Review: "Battle of the Sexes"

Before Battle of the Sexes, there was When Billie Beat Bobby, the 2001 ABC television movie that first documented that legendary 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.

That effort, a deservedly forgotten one at this point, was a sanitized comedy that barely scratched the surface on either of their lives. With the usually great Ron Silver woefully miscast as Riggs and Holly Hunter valiantly trying (to little success) to liven up the proceedings as King, the picture was a pretty piss-poor tribute to one of the all-time great events in sports history.

Now, nearly two decades later, we have a big-budget feature film on King vs. Riggs, headlined by an Oscar-winning actress (Emma Stone), two other Oscar-nominated performers (Steve Carell and Elisabeth Shue) and an Oscar-winning screenwriter to boot (Simon Beaufoy).

The result, Battle of the Sexes, is an improvement over When Billie Beat Bobby, albeit only modestly so. This is not, I suspect, going to be the toast of the Oscars next year.

As the picture, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, opens, World Tennis magazine founder Gladys Heldman (Sarah Silverman) leads King and other female tennis players in bolting from the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association, which has proposed a tournament in which the female winner would get a tinsy winsy fraction of the prize the male winner would receive. They form their own tennis tour, which draws heaps of attention, including from none other than Riggs.

Riggs, once a tennis superstar in the 1940s and now 55 years old and a hopeless gambling addict, is hungry for a comeback. His first "Battle of the Sexes" against the snobby Margaret Court (Jessica McNamee) proves a walk in the park. Riggs ups the ante, with a far larger prize at stake, and draws the attention of King, whose personal life has been a topsy turvy one ever since falling head over heels for her hairdresser Marilyn (Andrea Riseborough). The rest, of course, is history.

There's a lot to like in Battle of the Sexes. For one, the performances are terrific and convicing, with Stone in far more compelling form here than last year's La La Land. Silverman is a delight as the team's imperious promoter and Austin Stowell is a nice find as Larry, King's unconditionally supportive husband. The picture also perfectly captures the look and feel of the time. 

At the same time, there's a tonal uneasiness in the sitcom-level comedy of the Riggs scenes and the tenderness and sensitivity of much of the King material. Other supporting players, especially Shue (as Riggs' perturbed wife) and Bill Pullman (as Jack Kramer, head of the Tennis Association), look completely lost at sea, saddled with thankless, thinly written roles. But perhaps most egregious of all, the big final showdown just isn't as exhilarating or inspiring a sight as it should be, as portrayed here.

The performances and palpable '70s nostalgia make Battle of the Sexes an entertaining-enough endeavor but it might be best just to check out a documentary on Billie vs. Bobby instead.

B

Review: "Our Souls at Night"

Not long ago, in anticipation of this long-awaited reunion, I went back and revisited 1967's Barefoot in the Park, the Neil Simon comedy that saw Jane Fonda and Robert Redford in the most purely adorable forms of their careers.

Barefoot, I'm afraid, hasn't aged so well. Sure, Fonda and Redford look fabulous and Mildred Natwick is a scene-stealing hoot in her Oscar-nominated turn as Fonda's mama, but it's really among the more thin and turgid Simon works. The star wattage only keeps it alive for so long.

Our Souls at Night, the first Fonda-Redford picture since 1979's The Electric Horseman, is, I'm pleased to report, a real charmer, a modest but sweet film that often soars on the chemistry of its leads.

One evening, Fonda's Addie pays a visit to her neighbor, Redford's Louis. Both are widowed and lonely and, despite living near each other for decades, never really got to know each other. Addie has an initially uneasy proposal, that it might be nice if she and Louis slept together on occasion. That is, not for sex but for company and companionship.

Without too much in the way of hesitation, they do and, slowly but surely, sparks fly. Their relationship is strengthened but later tested by the entrance of Addie's estranged son (Matthias Schoenaerts) and endearing grandson (Iain Armitage).

Souls has a slightly sluggish start and ends on a note that I didn't find entirely satisfying but, on the whole, is quite an enchanting endeavor. Fonda (in a role leaps and bounds different from her dazzling work on Grace and Frankie) and Redford are wonderful as ever and the screenplay, by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, is observant and full of insight.

