Saturday 18 May
 
 

The Last Stand

Early in The Last Stand, the small-town sheriff played by Arnold Schwarzenegger says, "It's my day off. Should be a quiet weekend." That's the new way of saying, "I've got one week to retirement," because it signals — with flashing neon and everything — that life is going to royally upend those plans.
05/17/2013 | Comments 0

Texas Chainsaw

One of the most inconsistent franchises in movie history is the one beget by Tobe Hooper's 1974 classic, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. How does one follow all those less-than-beloved sequels? Lionsgate's latest in the series — the seventh — has a solution: Ignore 'em.
05/17/2013 | Comments 0

Captain America: Collector’s Edition

Not long after Batman changed Hollywood in the summer of 1989, every studio wanted to have the next comics-based blockbuster. I remember visiting Penn Square Mall’s multiplex (as I did often back then) and seeing a poster for Captain America. The one-sheet was comprised of little more than a close-up of Cap’s iconic shield and a promise to arrive next summer.
05/16/2013 | Comments 0

Dark Circles

With the Broken Lizard comedy troupe becoming increasingly broken, member Paul Soter has branched off to write and direct something about as far away as one can get from the likes of Super Troopers and Beerfest: a horror film. Now that I've seen it, I'm thinking maybe he should stay on his own.
05/16/2013 | Comments 0

Die! Die! My Darling!

File 1965's Die! Die! My Darling! under that now-dead subgenre dubbed "Grande Dame Guignol." The Hammer Films production may lack the dueling duo of two twilight-era titans of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and the others, but truth be told, Tallulah Bankhead is fierce enough to provide all the fire it needs.
05/14/2013 | Comments 0
Home · Articles · Movies · Comedy · Mamma Mia!
Comedy

Mamma Mia!


None January 8th, 2009

mammamia

2008

I enjoyed this ABBA smorgasbord, but I didn't actually like the movie, which by any trustworthy standard is lousy. The songs aren't handled well, The choreography is non-existent "” just a lot of running from one place to another, arms waving, and then running back again. Non-singers can frequently get away with non-singing, but non-dancers are just laughable. Director Phyllida Lloyd is left standing at the gate, not sure in which direction she's supposed to run.

There is a plot, but it has nothing to do with the songs. Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), who is getting married tomorrow, has invited three men her mom (Meryl Streep) had flings with, any one of whom could be her father. She thinks she will recognize the right one when she sees him, which, faster than you can say "DNA testing" "” and no one ever does "” is a crock of Greek sheep dip.

Two things make this watchable. ABBA knew a catchy melodic hook, although their lyrics were and are terrible "” a blend of clich

 
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
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