadly and disturbed pair taking out their frustrations with the world on total strangers. But this isn't about the shootings themselves; it's about the shooters, and by the time they finally do take up arms we are sufficiently shaken to our boots. I turn up my nose every time I hear someone listing the likely Best Actor contenders because Washington's name is never mentioned when it needs to be in the discussion.

OVERRATED
Blue Jasmine
Two movies with Blue in the title? Guess what my back-up choice would have been? Yep, Blue is the Warmest Color. So overrated. But no, Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine wins it, mainly because it sits at a staggering 91% right now on Rotten Tomatoes, which boggles my mind. You ever ask anybody what they like about the film? The answer is always the same: Cate Blanchett. Well, first of all nobody should be surprised by that. But second, she's not that damn good, and the problem with her can be laid at Allen's feet. Allen has never been the type to hover over his actors and give them notes on how to play a scene (unless they're playing a role he would've done himself), and there were a handful of times when someone needed to rein Blanchett's twitchy self in just a little bit. Tone it down a notch, take it up a notch, whatever. She's good, but let's not go overboard because she insults a lot of people and always has a drink in her hand. Speaking of insults, Allen's ruminations on class divisions  are amateurish at best. Whether it's the blue collar working stiffs or the high-minded rich everybody falls neatly into caricature, and Allen doesn't seem the least bit interested in exploring what really makes these people tick. Throw in a couple of extraneous characters; you could merge Bobby Cannavale and Andrew Dice Clay and the story wouldn't miss a beat; and what you've got is another decent if uninspiring Woody Allen effort. Can he go back to just touring us through Europe, please?

+Mae Abdulbaki 

UNDERRATED
Rush

Like Julian, I'm surprised that this film kind of came and went and never really got the attention it deserved. People just seemed to forget about it and it flew right under the radar, becoming overshadowed by its competitors. What's great about Rush is that you don't have to know that much about race car driving because Ron Howard chooses to focus on the film's main characters and their rivalry and interactions with each other. It's a film for everyone really, and is able to balance great drama and emotion, sprinkled with lighter moments throughout and, of course, race cars. Daniel Bruhl and Chris Hemsworth are both fantastic in their roles as real race car drivers Nikki Lauda and James Hunt, respectively, and make the movie all the more worthy of watching.  Overrated Captain PhillipsThe first time watching this film didn't really do anything for me. Sure, it's Tom Hanks, but really Barkhad Abdi is much more entertaining as a character than Captain Phillips ever was. Yes, I also know that it's based on a true story, but the whole film was underwhelming, Tom Hanks' performance only great in the last few minutes of a film that goes on for far too long and doesn't carry enough emotion. Watch A Hijacking. It's not based on a true story, but its premise is generally the same and is a much higher quality film.

OVERRATED
Captain Phillips

The first time watching this film didn't really do anything for me. Sure, it's Tom Hanks, but really Barkhad Abdi is much more entertaining as a character than Captain Phillips ever was. Yes, I also know that it's based on a true story, but the whole film was underwhelming, Tom Hanks' performance only great in the last few minutes of a film that goes on for far too long and doesn't carry enough emotion. Watch A Hijacking. It's not based on a true story, but its premise is generally the same and is a much higher quality film.

John Nolan

UNDERRATED
Disconnect

As per usual I go against the rules…or rather misunderstand the rules. I had to put in my due diligence before choosing Disconnect here and the consensus on RottenTomatoes.com holds this flick at a fresh 68%, so the issue here isn't’t really that people were saying it was bad…it was more that they weren't saying it was good loud enough for the audience to hear. The genius of this movie is that it works on two totally different levels, one of which the director did not intend (though I’m not sure how he didn't see this aspect of the interpretation coming). Disconnect is a movie of intertwining story lines, ala Crash, all revolving around the dangers of the internet… be it identity theft, online bullying, or underage webcam sex workers, this is the description the film’s director,  Henry Alex Rubin, hates. He prefers to think of it as a film about innocent lies with dire consequences, the realization that our preconceived notions are extremely off, and the odd way we can connect anonymously with people whom we would never associate with face to face. It’s win win, you can watch this film on a surface level and be extremely entertained, if not a bit freaked out. You can also watch it on the deeper meaning level and have your world view…or at least certain specific views, brought into question. A film that never got the attention it deserved and will sadly fall into the void of overlooked films Disconnect is easily my most underrated film of the year.

