Saving Mr. Banks

Expectations:
Of all the December-released movies that I wanted to see, I probably wanted to see Saving Mr. Banks the least. Not to say that I expected bad things, but I have no special connection to Mary Poppins nor was I blown away by the magic-filled trailers for a film that looked as if it would shove Disney down your throat until you could no longer bare it. However, I knew that Emma Thompson's performance would be impressive, and I was intrigued to see how well Tom Hanks handled Walt Disney (even though I don't really a preconceived notion of what Walt Disney should act like). Also, I usually enjoy dramatic, non-cartoon, non-action Disney films, such as The Odd Life of Timothy Green, The Rookie, and Remember the Titans, so I figured I might enjoy Saving Mr. Banks...

Plot:
Although I knew the story would eventually end in the making of a Mary Poppins film, I must say that the path to the making of the film was quite intriguing. I don't know how true the story was, but I didn't really care. I just wanted to be entertained, and that I was. Thankfully, the amount of Disney-shoving-down-the-throat was minimal. Sure, there was a lot about Disney, but I wasn't overwhelmed by the praise that landed on the shoulders of Walt Disney and his love of all things him. With the good, there was some bad, however, and that bad came in the form of flashbacks to the childhood of Emma Thompson's P.L. Travers. Each and every time that the movie cut to Travers' childhood I just couldn't help but cringe. Not only did I not care, but I also hated the fact that the interesting story was being continually interrupted by an uninteresting story. If they had a spent a moment at the beginning of the film explaining her childhood, I would have been content. If they had spent a moment late in the film allowing her to tell the story of her childhood, I would have been content. But, instead, they interrupted the movie every ten minutes and revealed what was the slowest unfolding of a flashback that I have ever witnessed. Everyone may not have the same opinion as me, but I just couldn't stand that part, and it was a huge portion of the film.

Characters:
Saving Mr. Banks was certainly well-cast, and the performances were quite impressive. However, they weren't quite as impressive as I expected them to be. In fact, I wouldn't expect a film of this kind to be getting so much Oscar praise, but what do I know... Sure, Emma Thompson was good, but I don't think she was amazing. Luckily, however, there were a few actors who shone bright...

Negatives:
Ruth Wilson's Margaret Goff was one of the most shallow characters that I have ever been meant to feel sorry for. Although Collin Ferrell's character was supposed to cause her grief, I really didn't care about her whatsoever. Additionally shallow was Aunt Ellie, played by Rachel Griffiths. Her character was quite important, in the grand scheme of things, but she was only on screen for like 5 minutes, which was quite disappointing. If they were going to flash back and forth 300 times, they could have at least included her a bit more. I can't really explain who all these people are without ruining a large part of the story, so just take my word on these two.

Positives:
As I said before, I don't have a preconceived idea of the true Walt Disney, but I will say that I was quite impressed with Tom Hanks's performance. The way that he was able to make me care for Disney and avoid shoving Disney down everyone's throat was quite impressive. Without his performance, I think the film would have failed... big time. The only other character that I loved was Paul Giamatti's limo-driving Ralph, who really helped bring out the best in Emma Thompson's performance. Giamatti is one of my favorites, and I love it when he finds a role, such as this one, that is so well suited for him.

Conclusion:
Going in, I thought Saving Mr. Banks would be a bit of a one-woman show, but, as it turned out, the men really carried the film. Tom Hanks was absolutely great, and, if you take his performance from Captain Phillips and ad it to this one, he might make my list of best actors in 2013. You will just have to wait and see! Saving Mr. Banks was a nice family film that any Mary Poppins fan would thoroughly enjoy. If I was a Mary Poppins fan, there is no telling how much I would have enjoyed it. However, as far as being an Oscar contender goes, I don't understand what all the fuss is about. Usually, I can at least see what the Academy likes about a movie, but that is not the case with Saving Mr. Banks, which suffers a bit from that sappy Disney feel. Unlike Remember the Titans (one of the greatest sports films of all time), Saving Mr. Banks is not one of the greatest sports films of all time... In case you couldn't figure that one out on your own! But, oh well! I give Saving Mr. Banks 2.83 out of 5 stars.

Captain Phillips

 

I know this review is quite delayed, but, unfortunately, I have this thing called school that takes up a lot of my time. Over the past few weeks, this thing has been absolutely insane, so please forgive me!

Expectations:
Each and every trailer that I saw for Captain Phillips resulted in absolute boredom! I just didn't think the film would entertain me much at all, but, like its predecessor, Gravity, the positive reviews for Captain Phillips were rolling in, causing me to rethink my expectations. It's been a good while since Tom Hanks has had a successful, non-Toy Story film, and it is good to see folks appreciating him again. Sure, he may have made some poor choices in taking roles in Cloud Atlas and Larry Crowne, but the man can act. His amazing career has garnered such respect as mine, and, heading in to watch Captain Phillips, I was hopeful that his performances in both this film and the upcoming Saving Mr. Banks would get him back on track...

Plot:
Considering that I expected very little, plot-wise, Captain Phillips was much better than expected. However, it did take a little too long for the drama to get going. In an attempt to create an emotional connection to the character, the film opened with Hanks' Phillips talking with his wife, as she drives him to the airport. To me, the introductory scene did very little to establish said connection but, instead, added unnecessary length to the film. As Hanks' dramatic performance progressed, he was able to create an emotional connection that no "talk with the wife" could possibly create. As the film moved onto the water, there were still some moments that I found unnecessary. Fortunately, I was on the edge of my seat throughout the film, which made up for the length.

Characters:
Although I did expect a great performance from Tom Hanks, I never thought I would be so blown away by his relationship with his pirate kidnappers, particularly their leader, played by Barkhad Abdi. I expected the pirates to be portrayed as these evildoers, who would keep Captain Phillips in captivity. Instead, the root of their piracy was their attempt to do their job, as piracy was truly their only option. This innocence led to the true heart of the film, as Hanks' Phillips begins to connect with the young pirates, leading to the climactic ending that is sure to have an emotional effect on anyone who watches the film. Was Hanks' performance good?... Absolutely. But, in my opinion, the relationship between Phillips and the pirates was the key to the drama in this film.

Conclusion:
There is very little, in this world, that I hate more than being wrong. Unfortunately, my expectations are on this horrible streak of failing me, from Don Jon to Gravity to, now, Captain Phillips. not only was Hanks performance great, but I also loved the performances of each of the pirates, as well as the great connection that developed between the pirates and Phillips. The plot was not fantastic, but it is a true story, so I don't know how you really fix that. Everything was drug out a bit, which may have taken away from the potential dramatic effect of the film. Thankfully, however, the drama was so, so real, and it was easy to put yourself in the shoes of Captain Phillips. For me, it would have undoubtedly led to my being seasick, but I probably would have been a bit worried about the pirates too. I give Captain Phillips 3.56 out of 5 stars.