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The Burning

It speaks to the strength of The Burning’s reputation among cult-film fans that what’s most memorable about the 1981 slasher is not that it was written by the Weinstein brothers, nor that it represents early appearances of the likes of Jason Alexander, Holly Hunter and Fisher Stevens. It’s that its Cropsy is just a damned good villain.
05/24/2013 | Comments 0

Dexter: The Seventh Season

There's no way to discuss the seventh and penultimate season of Showtime's hit Dexter without acknowledging how the previous year ended. Therefore, if you haven't finished the sixth season, stop reading now. You've got work to do.
05/21/2013 | Comments 0

Nightfall

As Simon Lam gets older, he gets better. The veteran actor has appeared in such in seminal HK action films of the 1990s as Once Upon a Time in China (opposite Jet Li) and Bullet in the Head (directed by John Woo); in the aughts, he graced audience and critical favorites Election and Ip Man.
05/20/2013 | Comments 0

Grand Duel

Lee Van Cleef enjoyed a secondary career in Italy cranking out spaghetti Westerns, with little regard to quality. However, 1972’s Grand Duel — aka The Big Showdown — is deserving of its Grand label. No wonder Quentin Tarantino borrowed its sweeping theme song by Luis Bacalov for Kill Bill; you'll recognize it in two notes.
05/20/2013 | Comments 0

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
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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