Netflix And Chill: Hustle (2022)

In much the same way as I have steered the choppy waters of the filmography of Nicolas Cage, I have also never given up entirely on Adam Sandler. Which isn't to say that I wasn't tempted. His worst films are truly abysmal, with his comedy seemingly becoming more and more all about what will amuse him and his mates while they enjoy a paid holiday somewhere nice, but there were always things I could enjoy. And I'm not just talking about something as celebrated as Uncut Gems. No, I'm on about chuckling away through something like Hubie Halloween, The Week Of, and The Do Over. Are they up there with his best comedies? Absolutely not. But they're fun, if you don't mind Sandler. Meanwhile, he has also been moving more towards delivering absolutely brilliant performances in more dramatic works, whether it's his subverted angry man-child turn in Punch Drunk Love, his somewhat paralysed character in Reign Over Me, his charming work in the sorely-neglected Spanglish, and that aforementioned winning showcase of his talent crafted by the Safdie brothers.

Hustle is another drama in Sandler's filmography, a sports movie that focuses on basketball. It's as tense and enjoyable as it is predictable, and it should leave most viewers with a big grin on their face. It helps if you like basketball, of course, but, like so many sports movies, the heart of it isn't really just about the sport. It's about never giving up, it's about inspiring others, and it's about having faith, in yourself and those around you.

Sandler plays Stanley Sugarman, a talented basketball scout who really wants to settle down now and enjoy the life of a coach/assistant coach. He is told that will happen when he brings in the latest great talent for his team, which he thinks is locked in once he discovers Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangomez) playing out of his skin in Spain. Making some big promises to Bo, Stanley heads home with his great new discovery, but then he starts to encounter problems. Bo needs to get used to players using every tactic possible to get inside his head, and he has a big mistake in his past that may turn people against him. Laying everything on the line, with the support of his wife (Teresa, played by Queen Latifah), Stanley keeps playing every angle possible to get Bo noticed, and get him his shot to play for a big team. He also keeps pushing Bo beyond his limits, physically and mentally, to get him into the best shape of his life.

Written by Will Fetters and Taylor Materne, the former having helped to write stuff like The Lucky One and A Star Is Born while the latter has a body of work that includes some documentaries and a couple of NBA games, this is a great combination of clichés and absolutely satisfying cinematic moments. Director Jeremiah Zagar, also coming with a filmography that has more documentary and short work making up the majority of it, has a good feel for the material. The heartbeat is strong and steady throughout, and all of the basketball sequences are clearly shot and edited in a way that energises things without causing headaches. Whether you end up responding to the content of the film or not, the presentation, from the cinematography to the humour laced throughout, is pretty flawless.

Sandler is wonderful in the lead role, playing a guy who lives and breathes basketball. He has always been someone clearly passionate about sport, something that has crept into many of his movies, but this feels like a natural fit without feeling lazy. His character is a full, well-rounded, character, not just a casual suit for Sandler to slip into (although I know that some may disagree, despite a lot of his usual tics and tricks being dialled way down here). Hernangomez is equally good, and arguably more crucial to the cast. He is a professional NBA player, which is obvious from his skill shown onscreen, but he acquits himself superbly as the raw talent that Sandler wants to help polish into a shining superstar. He's not the only basketball player here either, with a number of roles, big and small, for the likes of Anthony Edwards, Julius (Dr. J) Erving, and Michael Foster Jr. As well as MANY others helping to make the basketball action realistic and exciting. Latifah and Jordan Hull (as Alex Sugarman, Stanley's daughter) are both welcome supporting players, literally, with the actresses showing just why Sandler's character wants to settle down and repay those who have stood by him throughout his career. Ben Foster is the team owner, Vince Merrick, who butts heads with his talent scout, leading to the biggest gamble in the movie, and Kenny Smith, playing Leon, gives the impression of real friendship with Sandler's character, a bond forged through their history and love of the game. 

If you like Adam Sandler in less comedic roles then you should like this. If you like a good sports movie then you should like this. If you like basketball then you should like this. If you like being entertained and left with a grin on your face then you should like this. Most people should like this. It's not quite perfect, mainly because of the predictability factor, but I'd say it's easily up there with the very best sports movies we've had. And that includes the GOAT that is White Men Can't Jump*.

