“Everything is unprecedented until it happens for the first time.”
(L-r) Aaron Eckhart as Jeff Skiles and Tom Hanks as Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger in “Sully.” MUST CREDIT: Warner Bros. Pictures
Nothing’s more fun than The Wildey’s Tuesday Night Film Series. Tom Hanks in Clint Eastwood’s SULLY will be on the big screenwhen it plays at The Wildey Theater in Edwardsville, IL (252 N Main St, Edwardsville, IL 62025) at 7:00pm Tuesday September 21st. $3 Tickets available starting at 3pm day of movie at Wildey Theatre ticket office. Cash or check only. (cash, credit cards accepted for concessions) Lobby opens at 6pm.
On Thursday, January 15, 2009, the world witnessed the “Miracle on the Hudson” when pilot Chesley”Sully” Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all one hundred fifty-five aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and his career.
This week’s episode of our podcast WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS The Show is up! Hear WAMG’s Jim Batts and Tom Stockman talk movies. Our guest in the studio this week is Lynn Venhaus, film critic for The Belleville News Democrat and the Kirkwood/Webster Times. Michelle McCue will call in to discuss the weekend box office and we’ll review SULLY, BLAIR WITCH, COMPLETE UNKNOWN, and IMPERIUM. We’ll also take a look at all of the film events going on locally and we’ll pay tribute to the late Gene Wilder.
Most of us remember the “Miracle on the Hudson,” the remarkable event on January 15, 2009, in which a pilot landed a commercial aircraft on the Hudson River in New York City, a successful emergency landing in which no one died or was even seriously hurt. The pilot, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, became a household name as he was hailed as a hero by the public and in the media.
Tom Hanks plays Capt. Sullenberger in director Clint Eastwood’s new film SULLY, which focuses on the “Miracle on the Hudson” landing but also on the events that followed as well as on the pilot himself.
Capt. Sullenberger (Hanks) and co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) had just taken off from New York’s La Guardia airport in their U.S. Airways commercial jet, expecting a routine flight. The plane hardly had a chance to gain much altitude when a huge flock of Canada geese appeared in front of it. The bird strike disabled both engines and the pilots had to think fast before the powerless plane sunk too low to do anything but crash. Quickly evaluating the chance of making it back to LaGuardia or the nearby Teterboro airport in New Jersey, Capt. Sullenberger made the only call that seemed likely to save them from a devastating crash – a water landing on the Hudson River. Sullenberger safely landed the plane on the river, he and the crew got the passengers out of the plane, and swift-acting Coast Guard and other boats and helicopters sprang into action to get them out of the freezing January water.
Sullenberger credited the whole team – his co-pilot, the flight crew and the rescuers in the boats and helicopters – but the media was all over Sullenberger, calling him a hero for the event they dubbed the “Miracle on the Hudson.”
Laura Linney plays Sully’s wife, Lorrie, who along with the two pilots is caught up in the overwhelming media attention and the emotional roller-coaster of coping with that and an on-going official inquiry into the emergency event at the same time. The emergency also put a spotlight on the danger of bird strikes to planes as well on the importance of having an experienced pilot in charge when a true emergency arose.
While the media were descending on Capt. Sullenberger and singing his praises, Sully was also facing an official inquiry by U.S. Airways and the FAA, as required for all such emergencies, calling him to account for his actions. At that same time, Sully was grappling with his emotions and the whole experience.
In a fictional film, the official inquiry after an emergency incident is summed up with a wave of the hand, and an official saying, “we believe you, no need for anything more.” Of course, in the real world that is not what happens, nor should we want that. An official inquiry is required by any such emergency landing or crash – although “crash” does not really describe the captain’s successful emergency maneuver. Whether is it a private business, a branch of the military branch or a government department, they want answers any time a big expensive piece of equipment is lost or destroyed. While painting U.S. Airways or the FAA as the “bad guys” does not really make sense, it is hard not to feel that way when the public is calling someone a hero but the company is scrutinizing those same actions like the person did something wrong.
It is this dizzying dichotomy that is the dramatic heart of Eastwood’s movie, which spotlights Sully’s reaction to both. The pilots’ union provides support, both emotional and practical, as they go through the inquiry and the media deluge. It is nice to see unions in a positive light in this film, during what we expect from them, and being such warm-hearted, likable guys too.
