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Captain Phillips is a movie which is certainly well-made but ultimately unsatisfying. The production values are there, the entertainment is not. This should be a tight, taut, tense thriller. But the tension seeps away long before the movie finally draws itself to a close. The movie certainly has a captivating, true-life story to work with, a story which would seem to have great potential. But that potential is unrealized. The movie disappoints.

Tom Hanks plays Captain Richard Phillips, who is in command of a huge cargo ship headed to Kenya. Rather awful attempt at a Boston accent aside, Hanks is otherwise reliable as ever in the role. And the completely unknown Barkhad Abdi proves a worthy acting adversary for Hanks. Abdi plays Muse, the leader of the gang of four Somali pirates who hijack Captain Phillips's ship. The first half of the movie, setting up the hijacking from the perspectives of both Phillips and the pirates and then the hijacking itself, works reasonably well. The second half of the film, with Phillips having been taken hostage by the pirates as they fled the giant ship in a small lifeboat, works markedly less well.

Initially there is great tension as hostage Phillips tries to keep his wits about him and keep himself alive while rescue plans are set in motion. But then the movie just kind of sits there. It becomes very repetitive as we wait for that potential rescue to come. Interactions between Hanks and Abdi, Phillips and Muse, are good. But the other three pirates make either a bad impression or no impression at all. The only other standout, and not in a good way, is the character of Najee, the hothead of the pirate group. His frothing rage wears thin quite quickly. Maybe the true-life counterpart really was like this but in the movie it seems way over the top. He's the designated villain but he's too villainous for the film's good. There are some things to admire about the film. Hanks is solid, the young unknowns playing the pirates do reasonably well with their roles, with Abdi doing quite well indeed. The movie looks good, it was clearly a challenging movie to shoot and director Paul Greengrass pulls that aspect of the proceedings off well. Though there is definitely the sense a steadier camera would have worked well at times, there's only so much shaky-cam you can take. Ultimately though, as with any movie, the most important thing is the story. This story had great promise but for whatever reason it just doesn't work. As the movie careens towards, and then over, the two-hour mark the tension fizzles away. You've had enough and you're just ready for it to be over. This compelling real-life story ultimately makes for a less than compelling movie.

Try to cram eighteen different stories into two hours and you're going to end up with something which, as a whole, is rather uneven. Such is the case with Paris, je t'aime. This is less one movie and more eighteen movies which happen to be shown in succession. The only common denominator is the setting, Paris. Eighteen different stories, told by eighteen different directors, featuring eighteen different casts. Some famous directors, some largely unknown. Some stories feature famous performers, others feature performers who are completely anonymous. There are little comedies, little dramas, little romances, little tragedies. It's quite the ebb and flow, you never know what's coming next. At least you know that if you're not enjoying what you're watching in a given moment there will be something entirely different coming along shortly.

All in all it's an interesting experiment, buoyed by mostly interesting stories. A few of the mini-movies don't work or seem out of place. In a movie full of ordinary stories about ordinary life in Paris a vampire segment is a little jarring and bizarre. There's a story centered around a Chinatown beauty salon which is quite incomprehensible. A few of the stories fall rather flat. But on the other hand a few of the stories are actually quite brilliant. Most fall somewhere in between. At its best Paris, je t'aime is really good and even at its worst it's not truly terrible. The film may wear you down by the end, there's the sense that maybe there are three or four stories too many. But even if the film does start to drag it manages to pick itself up and get moving again. Such is the benefit of having an entirely new story every few minutes. Everyone will have their own favorite segments. There is something here for everyone. Fittingly the final segment is essentially a love letter to Paris. Margo Martindale plays Carol, a middle-aged American tourist extolling the virtues of the city in truly terrible, amateurish French. Carol may not have mastered the language but the sentiment is clear and sincere. She loves Paris. Simple. There is obviously much to love about the city and in Paris, je t'aime all the different directors with all their different stars do the city justice. It's an up-and-down movie, by its very nature inconsistent. But it's a unique ride, one worth taking.

City Lights is a film which is beloved and revered. And it is easy to see why. As comedies go, it may not be among the funniest films ever made. But if there is any shortfall of laughs the film more than compensates with an overabundance of charm. And it is not as if the film is totally lacking in laughs either, there is plenty of good humor here. But in this case it is the story, more than the jokes and gags, which really is the key to the film's success. That story draws you in, makes you root for Charlie Chaplin's famous Tramp. It's a beautifully unique love story which will definitely bring a smile to your face and ultimately maybe even a tear to your eye. City Lights is the brilliant result you get when you have a master of his art form at work.

The simple, though thoroughly captivating story, follows The Tramp as he falls in love with a beautiful, blind flower girl. She can't see him for the lowly hobo he is, a misunderstanding upon her initial meeting leads her to believe he is a wealthy gentleman. The Tramp is more than happy to allow her to maintain that illusion. He gets some help in this endeavor from a drunken millionaire who befriends him. The Tramp gets money from the millionaire, stays in his house, drives his car. All very helpful in keeping up the ruse of wealthiness for the blind girl. Unfortunately the drunken millionaire is only friends with The Tramp whenever he is in fact drunk. When he sobers up he doesn't remember The Tramp at all. This of course causes awkward, and funny, complications. Meanwhile the flower girl has problems of her own. She's behind on the rent and, unknowingly since her grandmother hides the notice, about to be evicted. The Tramp is determined to save the day, pay the rent and also somehow pay for surgery to cure the girl's blindness. How will our shabby little hero pull this off?

Chaplin is a master of his craft at the peak of his powers. When City Lights was released the era of silent films was at its end, the talkies had taken over. But Chaplin was determined to tell his story his way, really the only way a story of The Tramp could ever be told. Who would want to hear The Tramp speak? The brilliance of the character is in the pantomime, the expressions. Chaplin tugs on the heartstrings without ever saying a word. Other performers in the film, most notably Virginia Cherrill as the blind girl and Harry Myers as the millionaire, play their parts well. Cherrill in particular deserves much credit for the film's ultimate emotional wallop. But this film is Chaplin's through and through, his fingerprints are on every frame. A brilliant performer, a brilliant director. Every moment is so well thought out. Maybe the film is not outrageously funny but there is plenty of humor to appreciate. Even if you think a scene may drag on too long, like a boxing match late on in the film, you can't help but appreciate the effort that went into it. It may be a little long but the scene is undeniably worked out beautifully, Chaplin showing an absolute mastery of choreography. It is a comedy film in which ultimately the comedy is secondary. Yes, there are jokes and gags and no, not all of them work perfectly. But there are definitely enough good comedic moments to keep you entertained. But more importantly there is a story to keep you enthralled. The love story between The Tramp and the blind girl warms your heart and makes City Lights a true feel-good movie, one worthy of its status as one of the most beloved films ever made.