Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

MA

This film was such a disappointment! This film had a interesting character study psychology but it never is fully utilized to it’s full potential. The film is incredibly predictable and shallow in character development as the main lead played by Octavia Spencer and the one teenager in the film get the most backstory to their characters everyone else falls into the background and we learn nothing about them so theirs nothing for us the audience to grab onto to invest into the characters with they just are recyclable character tropes we’ve seen time and time again. 

First off, This film tries so hard with its marketing to make it seem like it’s pushing the envelope with its violence and gore. When it really doesn’t it has the potential to go the distance and go far with the violence not in a disturbing way but to make it truly scary and it doesn’t. As for majority of the film nothing happens theirs some stalker like things but only near the end does something happen that is exciting to watch as the last final 10 minutes show some exciting things but to have to wait to the last 10 minutes for something to happen is total bullshit. This film always hints at going further yet it pulls back and never goes for it which sucked. Then on top of that the film was way to predictable as every scene I saw in this film I guessed everything that would go down as their have been so many films of this nature down before and this film does nothing to set itself apart or try something new it just reuses a lot of the same crap a lot of horror film tropes have used in the past and interject it into a story with some Interesting elements. 

The Only positive I can give this film is Octavia Spencer’s performance she was very self aware of what this kind of film was and she was playing her part marvellously and really had a ton of fun onscreen as you could tell and she did the best with what she had with the script as she is the only one actually giving a good performance this entire film. She gives a very creepy and eerie performance that is chilling. 

Lastly, MA is a failed attempt at scaring the audience or even entertaining them as it was overused tropes a predictable and boring story with very little action or excitement in it and Octavia Spencer is the only saving aspect to this film Ma is a misstep of a film with a great central performance in a bad movie. 

Rated R : for violent/disturbing material, language throughout, sexual content, and for teen drug and alcohol use

This film revolves around a group of teens that start from wanting to get booze to party but when a woman willingly pays for it for them begins to get attached to them and tells them they can party at her house privately but they quickly learn theirs more to her then meets the eye 

Octavia Spencer : Spencer gives a chilling performance! The Oscar winning actress has given amazing work In films like the Help and Hidden Figures but she’s always usually done dramatic parts and we’ve never seen her really delve into something else genre wise and so to see her in a psychological thriller was refreshing to see. As you can see throughout the entire film she’s having an absolute blast with the role she plays as she just relishes in every frame of this film. She is very self aware of what the character needed emotionally to come across onscreen and what was needed to bring that layer of creepiness to the front of her performance. She is very emotive within her eyes a lot of the time in this film and it’s a fantastic skill as she can be very warm and kind in a second and the next have her eyes go totally black and be incredibly unhinged. Octavia squeezes as much energy she can muster from herself to bring onscreen as the script was poorly done so she really musters together a solid performance that is escalates herself above everyone else because she’s actually trying to give a good performance. She brings as much  depth to the character that she can with fantastic layered emotional range and incredible charisma. Her delivery with some of her dialogue was so well done as it sometimes could come across as heartbreaking and terrifying and Octavia Sheds so many sides to her character which makes for amazing moments emotionally and she steps up to the plate to deliver a terrifying performance in this film. Octavia never half asses her performances she always commits regardless of the material and it shows as Octavia leaps off the screen and gives a damn good performance in an other wise mediocre movie. 

Tate Taylor : What happened Tate! You directed the critically acclaimed The Help and then gave us MA what happened. This man is a great filmmaker from work like Winters Bone to The Help. So I’m very confused to how he would back a film like this and not be able to make it at all entertaining. To his credit he didn’t write the shitty script he just directed it but still he could of made this so much better with his great vision he usually interjects in his films. As here it was very sloppy and predictable as the characters felt hollow and empty expect for Octavia’s character all the things we saw felt like stuff I’ve seen before in past horror films or psychological thrillers. Nothing felt new or different and the violence like I mentioned before he hints at it could go far but never goes their with Tate fails to give a entertaining film with any scares or any sort of enjoyment whatsoever and the setting and characters all felt underdeveloped with a plot that essentially goes nowhere until the final act which is such a let down and he could of easily of made some big changes in the script as what the final result we get was so disappointing. Tate has given such a disappointing film from such a good director who could of done so much better to make this a great film instead of a shitty one. As the characters all felt like tropes I’ve seen time and time again with no backstory and then then little scares and violence with terrible written dialogue that’s so bad overall Tate you are such a good filmmaker next time actually make an effort and try cause I’ve seen it and you are a good filmmaker when you want to be.