Wow, but this is all over the place. Based very loosely on the Dickens' character from his "A Christmas Carol" story, Will Ferrell is the Ghost of Christmas Present who now works for "Jacob Marley" (Patrick Page) trying to save irredeemable souls from purgatory. This is where Ryan Reynolds comes in. He is "Clint" - a successful influencer who is about as ruthless for his clients as it possible to be. "Present" concludes that if he can save him, then he can make a real difference to the future (despite the fact that he appears, already, to have rescued Dolly Parton!). Anyway, this is where the story gets a little more interesting. Rather than cowering in fear at his apparitions, "Clint" decides to turn the tables a bit and before we know it, he is challenging his protagonist to justify what he is doing and why. Unfortunately, though - and despite the presence of the usually reliable Octavia Spencer - the whole thing just peters out all too quickly with some predictably slapstick humour and a few rather dull piano/guitar ballads from an out-of-sorts Messrs. Pasek and Paul that have some potent lyrics now and again, but those are largely overwhelmed by the fact that Reynolds cannot sing and Ferrell fares only slightly better on that front too. It also has no idea how to end, so it has three or four goes by which time I was a bit bored by it all. It's been quite a while since I noticed people leaving a cinema screening, but quite a few abandoned this. Nothing beats the Albert Finney/Leslie Bricusse "Scrooge" (1970) for me, and though this iteration of the timeless story might work better on stage - much of it is very theatrically stylised in nature (especially the dance numbers) - I am just going to stick with that.
MORE SPOILER-FREE MINI-REVIEWS @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/mini-reviews-2022-edition/ "Spirited efficiently applies a Christmas formula. Harnessing the undeniable, palpable chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, along with original holiday tunes filled with the typical humor from the actors, Sean Anders delivers a musical entertaining enough to entertain the average spectator. Not all the songs succeed, nor their timing in the story is always the right one, and the generic narrative doesn't exactly help with the surprise factor. Still, I'm happy enough with the essential message that people can, in fact, change for the better." Rating: B-
Matko is a small time hustler, living by the Danube with his 17-year-old son Zare. After a failed business deal he owes money to the much more successful gangster Dadan. Dadan has a sister, Afrodita, that he desperately wants to see get married so they strike a deal: Zare is to marry her.
In an effort to prevent family history from repeating itself, meddlesome mom Daphne Wilder attempts to set up her youngest daughter, Milly, with Mr. Right. Meanwhile, her other daughters try to keep their mom's good intentions under control.
With the victory against "The Beastly Beasts", "The Wild Soccer Bunch" showed it to everyone and then won every single game. Only one victory now separates them from the "Pott", the Freestyle Soccer Cup. For this they have to compete against the "Wolves of Ragnarök". But the wolves are not normal opponents! They have a dark secret - and behind them lurks a power stronger than all of them: the girl Horizon and the "Silver Lights" from the fog...
Lewis, a brilliant young inventor, is keen on creating a time machine to find his mother, who abandoned him in an orphanage. Things take a turn when he meets Wilbur Robinson and his family.
After the defeat of their old arch nemesis, The Shredder, the Turtles have grown apart as a family. Struggling to keep them together, their rat sensei, Splinter, becomes worried when strange things begin to brew in New York City.
Single dad Richard meets Christine, a starving artist who moonlights as a cabbie. They awkwardly attempt to start a romance, but Richard’s divorce has left him emotionally damaged. Meanwhile, Richard’s sons—one a teenager, the other 6-years-old—take part in clumsy experiments with the opposite sex.
The New York club scene of the 80s and 90s was a world like no other. Into this candy-colored, mirror ball playground stepped Michael Alig, a wannabe from nowhere special. Under the watchful eye of veteran club kid James St. James, Alig quickly rose to the top... and there was no place to go but down.
Flying Saucer Rock N Roll is the debut feature film from the father-son duo Eric and Joe Callero. The year is 1957 as a group of rockabilly and beatnik teens are visited by weed smoking Martian zombies who have come to take their earth women. Filmed with respect for classic horror films and full of laughs as the viewer is taken on an adventure like no other.
On the day of the Halloween party, Soup and Rob are finding plenty of ways to get into trouble: swimming in a local pond (though their mothers prohibit swimming so late in the year), pitching apples over a barn, and borrowing a cart which had drifted away from its owner. The grandest mischief of all, however, comes from their attempt to win the prize at the Halloween party, given to the entrant with the largest pumpkin.
On December 17th 2019, I, James Acaster, filmed my 2019 tour show Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999 at EartH in Hackney. It was a show about the best year of my life (1999) and the worst year of my life (2017), I wore a very nifty jacket for it and I looked extremely cool.