it was a top notch acting job that sucked me right into the film and refused to let ...
597347
I was honestly surprised. I expected a cheap Jaws knock-off akin to Barracuda, but this film can honestly go toe to toe with Jaws, and is NOT a knock-off aside from the general idea (big killer animal in the ocean hunted on a boat)

First of all, Richard Harris' performance blew me away. He poured so much heart and depth into his role as the Irish fisherman Captain Nolan, it was a top notch acting job that sucked me right into the film and refused to let me go. His lines are delivered in ways you can hear the thoughts and motivations, the past actions and regrets of his character with every syllable, a truly emotional role that makes you sympathize whole heartedly with the "villain".

That said, there is no true villain of this tail. Orca is a film all about the act of revenge and the feeling of grief, the Orca and Captain Nolan serve as two peas in a pod, mirrors of each other, and it does an amazing job at going into the mindset and morality of vengeance. I honestly was not expecting to get this level of depth (no pun intended) out of a killer animal movie.

The orca's special effects are incredible as well. PETA got involved because when they saw the animatronic being transported on a highway they thought it was a live orca. Live killer whales are used as well.
The only problem are the sound effects.. orcas screaming or roaring like dinosaurs is distracting, but I can understand the directing decision here.

The film is not without other flaws, though. There's a scene in the latter bit of the film where a character randomly decided to act out of character for one particularly jarring scene that is promptly dropped and forgotten about, as well as there being a constantly recycled green screen shot of the orca breaching shown over and over again to the point I would let out a chuckle by the 8th time and after.

I highly recommend this film.
463817
This motion picture held my interest because of the fine acting of Michael Higgenbottom, and a compelling story.
A few tears streamed down my face when hearts and lives were changed forever at the end of the movie.
I was totally surprised by what happened at the last moment.
35060
This is a wonderful film.  I tried to multi-task while watching it and had to start from the beginning.  I highly recommend!
4857966
This is hands down the most intense, graphic, gripping and riveting war film I have ever seen, bar none.  Start to finish it does not let up, and as a viewer you are carried along on this wild roller coaster ride as you immerse yourself into the real life series of events that this film depicts.  The theater was packed with both men and women, which was interesting to note.

What these soldiers went through to succeed in Seal training was astounding (almost beyond what most of us could ever imagine being able to do) and their bond to each other was simply amazing but also the necessity that kept them going.  What happened to these guys physically was beyond incredible (for me the most intense was several instances of having to escape by jumping off literal cliffs and bouncing down long rocky slopes, truly painfully hard to watch, and how on earth did they not end up with their bodies entirely broken in a million pieces?) , yet they kept going despite what seemed like impossible odds for a very long time.  Knowing from the outset that only Luttrell would survive did not detract from the story, but it made things so much more poignant as you watch events unfold as people were lost.

I was very glad to see that the evil viciousness and utter cruelty of the Taliban was clearly depticted through not only their treatment of Americans they captured but also their eagerness to mow down their own fellow Afghans who do not agree with them.  I was also glad to see a clear portrayal of good and compassionate Afghan people who made it clear they did not support the Taliban (one man emphatically stating "Taliban nistam, I am not a Taliban), and who risked their own lives to save Luttrell.  Overall, I did not see this film as a political commentary on the war either pro or con (although there were a few small things that clearly revealed the political frustrations our military has to operate under in trying to do their jobs), but before long I felt this film had boiled down to the Seal team's most basic will to survive under the most seemingly impossible odds in this war, this battle.

As a woman, I have to say I strongly responded to this film despite how hard it was to watch and experience, but I'm not sure I could watch it a second time due to its emotional intensity.  It left me with such profound respect and increased admiration for our soliders and for these Seals in particular.  I would put this film into a category of "everyone needs to see this."  Most people have no idea what war can really be like at its worst, and why any war entered into must be done with clear purpose and resolve to finish and achieve our goals going into it.  No namby pamby politicians doing the back seat directing of war, please.  All this said, I did leave the film wondering why we keep going into wars (Vietnam going forward) but don't allow ourselves to fully do what it takes to achieve our goals.  Politics always meddles too much, and I feel angry about that.  Do the job right and then go home.

Deeply gratifying was a long segment at the end of the film which showed multiple photos and some video clips of all the real Seals who died in this incident, giving them a much needed and well deserved face and honor that should never be forgotten by any of us.  It was important to be able to put a real face to the names in the film.  Real people who led real lives and who died terrible deaths, and who should be honored and remembered.  The emotion of this film will make you cry (or want to), and this was a film in which the appreciative audience clapped somberly but with respect at the end.

Finally, kudos are due to Mark Wahlberg, who did such an incredible job both in his portrayal of Luttrell and in his role as producer.  He did great honor to the Seals in his telling of this important story.  I hope he gets the recognition he deserves for this film. All of the actors were absolutely superb.
785016
I have to say that this film struck a chord that I never expected. From the moment it began its well crafted and artistic twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. The acting is off the charts. The Cinematography/Direction is breathtaking. The story is heart breaking and profound. I found it truly fearless as it dives into a young man's vulnerable world as he questions EVERYTHING. I love this film!!
2758242
I don't want to say I enjoyed this movie but I was mesmerized by the story.  It was heartbreaking.  I was pulled into the movie on such a deep level since my father was a WWII veteran who often spoke of his time in Germany.  It was an excellent film.
2996855
Even though I disagree with the underlying message of the film (i.e., that diplomacy can work), I found it riveting and the complex perspectives and personalities of the participants fascinating.  Their common view that the politicians of every stripe utterly failed to stand up to the challenge is particularly frightening.
3397936
This is an excellent film by Peter Jackson. It's wonderfully shot. Thrilling and tense. The surreal elements are stunning and inventive, and yet it is probably more compelling in what it chooses not to show. The acting is solid all around (Wahlberg is sort of the weak link here, but not terrible by any means -- if anything, he seems miscast), but the real stand-out is Saoirse Ronan. It's amazing that she can be so young and yet display such sensitivity and nuance in her performance. This isn't just raw talent but the polish of an actress many many years into her career. The conclusion, I thought, wasn't exactly fulfilling. It felt a little too simple and very much lacking in seeing through the telos of all the emotional turmoil Suzie's death had wrought. The reconciliation as well felt rushed. There was definitely a beat or two of story missing from it. But up until this moment I thought it was a pretty incredible ride.
2655509
I'm not going to tell you the story.  Suffice it to say it's contemporaneous and biting in today's day of leaks and journalism that can be a game changer.  Ask Michael Hastings of Rolling Stone if he ever thought he'd take down a four star general with his writing and he'd tell you = no way in hell.  This story is a ripped from the headlines dilemma with a very real face.

At the end, when you find out who Kate Beckinsale's character is protecting - you'll be surprised, profoundly effected (touched and torn) and brought to tears in the same moment. I thought the supporting cast (Matt Dillon and Alan Alda) delivered understated but powerful performances too. It's smart film making, a compelling and credible story and the great performances make this a great and under appreciated work.  Check it out.  It's worth two hours of your life - because when you finish you'll think about a lot of things differently.
2310960
Although I had moved a few miles north before the World Trade Center was attacked, and I didn't look down the Hudson River and see smoke where the towers used to be until after they'd both fallen, I was deeply shocked, and I grieved for them for at least ten years. It was the most painful experience of my adult life. I didn't know anyone who died there; I was grieving for the buildings, which had been there in the background of my life like an anchor I didn't know was so important until it was gone.

But those wounds finally healed, and seeing this movie now, in 2013, isn't as cathartic for me as it might have been when it first came out eight years ago, when my grief still seemed inconsolable. So for me, now, this is just a movie, and I respond to it as if it were about a subject that never affected me at all.

As a movie, it's better than I expected it to be. Michael Urie and Elizabeth Kapplow are excellent as Eric and Josie, and the rest of the cast are good enough not to be distracting (except for Jeremy Beazlie's horrendous British accent). The direction is surprisingly good, which is unusual when a playwright adapts his own play to the screen and also directs it; that's almost always a formula for failure, but Sloan does it fairly well.

As a play, it's beautifully written, never predictable or trite, and I'm sure it was deeply moving when performed live in a theatre. Unfortunately, the transition to film could have been better. But that's a very hard transition to make, and nobody has EVER done it perfectly except Mike Nichols with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.

