| Flicks

FLICKS: Mommy, Above and Beyond & Shock Pop

Posted on 12 February 2015 by LeslieM

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

In the midst of Academy Awards season, two new movies are actually opening this weekend. Both Mommy and Above and Beyond are very diverse motion pictures. Each film will appeal to different audiences.

Mommy is a film from Montreal, Canada spoken in French with English subtitles. It was Canada’s submission to the Oscar race and was a Jury Prize winner at the Cannes Film Festival. Mommy is a simple story about a mother dealing with her mentally ill son.

The film opens with a car accident, as Mommy — Diane “Die” Despress (Anne Dorval) — cusses out the driver she hit. She is picking her son Steve (Antoine- Olivier Pilon) up from Detention. Steve’s behavior was so atrocious that detention can’t reform him and further disciplinary behavior modifications are expected.

Under this gloomy premise, Mommy has some beautiful moments. The Depress family makes friends with next door neighbor Kyla (Suzanne Clement), a shy academic with a stammer. From the emotional rollercoaster ride from happiness to sadness, the acting feels too real. This film is an exhaustive drama in the vein of a Eugene O’Neill or Tennessee Williams play.

Above and Beyond is a spirited documentary about the formation of the Israeli Air Force, circa 1948. Produced by Nancy Spielberg, this film features interviews from surviving aviators and family members. Among the most recognizable faces is Pee Wee Herman (Paul Rubenfeld), whose late father was one of the most heroic pilots of the first wave of Israeli pilots.

Featuring a mix of archive footage seamlessly edited with special effects from Industrial Light and Magic, Above and Beyond is thrilling history retold. There is personal loss, but there are also so many life-affirming moments of young aviators in search of adventure. It is only through the wisdom of aging that these young adventurers realized they accomplished so much more for their family, faith and friends.

Tomorrow Freddy Krueger, Elvira, Dr. Who, Steven Bauer. Linnea Quigley and Herschell Gordon Lewis invade the Ft. Lauderdale Convention Center for Shock Pop. This is the biggest movie/comic book convention to come to South Florida in over a decade. For more information, visit www.shockpopcomiccon.com.

Comments are closed.

Advertise Here
Advertise Here