One other, minor quibble - if you're going to have the legendary Bruce Dern in this thing, why only give him about three minutes of screen time and not even a scene alongside Coming Home co-star Fonda?!

B+

Review: "Stronger"

Come on, Academy, give Jake Gyllenhaal that Best Actor nomination already!

This year, at last, I suspect it actually happens. This is in part due to Best Actor not being the most set-in-stone of affairs (you've got one shoo-in, Gary Oldman, and then a whole boatload of contenders, including Gyllenhaal, Timothee Chalamet, Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell, Daniel Day-Lewis, Tom Hanks and Andrew Garfield, among others, playing jump ball). What I think also helps Gyllenhaal is his latest picture, Stronger, is much more traditionally Oscar-friendly (and, let's be honest, safe) film than the bolder, more idiosyncratic likes of Nightcrawler and Nocturnal Animals.

Stronger, the latest effort from director David Gordon Green (whose eclectic filmography manages to include George Washington, All the Real Girls, Pineapple Express and Your Highness), recounts how the unassuming Jeff Bauman (Gyllenhaal) emerges a national hero after losing both of his legs during the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. After regaining consciousness following the attack, Bauman is able to assist the FBI in identifying one of the suspects.

Upon his release, Bauman is cared for by his estranged girlfriend (Tatiana Maslany) and doting mother (Miranda Richardson), who aren't always on the same page as to what is best for their loved one. Bauman's road to recovery, both physically and emotionally, moves a grueling one, as a national spotlight is shone on a struggling man who hardly craves such attention.

Stronger is a modest endeavor for the most part, not quite as ambitious or striking as Green's first pictures but for sure more satisfying than his more recent output. What gives the proceedings a crucial lift are the three central performances.

Gyllenhaal, per usual, completely disappears into his role and doesn't resort to the twitchy gimmicks that a lesser actor may have resorted to in this role. Maslany's portrayal also has a wonderful, lived-in feel - it's a warm and honest performance from an actress who'll hopefully land many more roles of this quality on the big screen. And then there's Richardson, an inspired choice to take on the role of Bauman's colorful Massachusetts mama, a scene-stealing force right on-par with Melissa Leo's tornado of a matriarch in The Fighter.

For these three top-notch performances alone, Stronger (which otherwise isn't all that much to write home about) is totally worth a look.

B+

2017 Oscar Nomination Predictions (September)

Howdy, fellow film fans!

Over the past two months, since my first set of Oscar predictions for the year, a plethora of events have gone down is what is shaping up to be one hell of an awards season:

• Trailers dropped for a bunch of contenders - Call Me By Your Name, The Current War, Darkest Hour, The Disaster Artist, Downsizing, Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool, The Florida Project, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Lady Bird, Last Flag Flying, Molly's Game, mother!, Mudbound, Novitiate, The Shape of Water and Suburbicon.
   
• The Telluride, Toronto and Venice Film Festivals struck bolts of lightning into the Oscar campaigns of, among others, Darkest Hour, Lady Bird, Molly's Game and The Shape of Water, all garnering fabulous notices. Among those attracting a less flattering response were The Current War, Downsizing, Roman Israel, Esq. and Suburbicon.
   
• Sony Pictures Classics picked up Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool, with four-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening taking on the role of Oscar winner Gloria Grahame, for release this year. Will fifth time be the charm? (Given the early notices, odds are no.)
   
• Speaking of acquisitions, A24 landed Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird, starring Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf. Ah, the sound of 'Oscar nominee Laurie Metcalf' sure does have a nice ring to it.
   
• Also picking up distribution - I, Tonya, with Margo Robbie tearing it up as disgraced gold medal hopeful Tonya Harding (and Allison Janney as her mama!). Neon and 30WEST have snagged rights for the film.
   
• Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit opened to mostly strong notices, though was not without its detractors. At the box office, however, the picture was a total underperformer, leaving its awards season chances all the more questionable.
   
• Brie Larson Oscar bait The Glass Castle opened with a whimper, garnering lukewarm reviews and comparably anemic box office receipts.
   
