Category: Movies at Home

Five Bad Movie Moms

Jeff Mitchell

Here’s wishing all the moms a Happy Mother’s Day!  Certainly, cinema has offered thousands of examples of altruistic moms over the last 100 years, but not always.  Sometimes, a movie will come along, and you’ll say to yourself, “Oh, I’m glad that horrible woman is not my mother.” Here are five downright scary examples of bad moms over the last five years.  Enjoy?? Blanche Weboy (Lesley Manville), “Let Him Go” (2020) – When Margaret and George Blackledge (Diane Lane and Kevin Costner) travel from Montana to North Dakota to see…

‘The Boy from Medellin’: The J Balvin doc doesn’t hit the right notes

Jeff Mitchell

“The Boy from Medellin” – Medellin is the capital city of Colombia’s Antioquia province.  It has a population of just over 2.5 million, and one of its favorite sons filmed his documentary here.  International reggaetón megastar J Balvin makes a triumphant return home to put on a massive show, but then again, “the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Director Matthew Heineman follows this chart-busting marvel to his hometown for one week leading up to the planned live spectacular, but a set of soccer-stadium-sized stumbling blocks place…

‘The Mitchells vs. The Machines’ is a zany and sincere mash-up

Jeff Mitchell

“The Mitchells vs. The Machines” – “Mitchells have always been weird, and that’s what makes us great!” – Rick Mitchell (Danny McBride) Directors/writers Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe’s animated feature – about an everyday family taking a cross-country road trip and running into a machine apocalypse – is a weird mash-up of ideas, and it’s pretty great. Yes, you heard correctly:  a machine apocalypse. On the surface, this flick is “The Terminator” (1984) meets “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983).  Just pretend that Skynet becomes self-aware and abruptly disrupts the Griswolds’ Wally…