Movie reviews: The Addams Family, Pain And Glory
THE ADDAMS FAMILY (PG)
Rating: 2.5/5
The 1991 supernatural black comedy film is a classic that deserves all my finger snaps.
The creepy-kooky Addams family was one of a kind, Anjelica Huston will forever be immortalised as Morticia and little Christina Ricci stole scenes as Wednesday - until Cousin Itt entered the frame of course.
So it a macabre idea to attempt to redo such hallowed property - even in animation form.
This version centres on how a popular reality TV home makeover maven (Allison Janney) schemes to get rid of the Addams family, all while Gomez (Oscar Isaac) prepares Pugsley (Finn Wolfhard) for a rite of passage and Morticia (Charlize Theron) is aghast that Wednesday (Chloe Grace Moretz) wants to explore junior high.
There are some sly, funny touches, but the storyline is thin and forgettable, and the voice cast merely sound like their predecessors.
The overall message celebrating diversity and inclusion does strike a bigger chord in 2019, but unless you have kids who want to get acquainted with this clan, you're better off rewatching the original movie. - JEANMARIE TAN
PAIN AND GLORY (M18)
Rating: 3/5
Antonio Banderas is receiving Oscar attention for his role as Salvador Mallo, an ageing film-maker in physical decline who discovers he can move towards a more hopeful future only upon reconciling with his past.
Pain And Glory is a loosely autobiographical retrospective drama from Oscar-winning Spanish writer-director Pedro Almodovar, Banderas' long-time collaborator.
As it is such an elegiac slow burn, cutting back and forth in time to key stages in Salvador's life, it demands one to be in an introspective mood so full immersion can take place.
Banderas gives such a melancholic performance, yet the cheeky sparkle in his eyes never dims, as his character reflects on his childhood, reunites with his first love and grapples with debilitating ailments that have arrested his creativity.
There is much emotional nakedness in front of and behind the camera, and the wistfulness stays with you long after the credits roll. - JEANMARIE TAN
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