PIercing

 Piercing (2018)

Starring Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, and Laia Costa

Directed by Nicolas Pesce

Written by Nicolas Pesce

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: C-

First Man

First Man (2018)

Starring Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Pablo Schreiber, Christopher Abbott, Patrick Fugit, Lukas Haas, Shea Whigham, Olivia Hamilton, Brian d'Arcy James, and Ciarán Hinds

Directed by Damien Chazelle

Written by Josh Singer

Summary (in 500 words or less):  A look at Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) and the struggles he faced -- both familial and professionally -- to become the first man to walk on the moon.

 

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: A

It Comes at Night

It Comes at Night (2017)

Starring Joel Edgerton, Carmen Ejogo, Christopher Abbott, Kelvin Harrison, Jr., and Riley Keough

Directed by Trey Edward Shults

Written by Trey Edward Shults

***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  A contagious outbreak has seemingly wreaked havoc across the United States.  Paul (Joel Edgerton), his wife Sarah (Carmen Ejogo), and their teenage son Travis (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) have holed themselves up in a secluded house in the woods, venturing outside only when absolutely necessary.  When a stranger (Christopher Abbott) attempts to enter their house, Paul immediately doubts his intentions, but he eventually is won over and invites the stranger's wife (Riley Keough) and young son to stay with them.  Unfortunately, this kind gesture may end up being something Paul and Sarah will regret.

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: C

Movie Review - Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)

Starring Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina, Christopher Abbott, and Billy Bob Thornton

Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa

**This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

A film about an embedded American news reporter in Afghanistan from 2003-2006, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot works for its first half when its goal is a fish out of water comedy.  However, as it progresses and becomes a bit more serious, it falls apart.  It's no fault of Tina Fey who plays Kim, the central character of the piece who leaves behind a serious boyfriend to try and find her career calling as an on air cable news reporter in the war-torn Middle East.  Fey holds our attention and does a nice job of balancing her character's comedic moments with the weight of her character's situation of being a woman in a society that treats women in a much different light than America.

Still, while Fey balances things well, the film itself doesn't succeed in that regard.  When it shifts to be something way too serious in its final half, it stands in too stark contrast to what came before it.  Like Fey, the cast is engaging, but the likes of Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, and Billy Bob Thornton aren't enough to lift this one above being a disappointment.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Movie Review - James White

James White (2015)

Starring Christopher Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Scott Mescudi, Makenzie Leigh, and Ron Livingston

Directed by Josh Mond

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

Grippingly acted, James White is a beautifully heartbreaking look at the relationship between the self-destructive twenty-something title character (played by Christopher Abbott) and his ailing, cancer-stricken mother Gail (Cynthia Nixon) who hopes to change her sons hard-drinking and drugging days before her days may possibly end.  Simplicity rules the day here in debut director/screenwriter Josh Mond's first film and while it takes a little while to find its footing, James White ends with a final act that is one of the more grippingly emotional pieces of film from 2015.

The key to the success of James White which is a hugely character-driven piece is in the wonderful performances of Christopher Abbott and Cynthia Nixon whose interplay with one another is top notch.  Nixon captivates as a grieving mother (her ex-husband, James' father, has just died as the film opens) who is then forced to deal with a reoccurrence of cancer that had stricken her in times past.  Heartbreaking in her realistic portrayal, Nixon's deterioration highlights the toll cancer has on its victims.  Christopher Abbott comes out of nowhere (he's been in a few flicks I've seen, but has hardly stood out) and delivers one heck of a powerhouse performance as a New Yorker who uses alcohol (and some drugs) to mask his pain -- pain caused by the lack of a job, his father's death, his mother's illness -- a seemingly never-ending list.  The intensity James bottles up (and Abbott skillfully depicts) bursts out sometimes in painfully unfortunate ways, but his character's journey from his mother's son to his mother's caretaker and the emotional toll that takes is exquisitely portrayed by actor.

James White takes a little while to get started.  In fact, there was a moment where I thought I might turn this one off.  However, in the end, the film pays off big time as the relationship between James and Gail is one of the most realistic and touching interactions I saw captured for the screen in 2015.  Stick this one out and you'll be treated to one of the more emotional flicks of the past year.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+