Cindy Prascik's Review of The Man Who Invented Christmas

 

My dear reader(s): In my attempt to wallow in holiday revelry until they drag me kicking and screaming back to work on Tuesday, on New Year's Eve I checked out an older (but new to me) holiday flick, the Man Who Invented Christmas.

Spoiler level here will be mild.

Charles Dickens juggles family and artistic struggles while writing a Christmas Carol.

The Man Who Invented Christmas intertwines fantasy with reality, as characters from the story Dickens is writing appear in a real world where he's fighting both family and professional difficulties. Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens leads a cast of familiar faces through the serviceable story. The trailer sells the film as a comedy, which it isn't, but it's entertaining enough despite not feeling very Christmasey until the very end.

The Man Who Invented Christmas clocks in at 104 minutes and is rated PG for "thematic elements and some mild language."

It's not the most festive holiday film around, but the Man Who Invented Christmas is an engaging tale that will help you keep the spirit of the season alive. Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Man Who Invented Christmas gets five.

The Man Who Invented Christmas is now streaming on Prime.

Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Dolemite is My Name &The Two Popes

Yesterday I closed out my movie year with two Netflix originals: Dolemite is My Name and the Two Popes.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

First up: Dolemite is My Name.

Rudy Ray Moore, a struggling comedian, finds success with a coarse alter-ego.

Dolemite is My Name represents a comeback of sorts for Eddie Murphy, and he carries the movie with ease. I'm a big fan of Eddie Murphy, and that makes me very, very happy. (He can't have that Golden Globe, though. It's Taron's.) As for the film itself, well, that didn't make me quite so happy. Moore is a hard guy to root for. Much like The Room's Tommy Wiseau, he's a person who is determined to succeed at something he isn't very good at, and--through sheer audacity and a bit of enabling--he actually makes it. Personally, I find the Dolemite persona about as funny as a root canal. Maybe my problem is cultural or even generational (I also don't think George Carlin is very funny), but it's exacerbated by the fact that Moore essentially stole the Dolemite schtck from others in his personal orbit, people who never gained (at least as far as the movie shows) from his eventual success. Dolemite's supporting cast is nearly as great as Murphy, with Tituss Burgess, Keegan-Michael Key, and another of my personal favorites, Craig Robinson, all turning in nice performances. Wesley Snipes and Snoop Dogg are also enjoyable in smaller roles. Dolemite is My Name is actually quite funny in places (outside the Dolemite routines), though it's also a little slow or a little long or maybe a little of both; it just doesn't *quite* earn its runtime. It is also relentlessly (but expectedly) vulgar, so if boobs and f-bombs bother you, maybe take a pass on this one.

Dolemite is My Name runs 117 minutes and is rated R for "pervasive language, crude sexual content, and graphic nudity."

Dolemite is My Name is a win for Eddie Murphy and a big loss for everything else. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Dolemite is My Name gets four.

Next on my agenda: The Two Popes.

Popes Benedict and Francis try to find common ground for the good of the Catholic Church.

Well, dear reader(s), if Dolemite is My Name is a film I didn't quite get, you may rest assured that, having spent the past 33 years working for His Holiness, this one's definitely in my wheelhouse.

Most everyone knows that the Catholic Church is facing challenging times, and that its problems are largely of its own making. This behind-the-scenes look at two very different men, both of whom want only the best for the institution (and the deity) they serve, is a thoughtful exercise. Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins turn in two of the year's finest performances as Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI, respectively. Their magnificent work is infused with quiet power, carrying the deliberately-paced film effortlessly. While the Two Popes is undoubtedly more "inspired by" than "based on" actual events, its insights and political machinations are fascinating, as well as its sometimes shockingly frank mentions of the clergy sexual abuse scandal. The movie also offers some timely messages, both overtly and less so, with the importance of forgiveness and of finding common ground winding their way throughout. Though I am not a believer myself, I found the Two Popes an uplifting and hopeful film for the faithful...and maybe for the rest of us too.

The Two Popes clocks in at 125 minutes and is rated PG13 for "thematic content and some disturbing, violent images."

The Two Popes is one of the year's best surprises, a terrific film carried by two extraordinary performances.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Two Popes gets eight.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: G.I. JOE: RETALIATION 3D

Veteran dance-film director Jon Chu takes a crack at G.I. Joe in this sequel to Stephen Sommers' blockbuster 2009 film. Dwayne Johnson stars as Roadblock in the sequel, with Channing Tatum returning as Duke, the leader of the Joes, and Ray Park joining them as mute ninja Snake Eyes. Bruce Willis, Ray Stevenson, Adrianne Palicki, Jonathan Pryce, Lee Byung-hun, Elodie Yung, and RZA co-star. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Jon M. Chu

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, D.J. Cotrona, Adrianne Palicki, Jonathan Pryce.

Release Date: Mar 28, 2013

Rated PG-13 for Intense Seq of Combat Violence, Brief Sensuality, Language and Martial Arts Action

Runtime: 1 hr. 39 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

I’m still trying to remember when I’ve ever had the desire to watch a sequel to a movie I avoided like the plague. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra looked like garbage and everything I read after the fact confirmed that fact. Unlike Transformers, whom I loved as a child, G.I. Joe never connected with me as a kid, even if it was pretty much the same cartoon except one starred robots. Regardless, the trailer for this sequel looked like stupid fun and thankfully it’s incredibly stupid but fun in a toy box kind of way. The nonsensical plot is almost besides the point here. This movie is about highly choreographed and staged action and it works for the most part. There’s very little if any depth to any characters and the actors are all aware they’re in a silly movie. The cast, led by a very manly muscled Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson provides his usual charisma with an over the top delivery that appropriate for the film. Channing Tatum has a brief role in the film, disappearing quickly and quietly. Adrianne Palicki, the woman that would have been the new Wonder Woman, has a noticeable sass to go along with a seemingly endless supply of beauty products. Ray Stevenson, a personal favorite from HBO’s Rome, has a small role but still leaves an impression even with one of the worse southern accents in recent memory. Bruce Willis pops up because he has a little time on the set of RED 2 and continues his self parody tour with unabashed sincerity. It sounds like a mess and it is but it’s a fun mess especially when they stop trying to build a story or have the RZA try and act. That’s not what this film is about; it’s about 3D mountain climbing ninja fights which are surprisingly fun. The 3D, one of the better post conversion jobs, is spotty with some sequences like the aforementioned ninja fight working well and others coming off as too dark and jittery. It’s at best when the extreme action sequences take center stage something director Jon M. Chu obviously feels a lot more comfortable doing.

C+