Comedy

Kitty Mammas | Review

Published

3 years ago

January 25, 2021

“Wait, you’re literally having your own cat’s baby!”

In documentaries, the point is to examine and present the truth. In mockumentaries, however, the unbelievably absurd is treated like the truth. In the instance of Kitty Mammas, a camera crew follows a literal mad scientist – Dr. Han (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) – as he leads a clinical trial in which four women give birth…to kittens.

Though slightly disgraced from previous endeavours, Dr. Han has been presented the opportunity of being a modern day Frankenstein of sorts. The experiment, made possible by financial backers and desperate participants, lasts over a three month period which sees the cat foetus grow to the size of a kitten with next to no visible bump. Plus, the participants even get to keep the kitten if successful! The diversity in the mothers-to-be ranges from the LGBTQ+ community, undergrad students, middle-aged mothers, and vloggers, but they all want one thing: to give birth to a kitten. This is a common goal like no other.

With the participants’ diverse range of backgrounds comes a diverse range of issues and obstacles which they must endure. The challenges they face range from financial inheritance, online backlash, and acceptance. Running parallel, Dr Kittenstein faces the annoying persistence of Darryl (Drew Nelson), a journalist desperate to expose the grotesque experiment, but also in pursuit of revenge. After the 90-day period, what will be of Sylvia (Janet Porter), Joan (Kathryn Kohut), Maria (Vienna Hehir) and Rose (Morgan Kohan)? New mothers? Human-cat hybrids?

As a mockumentary, Kitty Mammas exists as both a surreal comedy and a drama which deals with serious issues too. The balance of both is certainly effective in its execution, though the mockumentary style is much more frequent and attempted when dealing with the surrealist nature of the clinical trial. Kitty Mammas almost feels like a hybrid of two movies, but with the same cast. A major issue, however, is that in the mockumentary, extraordinary and out-of-this-world characters and situations are depicted realistically, despite being completely unbelievable and unrealistic. The unbelievable is made believable. In Kitty Mammas, whilst the characters deal with such realistic, relevant, and hard-hitting issues outside of the clinical trial, there is an overwhelming ambiance of the film not feeling one bit real. Kitty Mammas doesn’t even feel like a documentary.

Of course, there is an excruciating difficulty in making such a wild concept seem at all plausible. Humans giving birth to kittens is just mind boggling. The heart of Kitten Mammas really lies within the social issues explored outside of the medical practice. The four performances of the trialists are all terrific respectively, especially that of Vienna Hehir. Under the screenwriting of Katrina Nicholson, the characters – specifically the trialists – are empowered to really showcase both the power and vulnerability which they possess within. These are strong characters. Strongly written characters.

Ultimately, from director Dennis Alexander Nicholson, Kitten Mammas can be read as a film with a hidden agenda… The kitten trial stuff is just for show. Essentially, the concept is just the overcoat covering a body which provides a commentary on social issues. This form of trickery is terrific in that it, to some degree, pays off because the issues explored are done really well. Probably the best aspect of the film overall. Though a great exploration of issues, one can’t imagine that much of Kitty Mammma’s audience will be coming for a class on sociology, but instead, they’ll be wanting to see something totally messed up, like the film initially suggests.

Rating: 2/5

FILM RATING

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Dream Scenario | Official Trailer — A24 Starring Nicolas Cage

A hapless family man finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. When his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom.

Published

3 days ago

September 19, 2023

Staff

Genre:

Comedy

Release Date:

2023

Director:

Kristoffer Borgli

Cast:

Lily Bird, Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson

Plot Summary:

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Totally Killer | Official Trailer — Available on Prime Video October 6th, 2023

Published

1 week ago

September 13, 2023

Jacques van Zyl

Amazon Studios

The following piece was written during the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie material being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Genre: Comedy Horror

Release Date: 6 October 2023

Director: Nahnatchka Khan

Writers: David Matalon, Sasha Perl-Raver & Jen D’Angelo

Distributed by: Amazon Prime Video

Production Companies: Blumhouse Television & Divide/Conquer

Cast: Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Charlie Gillespie, Lochlyn Munro, Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson, Liana Liberato, Kelcey Mawema, Stephi Chin-Salvo, Anna Diaz, Ella Choi, Jeremy Monn-Djasgnar, Nathaniel Appiah, Jonathan Potts, Randall Park & Julie Bowen

Plot Summary

Thirty-five years after the shocking murders of three teens, an infamous killer returns on Halloween night to claim a fourth victim. When 17-year-old Jamie comes face-to-face with the masked maniac, she accidentally time-travels back to 1987. Forced to navigate the unfamiliar culture, Jamie teams up with her teenage mother to take down the psycho once and for all.

Streaming October 6, 2023, exclusively on Prime Video. Watch the official trailer now!

FILM RATING

Comedy

Heartstopper Season 2 Review: A Blissful Sophomore Return.

Published

2 months ago

July 29, 2023

Kevin Verma

Heartstopper was one of those shows that comes out of nowhere and instantly becomes a sensation. Last summer we were introduced to this heartwarming and sweet show from Netflix, and now we finally have its second season. The wait was only a little over a year since its freshman season, but the wait still felt like an age. But the teen drama is back, this time with a more mature and settled storyline.

The show created by Alice Oseman and also based on her graphic novel, follows Nick and Charlie on a journey of self-discovery and romance at an all-boys school. Kit Connor, Joe Locke, William Gao, Yasmin Finney, and Tobie Donovan all return this season. Season 2 picks up right where season 1 left off with Nick and Charlie finally getting together. Season 1 was quite simply a delight, and going into season 2 many were concerned that season 2 will not be able to reach the standards set by the first one, but season 2 will prove the doubters wrong.

Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring were finally together after so many ups and downs, but there were still a lot of problems left to deal with. Charlie has problems at home while Nick is still figuring out who he is and figuring out how and when he wants to come out to other people, as their relationship is still a secret apart from charlie’s close friend group, who have supported them all along.

Fisayo Akinade as Mr Ajayi, Nima Taleghani as Mr Farouk

The story tackles more mature themes this time around and dives into more serious teenage issues. The pacing is good as always and the tone stays consistent throughout. The direction is a notch above the first season with some very smart shots in key scenes. Kit Connor and Joe Locke are as amazing as always and their storyline keeps on finding interesting routes to go to and keeps the viewer rooting for them.

William Gao as Tao is a standout and steals the first half of the season. His development as a character is very clear and he grows a lot as a person this season. Tobie Donovan stays in the shadows for most of the season but packs a solid punch in the end. Olivia Colman has a small yet impactful role and it is always a delight when she’s on screen. Fisayo Akinade as Mr Ajayi also has a bigger role this time and Nima Taleghani as Mr Farouk was another standout for me.

Heartstopper Season 2 is a blissful return for the wonderfully radiant show that somehow finds a way to consistently put a smile on your face and get you invested in the enchanting storyline. It is filled with so many likable characters and adorable romances. The performances are incredibly charming and you’ll never get tired of watching them. Fans of the first season will be anything but disappointed and I personally believe that it is an improvement from its first season.

Heartstopper season 2 will stream on Netflix from August 3.