Cindy Prascik's Review of The Christmas Chronicles 2

 

My dear reader(s), Netflix has declared the 2020 Holiday Season in full swing with its second new Christmas offering of the year: The Christmas Chronicles 2.

Spoiler level here will be mild, I suppose, but in truth the movie holds few surprises.

Christmas is in jeopardy, and it's up to Kate Pierce to help Santa save the day.

Well, my friends, I have to start by saying I remember very little about the first Christmas Chronicles. I felt a little better when IMDB told me it came out in 2018, because I feared I'd already forgotten it almost completely from just last Christmas. WHEW! Cheery holiday fare tends to make me happy, so I'm pretty sure I liked it, and the sequel holds true to form.

Objectively, I will note that Christmas Chronicles 2 is sometimes almost painfully predictable, right down to individual snippets of dialogue that I said in my head as they were voiced onscreen, though I was watching for the first time. The characters are barely more than cartoons, but they don't need to be for this benign bit of holiday merriment. Darby Camp and Julian Dennison are almost too annoying to bear at times, but Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, and Jahzir Bruno are charming enough to carry the movie through its weaker spots. Bright animation works seamlessly with live action, and sets, costumes, and score are all designed to turn up the Christmas Cheer to eleven. A probably unintentional bonus: The ending makes a nice little nod to Tombstone, one of the greatest movies of all time and my favorite project of Kurt Russell's long and storied career.

The Christmas Chronicles 2 runs 112 minutes and is rated PG for "mild action/violence and brief language."

There's nothing new or surprising about Christmas Chronicles 2, but if you're looking for some easily digestible holiday entertainment for the whole family, it'll be just the ticket. Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Christmas Chronicles 2 gets six.

The Christmas Chronicles 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: THE CROODS: A NEW AGE

 

Searching for a safer habitat, the prehistoric Crood family discovers an idyllic, walled-in paradise that meets all of its needs. Unfortunately, they must also learn to live with the Bettermans -- a family that's a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder. As tensions between the new neighbors start to rise, a new threat soon propels both clans on an epic adventure that forces them to embrace their differences, draw strength from one another, and survive together.

Director: Joel Crawford

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, Cloris Leachman, Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann, Kelly Marie Tran

Release Date: November 25, 2020

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Rated PG for peril, action and rude humor.

Runtime: 1 h 35 min

Review:

The Croods: A New Age which randomly appears 7 years after the original is more unfocused than the first film but still a fun family film.  The story in this sequel is more straightforward but it allows Joel Crawford to move the story into weird and surprisingly psychedelic areas.  Crawford moves the story along a steady pace getting into the story fairly quickly introducing the new characters/cast.  The returning cast easily gets back into their characters and have great chemistry with newcomers Peter Dinklage and Leslie Mann.  Dinklage and Mann play great foils to the Croods as the hipster Bettermans who are slightly more evolved.  Dinklage and Cage in particular seem to be having a ball throughout the film with it all climaxing with a great Punch Monkey finale.  Stone, Keener, Leachman, Mann & Tran also get their time to shine with a strong girl power story thread that has them all saving the day.  Its message is sweet but it’s not anything revelatory like some of the prestige Pixar films.  This sequel isn’t as consistent as the original but it’s still a lot of fun in parts but be warned some sequences might be a bit too intense or scary for very small children. 

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

 

My dear reader(s): 2020 being devoid of joy as it has, one can forgive Netflix for jumping the gun a bit on the Christmas cheer. Last weekend I checked out their original holiday offering, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.

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

After the world's most magical inventor is betrayed by his protege, it's up to his equally magical granddaughter to help him get back his mojo.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a joyful delight from start to finish. Academy Award winner Forest Whittaker leads a noteworthy cast that includes Phylicia Rashad, Hugh Bonneville, Anika Noni Rose, and Ricky Martin. As the story's big baddie, Keegan-Michael Key steals the show, and the movie is notably more entertaining when he's onscreen than when he's not. It drags *just* enough in the middle to suggest a trim of its two-plus hours might have been in order, but that's a small quibble with what's otherwise a lively adventure filled with catchy tunes, brilliant costumes, lovely animation, and funky choreography. 

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey runs 122 minutes and is rated PG for "some thematic elements and peril."

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is an entertaining, uplifting bit of holiday fare that's sure to become a Christmas classic. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Jingle Jangle gets seven and a half.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is now streaming on Netflix.

Wishing a happy and safe Thanksgiving to those dear reader(s) who are celebrating!

Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Review of Jungleland

 

My dear reader(s): Much to my delight, this weekend's home viewing options included a new Charlie Hunnam movie, Jungleland. 

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

Having landed in debt to some very dangerous people, a boxer and his trainer-brother are forced to transport a young woman cross-country. 

Jungleland is an oft-told tale that doesn't really have much new or interesting to recommend it. The story is predictably miserable and moves at a snail's pace, and characters have about as much depth as paper dolls. Bland performances from the noteworthy cast, led by Hunnam and Unbreakable's Jack O'Connell, might be blamed as much on pedestrian writing as on the actors themselves. It's a grim movie about unpleasant people with barely a single redeemimg quality among them. 

Jungleland runs 90 minutes and is rated R for "pervasive language, some sexual content, violence, and nudity." 

Jungleland is a depressing exercise that's disappointing on every level. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Jungleland gets three. 

Jungleland is currently available for digital rental ($9.99) or purchase ($14.99 SD/HD or $16.99 UHD). 

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: FREAKY

 

A mystical, ancient dagger causes a notorious serial killer to magically switch bodies with a 17-year-old girl.

Director: Christopher Landon

Cast: Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Katie Finneran, Celeste O'Connor, and Alan Ruck.

Release Date: November 13, 2020

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Thriller 

Rated R for strong bloody horror violence, sexual content, and language throughout

Runtime: 1 h 41min

Review:

Christopher Landon obviously loves horror movies it was obvious in his 2017 debut Happy Death Day and even more so in his newest film Freaky.  Horror aficionados will find plenty of little Easter Eggs scattered throughout the film.  The film itself is a fairly hilarious riff on the Freaky Friday trope with Vince Vaughn delivering one of his best performances in recent memories.  Vaughn is thoroughly committed to the role and his comedic timing makes him the best thing on screen throughout the film.  Watching him channel a teenage girl in his massive frame is just comedic gold especially as the situations get more and more absurd.  Kathryn Netwon isn't asked to do much outside of holding a steely gaze and look menacingly at her victims.  She does have a few moments were she lets loose a bit but them moments are few and far between.  It's mostly Vaughn's showcase but that doesn't mean that supporting players like Celeste O'Connor and Misha Osherovich don't get their time to shine with the latter leaving a memorable impression.  Those looking for real scares might be a little let down since there are a handful of jump scares and gore aplenty but you'd be hard pressed to ever call it scary.  Freaky leans much more on the comedy side and it works well as a farcical horror comedy where you can leave your brain at the door.

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of Fisherman's Friends

 

My dear reader(s): The week being absent any interesting new releases at the cinema, I picked the bones of my streaming services and turned up a 2019 nugget called Fisherman's Friends, which appears to be at least reasonably new to Netflix. 

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers or by following actual events on which the film is based. 

A group of English fishermen finds its way to unlikely pop stardom. 

Fisherman's Friends features a solid cast led by James Purefoy, Daniel Mays, and Tuppence Middleton. The comedy's a bit forced, and the film's predictability takes any real tension off the table, but Fisherman's Friends boasts lovely scenery, some terrific folk songs, and a uniquely British charm. It's no edge-of-your-seat movie, but it's the perfect antidote for the tensions of the week just passed. 

Fisherman's Friends clocks in at 112 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some strong language and suggestive references." 

If you're looking for some cinematic comfort food this weekend, Fisherman's Friends is the perfect menu option. 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Fisherman's Friends gets six and a half. 

Fisherman's Friends is now streaming on Netflix. 

Until next time...