APRIL 7 • 2022 | 49
BEN FOSTER IN TWO NEW
FILMS, ZELENSKYY IS
BACK ON NETFLIX, CNN+
PREMIERES
Ben Foster, 41, is an
excellent actor who you
might know from X-Men:
The Last Stand (2006); 3:10
to Yuma (2007); and Hell
and High Water (2016).
By coincidence, Foster
has lead roles in two new
movies opening this month:
The Contractor (opened last
week) and The Survivor,
an original HBO Max film
(premieres April 27).
Foster was raised in his
father’s Jewish faith and
was a bar mitzvah. He is
married to Laura Prepon, 41
(Donna on That ’70s Show).
Like Foster, Prepon is the
child of a Jewish father and
a non-Jewish mother.
Contractor is an action
film about James Harper, a
former special forces soldier
(Chris Pine) who goes to
work for a private company
along with his best friend,
Mike (Foster). Harper needs
friends when he takes on a
very dangerous overseas
mission.
The Survivor is based
on the true story of Harry
Haft (1925-2007). Haft,
a Polish Jew, was just
16 when he was sent to
Auschwitz. His strong build
prompted the SS to train
him to be a boxer. The SS
found it “entertaining” to
force prisoners to box to
the death before military
personnel. Haft survived 76
such matches. (Foster stars
as Haft).
There are quite a few
Jewish characters, but
Foster and Israeli model
and actress Dar Zuzovsky,
31, are the only Jewish
actors who play a Jew.
Vicky Krieps, who plays
Miriam, Haft’s (real) Jewish
girlfriend, isn’t Jewish —
but I give Krieps a “pass”
because her real-life
grandfather was an anti-
Nazi resistance leader. The
film was directed by Oscar-
winner Barry Levinson, 79.
Frankly, I think this — I
don’t like seeing Jews beat
other Jews to death. Also
consider the reception to
Triumph of the Spirit (1989),
a true-life film about Salomo
Arouch, a Greek Jew forced
to fight in Auschwitz.
Critics panned Triumph,
and the late, great critic
Roger Ebert pointed-out the
film’s main flaw —a flaw that
may bedevil The Survivor,
too. Ebert felt that by
focusing on the fights, and
expecting viewers to root
for Arouch, the filmmakers
in effect forced audiences
to behave no differently
from the Nazis in the story.
Another real-life “fighting
Jew,” Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenksky,
44, is back on Netflix. A
couple of years ago, they
streamed his hit Ukrainian
comedy series, Servant of
the People and, for obvious
reasons, Netflix recently
brought it back. It originally
aired in the Ukraine in 2015-
2019. Capsule plot: After
a Ukrainian high school
teacher’s tirade against
government corruption
goes viral on social media,
he (Zelensky) finds himself
the country’s new president.
Obviously, life imitated
art when Zelensky was
elected the (real) president
of Ukraine in 2019.
CNN+ began streaming
on March 29. This new
subscription service says
it is “a completely distinct
experience … offering live
news reporting and new
original features.” It appears
that new service features
boil down to these: (1)
Some interactive live news
programs where viewers
can ask reporters (live)
questions. “Regular” CNN
anchors Wolf Blitzer,
74, and Dana Bash, 50,
are already set to host at
least some of these live
interactive programs. (2)
Interview programs, like
the new Jake Tapper Book
Club. The first episode
of Book Club streamed
on March 29. Tapper, 53,
talked to Dolly Parton and
James Patterson about
their new books. Also,
look for Who’s Talking
to Chris Wallace?, an
interview program hosted
by former Fox anchor Chris
Wallace, 74 (yes, he is
Jewish). (3) There’s some
traditional straight news
reporting. Wolf Blitzer will
go from his late afternoon
(regular) CNN broadcast
to the CNN+ studio and
host an evening “straight
news of the day” program
and; (4) Some programs
and original films that first
ran on “regular” CNN will
be available, on-demand,
via CNN+. This includes
Anthony Bourdain’s Parts
Unknown and RBG, a bio-
film about the late Justice
Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
If you subscribe on or
before April 26, you get a
50% discount on the regular
subscription price (regular
price is $6 per month).
This discount is “lifetime” if
you act by April 26. “Early
subscribers” will get half-
off the regular price if, and
when, they raise the CNN+
subscription price (i.e., if
they raise it to $8 — you’ll
pay $4)
You can get CNN+ via
cable or satellite, on most
interactive devices, like
smart phones, and on
Amazon Fire. It’s not yet
available on Roku.
CELEBRITY NEWS
NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST
ARTS&LIFE
DELEPOT - OWN WORK
Dar Zuzovsky
JIM GREENHILL FROM ARLINGTON AND DURANGO, USA
Chris Wallace
BLANKA BOROVÁ (KAROLÍNA ČERNÁ)
Ben Foster