Hustle

 Hustle (2022)

Starring Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah, Ben Foster, Juancho Hernangómez, and Robert Duvall

Directed by Jeremiah Zagler

Written by Taylor Materne and Will Fetters

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  B

"Theatre" Review - A Streetcar Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire

Viewed as part of the National Theatre at Home series (London)

Originally filmed onstage in 2014

Written by Tennessee Williams

Directed by Benedict Andrews

Starring Gillian Anderson, Ben Foster, Vanessa Kirby, and Corey Johnson

Click here for my Letterboxd review

Movie Review - The Program

The Program (2016)

Starring Ben Foster, Chris O'Dowd, Guillaume Canet, Jesse Plemons, Lee Pace, Denis Menochet, and Dustin Hoffman

Directed by Stephen Frears

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

A biopic of fallen cyclist Lance Armstrong, The Program features a strong performance by Ben Foster at its center, but despite a solid start, the film falters a bit in its second half becoming a tad repetitive and lacking the bite that one would hope as we see Armstrong's career ruined at the hands of illegal doping.  Opening with a 21 year-old Armstrong (Foster) disappointingly losing a cycling race in 1994, Armstrong decides to meet with Dr. Michele Ferrari (Guillaume Canet) secretly known around the racing circuit for providing the doping drug EPO to clients.  Stimulating red blood cells to allow for maximum oxygen usage, EPO is a banned substance in the high-profile races around the world, but Ferrari and Armstrong come up with an elaborate plan -- "the program" -- to "hide" the fact that Armstrong is taking the drugs and they prove to be successful with Armstrong winning a race in 1995 shortly after starting the stimulant.  However, Armstrong's cycling is cut abruptly short when he is diagnosed with testicular cancer, but he jumps back from the disease stronger than ever (in part thanks to Dr. Ferrari's doping help) and wins five back-to-back Tour de France races before he retires in 2005.  Despite his fervent denials of doping allegations, Armstrong's storied career begins to fall apart when one of his teammates Floyd Landis (Jesse Plemons) tests positive for testosterone and tales of Armstrong's intricate doping program come to light.

The Program is a perfectly adequate depiction of Armstrong's rise and fall and it certainly is intriguing to see how quickly the allure of success caused the renowned cyclist to turn to drugs -- I never knew (or perhaps forgot) that Armstrong was using the performance-enhancing drugs during every Tour de France win.  Ben Foster plays Armstrong with a deviant quietness throughout, narcissistic and pathological in his denials of doping.  Egotistical to the hilt, Foster's Armstrong still manages to be someone that the audience doesn't hate which is a credit to the actor.  While we never accept Armstrong's doping, Foster humanizes Armstrong enough that we find ourselves wrapped up in the cyclist's lie.  Foster himself is reason enough to give The Program a shot.

Unfortunately, the flick falters as it progresses mainly because it grows repetitive in its depiction of Armstrong continuing to elude the cycling community of his actions.  Although reporter David Walsh (Chris O'Dowd) had long thought that Armstrong was not winning by sheer athleticism, when the film focuses on Walsh (upon whose book this film was based), it ends up growing a bit tedious mainly because we already know that Armstrong gets his comeuppance.  There's little suspense and we're simply waiting for the inevitable to occur.  The Program is good enough to warrant a watch particularly if this story is even remotely compelling to you, but I wish it carried a little more punch to take it into a better realm.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - The Finest Hours

The Finest Hours (2016)

Starring Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Holliday Grainger, Ben Foster, Eric Bana, Kyle Gallner, and Josh Magaro
Directed by Craig Gillespie
***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

