Capsule (2015)

Summary 
Guy is an experienced British fighter pilot who is in command of Britain's first manned mission to space. He has trained for this for three years at the height of the Cold War and now he is alone in space with a malfunctioning capsule. He has limited contact with the UK, some unusual communication with the US and some unorthodox communication with Tyuratam deep in Soviet Russia. Who will help him? Will he make the right choice?

Genre : SF/History
Country : UK

Cast : 
Edmund Kingsley : Guy Taylor

Lisa Greenwood : Charlotte Taylor
David Wayman : Harry

Director : Andrew Martin

My opinion

“I realize I’m stuck up here now.
And missed my re-entry point...
but my oxygen is down to 14 percent.
What the hell am I supposed to do?”

Looking for an action packed movie, full of thrills and spills? Such a film full of swirling action scenes or unprecedented conversations? Well just skip this movie then. The film is limited to an impressive solo performance, on board of a manned space capsule launched by the United Kingdom. The spacecraft looks as if Bob the Builder has put together this absurdity. And this indicates that this launch took place long before high-tech space shuttles occupied space. And not only the spacecraft looks primitive, but also Guy Taylor's spacesuit (Edmund Kingsley. Yep son of!) looks as if it's pieced together by the local carnival association. No wonder the amateurish structure starts to show some flaws, which leads to Guy finding himself in a hopeless situation with his capsule out of control and a lack of oxygen causing devastating effects.

Respect to the creators of this low-budget film. It's a considerably low budget, as I could notice during the movie. Except for the opening image of the capsule in space and earth in the background. That looked promising. Unfortunately it's the only spectacular fragment used in the entire film. From then on it's limited to the few square meters available to Guy. And his interactions are also fairly limited. First there is the ghost of his lovely wife Charlotte. Then there's a certain Harry,  from a space center in England, Guy has contact with. And finally he has radio contact with the Russian intelligence service, the CIA and NASA. Apparently the secret services of both superpowers follow this unknown manned space object. Probably they are impressed that a puny, small country such as the U.K., could achieve this. And at the same time they are full of suspicion since we are in the midst of the Cold War.

Kingsley's acting was impressive at times. Then again, there was no one he had to compete with or someone he could surpass when it comes to acting. That was the easy part when you look at it that way. But it was still an admirable piece of work. He effortlessly went through a whole palette of emotional feelings. Panic, euphoria, determination and desperation seized him at the appropriate time. Besides a few stiff looking Russian soldiers, there was nobody else to be seen throughout the film. There were a few implausible moments as well. Especially Guy's clumsy behavior. He looked like a sort of hobbyist and space enthusiast, who applied for the job and indiscriminately pushes a few buttons and randomly replaces a fuse.

All in all this was a fairly boring movie. Not only by the total lack of variety, but also because the outcome was quite disappointing. Granted, you can start fantasizing whether there is some truth to that legend about the success or failure of a manned space flight by England. Even if it sounds credible, with the serious-sounding text during the end credits, I don't believe it's based on true facts. I think this would have made public after the cold war, so the U.K. could take the credits for the first manned spacetrip. As a short film this story would be more appropriate. The duration of the film was too long to fill it with this limited story.

My rating 3/10
Links : IMDB

The finest hours (2016)

Summary
In February of 1952, one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast struck New England, damaging an oil tanker off the coast of Cape Cod and literally ripping it in half. On a small lifeboat faced with frigid temperatures and 70-foot high waves, four members of the Coast Guard set out to rescue the more than 30 stranded sailors trapped aboard the rapidly-sinking vessel.

Genre : Drama/History
Country : USA

Cast :
Chris Pine : Bernie Webber
Casey Affleck : Ray Sybert
Holiday Grainger : Miriam Webber

Director : Craig Gillespie

My Opinion

“We're sinking.”

