Film Review: Mama

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Andrés Muschietti, drama, entertainment, Guillermo del Toro, horror, horror movie, Jessica Chastain, mama, mama review, movie reviews, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, two little girls

Film Review Mama

Guillermo del Toro latest offering Mama is a supernatural horror movie about a mothers love. When businessman Jeffrey (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) kills his wife he flees with his two small daughters Victoria (Megan Charpentier) and Lilly (Isabelle Nelisse). When their father disappears the two little girls are left alone in a run down cabin deep in the woods, well nearly alone.

Five years later the children are found living of berries and insects, completely feral and obsessed with an invisible presence they call “Mama”.  When a child psychiatrist takes an interest in the unusual case Victoria and Lilly are sent to live with their uncle Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his goth-rock-chick girlfriend Annabel (Jessica Chastain).

While Annabel is struggling to come to terms with being a “mother” strange happenings around the home become more and more frequent. “Mama’ seems to have moved in with the girls, confusing Victoria and pulling the two sisters apart.

In 2008 Argentinean director Andrés Muschietti made a terrifying short about two girls trying to flee from their demonic mother. In Mama he expands the theme but sadly cannot hold the tension.  It is the age-old problem of how much to show the viewer. While Muschietti does make his audience uneasy in the earlier parts of the movie, when they finally see Mama it all falls apart. The free floating, puppet like figure is too puppet-like to instil actual fear and the battle of the mum’s just feels to forced.

Jessica Chastain does lend a bit of gravitas to the Annabel, however she never does seem to really exude the rock-chick vibe. Overall all characters seem quite one dimensional, their relationships sallow and even the “heart-string” moments are a little to bland.

The much-hyped Mama is another horror film that just doesn’t quite pull it off. A few scary moments, a couple of creepy corridor shots and the odd paranormal activity and a few interesting ideas does not a good film make and even less one that warms a true horror fans heart.

Film Review: Flight

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action film, action thriller, Charlie Anderson, Denzel Washington, Director Robert Zemeckist, Don Cheadle, drama, entertainment, film review flight, film reviews, Films, flight, John Goodman, Kelly Reilly, movies, reviews, Robert Zemeckist

When pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) miraculously lands a plummeting plane in an open field all eyes are on him and a hero is born. However the newly found spotlight has a dark side too, as it shines a light on Whitakers alcohol and drug abuse. While the authorities try to find out what caused the crash, Whitaker lobbies to ensure that no who learns the truth about his addiction.

Flight may have been advertised as an action thriller but in reality it is a character–driven drama about a man struggling to admit to himself that he has a problem. Sadly it just isn’t a very good drama, although Washington is capable in his role as the flawed Whitaker. The plot is not very strong and the writing is littered with clichés.

Thankfully there is an array of good actors, even in minor roles, to distract from the poor writing and sallow characters. Don Cheadle as Hugh Lang, Whitaker’s union lawyer and Bruce Greenwood as Charlie Anderson, Whitacker’s only friend, help liven up the sluggish flow of the story, even if it seems that Cheadle has been paid to say “kill the tox report” as many times as possible. A pleasant comic relief is John Goodman as Whitacker’s dealer Harling Mays, with his Rastafarian bag filled with drugs. Sadly Kelly Reilly as Whitacker’s love interest Nicole is underused and does not add to the story at all.

The strongest and most captivating sequence of Flight is undeniably the plane crash scenes. However as this happens about a third into the film the viewer is left deflated watching a functioning alcoholic fall off the wagon again and again till he finally can admit to himself what is wrong.  And even though it is honest in its depiction, no pity party for the leading man but no routing for him to sober up either, Flight is very mundane.

Director Robert Zemeckist may have had good intentions but to lure action fans into buying tickets with trailers filled with misdirection seems a little unfair. So disappointment is guaranteed, as Flight just isn’t very good and probably would have been better as the action thriller the viewer expected to see.

 

 

Film review: A Dark Truth

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andy gracia, Deborah Kara Unger, drama, entertainment, Eva Longoria, film reviews, Forest Whitaker, Kevin Durand, Lara Daans, movies, reviews, The Dark Truth

Andy Gracia in “A Dark Truth”

Radio talk show host and ex-CIA agent Jack Begosian (Andy Gracia) is trying to make sense of his past by seeking the truth in his nightly radio show. But when he is hired by heiress Morgan Swinton (Deborah Kara Unger) to uncover a water crisis-spurred massacre in South America Begosian sees his chance for redemption.

Sadly The Dark Truth aspires to more than it delivers. The combination of third world exploitation, corporate cover-up and a leading man trying to do the right thing aims to be highly dramatic, yet still weighty, but only succeeds to feel like a made-for-TV movie.  And even though Gracia tries to hold the poorly written script together it is just not enough.  The action scenes are underdeveloped and bland, the plot too fragmented and the characters have no depth. In addition to this the viewer can’t help but feel that well-know actors like Forest Whitacker and Eva Longoria are past their prime.

It seems as if the aspirations of Director/Screenwriter Damian Lee and his budget were too far apart. His attempt to create a disturbing drama like “Blood Diamond” or an action thriller like “Tears of the Sun” with A Dark Truth failed.  And even the cynical and world-weary monologues of Begosian in his recording booth fail to inspire as everything is to obvious or clichés to actually make the audience think.

The Dark Truth may have good intentions but is boring and filled with lackluster stars, and truthfully not worth the price of a ticket

Film review: detachment

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Adrien Brody, Albert Camus, American History X, arty, Christina Hendricks, Detachment, director tony kaye, drama, Edgar Allan Poe, entertainment, film reviews, Films, James Cann, Lucy Lui, Marcia Gay Harden, reviews, Sami Gayle, Tony Kaye

Director Tony Kaye (American History X) is back in Cinemas with his latest film Detachment and this time around the hell he explores is a public high school somewhere in New York. Filled with disillusioned teachers, unmotivated, dysfunctional students and indifferent parents the school is on the verge of being shut down because of its low test scores causing property values to drop.

Adrien Brody plays the lead in this fractured film, his character Henry Barthes is a substitute teacher, and although Barthes is dedicated to his students he not really willing to commit and make a lasting difference in their lives. In his free time he regularly visits his sick, slightly senile grandfather in a nursing home, cares for a 15 year-old run-away prostitute and writes his thoughts into journals.

While the story pivots around the saintly figure of Brody his supporting cast includes big names like Marcia Gay Harden as the besieged principle, Lucy Lui as the stressed out guidance councillor, James Cann as a pill-popping cynical teacher and beautiful Christina Hendricks as a colleague who tries to initiate some romance with Henry. And although tiny glimpses into the faculty members home lives try to give reasoning and depth to these characters and their actions most scenes seem too unrealistic and bleak. .

Newcomer Sami Gayle as Erica the runaway prostitute however is vibrant and vulnerable and most of the better and tender moments of the film are between her and Brody. And although her transformation from mistreated prostitute to homemaking surrogate daughter is a little too fast, she is the only positive light in this dark film.

Detachment tries to mask its somewhat over the top storyline by using arty tricks like crude chalk drawings, quotes by Albert Camus and Edgar Allan Poe, grim monologues directed at the camera and garish disjointed flashbacks. Instead of enhancing the flow of the story or giving depth to it these interferences often fracture it more and feel too forced.

Ultimately Brody excels in his performance as Henry Barthes, his calm exterior and obvious inner turmoil beautifully brought to screen in subtle actions and quiet moments. But sadly this is not enough to make Detachment a good film.