Flight
Film Review by Kam Williams
Hero Pilot Participates in Cover-Up in Special F/X-Driven Legal Thriller
Co-pilot Ken Evans (Brian Geraghty) is at the helm of SouthJet Flight 227 from Orlando to Atlanta only because the plane's captain, Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington), has passed out after a night of debauchery devoted to drinking booze and snorting coke while carousing with one of his stewardesses (Nadine Velazquez). But when the commercial airliner unexpectedly encounters severe turbulence and starts losing altitude, the concerned rookie immediately rouses the senior officer out of a deep sleep for assistance.
Despite a blood alcohol level over twice the legal limit, the veteran aviator assumes control and quickly ascertains that the plane's plunge is due to a complete failure of the hydraulic system. He further surmises that the only hope of pulling out of the precipitous nosedive depends upon his lowering the landing gear prematurely, dumping fuel, and flying the aircraft upside-down.
Against all odds, he executes each step flawlessly, unless you count clipping the top off a church steeple moments before making an emergency landing in an open field. 96 of the 102 souls aboard survive, and Whip's astonishing feat is soon the subject of a national media circus, ala Sully Sullenberger's real-life Miracle on the Hudson.
However, in the course of conducting its routine investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) subsequently uncovers incriminating evidence that the pilot had a blood alcohol level of .24 at the time of the accident. And since a half-dozen people perished in the crash, Captain Whitaker could conceivably be held criminally liable for their deaths.
Will the celebrated hero's image be tarnished by scandal? Not if his defense attorney (Don Cheadle) and union rep (Bruce Greenwood) have anything to say about it. The two hatch a plan to suppress the toxicology report and to sober Whip up by the time of the NTSB hearing.
Directed by Academy Award-winner Bob Zemeckis (for Forest Gump), Flight is a riveting thriller marked by spellbinding special effects and a nonpareil performance on the part of two-time Oscar-winner Denzel Washington (for Glory and Training Day). After the spectacular, stomach-churning, opening scene plane crash, the picture shifts in tone to a character-driven portrait of a self-destructive addict in denial and plagued by demons.
The capable supporting cast features Kelly Reilly as Whip's love interest, John Goodman as his drug dealer, Melissa Leo as a snoopy NTSB bureaucrat, as well as Don Cheadle and Bruce Greenwood. But make no mistake, this is as much a star vehicle as Zemeckis' Cast Away, where Tom Hanks was the only actor on screen for over an hour.
An instant screen classic destined to be deemed among the very best of Zemeckis, alongside Gump, Back to the Future and What Lies Beneath.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for drug and alcohol abuse, nudity, sexuality and an intense action sequence.
Running time: 139 minutes
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
To see a trailer for Flight, visit
"It’s a testament to Alive Mind Cinema that documentaries like Foreign Parts have a home, and continue to have the necessary support to grow, to be seen by more and more people. But it’s also a testament to Foreign Parts that Kino Lorber can see documentaries like this and want to bring them to the public, because curious minds like Paravel’s and Sniadecki’s are rare. Who else would spend all this time at Willets Point, wanting to show people what it’s like, that to some, their cars are more than just cars? They’re life itself."
Rory Aronsky, Movie Gazette Online
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Simon & the Oaks
(Simon och ekarna)
Film Review by Kam Williams
Jewish Boys Come-of-Age in Sweden in Surrealistic WWII Saga
Set in Sweden in 1939, Simon & the Oaks is a surrealistic, coming-of-age saga which unfolds against the backdrop of World War II. The title character, Simon (played by Jonatan S. Wachter, younger, then by Bill Skarsgard) is a youngster who, at the point of departure, has no idea he's half-Jewish.
He was adopted at an early age by a working-class, Swedish couple (Helen Sjoholm and Stefan Godicke) who have not only hidden his roots, but done their best to shield him from the horrors unfolding across Europe. However, despite their love and support, Karin and Erik can't help but notice their son's growing discontent with his lowly lot in life.
Simon gradually evidences an insatiable curiosity that, as farmers, they simply aren't sophisticated enough to address satisfactorily. In fact, he becomes so lonely that he starts talking to an oak tree in the yard and fantasizing about the rest of his natural surroundings.
Finally, his frustrated folks finally decide to enroll him in an upscale grammar school where he is likely to receive the intellectual stimulation he craves. There, he soon meets Isak (played by Karl Martin Eriksson, younger, then by Karl Linnertorp ), a Jewish classmate bullied about his ethnicity whose relatively well-to-do family has recently escaped Nazi Germany.
The boys become fast friends, and their families also make acquaintances, despite the difference in social status. The plot thickens when Simon learns the truth about his ethnic background and proceeds to make the most of the opportunity to pursue an academic path. Isak, meanwhile, disappoints his dad (Jan Josef Leifers) by showing more of a desire to work with his hands than his head.
Directed by Lisa Ohlin (Seeking Temporary Wife) Simon & the Oaks is an ethereal, introspective escapade inspired by the Marianne Fredriksson novel of the same name. Besides the visual capture of some breathtaking cinematography, what makes the film engaging is the stark contrast in the personas of the blossoming, young protagonists.