Based on a true story, The Finest Hours details a 1952 Coast Guard rescue of the crew of the SS Pendleton during a horrible winter storm off the New England coast.  Buoyed by some nice special effects, the film is well-acted, yet never quite does enough to escape the generic nature presented by director Craig Gillespie.  Nothing about The Finest Hours stands out in any way which isn't to say that the film doesn't work.  The flick is perfectly watchable, yet it never once feels special, unique, or important in any way.  (Sort of like this generic review which is just one of many of a backlog of reviews that have been sitting in my drafts section for weeks now.)  The Finest Hours is a perfectly streamable film, but you won't walk away feeling the need to rave about it to anyone.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Movie Review - Hell or High Water

Hell or High Water (2016)

Starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, and Gil Birmingham

Directed by David Mackenzie

As Hell or High Water opens, brothers Toby and Tanner Howard (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) are robbing the small-town Texas-Midland Bank.  Sure, Tanner's been in jail before, but in general the duo seem like nice enough guys...they're just desperate to save their deceased mother's estate which was just recently discovered to be sitting atop a vast supply of oil.  However, a disastrous reverse mortgage set up by Texas-Midland Bank has the agency wanting to seize the house from the Howard family leading the brothers to formulate the plan to rob the bank's branches and then give the money back to the bank in order to save their property.  The Howards continue on their mission while being pursued by a duo of Texas Rangers -- the retiring Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and the up-and-comer Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham) -- eager to stop the culprits before they steal any more dough and perhaps do something more deadly.

Much like is typical in the Western genre -- at least for this reviewer -- Hell or High Water is a very slow starter.  Director David Mackenzie's film is lullingly dull in its first forty-five minutes when it comes to plot.  Sure, the rapport between the Howard brothers and the two Texas Rangers provides heart and humor, but the film was lacking forward momentum and drive.  (Once again, this seems typical of most westerns for me, so your mileage may vary.)  The film's second half picks up the pace, racing forward as the two aforementioned duos meet each other following an intense bank robbery, ending the film on a much better note than it started.

While dull at times, the main quartet of four actors solidly delivers.  Ben Foster is charismatic as Tanner whose unhinged personality ultimately overtakes his more subdued brother Toby who is subtly played by Chris Pine with just the right amount of emotional pain to make me truly believe his character's descent into crime.  The two feel incredibly natural together, coming off as believable brothers despite their distinct personalities.  Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham play splendidly off of one another in large part thanks to the wonderfully witty and natural dialog conjured up by screenwriter Taylor Sheridan who has a keen ear for the spoken word (even if the film's plot leaves a little to be desired).

The acting certainly elevates the whole film and is undoubtedly the reason for giving this one a go.  Mackenzie as a director creates an incredibly taut and exciting final act, but unfortunately, the build up to the final moments is a bit slow.  This is a capable film that is perhaps more highly praised this awards season than it should be, but I imagine that's in large part due to the fact that the film ends much more enjoyably than how it begins.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - Lone Survivor

Lone Survivor (2013)

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Yousuf Azami, Ali Suliman, and Eric Bana 

Directed by Peter Berg

The problem with calling your movie Lone Survivor is that you're giving away the ending with the darn title.  Granted, if I had been "up" on my news, I would've known the true story of Marcus Lutrell (played here by Mark Wahlberg) and his Navy Seal mates who head into the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan in order  to capture or kill al Qaeda leader Ahmad Shahd (Yousuf Azami).  But, having not followed this story, I didn't know the details.  Right off the bat in the opening scene, we see that Marcus has survived this ordeal (with the rest of the movie told entirely in flashback), so not only do I know that only one person survives, but I know who the survivor is.

Perhaps I'm being a little petty, but I can't deny that this was a factor for me while watching the film, severely diminishing the tension that absolutely could've been a part of the experience.  Peter Berg does a great job with the action sequences placing the viewer squarely in the heat of the battle in the treacherous Afghan mountains, but he doesn't quite get us to connect with the quartet of American soldiers who are at the forefront of the mission.  Seeing as how there were only four soldiers -- Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, and Ben Foster join the aforementioned Wahlberg -- I expected to find myself a bit more invested in their characters, but with the exception of learning a tiny bit about their home lives, I wanted the emotional connection that I never got.  I don't think it's the fault of the actors, but moreso a fault in the script (also crafted by Berg).

