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Sundance 2011: Here Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 22:05:32 +0000

Here is one of those films that I want to respect because the director took a number of creative risks and attempted to try to incorporate art into the story — unfortunately, many of the artistic choices just didn’t work. Thankfully there is one huge redeeming factor to this film, Ben Foster. For some time he has been the supporting character who is in some way, shape or form, crazy. He’s proved that he can not only cross genres but carry a film as the lead…

The Players:

Director: Braden King
Writers: Braden King, Dani Valent
Cast: Ben Foster, Lubna Azabal, Alla Sahakyan, Narek Nersisyan, Hayk Gasparyan
Cinematography By: Lol Crawley
Original Music By: Boxhead Ensemble

As I said before there are a number of great qualities to this film and some great attempt by King to do something different. From starting the film from “behind the scenes” to a 3 minute visual, psychedelic intro with a poetic monologue, the problem is — they only kind of tie into what the film is actually about. It’s like he was trying to take a romantic drama and make it more than it was when he would have been better off either making an art film or making a drama.

One of the big problems is that the intro of the film loses audiences. The visuals are so intense that it’s too hard to focus on the monologue which I’m guessing was important to the film, but I can’t really tell you because all I was thinking is “please don’t let these swirling images keep going.” The fact is, there was no real need for it. And though I like the idea of starting the film with us hearing the crew get ready and hearing the director yell “action” — it just didn’t work for this film because it had nothing to do with the plot.

There were all these extra things tagged on, and I think that with some hefty chopping there is actually quite a good story in here. If the film would have just lets us watch the amazing performances by Ben Foster and Lubna Azabal and their story unfold, this could have been a great film. It’s great to see Foster in a lead role doing well and coming off as both charming and sexy. Let’s see some more of it!

Overall:

There is a great film within this film, but it’s just not ready for audiences yet. There were a number of bold choices added that though were interesting were not needed in order to best tell the story in this film. On thing is for sure, Ben Foster, it’s time for some leading roles for you.

Video Review:

Watch more video review from the Festival on ScreenCrave’s YouTube Channel!

The Mechanic Red Band Trailer

Krystal Clark — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 01:08:46 +0000

Jason Statham is back and he’s blowing more sh*t up with the help of his sidekick Ben Foster. The British actor stars in the upcoming remake of the seventies action flick The Mechanic. Over at IGN, they got first dibs on the new red band trailer for the movie that’s filled with explosions and plenty of gun play. Take a look…

In The Mechanic, Arthur Bishop (Statham) is an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets. It’s a job that requires professional perfection and total detachment, and Bishop is the best in the business. But when his mentor and close friend Harry (Donald Sutherland) is murdered, Bishop is anything but detached. His next assignment is self-imposed – he wants those responsible dead. His mission grows complicated when Harry’s son Steve (Foster) approaches him with the same vengeful goal and a determination to learn Bishop’s trade.

We have a soft place in our hearts for the original version of this movie, but we like Statham and we love Foster. We might give it a chance.

The Mechanic is directed by Simon West and is scheduled to hit theaters on January 28.

What do you think of the red band trailer for The Mechanic?

Ben Foster and Giovanni Ribisi Join Contraband

Krystal Clark — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:58:04 +0000

Ben Foster is at it again. He’s about to play the sidekick to an older, more experienced man in his upcoming film Contraband. According to Variety, Foster and Avatar star Giovanni Ribisi have joined the film’s cast that currently includes Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale. The film will be directed by Baltasar Kormakur, and it’s an American remake of the Icelandic feature Reykjavic-Rotterdam.

In the original version of the film, it centered on a security guard and former alcohol smuggler on the Iceland-Netherlands route who is tempted back into illicit business by a dubious friend after the security guard encounters financial problems. Contraband has been bouncing from Universal, to Working Title, to Relativity Media before ultimately ending up at Universal.

Foster will star as the brother-in-law of Wahlberg’s character but no details have been revealed regarding Ribisi’s role. Anyone want to take a stab at who he’ll play? Kormakur also co-wrote, produced, and starred in the original version of the movie. Talk about being a man of many talents.

The cast of Contraband just keeps getting better and better. We can’t wait to see who else they snag.

What do you think of Foster and Ribisi joining the cast of Contraband?

