Second Act

 

Second Act is a drama/romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Hudgens and Leah Remini. After losing out on a promotion, Maya, played by Lopez, takes hold of the chance to reinvent herself with a high ranking career opportunity at a high profile cosmetic company. 

The plot was unique and the script was engaging and funny. I was dialed in from start to finish and was very satisfied with the conclusion. I liked the themes of being yourself, speaking your truth no matter the consequences and also being willing to take a leap of faith and try something new.

The cast of female leads were great. All with their own strengths and command on screen. Jennifer Lopez went back to her bread in butter in this rom-com as a likable, down on her luck character that worked hard to change her stars in the competitive employment market that is New York City. Her costumes were also super sleek and fashion forward. Leah Remini did well as the loyal and funny friend. Vanessa Hudgens was a surprise but welcome addition as the smart and direct co-worker with a passion for something outside of her current role.

Overall this was a cute movie. It is not necessarily one I’d watch again but worth the one time watch.

Happiest Season

 

Happiest Season is a romantic comedy/drama starring Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Dan Levy, Aubrey Plaza and Mary Steenburgen. It follows the relationship of Abby and Harper, played by Stewart and Davis respectively. When Harper invites Abby to her family home for Christmas, emotions run high when secrets are stifled and begin to unravel. 

The plot moved well and was engaging throughout. I liked the themes of family, being true to yourself, the pitfalls of perfection, opening your heart for change. The script was funny and provided a good amount of character development so that you could really connect to the co-stars. I would have liked a bit more diversity amongst the casting but I thought that the entire group did a great job playing off of one another to facilitate great moments of connection. I especially enjoyed seeing Kristin Stewart in the role of Abby. She brought a wide array of emotions and a coolness to her character. She also had great chemistry with Davis’ Harper. Aubrey Plaza definitely showed her range in the less comedically forced role of Riley. She had some deadpan lines but overall she was just an authentic, likeable character. Dan Levy stole the show as Abby’s best friend, John, with his spot on comedic timing and a friendly demeanor.

This movie was a really great coming out story that was heartfelt, genuine and joyful. A very enjoyable holiday movie that wraps up like a perfect little Christmas bow. Those looking for a LGBTQ friendly drama full of cheer and comedy, this one is for you.

The Holiday Calendar

The Holiday Calendar is another Netflix Holiday Universe (NHU) romantic comedy starring Kat Graham, Quincy Brown, Ethan Peck and Ron Cephas Jones. Abby Sutton, a talented photographer unhappy in a dead end job, is gifted an antique holiday advent calendar whose contents may be predicting the future and if she takes the direction, might also get her to a love and happiness she never saw coming. 

This was yet another very predictable plot but because the script and acting were good I was down for the ride.

I liked the diversity of the cast along with the character development and evolution of Graham’s Abby. I liked the dynamic between her character and Ron Cephas Jones’ Gramps. I also thought that she had pretty good chemistry with Quincy Brown’s Josh Barton. Kat had an odd accent at times, like she was trying to put on a harder New York style accent that didn’t naturally fit her character from Chicago. Other than that, I thought she did well carrying this movie and really feel like she may be in the running to steal Vanessa Hudgen’s queen of the Netflix Christmas Movies title.

If you are looking for a cute, feel-good Christmas movie, this might be right up your alley.

Wonder Woman 1984

 

Wonder Woman 1984 picks up about 70 years after the original as Diana Prince is still mourning the death of her one and only love; now living in Washington DC, comes across a magical stone that may do more harm than good. Directed again by Patty Jenkins, starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal. 

One of the things that I love about the Wonder Woman movies is the impeccable taste in costume design. Gadot’s Diana had beautiful, timeless pieces that could easily be worn today yet still appropriate for the era. Additionally, her hair and makeup were also flawless.

