Tag: Jessica Chastain

THE GOOD NURSE – Review

So for Halloween weekend, what’s an excellent setting for some creepy cinema chills? Sure, big creaky dark mansions are usually the “go-to” locale, and if they’re next to, or even attached to, a crumbling cemetery, well they fit the bill…in many flicks. But what about a public place, not the museums (as in the NIGHT series), or a shopping mall (as in the original classic DAWN OF THE DEAD)? In this fright film, the main action occurs in a hospital. And unlike the second in the series, HALLOWEEN II, the shocks are more than doubled because this new one is a true story (or the “inspired by true events” genre). Oh, but this location is dedicated to healing and helping, right? And that’s the really frightening aspect. But the whole thing is not overly exploitive thanks to the Oscar-winning duo who portray a pair of healthcare workers. Needless to say, some of those patients aren’t fortunate to be treated by the one that’s THE GOOD NURSE.

The opening “prologue’ does involve a nurse, Charlie Cullen (Eddie Redmayne), who calls for backup when one of his charges takes a turn for the worst. From there the story changes its setting location and its focus to another nurse, Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastain) who is working the long night shift, seemingly alone. Lifting and moving her patients truly exhausts her, as she almost collapses in an empty supply closet. But she makes it till dawn and returns home to relieve her sitter and see her two pre-teen daughters off to school (their daddy is out of the mix). With the girls gone, Amy heads over for a heart check-up. Her doc insists that she make time for a valve repair, but Amy is months away from getting on the hospital health plan, so she’s got to “plow through” and keep her own health issues a secret. Luckily she gets a new co-worker for the late shift, as Charlie joins the staff. The two quickly bound over their failed marriages and custody conflicts. But then several patients unexpectantly expire. A grieving spouse contacts the local police where the investigation heads to two “plainclothesmen”, Braun (Noah Emmerich) and (Nnamdi Asomugha), who had come across a similar incident previously (then they were too late for a needed autopsy). Unfortunately, the duo is hampered by the hospital’s board of directors and their public relations exec Ms. Garran (Kim Dickens). But as the death toll rises, the PDs finally get to interview the workers and get some cooperation from the puzzled Amy. But will her friendship with Charlie silence the inner voice that warns her of a most deadly conspiracy? And will she put her career and family in jeopardy to learn the truth?


The title character (not giving anything away here) is superbly portrayed by Ms. Chastain in her first dramatic role (I’m not counting the excruciating action-thriller THE 355) since taking the Oscar gold for THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE. Like that former role, she brings a great deal of empathy and emotional and physical (just charging up a flight of stairs is harrowing) vulnerability as the working-class hero. Her pressures are towering both at work and at home, as she worries about being the “bad Mom” as her eldest constantly ‘tests her”. Her Amy needs a supportive shoulder which make her “awakening” and shift into “truth-seeker mode” more powerful and another triumph for Chastain. Though not a the forefront of the narrative, Redmayne as the mysterious Charlie, underplays in order to make the “gurney-pusher” non-threatening which aids his quest to almost merge in to the hospital’s shadowy corridors. He too, zeros in on a “work buddy” to share in his struggles, through his passive-aggressive demeanor and soft-spoken asides. It’s thanks to Redmayne’s skills that Charlie has some sympathy even as he destroys families while “glomming” onto Amy’s broken home (if he’s not the father figure, at least he’s the cool uncle). Speaking of “working stiffs”, the police pair (with Amy and Charlie as the medical duo) are played with steely determination by, starting with the senior lead PD, Emmerich as Braun who projects an affable persona, but is a keen observor whose gaze can seemingly “burn” into someone’s brain. At his side is Asomugha’s fiery Baldwin, who’s not doing the “good cop/bad cop” cliche with Braun, but rather he’s the more passionate. This helps when he’s doing the research, but can backfire in a memorable scene where he loses his cool with one of the “higher-ups”, though he had shown remarkable restraint. Testing that is Dickens, a superb character actress, whose Garran wants to be seen as an aloof, unflappable businesswoman, but conspires and manipulates with an icy cold hand.