SULLY recreates the event itself in segments, focusing on different points in time and on different viewpoints, while the official inquiry and the media blizzard are the on-going plot line. By not just focusing on the emergency landing itself, Eastwood makes this a more interesting and thoughtful film. The emergency itself is so brief that a lesser director would have been tempted to fill the screen time with a prolong biopic. Eastwood does include some biography on Sully but keeps it brief and focused points important to the event.
Hanks is perfect in this film, capturing both Sully’s look with his white mustache and his reserved manner beautifully. His acting is superb, bringing out Sully’s natural gracious but reticent nature and showing him struggling with his feelings about the whole event. On one hand, Sully is taken aback by strangers who want to hug him and the relentless media coverage, feeling like he just basically did his job, nothing special. Hanks captures this modest reaction but also shows that Sully, like anyone, enjoys being recognized for doing a good job. On the other hand, Hanks shows Sully’s emotional strain, and even a little reasonable and human resentment, at having to justify his decision, which saved all lives aboard, to an inquiry panel that seems to think he could have done more – saved all aboard and saved the plane too. His co-pilot is right there with him in these feelings, and Eckhart turns in one of his best performances in years as the supportive Skiles. Skiles and Sully kid around and back each other up as only long-time friends and co-workers can, and it is a joy to watch these two actors at work in their scenes together. Sully blows off steam by running through New York streets, as he and Skiles are holed up in a hotel room for the official hearings. Hanks plays Sully as a guy who is both a bit gruff and warmly human, but not very forthcoming about feelings. He is very protective of his more emotionally- expressive wife Lorrie, in an old-fashioned way., but is not prepared to share his feelings much. Linney does a good job as Lorrie, playing her as a woman supportive of the husband she loves and a bit both panicked and overwhelmed by what has happened – particularly the non-stop media intrusion.
One thing the film does is spotlight the importance of Sully’s long experience as a pilot in his successful emergency actions. The scenes during the official inquiry help bring this out, as Sully picks apart the flaws in the simulations, contrasting its steps and timing with what really happens in an emergency. Only long experience gives Sully the tools to make this judgment call, something that the flying public and airline companies should remember when hiring low-paid, minimally experienced pilots. With so many companies refusing to hire older workers or getting rid of them, it is something every industry should think about, as well as members of the public concerned about competence and safety in many critical services.
Surprisingly short, SULLY is a fine little gem of a film, not as sweeping in scope as some of Eastwood’s films but probably one of his best. Hanks seems sure to be on some awards short lists for his fine performance, once again. SULLY is a film everyone can enjoy, about a real-life human hero rather than a comic book one.
SULLY I’ve got 40 years in the air, but in the end, I’m gonna be judged on 208 seconds.
From Oscar-winning director Clint Eastwood (“American Sniper,” “Million Dollar Baby”) comes Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama SULLY, starring Oscar winner Tom Hanks (“Bridge of Spies,” “Forrest Gump”) as Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger.
On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed the “Miracle on the Hudson” when Captain “Sully” Sullenberger glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and his career.
SULLY also stars Aaron Eckhart as Sully’s co-pilot, Jeff Skiles, and Oscar nominee Laura Linney as Sully’s wife, Lorrie Sullenberger.
SULLY opens in St. Louis, Friday, September 9th
WAMG invites you to enter for the chance to win TWO (2) seats to the advance screening of SULLY on September 6 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.
Answer the following:
What type of aircraft was Capt. Sullenberger flying?
TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.
OFFICIAL RULES:
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Rated PG-13 for some peril and brief strong language.
From Oscar-winning director Clint Eastwood (“American Sniper,” “Million Dollar Baby”) comes Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama SULLY, starring Oscar winner Tom Hanks (“Bridge of Spies,” “Forrest Gump”) as Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger.
Watch the brand new trailer now.
On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed the “Miracle on the Hudson” when Captain “Sully” Sullenberger glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and his career.
SULLY also stars Aaron Eckhart (“Olympus Has Fallen,” “The Dark Knight”) as Sully’s copilot, Jeff Skiles, and Oscar nominee Laura Linney (“The Savages,” “Kinsey,” Showtime’s “The Big C”) as Sully’s wife, Lorraine Sullenberger.
Eastwood is directing the film from a screenplay by Todd Komarnicki, based on the book Highest Duty by Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow. The project is being produced by Eastwood, Frank Marshall, Allyn Stewart and Tim Moore, with Kipp Nelson and Bruce Berman serving as executive producers.