In terms of acting I thought that Gadot was her steady self, nothing too over the top, just right in the pocket. She carried the movie well. Unfortunately the villains, Max Lord, played by Pedro Pascal, and The Cheetah, played by Kristen Wiig, were lame in powers and costumes. I give Kristen Wiig, a comedian, credit for going outside of her typecast to take on a more villainous role, even though it wasn’t the greatest character to play. Additionally, Pedro Pascal gave great range and did as best he could for the lackluster role that he had to take on. There definitely appears to be a disconnect with how to properly portray a villain in these movies. They don’t measure up to other DC and especially not to other Marvel movie antiheros.

The CGI at times was terrible and looked cheap, nonetheless the fight sequences were still entertaining.

The plot was unoriginal however I did appreciate the themes around being selfless and making sacrifices for the greater good. The script was corny and predictable but the end credit was a cool walk down memory lane so be sure to stick around for that. In the end, Wonder Woman 1984 was fun to watch but could not match up to the 2017 original.

The Knight Before Christmas

 

The Knight Before Christmas is a 2019 romantic comedy starring Vanessa Hudgens, Josh Whitehouse and Entourage’s Emmanuelle Chriqui. When Brooke, a school teacher, who is disheartened after a recent breakup, bumps into an English medieval knight, whom was magically transported to present-day Ohio, they grow an unexpected relationship. 

Vanessa Hudgens has played this likeable character of Brooke before. Someone down on her luck in love. I would have liked to see a little bit more diversity from her in terms of character selection but with that being said, she was still enjoyable to watch. Her costumes were also beautiful and festive.
Josh Whitehouse was an unknown actor to me. I liked his full on commitment as Sir Cole, the 13th century knight, plopped in present day USA, in search for his destiny.
Emmanuelle Chriqui brought a different range to Brooke’s sister, Madison, than I had seen in her Entourage role. She brought a kindness, giving and motherly presence to the role.

The themes about giving back and finding love in the most unlikely of places were great. The script had a couple of funny parts but overall it was awkward and corny and the plot was not realistic at all. This is the first time I realized how Netflix is trying to connect its Christmas movies together with references to other movies within its Holiday Universe. Even though this one wasn’t my favorite of the Netflix Holiday Universe (NHU), I think that the idea is fun; it reminds me of a lower quality Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) but I’m here for it.

Holidate

 

Holidate is a holiday themed romantic comedy starting Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey and Kristin Chenoweth. When two strangers meet after horrible Christmas experiences and express similarities of being tired of being single on holidays; they agree to be each other's platonic dates for all holiday functions for the foreseeable future. 

Even though the plot was a bit played out giving me No Strings Attached or Friends With Benefits vibes, I still thought that it was fun and engaging. The script was funny and moved the story along well also giving a good full circle moment at the end.

The acting from the entire cast was great. Kristin Chenoweth brought a good amount of the comedy as Aunt Susan, a young at heart serial dater. Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey brought the great chemistry as Sloane and Jackson, singles tired of the pressures of dating during the holiday, looking for a less complicated relationship and in the end potentially finding more than what either of them bargained for. The character development wasn't great but okay enough to where I could connect to and root for some of the characters. There was even a descent about of diversity amongst the cast which I appreciated.

If you are looking for a more mature holiday movie that is smooth moving, light hearted, and funny then this one is definitely worth checking out.

Ava

 

Ava is a Netflix produced action drama about an assassin who works for a black ops organization. When a job goes wrong, inside men within Ava’s organization, put a hit out on her, forcing her to fight for her life. The film stars Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Common and Colin Farrell. 

The plot was a typical run of the mill femme fatale. It was incredibly predictable and toward the end some parts didn’t make any sense at all and the script got really corny. I can tell they left this one open for a sequel but I hope they don’t pull the trigger on that.