In his English-language feature film directing debut, Tobias Lindholm imbues this story with a sense of dark dread. Really, the hospital proves to be a foreboding shadow space, especially at night. I’m aware that it’s not as well lit after “visiting hours”, but it’s a wonder that the staff doesn’t carry around some pocket flashlights. Of course, this amplifies the hidden evil there and the old adage that “light is the best disinfectant” since those in charge need to keep us, the public, “in the dark”. Aside from the visuals Linfholm keeps us “off-kilter” with an undercurrent of suppressed tension at the core of nearly every scene. This even goes for the detective subplot as the partners try to “run around” and “leap over” the near-constant obstacles in their way. The soundtrack by Biosphere is equally muted, like the cinematography, and doesn’t build up to the usual thriller tropes. The many fans of streaming true crime stories will eagerly consume this but may find themselves hungry for a resolution. There are no clear-cut reasons given for the crimes, much like Simon Oakland provided in the final moments of PSYCHO. Perhaps this is to drive home the fact that horrible real-life incidents can’t be “tied up cleanly with a bright shiny bow”. It’s awful and messy, but sometimes ordinary folks can put a stop to it. But the misery goes down a touch easier thanks to the terrific acting duo who make THE GOOD NURSE very good indeed.

3 Out of 4

THE GOOD NURSE is now playing in select theatres and is streaming exclusively on Netflix

THE FORGIVEN – Review

Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes in THE FORGIVEN. Photo credit: Sife Elamine. Courtesy of Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment

Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes star as a wealthy couple who travel to Morocco for a posh weekend party at a remote desert location but when driving to their destination, they hit a local teen-aged boy in a fatal accident, with unforeseen and devastating consequences, in THE FORGIVEN.

White privilege, particularly of the variety afforded the rich, is at the center of this thoughtful, thriller-like drama, as it explores the clash of cultures between these affluent Brits and the boy’s impoverished Bedouin family, as well as the toll it takes on the couple’s already rocky marriage.

We first meet the wealthy couple on a luxury speed boat streaking towards the Moroccan coast. David Henninger is a successful British plastic surgeon and Jo Henninger is his American wife, who was once a writer of children’s books. They are headed to a lavish weekend party at the home of a friend, Richard “Dickie” Galloway (Matt Smith) and his lover, Dally Margolis (Caleb Landry Jones), for a party full of feasting, drinking and orgies, attended by a posh crowd of house guests. The Henningers are bickering, mostly over David’s drinking, and when they leave their hotel in Tangiers, after a boozy lunch, for the long drive to Richard and Dally’s remote compound, it is already late in the day. The couple find themselves lost in the dark, on a unpaved road in the empty desert. Empty except for two teen-aged boys selling fossils, one of whom tries to flag them down in the road but who is hit instead.

The couple arrive late for the party and the police are called, as their host Richard tries to soothe their nerves and deal with the situation, while also keeping what has happened from the already-partying other guests. With no cell phone reception in the desert, the panicked couple placed the boy’s body in their car, trusting that Richard, with his knowledge of the local rules, would know what to do to help them dodge the consequences, or at least the worst ones. Sure that their host has everything in hand, the couple join the party for a late supper. There is a Great Gatsby vibe in this with an added layer of insensitivity as these wealthy white folks hold their drunken party in an poorer Muslim nation.

But not all has been smoothed over yet, as the local police find it odd that the boy has no identification on him, as ordinarily would be expected, and plan to question David further. Their host tries to reassure them is it just routine but private talks between Richard and David reveal that they both know that if the boy is identified, his family may expect to be paid, as is the custom. Yet David insists the boy had no ID on him when he was hit, and both he and his wife fail to mention the second boy at all. All the police can determine is that the boy does not belong to a local family, so they assume he is from a tribe outside the area.

But the boy’s family does come looking for him and his identity – Driss (Omar Ghazaoui) – is revealed, sparking a confrontation between David and the boy’s father Abdellah (Ismael Kanater), and a companion, Anouar (Saïd Taghmaoui) who serves as a translator. Both David and Jo have to face what has happened, as David tries to navigate his way through a fraught cross-cultural landscape that includes an angry, grieving father and a host of rules David doesn’t know or understand.

Fiennes’ Henninger is pretty unforgivable, and his wife is little better. The same can be said, to varying degrees, of the guests and their hosts, Dally has dressed up his Moroccan servants in costumes, as they stand by to serve the drunken guests at this bacchanal. Cultural sensitivity is boldly absent.

Director/writer John Michael McDonagh who adapted Lawrence Osborne’s novel of the same name, uses this situation to spotlight some of the facts of the hard lives of rural Moroccans, who in this area subsist on selling fossils to wealthy Europeans and international museums and institutions. The sense of resentment on their part is thick, as is the foreigners’ sense of entitlement.

