Ma (2019) - Spencer entertains in Taylor's uneven revenge horror

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Star Octavia Spencer's face through a shattered glass makes up this simple poster for Tate Taylor's

 Ma

A group of high school students get a woman named Sue Ann to buy them alcohol, and not long after they are even throwing parties in her basement. - But why is she interested in them doing that...?

 

Ma is written by Scotty Landes (Deadcon (2019)) and co-produced and directed by Mississippian master filmmaker Tate Taylor (Pretty Ugly People (2008)), whose 5th feature it is.

Octavia Spencer (Next of Kin (2008)) is good as the scarred, lonely Sue Ann, SPOILER but we get no answer as to why exactly now, 20 or 30 years after her own traumatic high school experiences, she goes off the rocker... Although there's some timeliness to the implication that violations can be avenged decades later by the victim!

Luckily Ma also has a good secondary cast and sexy youths, although it doesn't really compute that Allison Janney (Away We Go (2009)) is here in a non-role as a mean boss. (The reason must be that both Spencer and Janney are friends of Taylor, as they both acted in his 2008 debut.)

The bonkers ending doesn't hit bull's eye, but Ma is still very entertaining up until this.

 

Related posts:

Tate Taylor: 2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 
2011 in films - according to Film Excess 

The Help (2011) - Taylor and an impeccable ensemble portray heart-thumping change in Jackson, Mississippi 

Watch a 1-minute clip from the movie here

 

Cost: 5 mil. $

Box office: 61.1 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 12.2 times its cost)

[Ma premiered 30 May (Germany and 12 other markets) and runs 99 minutes. Shooting took place around February 2018 in Mississippi. The film opened #4 to a an 18 mil. $ first weekend in North America, behind fellow new release Godzilla: King of the Monsters, holdover hit Aladdin and fellow new release Rocketman, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd weekend and grossed 45.8 mil. $ (75 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 2.3 mil. $ (3.8 %) and the UK with 2 mil. $ (3.3 %). The film made in excess of 3.1 mil. $ additionally on the North-American home video market. Taylor returned with Ava (2020). Spencer returned with 3 voice performances and a miniseries prior to her theatrical return in The Witches (2020). Ma is rotten at 56 % with a 5.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ma?

Life During Wartime (2009) - Too little is really going on in Solondz's guilt-themed Happiness sequel

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An adolescent boy with a white tulip against a cloudy sky makes up this strikingly drawn poster for Todd Solondz's Life During Wartime

A history of 3 sisters: One is a successful, conceited writer; the other a confused vegetarian, whose partners off themselves; and the last is a doped mother of three, whose ex-husband is a convicted pedophile.

Life During Wartime is the 6th feature from great New Jerseyite writer/director Todd Solondz (Fear, Anxiety and Depression (1989)). It is another film from him about the forbidden lust, the consequences of it and of guilt.
Guilt, guilt, guilt.
Despite good actors and few, piercing scenes, often of situations that in some way seem 'wrong', Life During Wartime is about fleetingly little, and mostly it's about excessively neurotic Jews with money. Mostly despicable people, objectively seen, (watch the film for yourself, if you don't believe me.) This is one in Solondz's output that you can calmly skip over: Instead watch his much better Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995), Happiness (1998), Storytelling (2001) and Wiener-Dog (2016).

Related post:

Todd Solondz: Wiener-Dog (2016) - Solondz's incisive and funny dog saga dramedy

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 4.5 mil. $
Box office: 791k $
= Box office disaster (returned 0.17 times the cost)
[Life During Wartime premiered 3 September (Venice Film Festival, Italy) and runs 97 minutes. It is a loose sequel to Solondz's Happiness (1998) with new actors playing the recurring characters. Shooting took place in Puerto Rico and elsewhere from October 2008 - ?. The film opened #43 to a 30k $ first weekend in 1 theater in North America, where it spread to 20 cinemas but never attained a higher placement, grossing 281k $ (35.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Italy with 194k $ (24.5 %) and France with 159k $ (20.1 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 2.5/4 star review, equal to the rating in this review. The film was nominated for 2 Independent Spirit awards and won 1/3 nominations at the Venice Film Festival (for its screenplay). Solondz returned with Dark Horse (2011). Shirley Henderson (Tale of Tales/Il Racconto dei Racconti (2015)) returned in Meek's Cutoff (2010); Allison Janney (I, Tonya (2017)) in 6 non-theatrical performances before The Help (2011); and Ally Sheedy (Just a Dream (2002)) in Citizen Jane (2009, TV movie) and theatrically in Welcome to the Rileys (2010). Life During Wartime is fresh at 68 % with a 6.3/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Life During Wartime?

