Blablablablablabla. And did I mention, bla!
Movie of the Week
Mother (1996)
Some Monday
- Mother (1996): I’ve officially embarked on the Albert Brooks tour. As of today, I can’t really say whether it’s a tour I really like or not, but Mother was a pleasant surprise to begin with. The tagline really says a lot: no one misunderstands you better. Brooks, playing a recently divorced Sci-Fi writer, decides to go live with his mother for a while, in order to bond with her and understand whether there’s something in their relationship that undermines all his rapports with women. The beautiful idiosyncrasies both lead characters embody makes them irritating and endearing at the same time. Ultimately, it’s an understated comedy, not quite what I expected, concluding on a very pleasing and non-cliched note. Its greatest feat is managing to stay true to its story and its protagonists until the end. 8/10
When golden arches fail you
- The Babysitter (2017): Legendary director McG, best known for his lack of involvement in Christian Bale’s bashing of that poor cinematographer on Terminator Salvation, is at it again. This time he ‘subverts’ the babysitter slasher genre, in what actually proves to be a tolerable, almost enjoyable experience. Starring some easily swappable actors, McG goes all campy in this tale of babysitter turned…well, I won’t spoil it, but needless to say, it’s something way out there. The premise works well for a while, although the movie drags even in spite of its 85 minute runtime. Compared to last week’s Happy Death Day (2017), TB actually rises above the parody to create some memorable moments of bonding and violence. It isn’t a masterpiece, but in its genre, the I want to rank the movie as worthwhile. 6/10
The olden days
- Heaven Can Wait (1978): Not sure how I got to this ancient Warren Beatty It’s a Wonderful Life wannabe re-imagining. Beatty, playing a pro football player, is snatched by a sort of angel just as he was expected to die, but it turns out ‘angel error’ lead to a premature departure. So instead, the guy is offered to take over the body of another and that’s how he gets mixed up in this feuding love triangle as a multi-millionaire. The movie is good natured and occasionally poignant, even if it fails to really build on its premise to a convincing degree. An unimaginative ending does do it any favours, but all in all, the nine-time (!) Oscar nominated flick is good for a round of popcorn. 7/10
tributarystu 