This looked like the movie "Titanic". The iceberg was absent though. But still, the oil tanker was broken in two like a toothpick by the raging sea and went to the bottom of the ocean. There was also a romance. Only this didn't happen aboard of the sinking ship. The final result is a Disney disaster movie, suitable for couples. The female audience can melt away because of the love story. A tribute to invincible love and a prove that infinite love can overcome every pesky obstacle. An example of how kindred spirits can find each other telepathically and use each other as a beacon to be united again. I never expected that such beacons consist of a row of oldtimers with their headlights directed to the ocean. The male audience can enjoy the exciting rescue operation initiated by an engineer. His ingenious plan was to run the broken ship aground on a sandbank. Expect some nerve-racking scenes and liters of salt water. 

 
The fact that this is a Disney product, means that it also contains a happy ending. Well, most Disney films have one. Those who have expertise in maritime history, will know that this film is about a true incident in 1952. The US Coast Guard successfully conducted one of the most daring rescue operations. Guardian angel on duty is Bernard Webber (Chris "Z for Zachariah" Pine). The way he maneuvers his lifeboat CG36500 over a treacherous sandbar, endangering his own and his crew's life, is beautifully filmed and a thrilling moment. A hallucinatory boat trip over (and under) giant waves, which reminded me of "The Perfect Storm". A successful interpretation by Chris Pine as the colourless, timid little officer who grows out to be a determined and heroic captain. Casey "Out of the furnace" Affleck also played a brilliant part as the introverted Ray Sybert who usually hides in the lower levels of the SS Pendleton and who manages to save the ship temporarily in a resourceful way. A subdued and sober character. Personally, I think this is one of his better performances.

Unfortunately a dose of romance was necessary again. And this in the form of telephone operator Miriam (Holliday Grainger). A spry woman with a big mouth. It was as if she was the founder of the feminist movement. She asks her boyfriend to marry her (probably unseen and unacceptable in those days) and briefly wants to have her say in this male bastion ruled by the Coast Guard. She hadn't taken officer Cluff (Eric "Deliver us from Evil" Bana) into account, who threw her out immediatly. The only thing Mary could do was to hope and pray (together with the other women) that her future husband would return safe and sound.

The most annoying thing during the exciting rescue, were those intermissions where they showed the desperation and fear of the housewives who stayed behind. As a result, the rising tension was constantly interrupted. The only thought I had was "Why don't you just go cook something and wait patiently?". At least I could have enjoyed the action on the halved ship. That and the ridiculous, sentimental ending (they ignored the hero completely) were the reason that I finally thought this movie wasn't so great.

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My rating 5/10
Links : IMDB

Bhopal : A prayer for Rain (2014)

Summary
The story follows a young rickshaw-puller in Bhopal who gets a menial job at a chemical plant, but in December of 1984 a chemical spill in India takes the lives of almost 15,000 people and injuring more than 100,000. The film follows how the industrial disaster in the city changes his life and those of others.

Genre : Drama/History
Country : UK/India
  
Cast :
Rajpal Yadav : Dilip
Martin Sheen : Warren ANderson
Kal Penn : Motwani

Director : Ravi Kumar


My opinion 

“We are Union Carbide, united in our efforts to build a better future for everyone.”

Despite the fact it's already indicated at the beginning that they have incorporated certain facts in a different way, just to increase the dramatic effect of the film, I was stunned and shocked after watching this docudrama. Frankly, I had never heard of this industrial disaster that took place in Bhopal in 1984. A human tragedy that could have been avoided. But greed and indifference were the main causes leading to this human tragedy. Martin Sheen plays Warren Anderson, CEO of Union Carbide, and is perfectly casted for this movie. He manages to portray Anderson as a man with some human feelings, while on the other hand his business instincts prevail again and he asks casually why an amount of pesticide isn't sold. However his contribution is outplayed by the typically Indian actors. Bollywood movies are unknown territory to me and I guess they usually aren't the epitome of superb performances or a stunning footage, but I'm convinced that the message of this movie was much more important.

December 1984, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. In a Union Carbide pesticide plant, a chemical reaction of water with Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) ensure that a deadly toxic gas cloud spreads over the surrounding slum. The next day there are around 2,000 casualties and hundreds of thousands of residents affected by the toxic cloud. Soon after another 8,000 victims would die because of that. 30 years later, there are still problems and casualties caused by this disaster. The combination of inadequate security, human errors and mismanagement caused this terrible disaster. Had the slip-blind plates been placed so water wouldn't mix with the chemical substance, if only the scrubbers were functioning (but they were under repair), had the refrigeration worked and was the torch installation not taken out of service, this could have been prevented.

