mother! (2017)

Genre: Horror / Thriller
Running Length: 2:01
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Brian Gleeson, Domhnall Gleeson, Kristen Wiig
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Screenplay: Darren Aronofsky

mother! was a very difficult film for me to sit through. It was maddening especially its last 30 minutes. There were many times during the course of it I just felt like shouting out angrily in the cinema hall, "WHAT THE F**K IS GOING ON?!?" This film reminded me of my non-appreciation of abstract modern art. Everytime I come across a modern art museum, I would give it another go - to try to understand the displays. But after 15 minutes or so, I would usually give up and just walk out.

The only difference with mother! is I can't walk out of it. Firstly, it's because I've never walked out of a movie hall before no matter how horrible the film was. But to be fair, whatever was unfolding in front of me was pretty captivating. There was a deep sense of dread throughout so I waited and waited for that release but it never did come.

Here's the plot. A young woman (Lawrence) lives with her much older husband (Bardem) in a decaying large home in the middle of nowhere. She took it upon herself to restore the house. One fine day, two uninvited guests (Harris and Pfeiffer) showed up at their doorstep and decided to stay in their home. And from then on, things just got more claustrophobic, bizarre and twisted.

So, is the film any good? Well, upon exiting it, I was prepared to hate it. But after a few hours to a day of reflection, I have to admit this movie stayed with me and definitely drove me to forums to find some kind of meaning to the many nightmarish images that was thrown at the viewers. Just like modern art, in order to appreciate it, I needed context.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead. Stop reading if you're intending to watch this movie. 

And when I found the context, my verdict is: I acknowledge Aronofsky's courage to make this film and appreciate Paramount for releasing it widely. I get what the director is trying to preach using allegory as an art form. But I cannot accept his take on God and His relationship with mother earth. That said, if he would have just excluded his lecture on Christianity but instead focused on the horrible ordeal on the "rape" of mother earth, I reckon it would be a much more powerful and accessible piece of art (albeit still a difficult film to watch)

RATING: 3/10

GHOSTBUSTERS (2016)

Genre: Comedy/Horror

Running Length: 1:56

Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth

Director: Paul Feig 

Screenplay: Katie Dippold & Paul Feig, based on the 1984 film written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis 

Eventhough I walked into the new GHOSTBUSTERS film without much judgement (in actuality, I couldn't remember much of the original or even the sequel), it turned out to be not very good. It's not very bad either but it's just...mediocre. 

When the studio announced that they would be rebooting the series with an all female cast, I thought it was a clever idea. I enjoyed the trailers because it checked all the boxes of the Ghostbusters elements which I was familiar; the four buddies, the comedy, the proton packs, the classic station wagon and of course, the theme song. 

But what made this movie meh is the weak script. It felt as though the filmmakers were torn between making a fan service film and taking risk to do something different. As mentioned, although all the familiar elements are present, and even the original cast made a cameo, I felt that the existence of this movie was just unnecessary. If only they followed what The Force Awakens did where the old characters came alongside to support the new cast, this new Ghostbusters film could have turned out to be a fresh approach to the franchise without alienating the fans.     

What made the the original worked is the comedy. But for some reason, this film's focus is on the Ghostbuster-on-ghost action. To be fair, some of the action sequences are engaging but the majority of it especially the "epic final battle" turned out to be boring (because it's so done before). But is it funny? Well let's just say there are more miss than hits. Chris Hemsworth is hilarious and I'm glad he wasn't just playing a small supporting role.  

What I do like about this film is the cool looking apparitions. They are bright and glowy (and some are quite scary looking). In conclusion, this is a serviceable film but there's just nothing memorable about it.

Rating: 6/10

THE MARTIAN (2015)

Genre: Science Fiction
Running Length: 2:21
Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kristin Wiig, Sean Bean

Director: Ridley Scott
Screenplay: Drew Goddard, based on the novel by Andy Weir

"You solve one problem and then the next. You solve enough problems and you get to come home." Mark Watney

THE MARTIAN is probably one of the most accessible films from Ridley Scott since Gladiator. This is Castaway for today's generation; where Damon's character spends the majority of his time talking to an "audience" aka. video blogging rather than talking to himself. And his best friend is Wilson the GoPro camera (several of them actually).

The science and maths in this film is easier to follow compared to Nolan's Interstellar. Apparently it was even fact-checked by NASA. The plot is easy to follow too. Damon's character is an astronaut where he was left behind on planet Mars by his fellow crew mates due to a freak storm. They presumed he was dead. So our protagonist must use his smarts to find a way to survive on the red planet until he is possibly rescued - several years away.

Although the narrative sounds depressing, the film's tone is actually pretty positive and upbeat. Eventhough the subject matter is serious, the film is approachable thanks to several light hearted moments peppered with appropriate low-key comedy. Also, it has a good balance of how Damon's character tackles both his physical limitations and psychological challenges. So, it's not emo all the way. From the trailers, audience may think that they are in for a boring time, seeing one man going up against one complication after another but it's actually more than that. There are several stories unfolding at the very same time but shares the same mission - to bring our astronaut back home safely, thus making this an interesting watch as we witness brilliant minds around the world coordinating and working together.

As good as Matt Damon is as our everyday hero, he is no Tom Hanks. Nevertheless, his performance here is arguably one of the best in his career. The supporting cast (with very big names) is equally impressive.

I'm glad the filmmakers use practical effects to enhance the look and feel, rather than hardcore CGI. Also, the smart editing coupled with an inspired choice of disco music gives the film a good pacing. Although the ending is a little too over-the-top (and the plot involving the Chinese government seemed forced and out of place), The Martian is still a feel-good cinematic experience.

Rating: 8.5/10