• Warner Bros. announced it will launch a "groundbreaking" Oscar campaign for critical and box office smash Wonder Woman. 20th Century Fox has promised the same for War for the Planet of the Apes.

No doubt, of course, I'm overlooking something of significance that recently transpired.

Please see below my latest set of Oscar predictions, for the month of September. In parentheses you will find how many slots a contender has moved up or down since my last rankings. In many cases, I have dropped a film or performer entirely. (Also, I'm still holding off on predictions in Best Foreign Language Film and Best Documentary Feature.)

Enjoy and, as always, feel free to comment with your own thoughts as well!

Best Picture

1. Dunkirk (-)
2. The Shape of Water (NEW)
3. Darkest Hour (-)
4. Call Me By Your Name (-)
5. The Post (-3)
6. Last Flag Flying (NEW)
7. The Florida Project (NEW)
8. Mudbound (NEW)
9. Wonder Wheel (+4)
   ---
10. Battle of the Sexes (NEW)
11. Coco (NEW)
12. Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri (NEW)
13. Blade Runner 2049 (-3)
14. Phantom Thread (-10)
15. Lady Bird (NEW)

DROPPED
The Current War (-10)
Detroit (-9)
Marshall (-8)
Breathe (-7)
mother! (-5)
The Big Sick (-4)
Victoria & Abdul (-2)
Get Out (-1)

Best Director

1. Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water (NEW)
2. Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk (+1)
3. Joe Wright, Darkest Hour (-1)
4. Luca Guadagnino, Call Me By Your Name (+4)
5. Steven Spielberg, The Post (-4)
   ---
6. Dee Rees, Mudbound (NEW)
7. Denis Villenueve, Blade Runner 2049 (-)
8. Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread (-4)
9. Woody Allen, Wonder Wheel (NEW)
10. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, Battle of the Sexes (NEW)

DROPPED
Darren Aronofsky, mother! (-6)
Kathryn Bigelow, Detroit (-5)
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, The Current War (-2)
Andy Serkis, Breathe (-1)

Best Lead Actor

1. Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour (-)
2. Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name (NEW)
3. Jake Gyllenhaal, Stronger (+3)
4. Bryan Cranston, Last Flag Flying (+4)
5. Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread (-3)
   ---
6. Andrew Garfield, Breathe (-2)
7. James Franco, The Disaster Artist (NEW)
8. Steve Carell, Last Flag Flying (NEW)
9. Tom Hanks, The Post (-2)
10. Denzel Washington, Roman Israel, Esq. (-1)

DROPPED
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Current War (-8)
Chadwick Boseman, Marshall (-6)
Donald Sutherland, The Leisure Seeker (-1)

Best Lead Actress

1. Emma Stone, Battle of the Sexes (+7)
2. Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri (+4)
3. Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water (NEW)
4. Jessica Chastain, Molly's Game (+1)
5. Kate Winslet, Wonder Wheel (-1)
   ---
6. Meryl Streep, The Post (-5)
7. Annette Bening, Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (+2)
8. Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird (NEW)
9. Glenn Close, The Wife (+1)
10. Judi Dench, Victoria & Abdul (-8)

DROPPED
Jennifer Lawrence, mother! (-8)
Claire Foy, Breathe (-4)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project (+8)
2. Michael Stuhlbarg, Call Me By Your Name (+2)
3. Ben Mendelsohn, Darkest Hour (-1)
4. Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri (NEW)
5. Laurence Fishburne, Last Flag Flying (NEW)
   ---
6. Michael Shannon, The Shape of Water (NEW)
7. Armie Hammer, Call Me By Your Name (-1)
8. Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water (NEW)
9. Idris Elba, Molly's Game (NEW)
10. Jason Mitchell, Mudbound (-2)

DROPPED
Michael Shannon, The Current War (-10)
Sterling K. Brown, Marshall (-8)
Steve Carell, Last Flag Flying (-6)
Colin Farrell, Roman Israel, Esq. (-4)
Ray Romano, The Big Sick (-1)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Melissa Leo, Novitiate (-)
2. Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water (NEW)
3. Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird (NEW)
4. Holly Hunter, The Big Sick (-)
5. Kristin Scott-Thomas, Darkest Hour (-3)
   ---
6. Allison Janney, I, Tonya (NEW)
7. Michelle Pfeiffer, mother! (-4)
8. Hong Chau, Downsizing (NEW)
9. Julianne Moore, Wonderstruck (-1)
10. Mary J. Blige, Mudbound (NEW)