As the story unfolds, layers are peeled back and more is revealed about the Moroccan’s ways and the attitudes on both sides towards the other. Both David and Jo have to face what has gone wrong in their lives and their marriage, and grapple with their own values and responsibility for their actions.

Both Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain turn in find performances although Fiennes has the heavier lift as the troubled and troubling David. Matt Smith plays an unexpected role, as a sometimes Greek chorus commenting on the the customs and ways of the local people, revealing a deeper understanding and sympathy than we expect, and sometimes revealing awareness of what is happening under his own roof, At the same time, he continues to play genial host to his guests, smoothly ensuing they remain oblivious to what is going, and handling his more fractious lover, who judges the Henningers harshly, but mostly for spoiling the party. Matt Smith is excellent as he carries out his character’s balancing act, conveying a wistfulness we don’t expect. Caleb Landry Jones is acerbic and witty as the culturally-clueless Dally. Christopher Abbott plays a handsome American, Tom, who sets out to charm one woman after another, including Jo, as the wild party rages on.

This is not a subtle film. There are plenty of squirm-worthy moments in this showcase of neo-colonial privilege and plenty of familiar rich people excess, But there is some redemption in its later half, in the time the film does spend with the boy’s family, who come across far classier than the crass rich. What happens is not completely unexpected but the time the film spends contrasting the wild life of privilege of the rich partiers against the struggle to simply live of the people whose land it truly is, couldn’t be more pointed or poignant, which goes a way towards making this drama worthwhile. THE FORGIVEN is an exploration of cultures clashing in a growing global wealth divide, where the meaning and terms of forgiveness are unclear, or if it is even possible.

THE FORGIVEN is available on video on demand, starting Friday, July 15, and in select theaters.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

WAMG Giveaway: Win the Blu-ray of THE 355 Starring Jessica Chastain and Penélope Cruz – Available on Digital and Blu-ray February 22nd

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GLOBAL ESPIONAGE, A LETHAL MISSION AND A POWERHOUSE CAST STARRING JESSICA CHASTAIN, DIANE KRUGER, LUPITA NYONG’O, PENÉLOPE CRUZ AND BINGBING FAN IN THE 355 FROM UNIVERSAL PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT – OWN THE ACTION AND SUPER-CHARGED,  NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN EXTRAS  ONLY ON DIGITAL AND BLU-RAY FEBRUARY 22, 2022. THE FILM WILL ALSO AVAILABLE TO STREAM ON PEACOCK SAME DAY

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Now you can win the Blu-ray of THE 355. We Are Movie Geeks has two to give away. Just leave a comment below telling us what your favorite movie starring Jessica Chastain is (I’d say THE EYES OF TAMMY FAY. It’s so easy!)

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES.  NO P.O. BOXES.  NO DUPLICATE ADDRESSES.

2. WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

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When a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, wild-card CIA agent Mason “Mace” Brown (Jessica Chastain) joins forces with rival German agent Marie (Diane Kruger), former MI6 ally and cutting-edge computer specialist Khadijah (Lupita Nyong’o), and skilled Colombian psychologist Graciela (Penélope Cruz) on a lethal mission to retrieve it. The unlikely team must also stay one step ahead of a mysterious woman, Lin Mi Sheng (Bingbing Fan), who is tracking their every move as the action rockets across the globe.

BONUS FEATURES on BLU-RAY, DVD AND DIGITAL:

  • DELETED SCENES
  • CHASING THROUGH PARIS – Cast and filmmakers discuss the first day of shooting on THE 355 and how the choreographed chase sequence through the Parisian arcade set the tone for the entire production.
  • ACTION THAT HURTS – A behind-the-scenes look at the stunts featured in the film’s centerpiece action sequence.
  • RECONSTRUCTING MARRAKESH – From footage of construction to a set tour with Production Designer Simon Elliott, we’ll come to understand why the cast was so blown away by the accuracy of the Moroccan set.
  • CHAOS AT THE CITY OF DREAMS – Cast and filmmakers deconstruct the film’s final set piece, from exploding ceilings to major shoot-outs, to the ultimate show-down fight between Jessica Chastian’s and Sebastian Stan’s characters.
  • VFX BREAKDOWNS

THE 355WILL BE AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY™, DVD AND DIGITAL.

  • Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
  • Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly buy or rent.
  • The Movies Anywhere Digital App simplifies and enhances the digital movie collection and viewing experience by allowing consumers to access their favorite digital movies in one place when purchased or redeemed through participating digital retailers. Consumers can also redeem digital copy codes found in eligible Blu-ray™ and DVD disc packages from participating studios and stream or download them through Movies Anywhere.  Movies Anywhere is available only in the United States.  

Jessica Chastain and Penélope Cruz in THE 355 Available on Digital and Blu-ray February 22nd

 “A FUN, FEMALE SPY THRILLER” – ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

GLOBAL ESPIONAGE, A LETHAL MISSION AND A POWERHOUSE CAST STARRING JESSICA CHASTAIN, DIANE KRUGER, LUPITA NYONG’O, PENÉLOPE CRUZ AND BINGBING FAN IN THE 355 FROM UNIVERSAL PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT – OWN THE ACTION AND SUPER-CHARGED,  NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN EXTRAS  ONLY ON DIGITAL AND BLU-RAY FEBRUARY 22, 2022. THE FILM WILL ALSO AVAILABLE TO STREAM ON PEACOCK SAME DAY

When a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, wild-card CIA agent Mason “Mace” Brown (Jessica Chastain) joins forces with rival German agent Marie (Diane Kruger), former MI6 ally and cutting-edge computer specialist Khadijah (Lupita Nyong’o), and skilled Colombian psychologist Graciela (Penélope Cruz) on a lethal mission to retrieve it. The unlikely team must also stay one step ahead of a mysterious woman, Lin Mi Sheng (Bingbing Fan), who is tracking their every move as the action rockets across the globe.

BONUS FEATURES on BLU-RAY, DVD AND DIGITAL:

  • DELETED SCENES
  • CHASING THROUGH PARIS – Cast and filmmakers discuss the first day of shooting on THE 355 and how the choreographed chase sequence through the Parisian arcade set the tone for the entire production.
  • ACTION THAT HURTS – A behind-the-scenes look at the stunts featured in the film’s centerpiece action sequence.
  • RECONSTRUCTING MARRAKESH – From footage of construction to a set tour with Production Designer Simon Elliott, we’ll come to understand why the cast was so blown away by the accuracy of the Moroccan set.
  • CHAOS AT THE CITY OF DREAMS – Cast and filmmakers deconstruct the film’s final set piece, from exploding ceilings to major shoot-outs, to the ultimate show-down fight between Jessica Chastian’s and Sebastian Stan’s characters.
  • VFX BREAKDOWNS

THE 355WILL BE AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY™, DVD AND DIGITAL.

  • Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
  • Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly buy or rent.
  • The Movies Anywhere Digital App simplifies and enhances the digital movie collection and viewing experience by allowing consumers to access their favorite digital movies in one place when purchased or redeemed through participating digital retailers. Consumers can also redeem digital copy codes found in eligible Blu-ray™ and DVD disc packages from participating studios and stream or download them through Movies Anywhere.  Movies Anywhere is available only in the United States.  

THE 355 – Review

(from left) Graciela (Penélope Cruz), Mason “Mace” (Jessica Chastain), Khadijah (Lupita Nyong’o) and Marie (Diane Kruger) in The 355, co-written and directed by Simon Kinberg.

So who’s ready to start 2022 with a bang? Or rather several bangs, lotsa’ chases, mixed-martial arts “throw-downs”, and more than a few teeth-rattling explosions? Well, this action extravaganza may be just the ticket, at least that’s what the studios and multiplexes are hoping for. Perhaps this’ll be the “franchise-starter” that will make up for the recent “franchise-enders” like the sputtering Matrix and Kingsmen, though the ‘web-spinner will keep swinging past more box office records. Oh, I neglected to mention that this flick’s action stars are all women. No, it’s not another reboot of CHARLIE”S ANGELS or a follow-up to OCEAN’S EIGHT. Yes see, they’re not private-eyes or con-artists. These ladies are secret agents who form an elite “rogue squad” known as THE 355.