The film reunites Eastwood with several of his longtime collaborators, who most recently worked with the director on the worldwide hit “American Sniper”: director of photography Tom Stern and production designer James J. Murakami, who were both Oscar-nominated for their work on “The Changeling”; costume designer Deborah Hopper; and editor Blu Murray.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Flashlight Films production, a Kennedy/Marshall Company production, a Malpaso production, SULLY.
The film, which opens on September 9, 2016, will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.
The film is rated PG 13 for some peril and brief strong language.
Warner Bros. Pictures has unveiled brand new photos from their upcoming lineup of films hitting cinemas in 2016.
Above is Tom Hanks with director/producer Clint Eastwood on the set of the upcoming film SULLY. On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed the “Miracle on the Hudson” when Captain “Sully” Sullenberger (Hanks) glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and his career.
SULLY also stars Aaron Eckhart (“Olympus Has Fallen,” “The Dark Knight”) as Sully’s co-pilot, Jeff Skiles, and Oscar nominee Laura Linney (“The Savages,” “Kinsey,” Showtime’s “The Big C”) as Sully’s wife, Lorraine Sullenberger.
Eastwood is directing the film from a screenplay by Todd Komarnicki, based on the book Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters, by Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow. The project is being produced by Eastwood, Frank Marshall, Allyn Stewart and Tim Moore, with Kipp Nelson serving as executive producer.
The studio also released the first TV spots for Zack Snyder’s BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE. Starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince, the film opens in theaters March 25, 2016.
Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.
Here’s the recently released images of their upcoming movies.
Storks deliver babies…or at least they used to. Now they deliver packages for global internet giant Cornerstore.com. Junior, the company’s top delivery stork, is about to be promoted when he accidentally activates the Baby Making Machine, producing an adorable and wholly unauthorized baby girl. Desperate to deliver this bundle of trouble before the boss gets wise, Junior and his friend Tulip, the only human on Stork Mountain, race to make their first-ever baby drop – in a wild and revealing journey that could make more than one family whole and restore the storks’ true mission in the world.
From the studio that delivered THE LEGO MOVIE, see STORKS in theaters September 2016.
Ice Cube and Cedric the Entertainer are reunited in “Barbershop 3,” being directed by Malcolm D. Lee (“The Best Man” films, “Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins”).
It’s been more than 10 years since our last appointment at Calvin’s Barbershop. Calvin (Ice Cube) and his longtime crew, including Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer), are still there, but the shop has undergone some major changes. Most noticeably, our once male-dominated sanctuary is now co-ed. The ladies bring their own flavor, drama and gossip to the shop challenging the fellas at every turn. Despite the good times and camaraderie within the shop, the surrounding community has taken a turn for the worse, forcing Calvin and our crew to come together to not only save the shop, but their neighborhood.
“Barbershop 3” also stars Regina Hall (“Think Like a Man”), Oscar winner Common (“Selma”), Sean Patrick Thomas (“Barbershop”), Eve (“Whip It”), Anthony Anderson (TV’s “Black-ish”), Jaszmine Lewis (“Barbershop”), JB Smoove (TV’s “The Millers”), and recording artist Nicki Minaj (“The Other Woman”).
Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart star in the action comedy CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE.
The story follows a one-time bullied geek who grew up to be a lethal CIA agent (Johnson), coming home for his high school reunion. Claiming to be on a top-secret case, he enlists the help of the former “big man on campus” (Hart), now an accountant who misses his glory days. But before the staid numbers-cruncher realizes what he’s getting into, it’s too late to get out, as his increasingly unpredictable new friend drags him through a world of shoot-outs, double-crosses and espionage that could get them both killed in more ways than he can count.
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE also stars Oscar nominee Amy Ryan (“Gone Baby Gone”), Aaron Paul (TV’s “Breaking Bad”), and Danielle Nicolet (TV’s “The Game”). The film is directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber (“We’re the Millers,” “Dodgeball”).
THE NICE GUYS takes place in 1970s Los Angeles, when down-on-his-luck private eye Holland March (Gosling) and hired enforcer Jackson Healy (Crowe) must work together to solve the case of a missing girl and the seemingly unrelated death of a porn star. During their investigation, they uncover a shocking conspiracy that reaches up to the highest circles of power.
THE NICE GUYS is scheduled for release in theaters on May 20, 2016, and will be distributed in North America by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
The supernatural thriller brings to the screen another real case from the files of renowned demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. Reprising their roles, Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson star as Lorraine and Ed Warren, who, in one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits. THE CONJURING 2 in theaters June 10, 2016.