*not the GOAT, but a firm favourite for many of us, surely.

8/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews

Mubi Monday: Galveston (2018)

Mélanie Laurent has been acting in feature films for the past couple of decades. Unbeknownst to me, however, she has also turned her hand to directing. I need to check out some of her other directorial work, because this is a very good crime drama. In fact, I'm surprised to have not really heard this mentioned before, either in conversations about films in general or conversations about modern crime dramas.

Ben Foster plays Roy, a hitman who is told that he only has a short amount of time to live. It's a problem with his lungs. Despite his impending death, Roy fights back, successfully, when his latest job turns out to be a trap. He then flees, accompanied by a young woman named Rocky (Elle Fanning). Rocky also wants to rescue her younger sister, Tiffany, and Roy eventually finds himself making some tough decisions in order to keep both girls safe.

Written by Nic Pizzolatto, Galveston is nothing very new or unique. It is a film made better by the cast, and the straightforward and unfussy direction from Laurent (although there is one lovely bit of work that allows a scene to play out in an extended single shot, yet without feeling overly precious about the technique). But the strength of these things together - script, direction, cast - creates a film that shows how important every individual element is. Take enough care with the basics and you can easily end up with something that is more than the sum of its parts, like this.

Foster is very good in his role, playing the kind of pained and relatively tight-lipped character he has played in some other movies. Fanning is equally good, allowing her character to show the mix of optimism, slight naivete, and determination that is written in. Beau Bridges also does well, in a small, pivotal, role, but the film constantly revolves around the central trio of Roy, Rocky, and Tiffany (played by Anniston and Tinsley Price).

For a film that has a sense of foreboding from the very first scenes, Galveston is most surprising in the moments when viewers can contemplate a happy ending for some of the characters. The pacing, the characters, the journey, they all allow space for some big highs and lows. Laurent shows how good her instincts are, having faith in the script and the performances, and the finished product shows that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to deliver something familiar that also manages not to feel tired and lazy.

 

8/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.

It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA

Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews

Inferno (2016)

Despite knowing how they are generally viewed by many other people, I am a BIG fan of the previous movies featuring the character of Robert Langdon. Having read most of the books written by Dan Brown, I knew the way he created the contrivances and characters, and the movies managed to move along at a brisk enough pace to make me forget the increasing incredulity of the set-pieces (almost). I was looking forward to Inferno, remembering the high stakes and the tense final act.

Sadly, this is the weakest of the cinematic trilogy, and it's easy to see why. The source material just isn't as easy to translate into cinematic entertainment, and there's also the small problem of each subsequent film highlighting just how many times Brown reaches for the same bag of tricks. Director Ron Howard cannot do much while tied to the novel, and writer David Koepp doesn't want to take any risks in his adaptation of the work.

Hanks returns once again to play the hero, who this time starts things by waking up in an Italian hospital with what seems to be a very bad case of amnesia. He barely has time to try and remember who he is before Dr. Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones) is helping him to evade a deadly assassin. The two of them then race against the clock to hopefully stop a madman from releasing a virus that will cut the population of the entire planet in half.

It's hard to work up any enthusiasm for Inferno, it's such a mediocre and disappointing movie, especially coming after two much better films. Things start promisingly enough (there's the suicide of the madman who has already put his plan in motion, there's Langdon having a nightmarish vision of people burning to death around him), but that is all soon forgotten as the plot starts to trudge along from one weak set-piece to the next. Even the travelogue aspect isn't all that enjoyable, with the camerawork and visuals surprisingly dull throughout. How the hell do you make Venice look anything less than eye-poppingly gorgeous??

Hanks is yet again a comfortable fit in the role, and Felicity Jones is an enjoyable co-star for him, hampered by the material, but buoyed by the fact that she's Felicity Jones. Omar Sy is okay, but equally hampered by the material, and there are unmemorable supporting turns from Irrfan Khan, Sidse Babett Knudsen, and Ana Ularu. Ben Foster stands out, despite his limited screentime, thanks to his role in one or two of the most intriguing scenes.

Others might end up enjoying this more than I did. If you haven't read the books, or seen the other movies, then you may have a better viewing experience. I found it a big disappointment, especially following on from the two movies that preceded it.

4/10

https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews