THE FINEST HOURS – We Are Movie Geeks

THE FINEST HOURS Washes Ashore On Blu-ray and Digital HD May 24

One of the greatest rescue stories ever told stars Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster and Eric Bana. Disney presents THE FINEST HOURS a heroic action-thriller based on the extraordinary true story of of the greatest small-boat rescue in Coast Guard history. , THE FINEST HOURS makes its in-home debut packaged with a host of bonus features about the making of the movie and the remarkable true-life events that inspired it. It storms home on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere May 24th.

THE FINEST HOURS, a heroic action-thriller based on the true story of a 1952 U.S. Coast Guard rescue, storms home on Blu-ray Combo Pack, Digital HD, Disney Movies Anywhere, and On-Demand on May 24^th, 2016. Starring Chris Pine (the “Star Trek” films), Academy Award® and Golden Globe® nominee Casey Affleck (“Interstellar”), Ben Foster (“3:10 to Yuma”) and Eric Bana (“Lone Survivor”), “THE FINEST HOURS” makes its in-home debut packaged with a host of bonus features about the making of the movie and the remarkable true-life events that inspired it. Based on the acclaimed non-fiction book of the same name by Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougias, viewers can enjoy diving into the thrilling eye of the storm with: An all-new documentary “Against All Odds: The Bernie Webber Story,” in which real-life residents of Chatham recall the events that set the stage for the film’s historic rescue mission; Four making-of featurettes highlighting cast members experiences and reflections by members of the U.S. Coast Guard; as well as two never-before-shared Deleted Scenes.

Directed by Craig Gillespie (“Million Dollar Arm”), THE FINEST HOURS stars Chris Pine (the “Star Trek” films); Academy Award® and Golden Globe® nominee Casey Affleck (“Interstellar”); Ben Foster (“3:10 to Yuma”); Holliday Grainger (“Cinderella”); John Ortiz (“Silver Linings Playbook”); and Eric Bana (“Lone Survivor”). The film is produced by Jim Whitaker (“Cinderella Man”) and Dorothy Aufiero (“The Fighter”), the screenplay is by Oscar® nominee Scott Silver (“8 Mile”) and Oscar nominees Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (“The Fighter”) based on the acclaimed non-fiction book of the same name by Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougias. Doug Merrifield (the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films) serves as executive producer.

BONUS FEATURES on the Blu-ray include:

Blu-ray Combo Pack, Digital HD, Digital SD, Disney Movies Anywhere

AGAINST ALL ODDS: THE BERNIE WEBBER STORY– Visit the quaint and close-knit town of Chatham, and experience the events surrounding the most heroic Coast Guard rescue ever through the eyes of the people who witnessed them.
BROTHERHOOD– Cast members reflect on the bonds they forged during the shoot.
TWO CREWS– Chris Pine and Casey Affleck share insights into Bernie Webber and Ray Sybert, men who led their respective crews against all odds.
WHAT IS YOUR FINEST HOUR? – A Coast Guard member recounts an incredible rescue.
THE FINEST INSPIRATION: THE U.S. COAST GUARD Meet the people who put their lives on the line for others.
DELETED SCENES: “A Desperate Idea” and “The Story of How They Met”

DVD

BROTHERHOOD
THE FINEST INSPIRATION: THE U.S. COAST GUARD

FILM SYNOPSIS:

This heroic action-thriller is based on the extraordinary true story of the greatest small-boat rescue in Coast Guard history. In 1952, a massive winter storm strikes off the coast of Cape Cod, ripping a T-2 oil tanker in half and trapping more than 30 sailors inside its rapidly sinking stern. When word of the disaster reaches the U.S. Coast Guard, four men led by Captain Bernie Webber (Chris Pine) set out in a 12-seat boat on a daring mission to rescue the stranded men, braving freezing cold, 60-foot waves and hurricane-force winds, and guided by Webber’s vow that “We all live, or we all die.” Packed with thrilling, larger-than-life action and anchored in a belief in the strength of the human spirit, The Finest Hours is a triumph.

ABOUT DISNEY MOVIES ANYWHERE (DMA):

Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA) is an engaging and family-friendly cloud-based digital movie service that makes it simple to buy your favorite Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars movies once and watch them anywhere. With DMA you can explore Disney’s library of over 450 eligible digital movies, discover hours of new and exclusive short-form content, and watch your digital movies from the comfort of the living room or across multiple mobile devices. Using the free DMA apps and website, you can connect your DMA account with participating providers including iTunes, Amazon Video, VUDU, Microsoft Movies and TV and Google Play and unlock access your eligible movie collections across platforms and devices – iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV/Airplay, Amazon’s Fire tablets, Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Microsoft Movies and TV service on Windows and Microsoft Xbox devices, Android mobile and tablet devices and Android TV, Chromecast and the Roku® platform. In addition, you can redeem Digital Copy codes found in Disney, Pixar and Marvel Blu-rays and DVDs, as well as earn Disney Movie Rewards points with every digital purchase.

ABOUT THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS:

For over 90 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under the following banners: Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Marvel Studios; Lucasfilm; and Touchstone Pictures, the banner under which live-action films from DreamWorks Studios are distributed. The Disney Music Group encompasses the Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records labels, as well as Disney Music Publishing. The Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Disney on Broadway, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!.

THE FINEST HOURS – The Review

Toss on the life jackets (or as they were called during WWII, “Mae Wests”) and prepare yourself for a nautical thriller, one “inspired by true events” (barely a month into 2016 and here’s the second “non-fiction” flick after 13 HOURS). Now it’s not a wartime actioner with destroyers battling subs. As you may have gathered from the numerous TV spots, this story is more of “man versus Mother Nature” one, along the lines of THE PERFECT STORM from way back in 2000. Since then we’ve seen film heroes fighting storms and killer waves in LIFE OF PI, ALL IS LOST, and the very recent (maybe six weeks) IN THE HEART OF THE SEA. This new flick is not set a couple hundred years ago like that whale-hunting adventure, only 64 years next month. This is a tale of determination and courage exemplified by the US Coast Guard in one of the most astounding sea rescues, often referred in maritime legend and lore as THE FINEST HOURS.

The quiet seacoast village of Chatham, MA is where we first encounter Coast Guard Boatswain’s Mate First Class Bernard Webber (Chris Pine) in late 1951 as he meets Miriam (Holliday Grainger), on a blind date that a buddy has arranged. Jump ahead a few months, and things are going so well that the two decide to marry. Although as a formality, Bernie needs to get the OK from his boss, Warrant Officer Cluff (Eric Bana). But it’s a hectic day as a brutal “nor’ easter” storm is approaching. Meanwhile, ten miles off the coast, the T2 oil tanker SS Pendleton is being pummeled by said storm. First assistant engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) pleads over the ship’s phone with the captain to reduce speed. When Ray gets no response he sends one of the crew to run to the ship’s bow with an update. The sailor is horrified to see that the bow is gone (a great effects shot), the ship has split in two with the front half sinking into the sea. Ray must try to find a way to steer his half into the shoal while several crewmen insist that they use the lifeboats (useless against the violent wind and waves). Back at Chatham Station, the radio picks up distress calls from another tanker, SS Fort Mercer, but a closer radar blip shows up, the Pendleton. Cluff orders Webber to head out in the 36 foot wooden motor lifeboat the CG36500 with three others, just as Miriam shows up. She pleads with Bernie not to go, but he knows that they are the only hope for those men at sea. Despite his courage, can they make their way through the storm before Ray and his men perish?

As the soft-spoken, awkward Webber, Pine is almost playing the inverse of the film role that has brought him enormous success-the cocky younger rebooted Captain James T Kirk. There’s a sweetness to the shy sailor in the opening courtship sequences, but this almost works against the big action set pieces at the film’s center. His determination is admirable, but he almost merges with the steering wheel with his low key persona. Grainger is nearly the polar opposite as Miriam, whose personality runs over her usually passive fiancee. After the dreamy “meet cute” intro, she often comes off as strident and overbearing (almost emasculating) when she invades the CG station.
She’s particularly grating at she spouts an almost endless mantra to Cluff- “Call him back in. Call him back in. Call…etc.”. It’s a shame that the script does not serve the talented Ms. G. At least their characters are given more personality than the rest of the cast. Affleck is convincing as the voice of calm and reason on the floundering tanker, going from being MacGyver, rigging a way to steer, to a the Mr. Spock-like logical debater with a sailor insisting on using the lifeboats. Bana has little to do beside trotting out a Southern drawl, looking concerned, and being exasperated with Miriam.

The most underused may be Ben Foster as Webber’s co-captain on the rescue boat, who offers little beyond a world-weary cynicism. What is an incredibly inspiring true tale of courage is seriously scuttled by an inconsistent script, despite solid direction by Craig Gillespie. The three screenwriters attempt to mesh an intimate character study/romance with epic adventure making the finished piece neither fish nor fowl. Once the Chatham group is aware of the Pendleton’s plight, the movie settles into a pattern: Bernie’s boys getting tossed about the waves like a game of “hot potato”, cut to the antics of the increasingly abrasive Miriam, then cut away to the sullen Sybert arguing with his crew as the water seeps in. The repetitive rhythms wear down the most dedicated film goer ( losing 20 minutes might’ve made the whole thing a bit more buoyant). The thick “Baaasten” accents also wear thin (“Hey Webbah’! Webbah’!”) even as they mock Cluff’s ultra-genteel deep South twang. Perhaps due to the Disney label (the ole’ castle logo opens the flick), there are no rough edges to these hard-bitten sea dogs (there’s no one that “cusses’ like a sailor”). At least the vintage fashions and autos (love those tank-like behemoths) are great eye candy. Oh, and the 3D upconvert doesn’t add anything aside constant sea spray The real-life heroes deserve to be remembered while the soggy, water-logged, dreary dramatics of THE FINEST HOURS will be forgotten. Film overboard!

1.5 Out of 5

This Week’s WAMG Podcast – THE BOY, THE 5th WAVE, MOJAVE And More!

This week’s episode of our podcast WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS The Show is up! Hear WAMG’s Michelle McCue, Jim Batts and Tom Stockman discuss the weekend box office. We’ll review THE BOY, THE 5th WAVE, MOJAVE, SON OF SAUL, THE FINEST HOURS, and KUNG FU PANDA 3. We’ll take a look at the newly-announced Producers Guild Awards, Cinema St. Louis’ Classic French Film Festival and talk even more about the upcoming Oscar race.

Here’s this week’s show. Have a listen:

Win Passes To The Advance Screening Of THE FINEST HOURS In St. Louis

THE FINIEST HOURS is the remarkable true story of the most daring rescue mission in the history of the Coast Guard.

WAMG has your passes to the heroic action-thriller featuring Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Kyle Gallner, John Magaro, Casey Affleck and Eric Bana.

Directed by Craig Gillespie, Disney’s THE FINEST HOURS storms into theaters on January 29, 2016.

WAMG invites you to enter for a chance to win a pass (Good for 2) to the advance screening of THE FINEST HOURS on Wednesday, January 27 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.

We will contact the winners by email.

Answer the following:

Eric Bana and Ben Foster previously co-starred in which 2013 film?

TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.

3. No purchase necessary

The film is rated PG-13.

Visit the film’s official site: movies.disney.com/the-finest-hours

Chris Pine And Casey Affleck Talk THE FINEST HOURS In New Featurette

Watch the new featurette from the heroic action-thriller THE FINEST HOURS featuring Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Kyle Gallery, John Magaro and director Craig Gillespie talking about the spirit of camaraderie on set and praising the real-life heroes behind the remarkable true story of the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.

On February 18, 1952, a massive nor’easter struck New England, pummeling towns along the Eastern seaboard and wreaking havoc on the ships caught in its deadly path, including the SS Pendleton, a T-2 oil tanker bound for Boston, which was literally ripped in half, trapping more than 30 sailors inside its rapidly-sinking stern. As the senior officer on board, first assistant engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) soon realizes it is up to him to take charge of the frightened crew and inspire the men to set aside their differences and work together to ride out one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast.

Meanwhile, as word of the disaster reaches the U.S. Coast Guard station in Chatham, Massachusetts, Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana) orders a daring operation to rescue the stranded men. Despite overwhelming odds, four men, led by Coast Guard Captain Bernie Webber (Chris Pine), set out in a wooden lifeboat with an ill-equipped engine and little, if any, means of navigation, facing frigid temperatures, 60-foot high waves and hurricane-force winds.

Disney’s THE FINEST HOURS which is directed by Craig Gillespie and stars Chris Pine, Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz and Eric Bana, storms into theaters on January 29, 2016.