This globetrotting adventure begins in the palatial estate of a drug kingpin in Colombia. Ah, it seems that he’s wanting to “diversify” as he sets up a “buy” with an arms supplier to international terrorists. So, what’s the weapon being offered up? A” mega-bomb” or a laser cannon, perhaps? Nope, for want of a better name, let’s call it the “Destructo-Driver Device”, an item the size of a cell phone that can hook into the internet and shut down cities, blow-up planes, and cripple national economies. Luckily some soldiers intervene before the “hand-off”, with one man, Luis (Edgar Ramirez), scooping the DDD up for himself. A bit later, the CIA learns of the DDD and brokers a “sale”. The “exchange” will be the next “super-secret” mission for top agents, and old pals, Mace (Jessica Chastain) and Nick (Sebastian Stan). Unfortunately, a rival German agent, Marie (Diane Kruger) botches the deal at a cafe in Paris. A jittery Luis brings in some “back-up” from his homeland which includes DNI agent/psychologist Graciela (Penelope Cruz). As Mace tries to “regroup” in the wake of a tragedy, she enlists an old friend and colleague, MI-6 computer whiz Khadija (Lupita Nyoong’o). When the DDD is grabbed during a “retrieval” of Luis, an uneasy alliance is formed. The female quartet track down the DDD to Morocco to stop that original arms dealer from finally acquiring it. But the women soon discover that they are trapped in a power plot with double and triple-crossers who will eliminate them and their loved ones with no hesitation in order to seize the “prize”.

Talk about your diverse, “planet-scanning” cast! Heading up this “multi-country” crew is the talented Chastain, who displays her considerable leadership skills and physical prowess. She’s confident in the big action “set pieces”, never just doing spy “cosplay”, giving her dialogue the same gravitas as any of her many somber dramatic roles. Mace is a pro, but we see the painful toll being collected with every groan and shudder. Kruger makes a formidable counterpart, and often reluctant cohort. This “hyper-focused” loner is the story’s “wild card”. Marie often pounces like a just uncaged beast, as Kruger’s wild-eyed glare tells all to “back off”.The inverse may be Nyong’o’s “Khad” who is almost a sister to Mace, sharing a warm bond and a dangerous past. But Nyong’o gives her a hesitancy and frustration at having to get “back in the game” again. She insists it is the “last round”, but her tired eyes tell us that she’s not optimistic. But still, Khad’s a calming influence on “Grizzy” the “office civilian” suddenly thrust into combat. Cruz conveys her confused panic as the bullets whiz past while she attempts to crawl inside her purse (perhaps burying her head in the sand). By the tale’s midpoint, she’s taking more of a stand, but Grizzy finally agrees to join the fight in order to protect her family. Oh, around that time the foursome adds a member with the cool, sinewy Bingbing Fan as Lin, the mysterious, enigmatic Chinese agent Lin. As for the “token males”, Stan balances charm and ferocity as the energetic Nick, another old pal of Mace, though he wants much more than shared missions with her. And Ramirez brings great intensity to the somewhat small role of Luis, the main catalyst for the whole race against the clock.

Surprisingly this thriller’s not based on an existing property, as it seems to fit with many similar comic book flicks. Perhaps it’s due to its director, Simon Kinberg, who has scripted many of those “tentpoles” and directed the most dismal entry of a big comics series, X-MEN; DARK PHOENIX. Plus he also produced this and co-wrote it with Theresa Rebeck and Bek Smith, which is the start of this new original flick’s many problems. While striving to be different with its unique casting, the screenplay somehow uses so many tired “undercover agent” cliches that I was literally calling out the twists and even bit of dialogue with great frequency. This might have been “fresh” and “edgy” 30 years ago, but ATOMIC BLONDE and last year’s BLACK WIDOW really shook up the genre while truly making us care about the ladies behind the lethal kicks and quips. Each “operative” is reduced to a tired trope that regurgitates the same spiel too often. Khad is, as Pete’s pal Ned calls himself, “the guy (or lady) in the chair “pounding a keyboard until the “we’re in” scene ender. But it’s not as tiresome as Grizzy’s mantra of “I must get back to my babies!” while trying to push away an offered weapon. There are so many things “wrong” that we must wonder if the script was rushed through. Is a phone call being traced, today (“keep her on the line”)? Then there’s the scene in Morocco with everyone but Mace in headscarves. And what’s her attire? It looks to be one of Victor Lazlo’s suits (with massive fedora) from CASABLANCA. And though the film wants to show how the women are as tough as their male counterparts, they still have to go “in disguise” at a swanky party, sporting tight, cleavage-baring gowns (of no use in combat). Yes, a group of actresses can headline a big loud bombastic popcorn flick. And it can be just as tiring and devoid of wit or logic as the fellas. Oh, they and we deserve much much better. The talented quintet will be back for better films, but this is hopefully the last mission for THE 355.

