 Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Written by: Billy Ray
Cast: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, John Magaro, Christopher Stadulis, Max Martini, Michael Chernus, Corey Johnson, Chris Mulkey, Angus MacInnes, David Warshofsky, and Yul Vazquez
Synopsis (courtesy of Coming Soon): Columbia Pictures’ action-thriller “Captain Phillips” stars two-time Oscar® winner Tom Hanks in the true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. The film is directed by Oscar® nominee Paul Greengrass, from a screenplay by Billy Ray and based upon the book, “A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea,” by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty. The film is produced by Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, and Michael De Luca.
Read more on Awards Profile: Captain Phillips…
 No matter what David Chase chose to do with his feature debut, it was always going to be judged against the work he did on HBO with ‘The Sopranos’. Had he made a gangster movie, it would have been setting himself up for disaster. Instead, Chase has written and directed the coming of age story ‘Not Fade Away’, and it’s likely to still underwhelm those expecting more mob dealings. This is instead a love letter to growing up and listening to rock music in the 1960′s, and despite not being what many expect from Chase…it’s a wonderful little film. From Chase’s writing to the lead performance of John Magaro and the scene stealing supporting work from James Gandolfini, so much of this flick is a treat. It’s too small to really catch the eye of the Academy at this point, but it’s a dark horse contender for my year end Top 10 list, which I’ll be revealing in a few weeks time. Out this Friday, ‘Not Fade Away’ is the kind of movie that likely have to wait for home video to truly be appreciated. That’s a sad fact of life for Chase’s work, but I’m confident that it will receive the recognition it deserves before all is said and done.
Read more on Not Fade Away (***1/2)…
 Not Fade Away (**)
David Chase’s anticipated Not Fade Away not only jumbles itself into an indulgent story, constantly keeping the audience at an arm’s length but it’s overly stretched and uneven not utilizing the strong talents in the film like James Gandolfini, Jack Huston, and John Magaro. Read more on NYFF: “Not Fade Away” disappoints, “Amour” shines as the best of the festival!…
Categories: Article, Editor, Film Reviews Tags: Bella Heathcote, Cinema of the United States, David Chase, Editor Film Review, Emmanuelle Riva, Entertainment/Culture, Film, Isabelle Hupert, Jack Huston, James Gandolfini, Jean-Louis Tringnant, John Magaro, Michael Haneke, New York Film Festival, Not Fade Away, NYFF, NYFF 2012, the New York Film Festival
 While I definitely enjoyed Josh Radnor’s first feature, I wasn’t prepared at all for the giant leap forward that he takes as a filmmaker with ‘Liberal Art’s, an absolute gift of a motion picture. Besides Radnor’s sublime writing and direction, he also turns in a fine lead performance, not to mention the outstanding work from Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins, and Allison Janney. Even Zac Efron managed to impress me, so that lets you know how well this worked for me. The movie is a love letter to college, books (not just literature, but books themselves), and yes, even New York City again (though it’s not a fully New York set story like ‘HappyThankYouMorePlease’ was). Radnor easily avoids the sophomore slump and shows that he’s an actor who’s going to be known as much as anything for his filmmaking abilities. Few films this year have been as easily enjoyable and heartwarming as this one, which stands among the 10 finest things I’ve seen in 2012. I really can’t say enough about this flick, and even if it’s not necessarily going to be an Oscar player (though it’s certainly good enough), I really want to champion it. The movie comes out this week and you really owe it to yourself to see it. The film is really something special and deserves an audience. It gets one of the highest compliments that I can pay a film in that I actually wished that the story had gone on longer, I was enjoying myself so much…I literally didn’t want it to end!
Read more on Liberal Arts (***½)…
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