OVERRATED
Inside Llewyn Davis

I’ll just get this out of the way, Oscar Issac is amazing in the film, that part of this movies hype is deserved. This movie was very Drive-like in that there are a lot of silent and awkward scenes, the biggest difference is that Issac says more with a look than most do with their complete faculty’s… even with that the awkward feel is overbearing. The best way I can describe my feelings on this flick is to compare it to something you’d see in an art gallery. You know the old cliché where all the rich ladies in their mink coats with their monocled husbands standing close by, checkbook in hand, talking about the genius of a particular work. Then you walk up to see said work and it looks like someone sneezed on a canvas with a bloody nose and called it something catchy like “Eternalus” or some other pretentious made up word…yeah that’s how I felt about Llewyn Davis outside of Issac’s performance. You need only know that there was talk of a best supporting actor nomination for John Goodman, who I normally love, who’s entire performance consisted of acting like a stoned whacked out weirdo who spoke nonsense randomly for 5 minutes in the middle of the movie. I. JUST. DON’T. GET. IT.

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'12 Years A Slave' and 'American Hustle' Lead Globen Globes Nominations

The Hollywood Foreign Press announced their nominees for the 71st annual Golden Globes this morning, adding to the stream of awards announcements over the last couple of weeks. Following up on yesterday's SAG nominations and the success of Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave, the big question was whether or not it would be able to keep up the momentum and further solidify itself as the clear Oscar favorite. The answer is a resounding yes, as the slavery was tied for the lead with seven nominations.

12 Years A Slave was mentioned in all the categories one would expect: Best Picture Drama, Best Director, and all the key acting categories.  Performing just as well was David O. Russell's American Hustle, earning an equal number of noms including one for Best Picture Comedy. So no showdown there between those two. Paul Greengrass' Captain Phillips was a surprise with four nominations, tied with Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity.

As far as surprises go, Jason Reitman's Labor Day popped up for the first time with a Best Actress Drama nomination for Kate Winslet, while Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom earned some love with three, including one for Idris Elba. He's mostly been shut out of any awards talk, after seeming like a no-brainer for much of the year, and frankly he's probably only nominated because of the way the Golden Globes is structured. The real fun comes in the comedy categories, where Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale, Joaquin Phoenix, Bruce Dern, will compete for Best Actor. Even better is Best Actress Comedy where Julie Delpy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Greta Gerwig, and Amy Adams will (hopefully) try to give Meryl Streep more than she can handle.

The full list of nominees is below. The Golden Globes winners will be announced January 13th.

Best Motion Picture - Drama
"12 Years A Slave"
"Captain Phillips"
"Gravity"
"Philomena"
"Rush"

Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
"American Hustle"
"Her"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Nebraska"
"The Wolf Of Wall Street"

Best Director
Alfonso Cuaron - "Gravity"
Paul Greengrass - "Captain Phillips"
Steve McQueen - "12 Years A Slave"
Alexander Payne - "Nebraska" 
David O Russell - "American Hustle"

Best Actress - Drama
Cate Blanchett - "Blue Jasmine"
Sandra Bullock - "Gravity
Judi Dench - "Philomena"
Emma Thompson - "Saving Mr Banks"
Kate Winslet - "Labor Day"

Best Actor - Drama
Chiwetel Ejiofor - "12 Years A Slave"
Idris Elba - "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"
Tom Hanks - "Captain Phillips"
Matthew McConaughey - "Dallas Buyers Club"
Robert Redford - "All Is Lost"