Ultimately, I can't help but think I shouldn't have been "trying to guess" which soldier was going to die first, but the title and the flashback set-up inherently made me go that route.  Needless to say, what Lone Survivor excels at is taking us onto the battlefield -- a different battlefield for a different type of war.  These soldiers are heroes and even though I may not have fully connected with their characters, my admiration for them and their sacrifice cannot be denied.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - 360

360 (2012)

Starring Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Anthony Hopkins, Ben Foster, Maria Flor, Jamel Debbouze, Lucia Siposová, and Gabriella Marcinkova

Directed by Fernando Meirelles

***This film is streaming instantly on Netflix***

Some people can't stand it, but I'm a fan of films that have seemingly unrelated stories that manage to somehow weave together by the film's end in unexpected ways.  Whereas films like 2009's The Burning Plain and 2006's Babel use this storytelling technique to take on more serious subjects like domestic abuse and gun control, respectively, 360 attempts to utilize its interweaving stories by focusing on love.  However, we already have an excellent movie that does this incredibly well in Love, Actually, and 360 fails at creating the depth needed for its much more serious tone than that 2003 film.

360 opens (and ends...hence the title) with Mirka (Lucia Siposová), a young Slovakian twentysomething getting nude photos taken in an attempt to enter the lucrative world of being an internet call girl.  Almost immediately after having her pictures posted, she's chosen to have a meeting with Englishman Michael Daly (Jude Law) while he's on a business trip in Vienna.  Michael is a married man and, thanks to a serious of events, ends up not going through with the meeting with Mirka.  Little does Michael know that back in London, his wife Rose (Rachel Weisz) is having an affair with a Brazilian hunk named Rui.  When Rui's girlfriend Laura (Maria Flor) finds out about his escapades, she leaves him to head back to Brazil.  On the plane, Laura sits next to John (Anthony Hopkins) an older gentleman who has been looking for his missing daughter for years.  He's flying to Denver because he has been told that an unidentified woman matching his daughter's description has been found dead.  While on a layover in Colorado, Laura meets Tyler (Ben Foster) at an airport restaurant and she sees an opportunity to have an invigorating one-night stand as a means to forget about Rui who has done her wrong.  Tyler, however, has just been released from prison for committing what we can only assume was a horrible sex crime and has to fight the urges to turn into the horrible man he once was.

As these stories begin to link up with one another, the problem begins to arise that we don't really care about any of them.  Somehow, every single one of these stories seems superficial and fails to resonate on any type of emotional level with the audience.  It's not that all these characters are flawed (although most of them are) as a movie full of flawed characters has a tendency to create some intriguing conflict; it's just that none of their stories are given the opportunity to create any impact.  And, as 360 begins to come full circle, we realize that in the end these stories are rather mundane.  This movie by its very nature wants you to look at the grand scheme of things by focusing on more intimate moments, but neither the big nor small pictures are charismatic enough to carry the film.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - The Mechanic

The Mechanic (2011)

Starring Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Tony Goldwyn, and Donald Sutherland

Directed by Simon West

No one's ever going to say that The Mechanic is original (heck...it's a remake of a 1970s Charles Brosnan movie for starters), but I've got to say that this little flick is a solid one that, at under 90 minutes, doesn't overstay its welcome, moves along at an incredibly brisk pace, and has some intense action sequences. 