The fight sequences were descent but could have used a bit more sharpening up and realistic choreography. The casting of Chastain as Ava, the addict turned killer, trying to justify her actions, was done well and Geena Davis as her OCD mom, Bobbi, was spot on. Common was a bit of a confusing addition as he is not that great of an actor but I appreciated his attempt. The character development for Ava was pretty good but they could have spent some more time developing the co-starts. I also would have liked to see some more diversity among the cast.

This is the type of movie that I would have been disappointed in spending money at the theater to see but, in its lane, as a Netflix, straight to video, it was not that bad. Not necessarily one that I would watch again but not a complete waste of time either.

Operation Christmas Drop

 

Operation Christmas Drop is a Netflix produced film starring The Vampire Diaries' Kat Graham and Vikings' Alexander Ludwig. In the story Congressional Aide, Erica, played by Graham, is forced to forgo spending Christmas with her family to travel to an Air Force Base in Guam. While there she is tasked by her boss to make an assessment on defunding the facility. 

I liked the diversity and authenticity in the casting and enjoyed seeing Kat Graham in a leading role. She brought an evolution and a growth to her character. Alexander Ludwig also brought something different to his role, he tends to play characters that are not likeable so for this role he switched it up playing someone very patient, kind and giving. They both carried the movie well and had great chemistry together.

This script was a bit cheesy at times but overall it was family friendly and cute. The plot was engaging and easy to follow. Although romantic comedies can be pretty predictable I was still down to tag along for the ride. I found it interesting that the basis of this story was grounded in the fact that the US Air Force actually has been doing an annual humanitarian mission that they call Operation Christmas Drop since 1952. Every year the aircrew drop boxes of supplies, attached to parachutes, to residents in need, throughout the 50 remote islands in Micronesia. Amazingly it is the longest-running humanitarian airlift in the world.

If you are looking for a movie filled with heartwarming moments, a couple of funny ones and a bit of romance this is the one for you. Along with its touch of Christmas spirit that can awaken even the biggest of Grinches.

The Midnight Sky

 

The Midnight Sky is a science fiction drama directed by and starring George Clooney. It is based off of Lily Brooks-Dalton’s 2016 novel, Good Morning, Midnight. In the film Clooney plays Augustine Lofthouse, a scientist and former astronaut whose entire career has been focused on looking for habitable planets for humanity to move. Then in the blink of an eye a natural disaster strikes the earth so he must race to tell a crew of astronauts to not return home. 

I thought that the plot was interesting, it kept me engaged throughout even though there were quite a bit of holes in it. For one, I would have liked a lot more detail surrounding how they got to the situation they were all stuck in the first place and specifically what exactly happened to Earth. Additionally, the outdoor scenes with Clooney’s character were not thought out well. Based off of the limited information given, it did not seem realistic that he could survive any long stretch of time outside. I did, however, enjoy how this wasn’t a typical space movie, the director did a good job interchanging between the lives of the crew of astronauts in space and the lives of those still on earth.

I liked the diversity in the cast with Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Tiffany Boone, Demián Bichir, Kyle Chandler and young Caoilinn Springall who really held her own against Clooney. To be honest the acting from the entire cast was great but there was a lack of strong character development so it was hard to fully connect with all of the players in the story.

The cinematography was weak, a lot of the sets looked fake but where they did do well was in those vast Artic landscapes making the scenes look chillingly cold.

In the end I’d say the movie was just okay. Not necessarily worth watching again but not a complete waste of time either.

The Prom

 

The Prom is a Netflix produced film, based off of the 2018 Broadway musical of the same name. It is about self-obsessed, downward spiraling, Broadway stars take up activism, in small-town Indiana, to rehab their images, by rallying behind a teen who wants to go to the prom with her girlfriend.

I am a fan of some musicals and with this impressive all-star cast featuring Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, Meryl Streep and Keegan-Michael Key I had to give this one a shot. Especially since they are not the type of people that I would typically think would apart of a campy movie musical. They did not disappoint with their performances, especially given the one-dimensional character development, corny plot and script. There was also quite a bit of overacting from a couple of the leads, James Corden and the newcomer, Jo Ellen Pellman; as well as some of the smaller cast members. What I did appreciate most in the casting though was the attempt at showcasing a very diverse looking group of people.