Best Actress - Comedy
Amy Adams - "American Hustle"
Julie Delpy - "Before Midnight"
Greta Gerwig - "Frances Ha"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - "Enough Said"
Meryl Streep - "August: Osage County"

Best Actor - Comedy/Musical
Christian Bale - "American Hustle"
Bruce Dern - "Nebraska"
Leonardo DiCaprio - "The Wolf Of Wall Street"
Oscar Isaac - "Inside Llewyn Davis"
Joaquin Phoenix - "Her"

Best Supporting Actress
Sally Hawkins - "Blue Jasmine"
Jennifer Lawrence - "American Hustle"
Lupita N'yongo - "12 Years A Slave"
Julia Roberts - "August: Osage County"
June Squibb - "Nebraska"

Best Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi - "Captain Phillips"
Daniel Bruhl - "Rush"
Bradley Cooper - "American Hustle"
Michael Fassbender - "12 Years A Slave"
Jared Leto - "Dallas Buyers Club"

Best Screenplay
Spike Jonze - "Her"
Bob Nelson - "Nebraska"
Jeff Pope & Steve Coogan - "Philomena"
John Ridley - "12 Years A Slave"
Eric Warren Singer & David O Russell - "American Hustle"

Best Foreign Film
"Blue Is The Warmest Color"
"The Great Beauty"
"The Hunt"
"The Past"
"The Wind Rises"

Best Animated Feature
"The Croods"
"Despicable Me 2"
"Frozen"

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Alex Ebert - "All Is Lost
Alex Heffes - "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"
Steven Price - "Gravity"
John Williams - "The Book Thief"
Hans Zimmer - "12 Years A Slave"

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
"Atlas" - Coldplay - "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
"Let It Go - Idina Menzel - "Frozen"
"Ordinary Love" - U2 - "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"
"Please Mr. Kennedy" - Justin Timberlake & co - "Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Sweeter Than Fiction" - Taylor Swift - "One Chance"

Best TV Series - Comedy/Musical
"Big Bang Theory"
"Brooklyn Nine Nine"
"Girls"
"Modern Family"
"Parks & Recreation"

Best Miniseries Or Motion Picture Made For Television
"American Horror Story: Coven"
"Behind The Candelabra"
"Dancing On The Edge
"Top Of The Lake"
"The White Queen"

Best TV Drama
Breaking Bad
"Downton Abbey"
"The Good Wife"
"House Of Cards"
"Masters Of Sex"

Best Actress - Drama TV Series
Julianna Marguiles - "The Good Wife"
Tatiana Maslany - "Orphan Black"
Taylor Schilling - "Orange Is The New Black"
Kerry Washington - "Scandal"
Robin Wright - "House Of Cards"

Best Actor - TV Drama
Bryan Cranston - "Breaking Bad"
Liev Schreiber - "Ray Donovan"
Michael Sheen - "Masters Of Sex"
Kevin Spacey - "House Of Cards"
James Spader - "The Blacklist"

Best Actress - MIniseries
Helena Bonham-Carter - "Burton & Taylor"
Rebecca Ferguson - "The White Queen"
Jessica Lange - "American Horror Story: Coven"
Helen Mirren - "Phil Spector"
Elisabeth Moss - "Top Of The Lake"

Best Actor - Miniseries
Matt Damon - "Behind The Candelabra"
Michael Douglas - "Behind The Candelabra"
Chiwetel Ejiofor - "Dancing On The Edge"
Idris Elba - "Luther"
Al Pacino - "Phil Spector"

Best Actress - Comedy TV Series
Zooey Deschanel - "New Girl"
Lena Dunham - "Girls"
Edie Falco - "Nurse Jackie"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - "Veep"
Amy Poehler - "Parks & Recreation"

