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Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)
Richard Curtis/Ol Parker, how dare you!!!
Myself and my partner, are lucky enough to have free cinema tickets every week. Which is a relief, because if i would of had to have paid for this shower, i'd probably end up hunting the writers (term used loosely) down, and personally berating them on this atrocity to cinema.
I didn't watch the first one, but my better half wanted to go, and i agreed thinking well if its just mediocre, i'm sure it'll be a feel good story.
However, i ended up leaving the theatre just plain angry.
The plot of the movie, is a young girl builds a hotel in memory of her mother. Which is fine, except it took 2 hours to tell this story. Interspersed with a large collection of ABBA hits. (I do actually enjoy ABBA's music). Links into each song were hammy, some having no relevance to the overall plotline. The links sounding something like "remember the time we went on a boat in 1979?", then it would go straight into the number. Like an am-dram production. Or a pantomime. Which is apt, as even the best performers of the hits were of that standard at best. Cher was probably the only one with any real voice, and shes kept on with that warbling bit she does.
The only real plus point of the film, is that it looked spectacular. It really was beautiful on screen, Ol Parker redeemed himself a bit here, after his efforts as co-writer.
The screenplay was actually criminal. I'm not a major Richard Curtis fan (apart from Blackadder), but his previous film, actually held some complexity to the storyline. This was basically Mr Parker and Mr Curtis, being given a list of songs that need to be performed, and being told to fit a screenplay around it. I'm sure they could of done a much better job if they tried, they both have some very good peices of work to their names. But this was just plain lazy! And to be honest insulting. 2 hours to watch a young girl open a hotel. I would of better spent my time driving around the city centre for that amount of time, listening to ABBA's greatest hits on my stereo. Performed as they should. Not by a group of people who struggle to carry a tune.
We watch a fair share of bad films when we go to the cinema. But i have never come out angry before.
Book Club (2018)
Horrible writing, saved slightly by the cinematography/cast/soundtrack
Myself and my better half get free cinema tickets weekly through our health insurance. So we take turns in picking the film we are to go and see.
She chose this film for us this week. I saw the trailer, and thought it seemed a warm enough story, with a stellar cast. Not what i would of chose, but thought i might of enjoyed it.
Unfortunately this wasn't the case. It was indeed a nice warm story perfect for a lazy sunday afternoon in the cinema. However, it was made monotonous, and at times pitiful by the clumsy repetitive attempt at humour. The cinema was not full in the slightest, maybe 20-30 people. But the continued ham-fisted attempt at making the audience laugh, only resulted in 2 older ladies being the only ones laughing out loud. The rest of the audience stared at the screen, feeling like they had been duped. I can only imagine Fonda/Garcia/Bergen, slowly slumping into their chairs as they watched this awful attempt at humour unfold at the premiere. I would describe the humour as a cross between The Golden Girls/Mrs Browns Boys = dated innuendo (for the record, i used to enjoy the golden girls).
The most enjoyable parts of the film for me, were when it wasn't trying to be funny.
The soundtrack was excellent, and the cinematography and direction was very good (especially the cut scenes of landscapes, Sedona in particular).
I'm sure this film will appeal to some. If you want a film to go and ignore for 2 hours, or enjoy a film full of tired slapstick and innuendo, then this is the film for you. It is certainly not a masterpeice however.