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THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
'Mama' promises a big scare but lacks mystery on screen
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Annabat (jessica Chastain) runs afoul of her nieces' jealous supernatural guardian in Andres Murchieini's horror thriller "Mama."
LANDON MCDONALD
imcdonald@kansan.com
"Mama!" a maddening exercise in style overtaking suspense, a supremely creepy premise undone by gaping plot holes and saddled with a derivative, CGI-laden finale that shows entirely too much of the titular ghoul.
Despite the luminous presence of Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain ("Zero Dark Thirty") and the guiding hand of executive producer Guillermo del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth," "The Devil's Backbone"), Andrés Muschietti's feature-length debut seems destined for the PG-13 "soft horror" bargain bin, a cinematic purgatory where jump scares reign supreme and quality aberrations like "The Sixth Sense." "The Mothman Prophecies" and "The Others" are few and far between.
The film starts off as a particularly grim fairy tale centered on Victoria (Megan Charpentier) and her younger sister Lilly (Isabelle Nelise), two little girls who survive in the forest for five years after both their parents are killed. By the time of their rescue, both children have been reduced to feral, monosyllabic wretches, barely capable of speech and seemingly beyond the thrall of civilization. Dr. Dreyfuss (Daniel Kash) becomes fascinated with their case, particularly their relationship with the invisible caregiver they call Mama, who Victoria claims has followed them back from the wilderness.
In order to study them further, Dreyfuss arranges for the girls to move in with their Uncle Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Walda) and his new wife Annabel (Chastain), a disaffected feminist still clinging to adolescent dreams of punk rock stardom. Chastain, almost unrecognizable beneath a black dye-job and globs of Joan jett eyeliner, nails the gradual awakening of Annaebel's long-repressed maternal instincts in ways both understated and touching, hardly two words one would normally associate with the horror genre. Her character are
is easily the film's most involving aspect.
Frankly, the main problem with the movie is Mama herself, who, of course, ends up being very real and wreaks ghostly havoc on the family after Victoria starts preferring the company of the flesh-and-blood Annabel. Mama's true form is one of those spindly, waterlogged wraths that have become ubiquitous since the heyday of J-Horror crossover hits like "Ringu" and "Ju-on: The Grudge." Even her excessive back-story, told through a
series of murky flashbacks, takes its cues from Gore Verbinski's 2002 version of "The Ring."
The film also makes the mistake of having Mama pop up almost constantly during the final act, robbing her of any remaining mystery or tacit dread. Have we forgotten what made "Alien" and "Jaws" so effective at shocking audiences back in the day? When it comes to inducing terror, less is more. One of the very best modern examples is Neil Marshall's 2005 spelunking shocker "The Descent," where the monsters aren't even seen until nearly an hour into the movie.
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Muschietti, who adapted "Mama" from his celebrated 2008 short film of the same name, is undoubtedly a talented filmmaker, one with a firm command of atmosphere and the rare ability to elicit natural performances from very young actors (Charpentier and the nearly mute Nelise are both admittedly fantastic). Yet a second viewing of the original short makes the flaws on display here seem even more egregious by comparison. In the 2008 "Mama," we don't know a thing about this creature or why she's after these girls. We never even see her face. Now that's scary.
CATCH OF THE WEEK
WHY ARE YOU A CATCH?
Because I genuinely care about people.
I would love to go to Bora Boral I prefer warm weather to the cold Kansas climate. Bora Bora's ocean is clear for miles and has beautiful beaches. Not to mention I could wear my swim trunks all day!
TURN-ONS: A girl who enjoys exercising, is independent and wears cowboy boots.
IF YOU COULD TAKE A TRIP ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO AND WHY?
TURN-OFFS: Burping or a really obnoxious laugh
HOMETOWN: McPherson, KS
YEAR: Senior
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INTERESTED IN: Woman
I would do whatever my date wants to do, her choice.
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WOULD YOU RATHER GO CLUBBING OR HAVE A CANDLELIGHT DINNER?
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WHAT'S YOUR IDEAL WOMAN LIKE?
She would have a nice tan, big blue eyes and a beautiful smile. My ideal woman would also have solid morals, a fun personality, enjoy sports and the occasional adventure.
WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 APPS ON YOUR PHONE?
To nominate next week's Catch, email the entertainment editor Laken Rapier at Irapier@kansan.com
Bigger audience expected for opera
THEATER
"I think going to the opera is a great chance to see something new" director John Stephens said. "There's nothing quite like the experience of hearing someone who has a really beautiful, strong, trained voice sing live."
The same can be said for the upcoming production. With several graduate voice students leading the show, there should be no shortage of strong voices throughout the cast.
BRET IVY
BRET IVY bivy@kansan.com
"Tartuffe," Stephens says, tells the tale of a hypocrite who comes into the good graces of a man named Orgon, who is a wealthy Parisian. Tartuffe, who claims to be a highly religious man, comes to live with Orgon and his family, but tries to steal their money and
KU Opera is hoping to bring a new audience to this form of entertainment with its upcoming production of "Tartuffe."
"Tartuffe' is different in a way that may bring in newer audience members," Stephens said. "It's in English, and it's a play that many people are aware of, as well. The subject matter is also one that a lot of people like to see, what with a hypocrite getting his comeuppance."
After months of rehearing, the cast of "Tartuffe" is ready to perform on Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 27 at 2:30 p.m. Performances will be in the Crafton-Preyer Theater in Murphy Hall. Tickets cost $10 for students and $15 for general admission.
People still might be scared away from "Tartuffe" because of the idea that the opera may be too foreign for them. "Tartuffe" promises to be different.
Orgon's wife. It takes much work from the family to get him to see the hypocrite Tuffe really is.
— Edited by Megan Hinman
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