So although I admired this movie a lot, I never really believed it, never got deeply involved in Eric's trauma, because I could never get past the knowledge that he was acting.

Stage acting and movie acting are very, very different; and this was a play performed for a camera instead of an audience: admirably done, but the stage-bound formality of both the writing and the acting kept me at a distance emotionally.
857372
I cannot say enough good things about this film. I admit it was Jennifer Morrison that drew me to the movie, but it was the cast and the terrific story that kept me interested. Tom Hardy is very good in the role of the bitter brother and you can tell he really beefed up for the role (he wasn't nearly as big back when he was in Star Trek: Nemesis). Joel Edgerton looks to have moved on his from his Star Wars days and is making a name for himself. He plays the never say die father of two who not only pushes himself to the limit in the ring, but also tries his damnedest to mend old wound between he and his brother.

Nick Nolte plays a sobered up father to both Hardy and Edgerton and gives arguably the best performance of his career. Not to be undone, Jennifer Morrison also gives a solid effort and is a standout in a film that has testosterone flowing through it.

The MMA fight scenes are well choreographed and gritty. They feel very real and you can tell they brought in some people from the world of MMA to make sure they did those scenes justice.

Overall, the film is a great piece of work and I have to say it's a pity that it didn't do better at the box office.

With all that being said, I have to admit I am a little disappointed in the blu ray transfer. I understand a film like this is going to have a little grit in the film and be a little grainy. The problem is, at times, there is so much grain that it detracts from the film's efforts. I expect some grain during night scenes, but in some of them there was so much of it that it was hard to make out certain objects. Even during the daytime scenes where grain usually isn't a problem turned out etched and often felt like there wasn't a huge amount of effort into transitioning this brilliant movie into a format that would do it justice. The sound was alright, but there were a few scenes where I had to adjust the volume to hear all the dialog.

For the film - 4.1 / 5
For the BR xfer - 2.2 / 5
4106529
I admit to being a little biased since I'm involved in the project featured in this documentary. However, I found it to be very professionally produced and covered all of the main aspects of the project. I sat down expecting to just glance through it and ended up watching the whole thing from start to finish. It pulled me right in.
1287144
I am so glad that I was up at 4:00am the other morning and I got to see this movie.  I think that it is by far the best work that any of the actors have ever done.  I have looked for it to be on everyday since but it has not been so I ordered my own copy so that I can wtch it anytime that i want.  I strongly suggest that if you are in to movies that allow you to think after you have watched them instead of escape you would be very benefited by this movie.  I have not been able to stop thinking about it since I saw it and I trust that you will not be able to either.
2033420
Captain Phillips is definitely a movie that draws the viewer in and won't let go.  The acting, directing, etc., is so well-done, and the true story is so compelling, that I found I could not look away at any moment.  The plight of Captain Phillips as he tries to save the lives of his crew from the pirates and later fights for his own survival truly made me feel.  I didn't feel as if I were watching a movie.  I felt as if I were Captain Phillips.  I felt the knot in my stomach, the dry mouth, the panic over what to say or do in order to merely survive the ruthless pirates.  Even though I knew enough about the true story to know the outcome, I didn't know HOW it was going to work out.  I was in complete suspense.  This is truly an excellent drama.
4166785
I was impressed by this film. Great story and great acting. I was very pleased with the ability of these two to keep the story interesting and engaging. I really liked it.
1991756
This is one of those films that kept getting by-passed on my watchlist because the subject matter didn't seem promising enough for a full-lenghth feature and I hadn't heard or read anything about it. I hereby humbly apologize to the producers, cast, crew, and everyone else involved with "Still Life".  It immediately became on of my top ten all-time favorite films.  Maybe even top five.
4234632
I usually try not compare books to screenplay and then to film, but I for one saw this without reading the book and I am sure I will stick with 5 stars for the book because I simply loved this film, it may have been raw emotions throughout but Woody Harrleson deserves best supporting oscar for this and Brie Larson deserves a best actress nod as well as Naomi Watts and the younger Jeannette was excellent as well, this was one tour de force of acting that I never seen and seeing Woody put so much into it was just bone chilling, sure he was rough around the edges but nice too at times, you just never which way he was going to go but it worked :)  cant wait to read the book and start my comparison