New Poster and Trailer for The Mechanic

Krystal Clark — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:20:01 +0000

Do you remember that old Charles Bronson assassin flick, The Mechanic? The film was released in 1972 and is one of the many films that the actor was known for over the course of his long career. But like everything else these days, the movie had to be remade and they’re switching out Bronson for Jason Statham. CBS Films has just released a poster for the flick as well as a new trailer. Check it out and see if it measures up to the original…

In The Mechanic, Arthur Bishop (Statham) is an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets. It’s a job that requires professional perfection and total detachment, and Bishop is the best in the business. But when his mentor and close friend Harry (Donald Sutherland) is murdered, Bishop is anything but detached. His next assignment is self-imposed – he wants those responsible dead. His mission grows complicated when Harry’s son Steve (Ben Foster) approaches him with the same vengeful goal and a determination to learn Bishop’s trade.

Even though this trailer is filled with cliched dialogue it’s a lot better than the earlier versions that the studio released. The one shot where Foster is holding a gun up to a door, with an unsuspecting target on the other end looked pretty badass. He’s gonna get more than an eyeful once that trigger gets pulled.

Official Poster:

The Mechanic is directed by Simon West and is scheduled to hit theaters on January 28.

What do you think of the latest trailer and poster for The Mechanic?

Source: Moviefone, MSN

Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster Reunite with Oren Moverman for Rampart

Krystal Clark — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:12:31 +0000

The Messenger trio is at it again with Oren Moverman’s latest feature Rampart. The director of the post-war drama that earned both Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson critical acclaim has once again enlisted their talents. According to Variety, they’ll join the cast of his new film that also features Anne Heche, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, Steve Buscemi, and Cynthia Nixon. Everyone wants to work with this guy.

The trade states that Rampart is “set against the backdrop of the scandal within the L.A.P.D. Rampart Division in the late 1990s and is the fictional account of a veteran police officer (Harrelson) caught up in the scandal, and his search for redemption.” As someone who lives in Los Angeles, I can tell you from personal experience that the Rampart area looks shady, but who knew it was shady enough to spawn a movie?

Rampart is fully financed and scheduled to begin production on October 25th in (of course) Los Angeles. It will be interesting to see the interaction between all these actors considering the caliber of talent. I don’t know about you but I’m ready to see Sigourney Weaver tackle some material good enough to finally get her an Oscar. Maybe this will be it?

What do you think of the cast of Rampart? Are you excited to see Foster and Harrelson together again?

Castings: Bryan Cranston, Teresa Palmer, Luke Wilson

Krystal Clark — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:48:56 +0000

We have a lot of movie castings to report this week, one which includes a recent three-time Emmy winner. Yep, we’re talking about Bryan Cranston (from AMC’s “Breaking Bad“), who along with Teresa Palmer and Luke Wilson has landed a new acting gig. Here are some updates regarding Nick Cassavetes upcoming film Yellow, Kieran Darcy-Smith’s Say Nothing, and Suri Krishnamma’s The Grief Tourist…

The Grief Tourist centers on “a disturbed and troubled soul, Jim Tahana, retraces the footsteps of serial killers who fascinate him as his hobby. His dark obsession with past killers soon becomes his reality and leads viewers on a menacing and horrific journey inside his twisted mind.” The film will star Cranston and Michael Cudlitz (“Southland“). [Coming Soon]

Next, there’s the Australian film Say Nothing which stars Teresa Palmer and Joel Edgerton. The film centers on “a husband and wife who go on an ill-fated holiday in South East Asia with her sister and the sister’s boyfriend.” Edgerton’s brother Nash Edgerton will produce and do all the film’s stunts! [Moviehole]

Last but not least there’s Yellow, a drama about a young woman with a drug habit and a myriad of other problems. It stars an ensemble cast including Sienna Miller, Lucy Punch, Ben Foster, Melanie Griffith and Gena Rowlands with the latest additions of David Morse, Luke Wilson, Hank Azaria (in a cameo appearance) and Riley Keough. [Coming Soon]

Which film are you the most excited for?

Jason Statham, Ben Foster’s The Mechanic to Debut in 2011

Krystal Clark — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:00:09 +0000

Back in March we caught wind of the trailer for the remake of the 1970′s film The Mechanic. The original starred Charles Bronson and the new one features present day ass-kicker Jason Statham. It’s another hitman flick that centers on a veteran assassin who takes a young, less experienced killer (Ben Foster) under his wing. Originally, it was scheduled to hit theaters in December of 2010 but thanks to a purchase by CBS Films that’s all changed.

CBS Films have acquired the U.S. distribution rights for the The Mechanic, which will now debut during the Spring of 2011. Besides Statham and Foster the film also stars Donald Sutherland and is directed by Simon West. Here are a few quotes taken from the official press release sent out by the studio in regards to their latest purchase.

“We look forward to working with the CBS Films team on releasing this movie,” stated David Winkler and William Chartoff who also produced the original film. “CBS Films possesses a refreshing, constructive energy and we are excited with their game plan to bring this exhilarating film to audiences.”

“We are very proud of The Mechanic and could not be more pleased to be working with CBS Films on this release,” stated Millennium Films’ Avi Lerner.

If you haven’t already seen the trailer for The Mechanic, we suggest you take a look. To say it’s a little more violent than the original movie would be an understatement.

Are you looking forward to seeing The Mechanic remake?

Source: ComingSoon

Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson Reunite With Oren Moverman

Anet Hovhanesian — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 02:57:31 +0000

Director Oren Moverman is reuniting his dream team of Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster from last year’s The Messenger for writer James Ellroy’s new project. Although Moverman was previously in talks to helm a biopic based on the life of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, he’s moved on to Rampart, a cop drama based on a script by Ellroy.

According to Cinematical, the film will be inspired by the LAPD Rampart Scandal that took place in the late 90′s. Back in the day it was a huge farce that got plenty of media coverage. Not only did the story document one of the largest cases of police corruption but it was also the source material for the hit FX series “The Shield.” Ellroy had the following to say about his newest creation:

“Rampart is another of these misperceived criminal conspiracies. It’s really the story of a handful of rogue, criminal cops who ratted out a wider number of untainted cops to save their own skins.”

Ellroy has a serious background writing crime dramas having worked on LA Confidential and The Black Dahlia. We can’t wait to see how his newest project compares to the rest of the films on his resume.

Are you anxious to see Rampart? Who else should star in this film?

Jason Statham, Ben Foster in The Mechanic Trailer

Krystal Clark — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:33:51 +0000

Among all the crazy new info that’s popped up online during ShoWest and SXSW, somehow a trailer for Jason Statham and Ben Foster’s new film slipped through the cracks. Don’t get me wrong, I heard about The Mechanic months ago but there was no countdown for the trailer which apparently was released today. What’s up with that?

The Mechanic is a remake of the seventies action film that starred the late Charles Bronson (Magnificent Seven alum woot woot!). The story centered on a former hitman who takes a youngster under his wing as an apprentice in the game of death (no pun intended). The student in question is played by Foster, while Donald Sutherland stars as his father and Statham’s handler. The Mechanic will be directed by Simon West and is scheduled for a theatrical release on December 15, 2010.

Before viewing the trailer you should know there are some shots that are NSFW. Other than that, this looks like a standard Jason Statham action flick, but Foster is the selling point for me. His character is the only one that doesn’t seem one dimensional, plus he’s a talented actor. Check it out for yourself…

What do you think of the first trailer for The Mechanic?

Call To Action: Get Ben Foster Nominated

Mali Elfman — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:39:11 +0000

I mean no disrespect for the incredible actors who have recently been nominated for Best Actor in all of the critics choice awards, SAG awards, and Golden Globes. But I do feel like someone has been left out… As always, there seems to be a million different awards to win, and yet the same people keep getting nominated over and over again. For the most part I agree with everyone who has been selected and re-selected for Best Actor except for one person… Ben Foster.

He gave one of the most subtle and yet strong performances of the year in The Messenger and has received no love for it. His co-star Woody Harrelson, got nominated for both a SAG award, a Golden Globe and others, and although his performance was great, it was Foster who lead the movie and made it what it was.

Ben Foster is not a house-hold name, and perhaps that’s what is standing in his way. To me it seems insane that Woody could get nominated and not Ben for the same film. As the army would say “all for one.” If you take one great performance, you have to take the other.

So I am starting a petition for everyone who thinks Ben Foster deserves to be nominated alongside his co-star Woody Harrelson, for his outstanding performance in Oren Moverman’s film The Messenger.

All those who are with me, vote for him below and leave a comment below saying that you think Foster should be nominated!