A terrible topic about the disastrous consequences caused by human negligence and greed, which is played in a fair way by Indian actors. Especially by Rajpal Yadav as Dipil. A person who's lovable and sometimes comical at the same time. A rickshaw-puller whose vehicle was recreated into pleated iron after transporting a corpulent passenger, who's desperately looking for some work, so he can support his family, pay for the impending wedding of his sister and mainly keep his wife satisfied. He sees a chance to work in the factory as an ordinary handyman. Afterwards he's offered a better paid job (after the previous person dies because a drop of Methyl Isocyanate dripped on his arm, which subsequently is indicated as a typical accident because of an irresponsible act of the concerned person). Essentially he's technically incompetent for this job. But finally it's a dead simple task : he has to keep an eye on a pressure gauge and let someone know when it falls below a certain level. A beautiful rendition and a character that arouses pity every time. Motwani (Kal Penn) is a local reporter who fills his own newspaper with rumors and allegations against Union Carbide. In retrospect, he proved to be an important character in reality. These two together with Martin Sheen, are the key players in this drama. Mischa Barton is presented as the American journalist Eva Gascon, but soon she vanishes from the scene and you wonder what importance her part was anyway.

The known outcome is visualized in a simple yet effective way. Thousands of dying victims, coughing up blood and suffocating. Children looking around apathetically. Helpless doctors trying to save victims with the insufficient available resources. And while this drama unfolds, the chairmen of Union Carbide are trying to find a way out, so they can put the blame on anybody but themselves. The fact that there's a description in the contracts about the slip-blind plates, is sufficient enough to conclude it's the factory managers fault. The final settlement made with Union Carbide was a compensation for damages of a lousy 470 million dollars. It shows once again what a human life is worth for such industrial giants. Sickening.

 

My rating 6/10
Links : IMDB

The Butler (2013)

Genre : Drama/History
Country: USA

Cast :
Forest Whitaker : Cecil Gaines
Oprah Winfrey :  Gloria Gaines
John Cusack : Richard Nixon
Robin Williams : Eisenhower

Director :
Lee Daniels

Summary

Cecil Gaines was a sharecropper's son who grew up in the 1920s as a domestic servant for the white family who casually destroyed his. Eventually striking out on his own, Cecil becomes a hotel valet of such efficiency and discreteness in the 1950s that he becomes a butler in the White House itself. There, Cecil would serve numerous US Presidents over the decades as a passive witness of history with the American Civil Rights Movement gaining momentum even as his family has troubles of its own. As his wife, Gloria, struggles with her addictions and his defiant eldest son, Louis, strives for a just world, Cecil must decide whether he should take action in his own way.

My opinion

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that."

"The Butler" is a fascinating historical look at the struggle of the African- American population for equal rights and an equal dignity over the years in the U.S. I’m not sure if it’s completely accurate and historically correct. To be honest, I was afraid it was going to be as boring as "Lincoln",but for 2 hours it got my complete attention. And that for a movie that’s based on historical facts. If only history lessons were like this movie. I do think it should be mandatory teaching material. A lot of people will say that this film is strategically launched in order to qualify for an Oscar nomination and even receive a few of them. To be honest I am not hundred percent sure bout that. And if that’s a motive to skip this movie, you'll actually miss one of the best movies of this year.

A lot of famous stars perform in this film : John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, James Marsden, Robin Williams, Vanessa Redgrave. Even Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey played in it. Although I didn’t recognize them immediately. However it’s the lead players who have made a big impression on me. Forest Whitaker is superb as Cecil Gaines, the butler who worked for eight U.S. presidents and went through the whole history. From the cotton fields to the election of Obama as president. In my opinion his best performance ever. Despite his passivity, he still shows in a way that he is ambitious and courageous. I thought he was fighting a silent battle against the injustice that was done to him. The scenes where he was present in "The Oval Room" with the president having a discussion with his advisers, I found sometimes really touching. Most of these discussions were about controversial issues that have to do with the colored population. The way they ignored him as if he was a piece of furniture while those matters actually concerned him. I also found it amazing how his aging was realized. Everything is right and put in a convincing way. On the other hand, Whitaker has a kind of a sad face with eyes like Droopy. So making him look sad and concerned wasn’t a hard job.