DROPPED
Carrie Coon, The Post (-6)
Katherine Waterston, The Current War (-5)
Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread (-4)
Kirsten Dunst, The Beguiled (-3)
Nicole Kidman, The Killing of a Sacred Deer (-1)

Best Original Screenplay

1. Anthony McCarten, Darkest Hour (-)
2. Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water (NEW)
3. Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri (NEW)
4. Woody Allen, Wonder Wheel (-)
5. Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch, The Florida Project (NEW)
   ---
6. Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird (NEW)
7. Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, The Big Sick (-2)
8. Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread (-6)
9. Jordan Peele, Get Out (-)
10. Simon Beaufoy, Battle of the Sexes (NEW)

DROPPED
The Current War (-8)
Suburbicon (-6)
Downsizing (-4)
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (-3)
Marshall (-1)

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. James Ivory, Call Me By Your Name (+1)
2. Dee Rees and Virgil Williams, Mudbound (+4)
3. Liz Hannah and Josh Singer, The Post (-2)
4. Richard Linklater and Darryl Ponicsan, Last Flag Flying (-1)
5. Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, The Disaster Artist (NEW)
   ---
6. Aaron Sorkin, Molly's Game (+1)
7. Peter Fellos, Armando Iannucci, Ian Martin, Fabien Nury, Theirry Robin and David Schneider, The Death of Stalin (NEW)
8. Andrew Haigh, Lean on Pete (-)
9. Sofia Coppola, The Beguiled (-3)
10. Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, Blade Runner 2049 (-)

DROPPED
Victoria & Abdul (-7)
On Chesil Beach (-2)

Best Animated Feature

1. Coco (-)
2. Loving Vincent (NEW)
3. The Breadwinner (-1)
4. Cars 3 (-1)
5. Despicable Me 3 (-)
   ---
6. Ferdinand (-2)
7. The Lego Batman Movie (-1)
8. The Lego Ninjago (-)
9. Leap! (NEW)
10. Captain Underpants (-1)

DROPPED
The Star (-4)
My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea (-1)

Best Cinematography

1. Hoyte Van Hoytema, Dunkirk (+1)
2. Roger Deakins, Blade Runner 2049 (-1)
3. Bruno Delbonnel, Darkest Hour (+1)
4. Dan Laustsen, The Shape of Water (NEW)
5. Janusz Kaminski, The Post (+2)
   ---
6. Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Call Me By Your Name (+2)
7. Vittorio Storaro, Wonder Wheel (NEW)
8. Rachel Morrison, Mudbound (NEW)
9. Edward Lachmann, Wonderstruck (-)
10. Masanobu Takayanagi, Hostiles (NEW)

DROPPED
Detroit (-8)
Breathe (-6)
mother! (-5)
The Beguiled (-1)

Best Costume Design

1. Jacqueline Durran, Darkest Hour (+2)
2. Consolata Boyle, Victoria & Abdul (-)
3. Sandy Powell, Wonderstruck (NEW)
4. Mark Bridges, Phantom Thread (-3)
5. Ellen Miojnick, The Greatest Showman (+1)
   ---
6. Jacqueline Durran, Beauty and the Beast (+1)
7. Alexandra Byrne and Timothy Everest, Murder on the Orient Express (+1)
8. Ann Roth, The Post (NEW)
9. Lindy Hemming, Wonder Woman (+1)
10. Mary Zophres, Battle of the Sexes (NEW)

DROPPED
The Beguiled (-7)
Marshall (-6)
The Current War (-3)