Everything you send will be give to the movie’s publicists and they will send it out and begin the movement to get Foster nominated! You can make a difference! Do so now!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

For more on The Messenger read our review of the film, our interview with Ben Foster himself, watch our interview with the director Oren Moverman, and check out the trailer below…

Movie Releases: 2012, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Pirate Radio…

Kara — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:36:19 +0000

We have quite the coverage this week. We literally have interviews and reviews for every movie coming out from Roland Emmerich’s 2012 to Women in Trouble. Then there is the more family friendly, but still fun for the adults, Fantastic Mr. Fox by Wes Anderson. Pirate Radio is the a comedy with an all-star cast about the radio stations in the 60′s that set up shop off the British coast. There are quite a couple of indie movies coming out this week, but they’re definitely worth checking to see if they are playing near you.

Check out all the movies hitting theaters this week with reviews and interviews…

2012 | ScreenCrave Review | Press Conference | Reviews | Tickets and Showtimes
Fantastic Mr. Fox [Limited] | ScreenCrave Review | Reviews | Tickets an Showtimes
Pirate Radio | ScreenCrave Review | Nick Frost Interview | Talulah Riley Interview | Tom Sturridge Interview | Reviews | Tickets and Showtimes
The Messenger [Limited] | ScreenCrave Review | Oren Moverman Interview | Ben Foster Interview | Reviews | Tickets and Showtimes
Dare [Limited] | Adam Salky and David Brind Interview | ScreenCrave Review | Reviews | Tickets and Showtimes
Women in Trouble [Limited] | ScreenCrave Review| Reviews | Tickets and Showtimes

Watch the trailers below…

2012

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Pirate Radio

The Messenger

Dare

Women in Trouble

The Messenger: Movie Review

Kara — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:34:18 +0000

This is it, with The Messenger in theaters, the time for possible Oscar films has begun! First time director and co-writer Oren Moverman shows us how to make a movie with his debut film, which is as subtle and beautiful as it is poignant and dramatic. From an amazing script, to beautiful performances he has unknowingly made himself Oscar-bait.

Check out our interview below…

The Players

Director: Oren Moverman
Writer: Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon
Cast: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone

The Plot

“You always shoot the messenger.” When someone dies fighting in combat today they no longer send a message but a messenger to deliver the news. In the film one solider (Foster), who was recently been pulled from battle, is paired up with seasoned officer (Harrelson) to do possibly the hardest job in the army, inform people that their loved have been killed. The young solider gets in trouble when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer (Morton).

The Good

The Script: One of the best scripts I’ve seen all year. Every moment has a reason, each scene pushes another plot point in the story, and they never rely on cliches to get where they’re going. Every moment feels organic and makes for a series of dramatic and yet nuanced performances
Simple Shots: As the director told us in our interview with him, often it would just be him and a cameraman in the room recording the performance. As a result, nothing felt staged, it felt like you were a part of the drama taking place. His choice to have all the message delivery scenes done in one shot again make you feel like what you’re watching is honest and real, and adds to the emotions of the scene.
Ben Foster: Finally he gets the chance to lead a great film. His portrayal of his characters is the perfect mix of intensity and yet vulnerability. You understand where he’s been and the pain of trying to adapt to his new laugh without him ever trying to show it.
Whole Cast: Woody Harrelson gave a serious and heartfelt performance that we’ve never truly seen from him before. He was even quoted saying that this first film where he truly cried on camera. Samantha Morton was gracious and beautiful, gave the story heart with what looked like no effort at all.
The Music: Completely understated, as it needed to be to match the performances and the style of filmmaking.
Directing: Honestly, everything that I’ve mentioned comes down to good directing. There are a million things that can go wrong with a movie, but this is one of the few times when everything went right.

The Bad:

I got nothing.

Overall

From start to finish this is a great film and I can only hope it receives the recognition it deserves come Oscar time. I highly recommend it for the holiday season, it has enough humor to keep you from feeling like it’s a “downer” and leaves you appreciating what you have in front of you.

Rating: 9.7/10

Photo Gallery

The Messenger will be released in a limited amount of theaters on November 13

Watch the trailer below…

ScreenCrave.com » ben foster

Sundance 2011: Here Movie Review

The Players:

Overall:

Video Review:

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Rating: 9.7/10

Photo Gallery

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