1/2 Out of 4

THE 355 is now playing in theatres everywhere

Win A Fandango Code to See THE 355 In Theaters!

FIVE RIVAL AGENTS.  ONE ELITE TEAM.  FROM THE STUDIO THAT BROUGHT YOU JASON BOURNE.  UNIVERSAL PICTURES PRESENTS JESSICA CHASTAIN, PENÉLOPE CRUZ, BINGBING FAN, DIANE KRUGER AND LUPITA NYONG’O.  

THE 355 opens in theaters January 7th.

FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A FANDANGO CODE GOOD FOR TWO TO SEE THE 355 IN THEATERS, ENTER YOU NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.  

(Fandango Promotional Code is good toward the purchase of two movie tickets [$15 per ticket, up to $30 total ticket and convenience fee value] to see The 355 at Fandango partner theaters in the United States. Code is void if not redeemed by 1/30/2022 or when THE 355 is no longer in theaters, whichever comes first)

RATED PG-13.

(from left) Graciela (Penélope Cruz), Mason “Mace” Brown (Jessica Chastain), Marie (Diane Kruger) and Khadijah (Lupita Nyong’o) in The 355, co-written and directed by Simon Kinberg. Photo Credit: Robert Viglasky/Universal Pictures. Copyright © 2020 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

A dream team of formidable female stars come together in a hard-driving original approach to the globe-trotting espionage genre in The 355.

When a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, wild card CIA agent Mason “Mace” Brown (Oscar®-nominated actress Jessica Chastain) will need to join forces with rival badass German agent Marie (Diane Kruger, In the Fade), former MI6 ally and cutting-edge computer specialist Khadijah (Oscar® winner Lupita Nyong’o), and skilled Colombian psychologist Graciela (Oscar® winner Penélope Cruz) on a lethal, breakneck mission to retrieve it, while also staying one-step ahead of a mysterious woman, Lin Mi Sheng (Bingbing Fan, X-Men: Days of Future Past), who is tracking their every move.

As the action rockets around the globe from the cafes of Paris to the markets of Morocco to the opulent auction houses of Shanghai, the quartet of women will forge a tenuous loyalty that could protect the world—or get them killed.

The film also stars Édgar Ramirez (The Girl on the Train) and Sebastian Stan (Avengers: Endgame).

The 355 is directed by genre-defying filmmaker SIMON KINBERG (writer-director-producer of Dark Phoenix, producer of Deadpool and The Martian and writer-producer of the X-Men films). The screenplay is by THERESA REBECK (NBC’s Smash, Trouble) and SIMON KINBERG from a story by THERESA REBECK. The 355, presented by Universal Pictures in association with FilmNation Entertainment, is produced by JESSICA CHASTAIN and KELLY CARMICHAEL for Chastain’s Freckle Films and by SIMON KINBERG for Kinberg Genre Films. The film is executive produced by RICHARD HEWITT (Bohemian Rhapsody).

The film’s director of photography is TIM MAURICE-JONES BSC (The Woman in Black), the production designer is SIMON ELLIOTT (The Book Thief), and the costume designer is STEPHANIE COLLIE (The Hitman’s Bodyguard). The 355 is edited by LEE SMITH A.C.E.(1917) and JOHN GILBERT A.C.E.(The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring); the composer is TOM HOLKENBORG (Mad Max: Fury Road).

Praise the Lord! Jessica Chastain in THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE Arrives on Digital November 2nd and on Blu-ray and DVD November 16th

Sometimes in life, you have to take your lashes!

Searchlight Pictures’ The Eyes of Tammy Faye Arrives on Digital November 2 and on Blu-ray™ and DVD November 16th

Searchlight Pictures’ transcendent biopic The Eyes of Tammy Faye starring Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield tells the incredible true story of an icon. Praised by critics for its captivating performances, the film will be available on Digital November 2 and on Blu-ray and DVD November 16.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye is an intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker (Jessica Chastain). In the 1970s and ’80s, Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield) built a burgeoning religious broadcasting network and theme park – until rivals, financial wrongdoing and scandal toppled their empire.