Best Film Editing

1. Lee Smith, Dunkirk (-)
2. Sidney Wolinsky, The Shape of Water (NEW)
3. Valerio Bonelli, Darkest Hour (+3)
4. Michael Kahn, The Post (-2)
5. Bob Ducsay, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (+4)
   ---
6. William Hoy and Stan Salfas, War for the Planet of the Apes (NEW)
7. Pamela Martin, Battle of the Sexes (NEW)
8. Joe Walker, Blade Runner 2049 (-4)
9. Walter Fasano, Call Me By Your Name (NEW)
10. Mako Kamitsuna, Mudbound (NEW)

DROPPED
Phantom Thread (-6)
The Current War (-4)
Baby Driver (-3)
mother! (-1)

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

1. Anita Burger, David Malinkowski and Lucy Sibbick, Darkest Hour (-)
2. Paula Fleet and Patricia Keighran, The Shape of Water (NEW)
3. Flora Moody and Allison Sing, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (-1)
   ---
4. Lizza Lawson, Jo-Ann MacNiel and Donald Mowat, Blade Runner 2049 (NEW)
5. Jacqueline Bhavnani, Samantha Denyer, Sarah Kelly and Bradley Simms, Beauty and the Beast (-2)
6. Haruyo Sawada and Torsten Witte, Battle of the Sexes (NEW)
7. Sunday English, Gary English, Nicki Ledermann, Angela Levin,Gary Martori, Jerry Popolis, Rania Ribalow, Pamela S. Westmore and Nakoya Yancey, The Greatest Showman (-3)
8. Jerry DeCarlo and Claus Lulla, Wonderstruck (-)
9. Alexis Continente, Carol Hemming, Dana Kalder, Jutta Russell, Chiara Ugolini and Wakana Yoshihara, Murder on the Orient Express (-4)
10. Sarah Craig, Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram, Debra Manou, Emily O'Quinn and Sean Sansom, It (NEW)

DROPPED
The Current War (-5)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (-4)
Logan (-2)
mother! (-1)

Best Original Score

1. Alexandre Desplat, The Shape of Water (+5)
2. Hans Zimmer, Dunkirk (-)
3. Dario Marianelli, Darkest Hour (-)
4. John Williams, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (+4)
5. Thomas Newman, Victoria & Abdul (-)
   ---
6. John Williams, The Post (-5)
7. Hans Zimmer, Blade Runner 2049 (-)
8. Carter Burwell, Wonderstruck (NEW)
9. John Debney, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, The Greatest Showman (+1)
10. Dustin O'Halloran, The Current War (-6)

DROPPED
Jonny Greenwood, Phantom Thread (-2)

Best Production Design

1. Nathan Crowley, Dunkirk (+2)
2. Paul D. Austerberry, The Shape of Water (+2)
3. Sarah Greenwood, Darkest Hour (-2)
4. Dennis Gassner, Blade Runner 2049 (-2)
5. David J. Bomba, Mudbound (NEW)
   ---
6. Nathan Crowley, The Greatest Showman (-)
7. Aline Bonetto, Wonder Woman (NEW)
8. Rick Heinrichs, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (NEW)
9. Sarah Finley and Adam Squires, Victoria & Abdul (-)
10. Rick Carter, The Post (NEW)

DROPPED
Phantom Thread (-6)
The Beguiled (-5)
The Current War (-4)
mother! (-1)

Best Sound Editing

1. Richard King, Dunkirk (-)
2. Matthew Wood, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (-)
3. Will Files, War for the Planet of the Apes (NEW)
4. Nathan Robitaille, The Shape of Water (NEW)
5. Theo Green and Mark A. Mangini, Blade Runner 2049 (-2)
   ---
6. Julian Slater, Baby Driver (-1)
7. James Mather, Wonder Woman (NEW)
8. Scott Hecker, Hostiles (NEW)
9. Richard Hymns, The Post (-3)
10. Justin Doyle, Coco (NEW)

DROPPED
Detroit (-7)
The Current War (-4)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (-3)
Beauty and the Beast (-2)
Darkest Hour (-1)