The movie will be presented in Digital 3D, Real D 3D and IMAX 3D

Visit the official site: movies.disney.com/the-finest-hours

http://www.facebook.com/thefinesthoursmovie

https://twitter.com/disneystudios

https://instagram.com/disneystudios

Chris Pine, Casey Affleck And Real-Life Heroes Discuss THE FINEST HOURS In New Featurette

Go behind the scenes of action-thriller THE FINEST HOURS with Chris Pine, Casey Affleck and the real-life heroes behind the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The movie will be presented in Digital 3D, Real D 3D and IMAX 3D

Visit the official site: movies.disney.com/the-finest-hours

http://www.facebook.com/thefinesthoursmovie

https://twitter.com/disneystudios

https://instagram.com/disneystudios

See The New Trailer For THE FINEST HOURS – Stars Chris Pine, Casey Affleck And Ben Foster

Chris Pine stars as Bernie Webber and Holliday Grainger as Miriam in the heroic action-thriller THE FINEST HOURS, the remarkable true story of the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Presented in Digital 3D, Real D 3D and IMAX 3D, the film transports audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale.

Disney’s THE FINEST HOURS which is directed by Craig Gillespie and stars Chris Pine, Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz and Eric Bana, storms into theaters on January 29, 2016.

Visit the official site: movies.disney.com/the-finest-hours

First Look Photos And Trailer From Disney’s THE FINEST HOURS

Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, and Eric Bana star in this first trailer for Disney’s THE FINEST HOURS.

From director Craig Gillepsie, THE FINEST HOURS is the remarkable true story of the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history. Presented in Digital 3D and IMAX 3D, the film will transport audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale.

As the senior officer on board, first assistant engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) soon realizes it is up to him to take charge of the frightened crew and inspire the men to set aside their differences and work together to ride out one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast.

“It’s a very simple story about these guys who have a job, and it just so happens that on this day
their job requires them to go out into the belly of the beast,” says Chris Pine. “It wasn’t done
for glory and there wasn’t a self-aggrandizing vibe to it…it was just men doing their job.”

Adds Casey Affleck, “It’s a real story about real people and what they are capable of doing, and
how saving their own lives and the lives of others helps them to understand and appreciate
their own strengths.”

THE FINEST HOURS opens U.S. theaters on January 29, 2016 in Digital 3D and IMAX 3D.

https://www.facebook.com/thefinesthoursmovie

First Poster For THE FINEST HOURS Is Here; Trailer To Debut On Wednesday

Disney has released the first poster for THE FINEST HOURS.

The trailer will debut Wednesday, July 8th at 9am PDT at http://www.facebook.com/thefinesthoursmovie and watch it again during its broadcast debut on The Discovery Channel at 10PM EDT / PDT

A heroic action-thriller, THE FINEST HOURS is the remarkable true story of the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history. Presented in Digital 3D and IMAX 3D, the film will transport audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale.

Disney’s THE FINEST HOURS is the unforgettable story of the Coast Guard’s courageous mission, which is directed by Craig Gillespie and stars: Chris Pine; Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Casey Affleck; Ben Foster; Holliday Grainger; John Ortiz; and Eric Bana. Produced by Jim Whitaker and Dorothy Aufiero, the screenplay is by Oscar nominee Scott Silver and Oscar nominees Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson based on the acclaimed non-fiction book of the same name by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman.

Doug Merrifield serves as executive producer. THE FINEST HOURS storms into U.S. theaters on January 29, 2016 in Digital 3D and IMAX 3D.

Filming To Begin On Craig Gillespie’s THE FINEST HOURS – Stars Chris Pine & Casey Affleck

Production is scheduled to begin in September on THE FINEST HOURS, starring Chris Pine (“Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” “Star Trek”), Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Casey Affleck (“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “Ocean’s Thirteen”) and Holliday Grainger (“Cinderella,” “Bonnie & Clyde”).

The thriller, which will be directed by Craig Gillespie (“Million Dollar Arm,” “Lars and the Real Girl”), will shoot on location in Quincy and Chatham, Massachusetts.

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.

“The Finest Hours” is the story of their heroic mission, which is still considered the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history.

The film is produced by Jim Whitaker (“Cinderella Man”) and Dorothy Aufiero (“The Fighter”). The screenplay is by Academy Award nominees Paul Tamsay & Eric Johnson (“The Fighter”) and Academy Award nominee Scott Silver (“The Fighter,” “8 Mile”) based on the book by Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougias.

THE FINEST HOURS will be released in the U.S. in Fall, 2015.

“We are thrilled to be able to film ‘The Finest Hours’ on location in Massachusetts, and are grateful to the Massachusetts Film Office for all their support,” says Aufiero.

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