A sensitive character study chronicling the considerable challenge of coming-of-age Jewish with the specter of the Third Reich lurking just over the horizon.
Very Good (3 stars)
Unrated
In Swedish, German, Hebrew and English with subtitles
Running time: 122 minutes
Distributor: The Film Arcade
To see a trailer for Simon & the Oaks, visit
Cloud Atlas
Film Review by Kam Williams
Halle & Hanks Co-Star in Adaptation of Sci-Fi Best-Seller
Based on David Mitchell's groundbreaking novel of the same name, Cloud Atlas offers an intriguing and visually-captivating cinematic experience that's well worth the investment for its unorthodox narrative alone. Be forewarned, however, that you would be well advised to arrive at the theater already familiar with the cryptic best seller's inscrutable plot structure, if you hope to have a decent idea about what's going on.
Since I hadn't read the British Book Award-winner, I initially found myself quite baffled by the surrealistic saga's elliptical storyline. Still, I was able to enjoy it immensely after gradually discerning the underlying method to the time-shifting madness.
It essentially consists of a half-dozen insular adventures which ultimately interlock despite unfolding over the course of past, present and future eras. They transpire in locales as far afield as a Pacific atoll in the 1840s, Cambridge, England in the 1930s, San Francisco in the 1970s, current-day London, Korea in the 2140s and a post apocalyptic Hawaii in the 2340s. Meanwhile, their equally-diverse themes range from slavery to gay love to corporate mind control.
It took a collaboration by a trio of noted directors, Tom Twyker (Run Lola Run) and Andy and Lana (formerly Larry) Wachowski (The Matrix), to execute this ambitious, $100 million, big screen adaptation. In addition, the principal cast members, including Oscar-winners Tom Hanks (for Philadelphia and Forest Gump), Halle Berry (for Monster's Ball), Susan Sarandon (for Dead Man Walking) and Jim Broadbent (for Iris), each play multiple versions of reincarnated characters.
Nonetheless, Cloud Atlas is as much a morality play about human fears, frailties and failings as it is a mind-bending sci-fi mystery. For, while you're busy deciphering complicated clues, the picture intermittently indulges in pretentious fortune cookie philosophy prompting reflection upon the deeper meaning of life.
Hence, the dialogue is needlessly diminished by preachy poster speak like "Separation is an illusion," "To know yourself is only possible through the eyes of another," and "From womb to tomb we are bound to others" designed to hit you over the head with a simplistic New Age message. Another minor flaw is the film's almost three-hour running time, which can easily be explained by the directors' desire to remain as faithful to the 544-page source material as possible, rather than conflate characters, condense chapters and make other concessions for the sake of a Hollywood formula.
A cleverly-concealed, centuries-spanning headscratcher constructed with fans of the original sextet of stories in mind.
Very Good (3 stars)
Rated R for violence, profanity, sexuality, ethnic slurs, nudity and drug use.
In English and Spanish with subtitles
Running time: 172 minutes
Distributor: Warner Brothers
To see a trailer for Cloud Atlas, visit
Neal Shapiro
The "WNET/THIRTEEN 50th Anniversary" Interview
with Kam Williams
Big Bird's Boss Shares His Vision for PBS
Neal Shapiro is President and CEO of New York City's WNET, America's flagship public media outlet, bringing quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. The parent company of public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET produces such acclaimed PBS series as Great Performances, American Masters, Nature, Need to Know, Charlie Rose, and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online.
Shapiro is an award-winning producer and media executive with a 25-year career spanning print, broadcast, cable and online. At the helm of WNET, Shapiro has revitalized programming, nearly doubled arts and culture programming, placed a new emphasis on local programming and community engagement, set new fundraising records and inaugurated a new, state-of-the-art studio at Lincoln Center.
In addition to WNET's signature national series, Shapiro has overseen the launch of a number of innovative local programs (including American Graduate, MetroFocus, NYC-Arts, Need To Know and Women, War & Peace) which make the most of New York City's rich resources and vibrant community.
Before joining WNET in 2007, Shapiro was President of NBC News, leading its top-rated news programs, including Today, NBC Nightly News and Meet the Press, as well as Dateline NBC. Shapiro was executive producer of Dateline NBC when it was a mainstay of NBC's schedule. And in his 13 years at ABC News, he was a writer and producer for PrimeTime Live and World News Tonight.
Mr. Shapiro has won numerous awards, including 32 Emmys, 31 Edward R. Murrow Awards and 3 Columbia DuPont awards. He serves on the Boards of Tufts University, Gannett Company, the Investigative News Network and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Neal lives in New York City with his wife, ABC News Correspondent Juju Chang, and their three sons.
Kam Williams: Hi Neal, thanks for the interview.
Neal Shapiro: My pleasure, Kam.
KW: I feel like I already know you from watching you introduce movies every Saturday night.
NS: [Chuckles] I have to admit that of all the things I do that's actually the most fun.
KW: What is your favorite genre of film?
NS: Film noir. I'm especially a big fan of Humphrey Bogart.