Best Actor - Comedy TV Series
Jason Bateman - "Arrested Development"
Don Cheadle - "House Of Lies"
Michael J Fox - "The Michael J Fox Show"
Jim Parsons - "The Big Bang Theory"
Andy Samberg - "Brooklyn Nine Nine"

Best Supporting Actor - TV
Josh Charles - "The Good Wife"
Rob Lowe - "Behind The Candelabra"
Aaron Paul - "Breaking Bad"
Corey Stoll - "House Of Cards"
Jon Voight - "Ray Donovan"

Best Supporting Actress - TV
Jacqueline Bisset - "Dancing On The Edge"
Janet McTeer - "The White Queen"
Hayden Panetierre - "Nashville"
Monica Potter - "Parenthood"
Sofia Vergara - "Modern Family"

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Cinema Royale #36- Captain Phillips; Racial Diversity in Sci-Fi

Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity has struck a fierce debate amongst critics and audiences alike over its technical accuracy and Oscar chances, but is there a larger, more significant debate that needs to be had?  Tim Gordon of the Black Reel Awards  calls in to discuss the lack of racial diversity in the science-fiction genre.

Plus, reviews of Academy Award-hopeful Captain Phillips, and the not-so-awards-hopeful Machete Kills!

You can find Cinema Royale every single week on Blogtalkradio, Itunes, Libsyn, and Podomatic. Listen to this week's episode below...

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Review: 'Captain Phillips' Starring Tom Hanks

Perhaps the best thing that can be said about Paul Greengrass is that his films are consistently thrilling. It doesn't matter whether it's the fictional Bourne series or the real-life tragedies of United 93and Bloody Sunday, he can be counted on to deliver a gripping, distressingly authentic experience. After Green Zone was something of a bumpy patch, Greengrass is back with the nerve-racking, engrossing hostage thriller Captain Phillips. Based on the real-life 2009 hijacking ordeal that thrust Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) into the global spotlight, the emotional stakes are high and utterly absorbing...it just may not be for who everyone wants to root for.

Hanks stars as Phillips, a Massachusetts everyman whose career on the high seas keeps him away from his wife (Catherine Keener) more than he'd like. That combined with the obvious dangers of pirate attack weigh on his mind as he gears up for another voyage on the massive Maersk Alabama, a supply vessel providing goods and rations to a number of poor countries. In typical Greengrass fashion, these quiet moments are presented in matter-of-fact fashion, a calm before the incoming storm. Phillips knows the risks involved with trekking around the dangerous Somali Gulf of Aden, and will run his capable crew through security drills before launch, after an ominous warning about heavy pirate activity in the area.

Despite the title, there's a balanced approach taken overall with just as much focus directed towards the plight of the hijackers. A parallel story unfolds as heavily-armed Somali crime bosses roll up on a poor fishing village and demand payment. With little to offer other than their lives, the clearly-starving, desperate men led by Muse (Barkhad Abdi) survive by leading dangerous missions on their shoddy skiffs held together by spit and bailing wire, and ransacking merchant vessels for the ransom money. These are hopeless people, fighting for the job like hungry wolves over the final shreds of meat. Failure is not an option because to fail is to die.

The storylines converge as the fragile pirate boats make their charge for the hulking Alabama, and Phillips uses his wit to outsmart the attackers. But all of his tricks don't change things in the end, and once Muse and his small but ferocious team board, an intense battle of wills unfolds that will have you on the edge of the seat. It’s no secret how this was all brought to a swift conclusion, but those events on the ship are still a mystery to most and Greengrass tenaciously chronicles them with his usual intensity. The tension in the air is thick enough to cut with a knife as the pirates scour the vessel for Phillips' missing crew, while the Captain is put through an emotional crash course of fear and terror. The balance of power constantly shifting, a delicate respect forms between Phillips and Muse. This is all supposed to be business, and they are two men in the business of staying alive, which is about as personal as it gets.

