This Mother To You: Review of mother!

mother!

Director: Darren Aronofsky

By Alex Watson

To say, Darren Aronofsky's new feature film mother! has had a polarised reaction is an understatement. Branded 'The Worst Film of the Century' by some movies goers, this is an outing that definitely doesn't cater to all tastes. Aronofsky has never been one to go easy on his audience (who here can easily sit through Noah again?) and his usual narrative trickery once more cause our brains to wander in several different directions. I can safely say this definitely is NOT the worst movie of 2017! Although it will probably prove to be the most frustrating to review.

A young woman, Mother (Jennifer Lawrence) lives in a peaceful and tranquil countryside home with her poet husband Him (Javier Bardem). Keen to finish renovating the house they share, Mother's hope of starting a family are being interfered with by Him's chronic writer's block. Their ideal surroundings are soon threatened by the arrival of a mysterious guest (Ed Harris). After being allowed to stay for the night, his wife (Michelle Pfeiffer) arrives which further concerns Mother. Soon a chain of bizarre events will change the couple forever.

So what precisely is mother! all about? That question I cannot possibly describe in word form, so I will sum it up as best as I can. A story heavy on biblical undertones (Jennifer Lawrence has pretty confirmed the themes here- DO NOT READ UNTIL AFTER VIEWING), Aronofsky shows a paradise which is slowly invaded by serpents. Be prepared to come of this picture with a number of different questions which don't all get the needed answers. Starting with an eerie quiet, you sense this is an existence that is too good to last. For once, Aronofsky opted against a musical score and this choice only makes the silence more disturbing. From the moment that their male guest charms his way into the home, you can feel the first domino hit the ground.

From this point, things slowly spiral into every woman's worst nightmare. Coming off as a bizarre mash-up of Michael Haneke's 'Funny Games' and Polanski's 'Rosemary's Baby', things gradually become more and more hilariously absurd. Him's overly enthusiastic hospitality to their rude and inconsiderate guests is nothing short of maddening to our Mother. With a look of barely concealed frustration, anger, and shock, she simply wants these people out of her home. Aronofsky shows her as a woman trapped in her own personal hell, she is never allowed to leave her home and even when surrounded by beauty all she can feel is isolation. The strain on their relationship is apparent and the couple's arrival does little to bridge that gap. Him comes off as the typically clueless man with saying that are rubbing our heroine the wrong way. The guest's wife plays the role of antagonist ranging from her continual backhanded compliments to outright hostility.

Aronofsky leaves us little red herrings to the eventual fate of mother! which range from bizarre to curious. What is that yellow potion Lawrence keeps drinking? What's with the bleeding floorboards? Just why are their guests so fascinated with the piece of Crystal that Him keeps in his study? However, despite Aronofsky excellently building the suspense and intrigue and some wonderful grainy photography by Matthew Libatique, the movie's third act will divide many many fans. As Him finally achieves his desired fame, the movie descends into complete chaos. Bloody, brutal and horribly mind-jarring, this section almost borders on bad taste as we see just how savage humanity can be. Expect huge crowds, bloodstained floors, cannibalism, random soldiers appearing and a violent crescendo to appear all when you least expect. Then again, any fans of Darren Aronofsky will know he is all about pushing cinematic buttons and ever since the graphic posters were released, you knew this piece was never intended to be easy on the eyes.

Jennifer Lawrence proves that she is an actress who can make a role work, no matter how vague the material might be. Through her wide-eyed horror, she brilliantly conveys a woman drowning in loneliness and despair. Frequently reduced by her husband to play the role of party pooper, Lawrence's growing exasperation is wonderfully performed. She also excels during the movie's difficult finale and she manages to keep her when all around is her collapsing. Javier Bardem is as close as the movie has to a villain, but wisely he is never made out to be one intentionally. As the fame-obsessed writer, throughout he plays closer attention the strangers in his home than to his own wife's needs. Bardem plays his character which such charm that we want to forgive his misdeeds, only he keeps making harder for both us and Mother. Michelle Pfeiffer also gives us a reminder of what great presence she still has and her boozy and confrontational wife frequently lights the fire of hatred within the home.

mother! is an experience that definitely is not for everyone, those who are squeamish or easily startled might want to steer clear. A Darren Aronofsky film is never the same experience as the one before it, who knows what he has in store next time?

Against The Clock: Review of Run All Night

Run All Night

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

By Alex Watson

Although it is entertaining and at points even thrilling action, Jaume Collett-Serra's Run All Night is a little too inconsistent throughout. Marking the third collaboration between actor Liam Neeson and Collet-Serra, this movie is in a similar vein to the previous adrenaline packed flicks Non-Stop and Unknown. Though the story has some interesting marks to it, it just doesn't feel meaty enough to raise this movie to where it needs to be.

Alcoholic mob enforcer, Jimmy Conlon (Liam Neeson) is a man who has made a mess of his life and alienated his relationship with his son Mike (Joel Kinnaman). But when his son witnesses a murder committed by Jimmy's bosses son, Danny (Boyd Holbrook) he forced into killing him to protect his life. Swearing vengeance, his former boss/friend Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris) declares open season on Jimmy! Forced into a corner, the old gunman will have one night to come out swinging to help his kid survive.

Many will no doubt assume this will be yet another Neeson effort where he simply shows up looking tough. Well the early part of Run All Night is a thankful departure from tried and tested material. We first meet Jimmy groggily waking up from another hard night drinking and being mocked by his mob comrades. His life is in a shambles and his son looks upon him with scorn- not only that by former nemesis Detective Harding (Vincent D'Onofrio) is still keeping a close eye on his former killings! The initial bonding exercise between father and son is one that is at first encouraging, but quickly burns out of fuel after a bright start.

The moment that the killing occurs, the movies tone takes a sharp turn into more formulaic action territory. Although there is an icy and memorable showdown seen between former buddies Shawn and Jimmy, the rest of the film lacks the needed ice cold formula. The introduction of fellow assassin Price (Common) fails to really add any real spice to proceedings. Possessing what appears to be his one vengeful look, this guy seems to stalk them like some kind of human terminator. Collet-Serra tries his hardest but unfortunately he cannot help the movie slip off the rails.

Sadly from here we witness what could have been a decent and hard edged crime drama descend into an action and bullet packed action flick. Jimmy is a character that although appears familiar, had the potential to be developed into something interesting. But by the finish he reduced to the typical Neeson staple of simply being handy with a fire arm. Though the finale shootout and his actions that go with it are surprisingly poignant. Just a shame that the rest of movie wasn't in keeping with this type of emotion.

Liam Neeson as usual provides great screen presence and this proves to be some of his best work in quite some time. Jimmy is a man who inside lament his lost life of being married to the mob and secretly yearns to be reunited with his son. Neeson smartly invests a great degree of warmth mixed with his usual killer edge to raise it above Bryan Mills territory. Ed Harris feels underused as the main villain which is tragic when he promises his usual hard eyed brilliance. Also look for a brief but barnstorming cameo from the great Nick Nolte- who proves he has not lost that presence in years gone by!

Run All Night is a movie that wants to be more than it really offers us, but it is a decent and predictable ride all the same. Many will always wonder how long Neeson will keep up his tough guy act? But one thing is for sure- he is pretty good at it so far!