The person who made ​​the biggest impression on me is Oprah Winfrey who played the role of Gloria Gaines. To be honest, I started watching without any notion of what VIP's were playing here in this movie. When I finally recognized her as that annoying attention-grabbing talk show blabbermouth who always looks for commercial advantage, I was still pleasantly surprised by her acting performance. I would even say giving her this role was a big surplus and positive thing for this movie. And David Oyelowo played a starring role as the son Louis. A quiet boy who gradually hated the way his father thought about the issues that concerned the colored people and began to rebel and participated in the famous sit ins in places where blacks were not allowed, the Freedom Buses and later The Black Panthers. The peak of dullness in this film is of course the reconciliation with his father at the end.

The advantage to watch without knowing who's playing in this movie is that you always get surprised when familiar faces show up. The most successful I found Alan Rickman and Jane Fonda as Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Also Minka Kelly as Jacqueline Kennedy did pretty well. Robin Williams however was a miscast in my opinion. Not because of his acting performance but I expected every moment he was going to put on a red clowns nose and throw in a funny one-liner to finish.

The film itself covered a lot of historical events : The cotton plantation, the first blacks at a university, the Freedom Buses, the Ku Klux Klan, JFK, Sidney Poitier, Vietnam, the death of Luther King, Mandela and Obama. That’s a lot to cover in a single movie. But it didn’t really bother me.

A must-see movie for me at least. It’s basically a cinematic documentary of the darkest, ugliest and saddest period in American history. And sadly it’s still actual and happens day by day in our modern civilized society. And then realizing it wasn’t that long ago. For me definitely an Oscar worthy. But let’s hope this movie is the apotheosis on this subject cause recent years we were flooded by such movies.

My rating 9 /10
Links : IMDB

Lo Imposible (2012)

Summary :
A regular family - Maria, Henry and their three kids - travel to Thailand to spend Christmas. They get an upgrade to a villa on the coastline. After settling in and exchanging gifts, they go to the pool, like so many other tourists. A perfect paradise vacation until a distant noise becomes a roar. There is no time to escape from the tsunami; Maria and her eldest are swept one way, Henry and the youngest another. Who will survive, and what will become of them?

Genre : Drama/Thriller/History
Country : Spain

Cast :
Naomi Watts : Maria
Ewan McGregor : Henry
Tom Holland : Lucas

Director :
J.A. Bayona

Alternative title : The Impossible

My Opinion  

An impressive, breathtaking, haunting and frightening movie that I surely won't forget. A very realistic picture about the devastating force that a tsunami can cause and it demonstrates how tiny we human beings are despite our high-tech knowledge when facing natural phenomena .
 

The title of the movie on its own is already a whopper of a spoiler, but personally I would rather just see this small miracle about a whole family surviving this disaster instead of seeing a movie about the thousands who didn't survive. "Youtube" is full of tragic films,pictures and photos of victims. That this movie was overflown (sorry...) with a Hollywood sauce is perfectly normal. Had they filmed it as realistic as in reality, this would have been the most sickening movie nobody is waiting for. That's why they left out half of the real story.

You could predict it would be a very emotional movie. I'm not a sensitive person, but at times I found it pretty difficult to keep it dry (How appropriate).
 

Nevertheless, some annoying things for me personally:
- They could have shown how the father and his 2 little sons managed to survive
- The moment they missed out on each other at the hospital was a bit exaggerated
- Maybe the father really did this, but I can't understand how he could leave those two little toddlers behind. I am a father and I would never leave my 2 little kids behind after surviving a calamity like this.

Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor did some superb acting. But the biggest achievement was made by the three sons. Especially Tom Holland. What an admirable performance!

My rating 8/10
Links : IMDB