I sit in with Deb Hutton on NewsTalk 1010 to go over some of the week’s biggest entertainment stories and let you know what’s happening in theatres. We talk about sharing cemetery space with Jim Morrison, bidding on Will Ferrell’s “Elf” costume, actors and politics and I review “Christy” starring Sydney Sweeney.
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I join CP24 to talk about Sydney Sweeney’s “Christy,” Jennifer Lawrence in “Die My Love,” the Netflix historical drama “Death By Lightning” and the Tracy Morgan comedy “Crutch.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I sit in on the CFRA Ottawa morning show with host Bill Carroll to talk about the new movies coming to theatres including Sydney Sweeney’s “Christy,” the historical drama “Nuremberg” and Jennifer Lawrence in “Die My Love.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to make the bed! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about Sydney Sweeney’s “Christy,” the historical drama “Nuremberg” and Jennifer Lawrence in “Die My Love.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join the Bell Media Radio Network national night time show “Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift” for “Booze & Reviews!” This week I review tell you about Sydney Sweenery’s boxing flick “Christy,” and suggest some knockout cocktails to enjoy while watching the movies.
Click to HERE to listen to Shane and me talk about remixing The Tragically Hip for charity, a new song that passesw the sniff test and the Canadian inspiration to an Oscar nominated tune!
For the Booze & Reviews look at “Christy” and some knockout cocktails to enjoy while watching this boxing flick click HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In the sport biopic “Christy,” now playing in theatres, Sydney Sweeney plays a successful professional boxer who faced her biggest battles outside the ring.
CAST: Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster, Merritt Wever, Katy O’Brian. Directed by David Michôd.
REVIEW: Boxing movies are never about the big match. Instead, they’re about the journey, which, in “Christy’s” case, is a story of the real-life triumphs and traumas of former professional boxer Christy Martin.
The action begins in late 1980s West Virginia when a gay coal miner’s daughter named Christy Salters discovers an innate talent for beating the heck out of other women in the boxing ring. Her skill catches the eye of a $500-a-fight promotor who offers her to hook her up with trainer James V. Martin (Ben Foster). Initially reluctant to work with a woman, James is won over by Christy’s ferocity in the ring. “Maybe there is something to this lady boxing business,” he says.
Leaving high school girlfriend Rosie (Jess Gabor) behind, much to the relief of her controlling mother Joyce Salters (Merritt Wever), Christy steps back into the closet, marries the unpredictable James and, in a few short years, becomes a champion, the first woman to sign with flamboyant promoter Don King and the first female boxer to appear on the cover of “Sports Illustrated.”
Her rise to the top, however, comes at a great cost, physically and mentally. Forced to subvert her sexual identity and submit to Jim’s will inside and outside the ring, she compromises every aspect of her life. “If you leave me,” Jim says, “I will kill you.”
Part “Star 80,” part “Raging Bull,” “Christy” is a gritty, if overlong, story of struggle and resilience, of compromise and abuse. Director David Michôd, who co-wrote the script with Mirrah Foulkes, tackles every aspect of Christy’s life. Christy’s rise to fame is pure by-the-book underdog sports biopic material, amped up with sometimes brutal boxing scenes, which are very convincingly played by Sweeney and her various opponents.
Sweeney’s transformation to pitbull, win-at-any-cost fighter in the ring is impressive, but it is her work in the film’s family drama sections that showcases her best work. The emotional brutality she experiences at the hand of James surpasses any punishment she suffers in the ring. She convinces as Christy the athlete and as a person trying desperately to keep her head above water. It’s remarkable work in a movie that, unfortunately, doesn’t live up to its central performance.
As a movie “Christy” is on the ropes, but is elevated by a transformative, knockout star turn from Sweeney.
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to make the bed! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the misplaced heroics of “Sharp Corner,” the character study of “The Luckiest Man in America” and the wild action of “Fight or Flight.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join CTV NewsChannel anchor Roger Peterson to talk about the infamous Western “Rust,” the misplaced heroics of “Sharp Corner” and the character study of “The Luckiest Man in America.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “Sharp Corner,” a new psychological drama now playing in theatres, Ben Foster stars as Josh, a family man who develops an unhealthy obsession with the car accidents that happen in his front yard, the result of a dangerous sharp corner on the edge of the property. When trimming the bushes that obscure the road signs nearby doesn’t stop the accidents, he becomes consumed by preventing the crashes and in the process, becoming a hero. “We can’t stay here. People are dying on our lawn,” says his wife Rachel (Cobie Smulders). “These aren’t freak accidents. Why do you think this house sat on the market for so long?” Josh’s refusal to leave puts Rachel and their son Max (William Kosovic) in danger.
CAST: Ben Foster, Cobie Smulders. Gavin Drea, Alexandra Castillo, Julia Dyan, Jonathan Watton, Reid Price, Leah Johnston, Dan Lett, Andrew Shaver, Mark A. Owen, Bob Mann, Allison Wilson-Forbes, Wayne Burns, Alexandra McDonald. Directed by Jason Buxton.
REVIEW: Ben Foster is known for the intensity of his roles. From “Hell or High Water’s” reckless bank robber Tanner Howard and the disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong in “The Program” to the sadistic cop in “Lawless” and the off-grid veteran of “Leave No Trace,” his performances redefine the word volatile.
It’s interesting then, to see him dial that outward intensity way down in “Sharp Corner.”
His trademarked, wild-eyed fervor has been turned inward in a performance that is no less compelling than his showier work. His take on Josh is contained, a portrait of quiet desperation that builds in complexity as his dark fascination with the aftermath of the accidents in his front yard grows.
Foster even manages to find some morbid humor in the matter-of-fact way Josh processes his involvement in the deadly events.
When a man misses the turn and burns to death on their front lawn while Josh has Max at Taekwondo class, her blames Rachel for signing their son up for the sport, keeping him away at the time of the crash. “No Taekwondo, no dead guy,” he says. “Max doesn’t need to kick pads, and that guy didn’t need to die.”
The character study of a man in pursuit of purpose in his life, even as his family and work lives unravel, is intriguing.
Foster compels, but it is Smolders, as a wife pushed to the limit by her husband’s misguided heroics, is the glue that keeps the family drama together. As Josh spirals, she remains planted firmly in the real world, and her performance grounds the story.
“Sharp Corner” isn’t the story of a hero, despite Josh’s best efforts. Instead, it’s the darkly entertaining tale of a narcissistic guy whose misplaced passion not only ruins his life, but many others.