The biggest problem with director Simon West's action flick is that he doesn't have much to work with from the screenplay.  We've essentially got the tale of hit man Arthur (Jason Statham playing the same tough guy role he always plays but somehow manages to not bore you regardless) who is told to murder his mentor Harry (Donald Sutherland) by his employer (Tony Goldwyn).  Although I won't spoil anything, you'd be crazy to not know what's going on here in terms of who the bad guy really is and, unfortunately, the screenplay doesn't do a good job of creating red herrings.  Needless to say (and this is perhaps a moderate spoiler, although it's revealed in the trailer), Arthur's mentor ends up dead and the tough guy finds himself becoming the teacher to Harry's son Steve (Ben Foster) who finds himself wanting to latch on to his father's line of work.  Together the duo continue to go from hit to hit eventually uncovering the truth behind Harry's murder, attempting to seek revenge on those who ordered it.

While the dry Jason Statham and the kooky Ben Foster and both fine and play quite well off of each other, the fact of the matter is that despite the short running time, there's very little story to latch onto in The Mechanic.  It's just hit after hit, target after target, and when you look at the grand scheme of things, none of it really matters.  These assassinations are just set-ups for some admittedly really great and exciting action scenes.  Still, despite the lack of story, somehow I was kind of blind to that in the midst of the film.  Only looking back on it now do I realize that the middle forty-five minutes of The Mechanic don't really matter in the slightest.  I guess that's a credit to the filmmakers and actors in that they really managed to dupe me into enjoying something I'm not sure I should have.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - The Messenger (2009)

Starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, and Steve Buscemi
Directed by Oren Moverman

Little did I know walking into this movie that I would be watching some of the most gut-wrenching scenes put on film this year, getting a small glimpse at some of the most intimate moments of a soldier's family's life.

The Messenger revolves around two casualty notification officers -- men who are tasked with informing the family members of U.S. soldiers that their loved ones have died. Captain Tony Stone (Harrelson) is the veteran officer and he is in the process of training newcomer Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Foster), an Iraq war veteran who has returned home from war with both physical and psychological ailments. As they go from home to home, Will becomes enamored with one particular army widow, Olivia. Both Olivia and Will have their share of problems and their relationship is anything but easygoing.

What touched me the most were the scenes in which Will and Tony reveal the sad news to the family members. The varying reactions of the families and the acting on display of both the family members and of Foster and Harrelson was just stunning here. The muted strength and emotionally vacant faces of the two soldiers (obviously masking their palpable sadness) countering the utter devastation of the family members set up such a dichotomy that one can't help but be moved. There was an uncomfortable feeling in nearly every one of these scenes and they really were quite emotionally gripping.

Certainly helping these scenes earn their gravitas is the fantastic work of Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson. Harrelson, in particular, is pretty darn spectacular here. Always the steadfast and strong one of the pair, Harrelson's Tony is obviously suppressing some horrible "survivor's"-type guilt as evidenced by his past alcoholism and womanizing ways. And Foster, while feeling that same guilt, reacts to things in a much angrier way. It's this balance of the two personalities that make the film work so well -- at first, Will and Tony think they are quite different from one another, but, in the end, they realize they share more than they think. There's also some great (although subtle) work from Samantha Morton, and Jena Malone definitely stands out in what is essentially a glorified extended cameo.

Director Oren Moverman allows things to linger, but manages to never make things seem slow-moving. There's a several minute-long shot of Foster's Will and Morton's Olivia during which Olivia breaks down for the first time that was just stunning, exemplifying the director's idea of not shying away from things. He stays with this emotional scene for an extended period of time, just as he pulls us into every single one of the scenes in which the two officers must deliver the awful news to the next of kin of the fallen soldiers.

Ultimately, the film isn't perfect (although it's close) -- the film doesn't allow the audience to really connect with Will in the way that is necessary to be pulling/rooting for his character. By the film's end and in the final scenes, that emotional connection is finally achieved (boy, is it ever...), but for 90 minutes, I felt a wall up between myself and the main character.

Still, when you look at everything else that's so right with the movie, that feels like a minor quibble. Similar to The Hurt Locker, The Messenger is about war, but doesn't take an (obvious) pro or con stance. They both allow the viewer to make up their own minds and bring their own personal views into the film experience. And The Messenger was quite an experience.

The RyMickey Rating: A-