Searchlight Pictures’The Eyes of Tammy Faye Bonus Features*

  • A Look Inside The Eyes of Tammy Faye – Hear what drew Jessica Chastain, cast mates and filmmakers to The Eyes of Tammy Faye. From prosthetics to singing, uncover Jessica Chastain’s remarkable multi-layered transformation into Tammy Faye Bakker.

*bonus features vary by product and retailer

Cast:                                       Jessica Chastain as Tammy Faye Bakker

Andrew Garfield as Jim Bakker

Cherry Jones as Rachel Grover

Vincent D’onofrio as Jeffrey Falwell

Mark Wystrach as Gary Paxton

Sam Jaeger as Roe Messner

Jessica Chastain as “Tammy Faye Bakker” in the film THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE. Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2021 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

Directed by:                           Michael Showalter

Produced by:                         Jessica Chastain

                                                Kelly Carmichael

                                                Rachel Shane

                                                Gigi Pritzker

Screenplay by:                       Abe Sylvia

Music by:                               Theodore Shapiro

THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE (2021) – Review

Andrew Garfield as “Jim Bakker” and Jessica Chastain as “Tammy Faye Bakker” in the film THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE. Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2021 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

Though Summer’s in its last week or so, the studios have moved on to another season. Not Fall, but a bit closer to Winter as the “awards season” flicks begin to trickle in and nudge the big escapist blockbusters aside (though they’ll capture most of the screens at your multiplex). And what’s ‘catnip” to those academy voters (and many critics)? Why, the big screen biography genre has gotten more than its fair share of the gold. Now, this week’s flick almost slides into the “show biz-bio” heading, though its subject dominated the news headlines on the front page perhaps more than the features in the entertainment section. Ah, but she was certainly fodder for many comics and mimics. Yes, it’s hard to imagine, but at the end of the 20th century, you’d have a tough time trying not to stare into THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE.

The film begins in a much-frequented spot for the title subject, namely a backstage makeup room (we’re not sure if it’s at a theatre or a TV studio). Tammy Faye Baker (Jessica Chastain) is getting “dolled-up” by a makeup artist, who sounds surprised by the different “cosmetic enhancements” that she’s done. Quick cut to several decades earlier in the 1950s, as then pre-teen Tammy LaVallery hears the “siren call” of a backwoods church in full “revival mode”.Mother Rachel (Cheery Jones) insists she not attend (since she’s the result of a previous marriage that ended in divorce), but the wide-eyed child is like a “moth to a flame”. Spring ahead to 1960, as Tammy meets and falls in love with another student, aspiring pastor Jim Baker (Andrew Garfield). They marry and move in with her mother. It’s there that Tammy fashions a set of puppets in order to spread the gospel to small children. The married duo travels the revival circuit with their Bible-based kids’ show, While in Virginia, Jim is transfixed by the dynamic Pat Robertson (Gabriel Olds) and his Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) on TV. A chance meeting leads to the Bakers getting their own kids’ show on CBN. But Jim has ideas for a religious late evening “Tonight Show” style program he dubs “The 700 Club”. When Pat later takes over that show, with the aid of the powerful Jerry Falwell (Vincent D’Onofrio), Pat decides to go out on his own with the Praise The Lord (PTL) satellite network, anchored by the “PTL Club” starring himself and Tammy Faye. Money from call-in donations and business connections (known as their “partners”) pours in leading the Bakers into an opulent lifestyle as they expand with a “theme park”, Heritage USA. But the wealth doesn’t bring happiness as the couple drifts apart and Tammy spirals into a prescription drug dependency. And then the press and the feds start looking into “the books”…

The enormously talented Ms. Chastain shows us her incredible range by diving deep into a personality so often mocked and reviled. TF was an easy target for the late-night TV spoofs, so the easy route might have been caricature. But Chastain actually restores her humanity by not going for the easy laughs and shows us the naive small-town gal swallowed up by the machinery of wealth and fame. Tammy, early on, declares her love for people and goes against much of her denomination by embracing the “other’ ( a scene of her interviewing a pastor with AIDS is quite powerful). Chastain shows us Tammy’s unflagging optimism, keeping her sunny outlook as others make her a punchline. She’s amazing. And happily, she’s got a great screen partner in Garfield who imbues Jim with an endearing, goofy, nerdy charm. Then he shows that slow slip into the dark side, as the spark dims in his squinty eyes, and his greed leads to casual cruelty towards his biggest booster. Another great asset to the film is the brutally honest line deliveries by Jones as mama Rachel, who sees beyond the glittery gifts and becomes a moral compass to her daughter, though it barely registers with Tammy. Greed is this fable’s main villain, along with the lust for power, which is given flesh by the fabulous D’Onofrio who channels some of his sinister bravado from his role as the Kingpin on the Netflix Marvel shows, as the strutting conniving Falwell. Sure the Bakers are far from angels, but they don’t come close to this calculating back-stabber. His superior sneer dominates nearly every scene.

