Okay, so I went to the theater today - the Winnetka 21 - to see "Mother!" by Darren Aronofsky. The exclamation point is part of the title, and I guess after seeing the movie it's understandable. This is one film that definitely requires an exclamation point.
I went mostly at Grimsley's insistence. As you know, for most films that are made nowdays, I can wait for the dvd. Obviously, movies were made to be seen in a theater and there is no comparison of dvd with the theater experience, but I don't often go because I don't like a lot of the movies being made nowdays, and there is also the "sick-of-doing-everything-by-myself" factor. But Grimsley, once he starts hounding you to go to something, sometimes it best to just go, haha, just to stop the hounding.
Some movies I go to without needing outside motivation, like "Dunkirk" or "IT". Those are movies I know are gonna be Tens. With Darren Aronofsky, I am about a halfway fan. I like but do not love him as a director. I really liked "Pi", his debut, but did not much care for "Requiem For A Dream". I thought "The Wrestler" was good, but that was not a true Aronofsky movie, as he did not write it. I think he did write "The Fountain", and that was my favorite film by him so far, because he turned down the Attention Deficit Disorder editing and camerawork, and actually put some feeling into his storyline. It was a heartfelt film in the deepest sense.
"Black Swan" you know about. He didn't write that one either, but it still retained a good bit of his deranged directorial signature, even in a big Hollywood production. Elizabeth, if you are reading, I know you loved that movie, and after "The Fountain" it is my second favorite film by him. "Black Swan" also won Natalie Portman the Oscar and made a ton of money, which probably helped Aronofsky to keep getting work, as many of his films, save "The Wrestler", had not done well at the box office.
Which brings us to "Mother!". I said this to the guys at the King's X board, and I will say it again here. You can file this one under the "What Were They Smokin'? " category, and the answer is "PCP".
"Mother!" is so over-the-top as to be almost unclassifiable It is Aronofsky Unleashed. It's probably the movie he's been wanting to make all along. Mostly, you could call it a Horror Movie (which it certainly is), with multiple references to "Rosemary's Baby", but any attempt at labeling ends there. Some viewers are attaching all kinds of religious metaphors to the story, some of which may be accurate (as I found myself thinking similar things in certain places), but overall I think it is best to enter the theater with no preconceived notions of what "Mother!" is about, and it is probably best to leave the theater that way, as well.
The main actors are all excellent : Jennifer Lawrence holds the whole thing together and has to go through the proverbial wringer. Much of the focus is literally her face, shown in extreme close-up throughout. The always reliable Javier Bardem is her husband, who in this case is neglectful....um....in the extreme....?
You see, they live alone, in this big old country house in the middle of what looks like wilderness. But all of a sudden, all these....people show up. Really weird people, starting with weirdo Ed Harris and then his Virago of a wife, played by Michelle Pfeiffer. She had been gone from movies, it seemed, for quite a while, but boy does she jump back in with "Mother!".
For the first half of the film, you have this intrusive weirdness of Harris & Pfeiffer, set in a very scary environment. That part of the film I loved, and give it a 10, with big Thumbs Up.
But the second part of the film, which descends into chaos that even Darren Aronofsky cannot describe (he has said he doesn't know the meaning), is somewhat less well done.
It's beyond weird. It's far different than most films. But, having followed a very good horror movie set-up in the first half, which leaves you hoping for a good payoff in the second half, the movie not only goes out of control, quite literally, but it goes on for too long and thus loses any hope of redemption for the storyline, which showed so much promise in the first half.
But I can see that this movie was never about storyline. Still, it is a must-see, just because you have never seen a movie like it. You might like it (as I did), or love it (as did Grimsley), or you might hate it (as have many viewers over at IMDB). But see it if you get the chance, and see for yourself.
I, for one, would like to see Aronofsky take his Ritalin and make some cohesive and truly well-done Art Movies. Or if not, to simply work as a stylistic director of other people's scripts, ala "Wrestler" and especially "Black Swan". He may not, on his own, be another David Lynch, but go see "Mother!" anyway. It will certainly be different from anything you have seen, and Grimsley will hound you if you don't go.
So there you have it. :)
Elizabeth, if you are reading, I saw the photo on FB of you and your friend at the Apple Orchard. That was a very nice picture of you, and as always I hope you are doing well. I wish we had an apple orchard to visit around here. We do have some citrus groves, however. Anyway, it looks like a wonderful place to be, especially as we are on the cusp of Fall. I'll bet you had a nice time.
Post if you wanna. :):)
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