In the sci-fi thriller MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, writer/director Jeff Nichols proves again that he is one of the most compelling storytellers of our time, as a father (Michael Shannon), goes on the run to protect his young son, Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), and uncover the truth behind the boy’s special powers.
What starts as a race from religious extremists and local law enforcement quickly escalates to a nationwide manhunt involving the highest levels of the Federal Government. Ultimately his father risks everything to protect Alton and help fulfill a destiny that could change the world forever, in this genre–defying film as supernatural as it is intimately human.
MIDNIGHT SPECIAL stars Oscar nominee Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, Jaeden Lieberher and Oscar nominee Sam Shepard. Rounding out the main cast are Bill Camp, Scott Haze and Paul Sparks. Jeff Nichols directs from his own screenplay. The film opens March 18, 2016.
There’s a right way to be single, a wrong way to be single, and then…there’s Alice. And Robin. Lucy. Meg. Tom. David. New York City is full of lonely hearts seeking the right match, be it a love connection, a hook-up, or something in the middle. And somewhere between the teasing texts and one-night stands, what these unmarrieds all have in common is the need to learn how to be single in a world filled with ever-evolving definitions of love. Sleeping around in the city that never sleeps was never so much fun.
HOW TO BE SINGLE stars Dakota Johnson (“Fifty Shades of Grey”), Rebel Wilson (“Pitch Perfect”), Damon Wayans, Jr. (“Let’s Be Cops”), Anders Holm (“Neighbors,” upcoming “The Intern”), Alison Brie (“Get Hard”), Nicholas Braun (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”), Jake Lacy (HBO’s “Girls”), with Jason Mantzoukas (“Neighbors,” TV’s “The League”) and Leslie Mann (“This is 40,”).
HOW TO BE SINGLE opens in theaters February 12, 2016.
Alexander Skarsgård stars in director David Yates’ THE LEGEND OF TARZAN.
The film also stars Oscar nominee Samuel L. Jackson (“Pulp Fiction,” the “Captain America” films), Margot Robbie (“The Wolf of Wall Street”), Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou (“Blood Diamond,” “Gladiator”), Oscar nominee John Hurt (“The Elephant Man,” the “Harry Potter” films), with Oscar winner Jim Broadbent (“Iris”), and two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz (“Inglourious Basterds,” “Django Unchained”).
It has been years since the man once known as Tarzan (Skarsgård) left the jungles of Africa behind for a gentrified life as John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke, with his beloved wife, Jane (Robbie) at his side. Now, he has been invited back to the Congo to serve as a trade emissary of Parliament, unaware that he is a pawn in a deadly convergence of greed and revenge, masterminded by the Belgian, Captain Leon Rom (Waltz). But those behind the murderous plot have no idea what they are about to unleash.
THE LEGEND OF TARZAN opens in theaters July 1, 2016.
Stars Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney, Joel Kinnaman, Cara Delevingne, Viola Davis, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Adam Beach, Jay Hernandez, and Karen Fukahara.
David Ayer’s SUICIDE SQUAD is in theaters August 5, 2016.
Production is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama SULLY starring Oscar winner Tom Hanks (upcoming “Bridge of Spies,” “Captain Phillips,” “Forrest Gump”) as Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, under the direction of Oscar winner Clint Eastwood (“American Sniper,” “Million Dollar Baby”).
On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed the “Miracle on the Hudson” when Captain “Sully” Sullenberger (Hanks) glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and his career.
SULLY also stars Aaron Eckhart (“Olympus Has Fallen,” “The Dark Knight”) as Sully’s co-pilot, Jeff Skiles, and Oscar nominee Laura Linney (“The Savages,” “Kinsey,” Showtime’s “The Big C”) as Sully’s wife, Lorraine Sullenberger.
Eastwood is directing the film from a screenplay by Todd Komarnicki, based on the book Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters, by Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow. The project is being produced by Eastwood, Frank Marshall, Allyn Stewart and Tim Moore, with Kipp Nelson serving as executive producer.
The film reunites Eastwood with several of his longtime collaborators, who most recently worked with the director on the worldwide hit “American Sniper”: director of photography Tom Stern and production designer James J. Murakami, who were both Oscar-nominated for their work on “The Changeling”; costume designer Deborah Hopper; and editor Blu Murray.
Principal photography began on Monday, September 28, in New York, where the water landing that instantly made Sully a household name was achieved. Filming will also take place in North Carolina, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
A Malpaso, Flashlight Films, Kennedy/Marshall Company production, SULLY will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