The day after the day after ... the 2018 Oscars

The Oscar show this year reflected the last several month's atmosphere in the business, which might be coined the 'Year of the Activist'. Thankfully the time of black dresses to mark the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements were a thing of the past, so that all of Hollywood's prime divas and hunks flushed the red carpet with bold colors, including many in white. Beating the lot in sheer striking beauty and swanky throwback style was - unsurprisingly - Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot:

Host Jimmy Kimmel dug right into the fraught political agendas in his opening monologue and followed the course throughout the evening. He succeeded in being embraced by his Hollywood crowd by and large, (insults at Matt Damon, Reese Witherspoon and Mel Gibson went by unpunished), and undoubtedly getting the show's minority Republican and right wing audiences to change the channel. The show suffered a 13 % drop in US viewership and with just 26.5 mil. American viewers, it was the least seen Oscar show in its entire history. - Clearly audiences at home are not as passionate about anti-harassment, pro-minority, anti-gun, pro-Mexico, pro-dreamers etc. etc. etc. affinities in what is supposed to be primarily an entertaining and glamorous show, as the people on stage were. And Kimmel's political swerves left less room for fun bits and traditional show, which Oscar audiences adore. So for next year, expect the producers to find a radically different host; either an insult-prone 'dirty comedian' or a real showman, - a likely - and likable - candidate could be 2009 host, globally beloved song-and-dance man Hugh Jackman.
The show paid tribute to Eva Marie Saint, soldiers on-screen and in real life, had great musical performances by Mary J. Blige and Keala Settle, whose This Is Me was perhaps the night's most powerful emotional moment, touching, nervous and funny speeches, and little if any in the way of really surprising wins. The funniest moment of the show was Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph's presentation, shoes-in-hand.

I guessed 14 of the night's 21 feature category winners, up from the 11 correct last year but under the best year (2016), in which I got 16 right. 13 were correct in 2015 and 7 in 2014. 

Here is a full list of the predictions, favorites and winners of the night:

Red marks the person/s or film I predict will win the Oscar
Film Excess favorite marks the person/s or film I hope will win the Oscar
Winner marks the person or film that actually won the award

Best Production Design:

Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour  
Dunkirk  
The Shape of Water Film Excess favorite Winner 
 

Best Animated Feature
 
Coco Winner 
Ferdinand Film Excess favorite
Loving Vincent
The Boss Baby  
The Bread Winner
 
Best Foreign Film
 
A Fantastic Woman Winner 
 Loveless
On Body and Soul  
The Insult
The Square Film Excess favorite
 
Best Documentary
 
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
Faces Places Film Excess favorite
Icarus Winner 
Last Men in Aleppo  
Strong Island
 
Best Score
 
Hans Zimmer, Dunkirk
Jonny Greenwood, Phantom Thread  
John Williams, Star Wars: The Last Jedi Film Excess favorite
Alexandre Desplat, The Shape of Water Winner
Carter Burwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
 
Best Song
 
The Mystery of Love, Call Me By Your Name Film Excess favorite  
Remember Me, Coco Winner 
Stand Up for Something, Marshall
Mighty River, Mudbound  
This Is Me, The Greatest Showman
 
Best Markeup and Hairstyling
 
Darkest Hour Winner 
Victoria & Abdul
Wonder Film Excess favorite
 
Best Visual Effects
 
Blade Runner 2049 Winner  
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Kong: Skull Island
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
War for the Planet of the Apes Film Excess favorite
 
Best Sound Editing
 
Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk Film Excess favorite Winner
Star Wars: The Last Jedi  
The Shape of Water
 
Best Film Editing
 
Baby Driver
Dunkirk Film Excess favorite Winner 
I, Tonya  
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
  
Best Sound Mixing
 
Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049  
Dunkirk Film Excess favorite Winner  
Star Wars: The Last Jedi  
The Shape of Water

Best Costume Design
 
Beauty and the Beast
Darkest Hour
Phantom Thread Film Excess favorite Winner 
The Shape of Water
Victoria & Abdul

Best Cinematography
 
Roger Deakins, Blade Runner 2049 Winner 
Bruno Delbonnel, Darkest Hour
Hoyte Van Hoytema, Dunkirk Film Excess favorite
Rachel Morrison, Mudbound  
Dan Laustsen, The Shape of Water
 
Best Adapted Screenplay
 
James Ivory, Call Me By Your Name Film Excess favorite Winner 
Scott Frank, James Mangold, Michael Green, Logan
Aaron Sorkin, Molly's Game
Dee Rees, Virgil Williams, Mudbound
Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, The Disaster Artist
 
Best Original Screenplay
 
Jordan Peele, Get Out Winner 
Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird  
Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon, The Big Sick  
Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor, The Shape of Water
Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Film Excess favorite
 
Best Director
 
Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk Film Excess favorite
Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water Winner  
Jordan Peele, Get Out
Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread

Best Supporting Actress
 
Allison Janney, I, Tonya  Film Excess favorite Winner  
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread  
Mary J. Blige, Mudbound  
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water

Best Supporting Actor
 
Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Film Excess favorite Winner
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
 
Best Actress
 
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Film Excess favorite Winner 
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Meryl Streep, The Post  
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water  
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
 
Best Actor
 
Daniel Day-Lewis, The Phantom Thread  
Daniel Kauuya, Get Out  
Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour Film Excess favorite Winner 
Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
 
Best Picture
 
Call Me By Your Name  
Darkest Hour  
Dunkirk Film Excess favorite  
Get Out
Lady Bird  
Phantom Thread  
The Post
The Shape of Water Winner 
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405 won Best Doc. Short, The Silent Child Best Live Action Short and Dear Basketball Best Animated Short.
Honorary awards went to Agnès Varda, Charles Burnett, Donald Sutherland and Owen Roizman, and a special achievement Oscar to Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu.

Related posts:


Oscars 2018: Predictions and Film Excess' favorites
The day after ... the Oscars 2017
Oscars 2017: Predictions and Film Excess' favorites
The day after the day after ... the Oscars 2016
Oscars 2016 - Predictions and Film Excess' favorites
The day after the day after ... the Oscars 2015   
Oscars 2015: Prognosis and Film Excess' favorites
The day after ... the Oscars 2014   
Oscars 2014: Prognosis and Film Excess' favorites

Here are some more pictures of the evening:
 

What do you think of the 2018 Oscars?
Did the right films win - or even get nominated?
Comments on the host and activism of the evening are also welcomed 

Spy (2015) - Feig and McCarthy score spy spoof gold!

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+ Best Action-Comedy of the Year + Best Fight Scene of the Year: McCarthy's kitchen fight scene

The stars of Paul Feig's Spy sell the film well on this funny poster

Spy is the fresh spy parody from great writer-director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids (2011)), the #1 movie in the US right now and a movie that is spreading its action-packed fun worldwide as this is being written.

Susan Cooper has been an analyst at the CIA for years, when sudden changes send her to the front as an agent in Europe, where some rich, shady characters are readying the sale of a nuke in a suitcase!

Feig may have learned from his huge 2013 hit comedy (also starring Melissa McCarthy (St. Vincent (2014))), - which was also an action comedy, - that a real action-type plot helps for such a film: Heat wasn't really going anywhere exciting plot-wise. - Spy, on the other hand, stomps around internationally with a well-defined, clear plot objective.
Spy's plot isn't very far from the plots of 'real' action spy movies. For a spy spoof, it has just the right amount of characters, comedy interplay and action. Furthermore the action of Spy is very well-staged and exciting, and the fights, - oh yes, there are fights! - are great. - Seeing McCarthy kick ass in completely unbelievable ways is pretty f-ing cool. Especially her kitchen fight in Spy is hilarious. The film has neat cinematography by Robert D. Yeoman (The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)).
The comedy is a mix of wit, physical, gross-out, crude comedy - mostly insult comedy, - implicitly playing on McCarthy's character's coming into her own at work, as a person, and as a woman. There were a bunch of kids in the cinema I saw it in, and they had a blast, (although it is decidedly not a kids movie), as did the adults. Often in Spy, one gag or zinger's resulting laughs weren't over before the next made me laugh again. I really love the spy parody sub-genre, so it was a real joy for me to see such a resourceful cast play one out in a well-written script and clear direction, loaded with an abundance of inventive, fast-paced fun.

McCarthy is an energetic powerhouse in Spy, and I was glad to see that, perhaps due to her clout with director-friend Feig, she was not only confined to God-awful outfits. She gets to dress up here and look really good, (even if Rose Byrne's (Insidious (2010)) delightfully bitchy character tries to tear it apart for her.)
Jason Statham (Crank (2006)) is very funny in a ridiculously intense braggadocio part; Jude Law (A. I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)) works as Cooper's handsome idol; Brit Miranda Hart (Miranda (2009-15)) was a new face for me, but she was awkwardly funny as McCarthy's sidekick. Bobby Cannavale (Annie (2014)) makes a fun second villain; Allison Janney (The DUFF (2015)) is solid as a tough boss, and Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)) also took several laughs as a foreign, helpful (but awfully handsy) spy.
There are a ton of favorite moments to take away from Spy, the best light-hearted fun you'll have with a movie, perhaps for all of 2015. - So don't miss it!
Feig is a very busy man these days: He's creating a new sci-fi/comedy TV series titled Other Space (2015), directing a Reese Witherspoon comedy titled Wish List and heading the new, hugely anticipated Ghostbusters reboot, with McCarthy. - Film Excess can't wait.

Related posts:

Paul Feig: 2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
The Heat (2013) or, Prissy and Offensive in Boston  
Bridesmaids (2011) - Subversive comedy with laughs a-plenty

Here's the red band trailer for the movie - enjoy!

Cost: 65 mil. $
Box office: 86.5 mil. $ and counting
= Too early to say
[There's no doubt in my mind that Spy will become a financial hit, as well as a critical, - it might be Feig and McCarthy's best reviewed title to date. It is blazing through cinemas globally right now.]

What do you think of Spy?