Mama

-

Mama
Starring Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nelisse
Directed by Andres Muschietti


A man brutally kills his wife and takes his children to an abandoned cabin in the woods, where he is subsequently killed by an evil spirit.  The children - Victoria (Megan Charpentier) and Lilly (Isabelle Nelisse) - grow up with this spirit for years before they're discovered and brought back to society.  Years of isolation have turned them into feral creatures, and it's up to their father's brother Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his rocker girlfriend Annabel (Jessica Chastain) to bring them back to modern society.  It's not as easy as it seems, because it appears that the children were not the only ones brought back from the cabin.

Taken as a "once upon a time" tale, the film suspends the issues of reality, especially the ending.  Throughout there's the typical "jump scares" and tense moments, but overall this seems just like a generic copy of several other horror films of the same style.  The almost unrecognizable Jessica Chastain's talents are completely wasted on this film, coming from two Oscar-nominated performances.  Even she doesn't seem to be in it, or it could be her character.  Nevertheless, her performance seems forced and surprisingly unimportant to the overall point of the film.

The ending is something that's slightly different than the normal, but it was done in such an unintentionally humorous way it takes away from the dramatic effect.  A good film to see when you're bored, but don't expect any miracles with this one.

My Rating: B

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Major Theatrical Releases May 2019

-
Image
Major Theatrical Releases May 2019 After the hype that is "Avengers: Endgame," May offers a massive collection of differing types of movies, enough to entertain everyone. Here are the major theatrical releases for May 2019. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** **DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE**  The Intruder May 3 Dennis Quaid goes from starring the family-friendly "A Dog's Journey" to playing a total psycho in "The Intruder."  When a young couple purchases a home from Quaid's character Charlie, they didn't realize it came with an addition - Charlie himself, who can't seem to let his old home go.  I don't expect any twists or turns in this tale, and this looks like a film better fit for Lifetime than the big screen.  Long Shot May 3 Charlize Theron stars as Charlotte Field, the current Secretary of State and who's running for President.  Seth Rogen stars as Fred Flarsky, a
Read more

Witch

-
Image
Witch Starring Russell Shaw, Ryan Spong, Sarah Alexandra Marks, Fabrizio Santino Directed by Craig Hinde & Marc Zammit Movies about witches are about a dime a dozen, and follow the same formula: typically set in a time period long ago (since now, fortunately, the stigma of witches has been lessened and the religious fervor has diminished), in a small Puritanical town, a girl is accused of witchcraft which spirals the town into a frenzy filled with suspicion, doubt, and murder until the witch is put to religious justice. While that's not necessarily a bad formula (Robert Eggers' "The VVitch" and Mario Bava's "Black Sunday" immediately come to mind), most films fall by the wayside. "Witch" is a small film that, at first glance, seems to follow the mold before completely shattering it in a second act twist that's daring, provocative, and works in a lot of levels, but could've been more pronounced if given a bigger budget. In the small
Read more

Special Review: "Midwest Sessions"

-
Image
Special Review: "Midwest Sessions" Directed by Mario Ricciardi Independent filmmaking is a fascinating concept, wherein the director and everyone involved sets out to make something unique, different, and go against the traditional status quo of what's defined as a "blockbuster." These films aren't usually seen by the masses and won't be included in the top ten highest grossing movies of all time, but they offer something those films don't: a heart and commitment by the people involved to craft something wholly distinctive that tell a story in their own way. Such is "Midwest Sessions," a local film directed by Mario Ricciardi that centers on the city of Youngstown, Ohio, and the captivating people who live there. Told in different vignettes that seem distinct and different from one another but coming together as a whole in the end, it's an engrossing film that utilizes its shoestring budget and gives great performances, decent effects a
Read more