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Showing posts with the label Ben Foster

A Chris Prime/Amazon Pine Double Bill

  With the recent appearance of two brand new Chris Pine movies on Amazon Prime Video , I figured there was no better time for a double feature - not to mention a half-decent excuse to hit two movies with one review. The only question was which one to watch first; the action movie or the spy thriller? I went with the action movie. The Contractor  follows James Harper (Pine), a soldier who is unceremoniously discharged from the military after being wounded. Facing money troubles and still wanting to serve, Harper enlists with a private military contractor. His first assignment sends him to Europe to surveil a scientist with possible terrorist ties. But when things go wrong he finds himself caught in a game of cat and mouse as he attempts to get home to his family. Tarik Saleh may be going for a Bourne -esque action thriller with The Contractor , but it starts out as something very different. Our introduction to James Harper feels more like a commentary on the plight of wounded military

Hell or High Water: Average Guy Movie Review

In an era of comic book movies and remakes it's rare to watch a movie without some idea of how it will end. Now this doesn't affect the enjoyment - not for me anyway - life's about the journey not the destination. But it's refreshing to go to the cinema without a clue how the movie will end, British Director David Mackenzie delivers just that with Hell or High Water. Brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner Howard (Ben Foster) concoct a plan to rob banks in order to save the family ranch. Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham) are the Texas Ranger's assigned to investigate the robberies, as per Hollywood cliche it's Marcus' last case before retirement. Family is definitely the major theme of this movie, that and what people will do for their families. In this case, as the title would suggest, come hell or high water, whatever it takes no matter what the cost.  Hell or High Water is written by Taylor Sheridan, the

The Finest Hours: Average Guy Movie Review

In 1952, the SS Pendleton split in half whilst caught in a storm off the Massachusetts coast. The Bow section capsized killing eight men, including the Captain. The Stern section staid afloat with thritythree men aboard. The Coast Guard sent a small boat with a crew of four to rescue the survivors. This story is known as the greatest rescue in the history of the United States Coast Guard. Directed by Craig Gillespie, this is a very impressive movie both in terms of the story and the production. Firstly, what those men faced and what they did for a group of strangers is incredible. The fact that they found the ship in that storm is amazing, even more so because they were able to rescue so many! A lot of work has been put in to making The Finest Hours look as real as possible. If you've seen the trailer, you've seen the part where the Sailor almost goes overboard because the bow of the ship is gone, that standard is maintained throughout. Obviously they've used a lo