I know that this was set in small town America, but the costumes and hair styling were terrible. I am sure some of that was intentional but it almost seemed like the cast wore their own clothes and didn’t have a stylist or costume designer on set.

The plot was well-intended and I liked the themes of acceptance, poking fun at Broadway elites, faux activism, and class superiority. I did however think that it was good 45min too long and the soundtrack was painful to listen to. Also, the dance sequences felt unoriginal; giving me She's All That vibes mixed with Disney's High School Musical or Glee and most importantly, instead of normalizing the gay experience like some recent award winning television shows have done of late, like Euphoria and Schitt’s Creek, they played on the stereotypes and made it feel unauthentic.

Over all there were a couple of good jokes, a couple of heartfelt moments and a string of great performances. Unfortunately the writing, soundtrack and the story sunk this experience for me. If it takes you multiple times to finish a movie, like it did for me, it’s not the one. Even though I really wanted to support this one, I would have to say skip it.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a Netflix produced drama, based on the play of the same name by August Wilson.  It is a loose biography that depicts one day in the life of “The Mother of Blues”, Ma Rainey in the 1920s. Produced by Denzel Washington, staring Viola Davis and Chadwick Bosemanin, in his final film. The movie opens on a sweltering hot day in 1920s Chicago as Ma and her band encounter the ups and downs of internal and external tensions as they record a few of her hit songs.

Acting from the entire cast was superb; they all played well off each other and brought something unique and interesting to each personality. The character development was strong with Viola and Chadwick carrying this movie with greatness. Viola brought a fierceness to the role of Ma Rainey. She was strong in her convictions, confident, business savvy, and refused to be treated less than; she knew her talent and her wroth. Chadwick's delivery of the script was emotionally charged and powerful; with some critics calling this his “swan song”. He dove deep into the role, bringing a rawness and a vulnerability, to the point where you didn’t see Chadwick; all you saw was his character, Levee.

The sets, costumes and make up were well done. The designers did a great job in helping to truly transport you to that era.

For those who didn’t see the movie adaptation of August Wilson’s Fences, there will be a bit of getting used to the delivery of the script. The writing felt like a direct translation of the play, so it was very heavy in dialogue with parts that felt unnecessarily exaggerated. Additionally, the end was a bit rushed and unrealistic.

With all of that being said, the life of Ma Rainey is not one that is often depicted in film or television so it was great to see a day in a part of her story presented by one of the most talented modern day actors. Even with a couple of dropped balls I still felt like this was a very interesting snapshot and one worth checking out.

The Princess Switch: Switched Again

 

The Princess Switch: Switched Again is a romantic comedy and sequel to the 2018 Netflix produced, The Princess Switch. It picks up two years after the original with the Duchess of Montenaro, Margaret Delacourt, preparing for her unexpected assentation to the throne; while also trying to confront past relationship issues. Her friend and doppelganger, now Princess Stacy De Novo Wyndham, attempts to come to her rescue when Margaret needs some time away, but a third look-alike, Margaret's cousin Lady Fiona, has a scheme in mind for herself which might undo everyone’s well curated plans. 

I thought that the story was predicable but still cute and enjoyable. The costumes were stylish and well suited for each character. The set decorations were extravagant but full of festivity.

The cast were fun to watch. I was very impressed with Vanessa Hudgens’ ability to take on an even bigger role than before. She managed to carry this movie quite well. She’s a great actress with an impressive amount of versatility.  I also liked that they brought back a majority of the original cast while also introducing some fresh faces.

Though not something I’d watch again; it was worth checking out once. The movie was light hearted and fun, bringing just the right amount of Christmas cheer. It was the perfect type of straight to video movie, just in time for the holiday season.