Variety: Penelope Cruz is the wellspring of all womanly virtues in “Ma ma,” one of those actor-driven projects that enshrine a star’s ideal vision of themselves without necessarily tapping into what’s interesting or surprising about them as a performer. Focusing on a Madrid mother whose breast cancer is just the most prominent of many tearjerking elements, Julio Medem’s film is a smiling-through-tears saga whose generally tasteful execution can’t ultimately salvage a whopping load of maudlin contrivance, all designed to burnish the halo around St. Penelope. She’ll power mainstream box office in Spanish-speaking markets and other fanbases, but elsewhere the pic won’t be getting the reviews to gain any arthouse traction. Oscilloscope claimed U.S. rights just before Toronto premiere.
When it comes to giving a monster a face, or a creature its unique mannerisms, creature actors can elevate the material in a way that pure CGI just hasn't been able to. Two of the very best creature actors that you've probably seen in countless well-known movies, but won't be able to recognise at first glance are Javier Botet and Doug Jones.
AVClub: Around the turn of the millennium, Julio Medem seemed on track to become the most accomplished and internationally popular Spanish filmmaker since Pedro Almodóvar. His fourth and fifth films—1998’s Lovers Of The Arctic Circle and 2001’s Sex And Lucía—were visually splendid, passionate, and personal, with a perspective on romance that was as complex as it was life-affirming. But Medem’s movies since then haven’t gotten nearly as much acclaim or attention, and now with Ma Ma he appears to be struggling to get his mojo back. While every bit as snazzy as his best-known work, Ma Ma’s corny simplicity makes its many flourishes look excessive, and even desperate.
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In celebration of the Guillermo del Toro-produced horror film Mama debuting on Blu-ray and DVD today, we were invited along to take a tour of the darker side of Hollywood. Sure, it’s all fame and fortune for the relative few who make it in this town, but the ones who came close – and the stars who think themselves invincible – sometimes meet a grisly end. In this city of glitz and glamour there’s plenty of gruesome gore to be found, and the folks at Starline Tours know just where to look. Hit the jump to come along on our recap of the tour that took us through some of Hollywood’s most famous haunts and be sure to check out writer-director Andres Muschietti’s Mama, now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