Veteran comedy-craftsman Michael Showalter, perhaps best known for helming THE BIG SICK, does an admirable job in attempting to balance camp and real human conflict. The first act generates lots of amusement as the frisky young Bakers engage in clumsy awkward acts of passion. And we got lots of the 70s and 80s kitsch in the recreations of their gaudy TV shows and the melodramatic music (Tammy emulates “Physical” in a shiny disco workout suit). But the conflicts of the second act, the power grabs, and pill-popping, often delve too hard into soap opera melodramatics (though the right mix happens as Tammy lusts after her hunky music producer). Plus the whole final act downfall feels a bit rushed as the actors recreate famous photos and headlines quickly zip in and out (maybe a streaming or cable miniseries would better flesh things out). But as the fun memories of the opening scenes fade, we still have the great performances, enhanced by some impressive and subtle prosthetics that fill out Chastain’s face to emulate Tammy’s near “chipmunk cheeks”, yet the expert enhancement never inhibits Chastain’s facial expression and emoting (I’m reminded of Martin Landau as Bela in ED WOOD). Plus the fashion recreations are spot-on as the polyester pastels parade past in the PTL shows and studio audience. Yes, this story of rags to riches to rags is fairly familiar but Chastain injects a sympathetic spark into THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE that makes it worth reliving.

3 out of 4

THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE opens in selected theatres on Friday, September 17, 2021

Jessica Chastain is Tammy Faye Baker in THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE – Opens in St. Louis at The Hi-Pointe September 17th

“Sometimes in life, you have to take your lashes”

The Hi-Pointe Theater, at 1005 McCausland Ave in St. Louis, is the best place to see movies Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield in THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE opens this Friday September 17th at The Hi-Pointe. Oscar Isaac in Paul Schrader’s THE CARD COUNTER moves to the Hi-Pointe’s Backlot. The Hi-Pointe’s site can be found HERE

Jessica Chastain as “Tammy Faye Bakker” in the film THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE. Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2021 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

An intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker. In the 1970s and 80s, Tammy Faye and her husband, Jim Bakker, rose from humble beginnings to create the world’s largest religious broadcasting network and theme park, and were revered for their message of love, acceptance and prosperity. Tammy Faye was legendary for her indelible eyelashes, her idiosyncratic singing, and her eagerness to embrace people from all walks of life. However, it wasn’t long before financial improprieties, scheming rivals, and scandal toppled their carefully constructed empire.

Win Passes To The St. Louis Advance Screening Of THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE Starring Jessica Chastain And Andrew Garfield – In Theaters September 17

THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE is an intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker.  In the 1970s and 80s, Tammy Faye and her husband, Jim Bakker, rose from humble beginnings to create the world’s largest religious broadcasting network and theme park and were revered for their message of love, acceptance and prosperity.  Tammy Faye was legendary for her indelible eyelashes, her idiosyncratic singing, and her eagerness to embrace people from all walks of life.  However, it wasn’t long before financial improprieties, scheming rivals, and scandal toppled their carefully constructed empire.

Starring Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, Cherry Jones, Fredric Lehne, Louis Cancelmi, Sam Jaeger, Gabriel Olds, Mark Wystrach, Vincent D’Onofrio, the movie is written by Abe Sylvia, based upon the documentary “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato.

Directed by Michael Showalter, THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE opens in theaters September 17.

https://tammyfaye.searchlightpictures.com/

WAMG has your passes for 10 winners to the St. Louis advance screening. Wednesday, Sept. 15 at Ronnies at 7pm.

Get you passes HERE: http://www.searchlightscreenings.com/wfAFV17369

No purchase necessary.

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content.

Andrew Garfield as “Jim Bakker” and Jessica Chastain as “Tammy Faye Bakker” in the film THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE. Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2021 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved