I’m still not done for the weekend, but I figured I’d give a brief review on the way. So below you’ll get reviews for three vastly different films, and it was quite a ride for me. Enjoy!
I finally put my new Disney + subscription to use by watching a new original movie, Noelle. Starring Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader, I figured that even though this was a holiday movie it would be decent with those two leads. Sigh. I just don’t have a Christmas spirit, and this movie was SO. CORNY. At least there wasn’t singing, because that would have made it infinitely worse. The film follows Noelle who has to find her big brother Nick. He’s fled the North Pole because being the new Santa has him really freaked out. It was so full of cliches that I think I rolled my eyes for the entire run time. Look to someone else to review your holiday films.
Next up was the latest Jumanji: The Next Level. Similar to the last installment, it follows four of the most random friends who have all graduated and are living separate lives in college. Spencer doesn’t have the same confidence he did after escaping the game the first time so he decides to go back in. The rest of the group discovers this and goes back in to get him out. Only thing is, his grandpa and his old business partner Milo, get sucked into the game as well. Danny Devito and Danny Glover were excellent additions to the cast and I tip my hat to Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Awkwafina, and a horse for impersonating them so perfectly. Don’t worry Jonas fans, Nick is back, too, and their in a much colder environment this time. Jack Black will always be my favorite in this franchise, though. If you didn’t mind the first film in this reboot then I recommend catching this one (especially over Cats).
Finally, I went and saw the highly anticipated and heavily nominated, Bombshell. This film centers on Gretchen Carlson and Megan Kelly who decide to file sexual harassment charges against Fox stalwart, Roger Ailes. Do I think we needed this movie almost right off the heels of the HBO mini-series, The Loudest Voice? No. Was it a fun cast. Yes. Did they get their point across? I don’t really think so. They were trying to make heroes out of these women, who in their own right, were sort of despicable. And while of course, sexual harassment is intolerable and Ailes deserved what he got, they just came across as one-dimensional. On the other hand, you got to see Ailes, played expertly by John Lithgow, get many facets to his character. Ultimately, Bombshell was the Vice of 2019 for me.
I’ve got The Two Popes, Uncut Gems, The Irishman, and Little Women all on deck, so be on the lookout for more reviews!