Best Sound Mixing

1. Gregg Landaker, Gary Rizzo and Mark Weingarten, Dunkirk (-)
2. David Parker and Michael Semanchick, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (-)
3. Christian T. Cooke, Filip Hosek and Brad Zoern, The Shape of Water (NEW)
4. Bill Bair, Will Files, Tom Lalley, Douglas Murray and Andy Nelson, War for the Planet of the Apes (NEW)
5. Ron Barlett, Doug Hemphill and Mac Ruth, Blade Runner 2049 (-)
   ---
6. Paul Munro, Wonder Woman (NEW)
7. Gary Rydstrom,The Post (-2)
8. Craig Berkey and Roger J. Sacdalan, Darkest Hour (-1)
9. Tim Cavagin and Julian Slater, Baby Driver (-1)
10. Christopher Boyes and Michael Semanchick, Coco (-)

DROPPED
Detroit (-7)
The Current War (-5)
Phantom Thread (-2)

Best Visual Effects

1. Richard Bain, Ben Morris and Michael Mulholland, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (-)
2. Dennis Berardi and Kristen Bligh, The Shape of Water (+4)
3. Ryan Cook, Dan Lemmon, Joe Letteri and Erik Winquist, War for the Planet of the Apes (+3)
4. Richard Clegg, Paul Lambert, Victor Muller and John Nelson, Blade Runner 2049 (-2)
5. Andrew Jackson, Andrew Lockley and Tim McGovern, Dunkirk (-2)
   ---
6. Frazer Churchill, Viktor Muller, Jessica Norman and Bill Westenhofer, Wonder Woman (+1)
7. Kyle McCulloch, David Piombino, Kelly Port and Glen Pratt, Beauty and the Beast (-3)
8. Dan Bethell, Theodore Bialek, Vincent Cirelli, Lou Pecora and Doug Spilatro, Spider-Man: Homecoming (-)
9. Matthew Crnich, Ray McMaster, Kevin Andrew Smith, Doug Spilatro and Christopher Townsend, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (-)
10. Vincent Cirelli, Jake Morrison, Brendan Seals, Alexis Wajsbrot and Chad Wiebe,Thor: Ragnarok (-)

Review: "mother!"

Move over, It. There's a new, genuinely terrifying and all-around amazing horror film in town.

Darren Aronofsky's latest picture, the much-anticipated mother!, is a certifiably batshitcrazy delight that makes the likes of Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan (both of which I adore) look like entries out of the Shirley Temple filmography. It has the feel of a pet project that could have only come to fruition after the filmmaker first proved himself through less idiosyncratic fare.

Without revealing too much in the way of spoilers, mother! opens on Mother (Jennifer Lawrence) and Him (Javier Bardem), a couple leading a reasonably picturesque life, even though their creaky, isolated house, sorely in need of renovation, is making her uneasy and he's got a wicked case of writer's block. One evening, a Man (Ed Harris) drops by. Much to Mother's chagrin, Him invites this stranger, who's in rough physical shape, to spend the night.

The following morning, a Woman (Michelle Pfeiffer), Man's wife, strolls in. Again, Him welcomes with open arms, while Mother is decidedly uneasy about the visitors. Before long, the children of Man and Woman make their entrance and then a whole host of other shit goes down that leaves Mother all the more antsy and Him all the more elated by the attention.

Since this is an Aronofsky picture, you know there are no limits of audacity to which the filmmaker will take this set-up but even his prior films considered, mother! descends into a hell-like direction that is heaps more rattling and violent than even the wildest of expectations.

mother! is a scrumptious feast for Aronofsky fans in so many regards. While not quite as awe-inspiring as his work on Black Swan, Matthew Libatique's photography on the picture is sublime and the proceedings are also a master class in sound mixing and editing. While the latter half of the film is glorious in its unabashed madness, I found the mother! especially riveting early on, as the filmmaker slowly packs the picture with tension and provides his stellar cast with characters and dialogue worthy of their immense talents.

Lawrence, bewildered and exasperated, and Bardem, intense and irascible, have never been better and Pfeiffer is a fabulous, scene-stealing hoot. While I'm skeptical mother! will have the greatest of box office legs or resonate with an Academy notoriously cool on horror cinema, it would be awesome to see all or any of these actors make an awards season run this year.

Right on the same level as Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan (and this year's other great chiller, It Comes at Night), mother! is an absolute must-see for fans of Aronofsky, his cast and horror pictures in general. CinemaScore be damned!

A-