Phillips' story is a little underdeveloped, lacking the complexity and aggression of his Somali captors. The script by Billy Ray presents a layered, complicated backstory that presents them as more than just treasure-seeking villains. It's strongly suggested that their fishing industry has been decimated by the U.S. and other nations, leading to the poverty they wish to escape. Emaciated and chewing on khat root to dull the pangs of hunger, we're left to perceive them as wild-eyed animals backed into a corner. Thankfully, Greengrass has a better handle on political commentary than he had on the heavy-handed Green Zone.

You'll be hearing the name Barkhad Abdi a lot in the coming weeks, perhaps even more than Hanks. As Muse, he delivers an electric, incredibly authentic performance that dominates every scene and could have him a dark horse Best Supporting Actor candidate. His presence never fades even as Muse's power becomes muted during the long stand-off.  Hanks delivers a steady and superb performance as Phillips, who for the bulk of the story maintains a sense of internal control regardless of the dire circumstances. His eyes reflect the true terror and panic tearing at him on the inside, only bubbling up to the surface in a dramatic primal howl of anguish after the torturous ordeal has concluded. 

The cinematography carries all of the kinetic handheld trademarks we've come to expect from Greengrass, but it's considerably less harried as some of his prior films. That probably has to do with the limited locales and claustrophobic atmosphere of the situation, which calls for more attention to body language and expression. The wind is let out of the film's sails a little bit by the arrival of the Navy and a SEAL unit (led by Pacific Rim'sMax Martini) who don't really care if the situation ends up messy as long as it avoids a political scandal. The bloody, abrupt, and very public way the military handled the situation in reality causes the film to end a mostly unsatisfying way, lacking the nuance that had been so carefully built up until then.

Comparing two similar films with different agendas is usually a fool's errand, but it's hard not to measure Captain Phillips by the extraordinarily high standard set by Dutch thriller, A Hijacking.  The situations depicted are identical, and told in similar styles with an equal measure of passion, but Greengrass keeps a narrower focus whereas A Hijacking encompasses a much wider berth, folding in corporate ineptitude (imagine your boss negotiating your release) and personal tragedies. Captain Phillips could have presented a fuller, richer picture, but it's still a heart-rending, intimate look at desperate men forced into a drastic situation beyond their control.

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New Preview of Paul Greengrass' 'Captain Phillips' Starring Tom Hanks

As one harrowing drama in Breaking Bad wrapped up its five-year run last night, it helped usher in one of this season's most anticipated white-knuckle thrillers. A new trailer for Captain Phillips debuted during the show, promising another another gripping based-in-fact ride from Paul Greengrass and a triumphant lead performance by Tom Hanks.

Drawing inspiration from Captain Richard Phillips' memoir A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea, the story is based on his four-day ordeal in 2009 when his ship the Maerk Alabama was hijacked by Somali pirates. Rather than let his crew come to hard, Phillips offered himself up as a hostage, and as the footage makes clear, the decision thrust him into a constant state of terror in which every move was literally life or death.

Captain Phillips hits theaters on October 11th.

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New Posters for 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty', 'The Family', and 'Captain Phillips'

 Director and star Ben Stiller goes on an epic journey in three new posters for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Based on the James Thurber story, the film centers on a daydreaming office worker who grows the courage to go on a real-life journey to save the jobs of his colleagues and the woman he loves, played by Kristen Wiig. These are brilliant images, that better than anything we've seen recently get across simply the surreal aspects of the film. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty opens on Christmas Day.

Is that blood or paint in these posters for Luc Besson's The Family? My guess is that the red stuff all over Robert De Niro's hands isn't endorsed by Glidden™. He plays an ex-Mafia boss who enters his family into the Witness Protection Program in France after turning rat against the mob. But they find their new boring lives tough to maintain, and as they fall into old habits, it attracts the attention of those they were running from.The action-comedy also stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Dianna Agron, and Tommy Lee Jones, opening on September 13th.

Tom Hanks takes on the title role in Captain Phillips, the harrowing true story of the U.S. Maersk Alabama vessel's hijacking by Somalian pirates in 2009. Directed by Paul Greengrass and co-starring Catherine Keener, the film could be one of two (along with Saving Mr. Banks) that could thrust Hanks back into the Best Actor race for the first time in years.

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New Footage in the International Trailer for 'Captain Phillips' with Tom Hanks

After years as a fixture in the annual Oscar race, it's been some time since Tom Hanks has figured into it, not since Cast Away in 2000. That could all be about to change with the arrival Paul Greengrass' harrowing Captain Phillips, and in the latest international trailer Hanks stakes his claim for some gold.

The newest footage presents some fresh footage and also gives us a glimpse at the life of Captain Richard Phillips before his ship was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. Then it cuts straight into the chaos of the attack itself, and Phillips' willingness to put himself in harm's way to save his crew. Paul Greengrass' stylistic fingerprints are all over the place, capturing the same grounded, real-life intensity we've seen from him in United 93, Bloody Sunday, and the Bourne films.

Captain Phillips hits theaters on October 11th.

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New Trailer for 'Captain Phillips' Starring Tom Hanks

It's hard not to look at Paul Greengrass' Somali pirates drama Captain Phillips and not compare it to one of the best indie films of the year so far, Tobias Lindholm's A Hijacking. The two are basically flipsides of the same coin, with Greengrass' film boasting bigger stars and a factual component, but one thing they seem to have in common is an emphasis on human drama rather than the violence of a pirate assault.

The latest trailer for Captain Phillips emphasizes Greengrass' gift for blending tough, real world issues with suspenseful thrillers. Tom Hanks stars as Captain Richard Phillips, who in 2009 willingly gave himself up as a hostage to Somali pirates to ensure the safety of his crew.  Perhaps the greatest takeaway from the footage is that Greengrass is tackling concerns larger than just those aboard the ship.

Captain Phillips sets sail on October 11th, and if you're interested in A Hijacking (and you should be), check out the review here. 

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First trailer for 'Captain Phillips' starring Tom Hanks

The neo-realistic style of Paul Greengrass has been put to great use over the course of his career, whether he's tackling true life stories like United 93 or following fictional secret agents with the 'Bourne' trilogy. Three years ago that approach failed him miserably with the disappointing Iraq War film Green Zone, but he appears to be back in top dramatic form with his latest effort, Captain Phillips.

The first trailer for Captain Phillips has been released, and it showcases Greengrass' ability to tell compelling tales of real life heroism. Tom Hanks stars as Captain Richard Phillips, who became the subject of national attention in 2009 when his ship was hijacked by Somali pirates, and he willingly gave himself up to secure the safety of his crew. It's been years since Hanks has had a role quite this meaty, and he looks to be tackling it with a hunger we haven't seen from him in a long.

Frankly, this looks like the Oscar contender many are predicting it to be. Captain Phillips co-stars Catherine Keener and Max Martini, hitting theaters on October 11th.

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Catherine Keener takes on Paul Greengrass' Somali pirates flick, 'Captain Phillips'

Catherine Keener probably could've been a bigger star if she wanted to, but instead she seems perfectly comfortable as an indie juggernaut who occasionally dabbles in more mainstream fare. Typically, she tends to play really hard, stern ex-lovers who never seem to go away, but in her next film she'll be doing almost the total opposite.

Keener is set to star alongside Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips, the upcoming film from director Paul Greengrass(United 93). Hanks will take on the title role, and if the name doesn't ring a bell you'll probably remember Richard Phillips as the sea captain who willingly gave himself up to a bunch of Somali pirates in order to secure the safety of his crew. That selfless act was repaid a few days later when President Obama gave the order for the Navy Seals to put a few bullets into his kidnapers' skulls. Keener will play his steadfast wife, Andrea.

Captain Phillips is due to open on March 22nd, 2013. [Variety]

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