Hi friends! I have a few quick movies to update you on. Let’s start with the latest from our friends at Marvel Studios:

CAPTAIN AMERICA BRAVE NEW WORLD

I used to be a consistent fan of the MCU and loved the puzzle-piecing aspect of the franchise. Unfortunately, however, the more bloated they have become the harder it is to follow along and enjoy what they are doing. The latest bland film they are offering up is Captain America Brave New World. This new entry is the kind of blockbuster you forget you’ve seen mere minutes after exiting the theater. That wasn’t always the case with the MCU.

The biggest problem the movie has is it feels like all build up and no payoff. Literally the last 30 minutes feels like one exposition dump after another. Plus, the movie expects me to remember every detail from Marvel films like The Incredible Hulk which was nearly 20 years ago. Not likely!

Harrison Ford is fine as Thunderbolt Ross but the Red Hulk we see in the trailers is used sparingly. The script also doesn’t give Anthony Mackie many moments to shine as the new Captain America. It’s all quite stiff and difficult to connect with. If anything I think Danny Ramirez as the new Falcon is given more charismatic moments and I wish we got more of them.

Captain America Brave New World isn’t an awful MCU entry. It’s just really bland and forgettable.

Frown Worthy

PADDINGTON IN PERU

The Paddington franchise has delighted moviegoers with their first 2 entries (especially Paddington 2) and we have now been given a new entry Paddington in Peru. This latest entry has a new director with Dougal Wilson and Sally Hawkins has been replaced with Emily Mortimer as Mary Brown but none of those changes have diminished the charm of this new entry in the franchise.

I heard some people say this is a step down for the Paddington movies. It’s hard when the previous film is a near-masterpiece but I didn’t perceive any big difference. We still have our wonderful characters and the message of family and unconditional love is all there. This entry gives our family more of an adventure heading off to Peru for Paddington to help his aunt Lucy in the Amazon jungle.

My only major flaw is the middle section with the adventuring with Antonio Banderas could be a little tighter but Paddington in Peru is a film that should delight the entire family. It also has something to say about the way we treat people and what the definition of a family is. Go see it in the theater when you have the chance.

Smile Worthy

BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY

The only thing that frustrates me about Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is the fact I had to watch it at home and not in the theaters. This would have been such a fun movie to watch with a crowd but alas it is a Peacock Original here in the US.

That said I really enjoyed this latest entry (and it is really hard to do rom-com sequels so the fact that 2/3 in this franchise have been good says something!) In this film Bridget has been widowed and she struggles to push forward with her life and help her 2 children deal with their grief and loss.

In the meantime she meets a young man named Roxster (Leo Woodall) who is just the fling she needs and she becomes friends with teacher Mr Wallaker played by Chiwetel Ejofor. Everyone in this movie is charming and funny and the script has a warmth and heart to it that is endearing. If you think there’s no way you will enjoy another Bridget Jones movie it might actually surprise you. It might be my favorite of all of the sequels!

I wish I could tell you to go to the theater but since that’s not an option watch it on Peacock. It’s a delight.

Smile Worthy

So there you have it. What have you been watching? I would love to hear.

Make sure you check out the patreon for perks, exclusive reviews and to be part of our monthly events and watch alongs. Find out more here.

Hi friends! i hope you are all doing well. I’ve been very busy covering Sundance and a million other things but I have watched a lot of non-Sundance movies as well, which means there is lots to update (some of these I watched for my upcoming 2024 romance ranking so look forward to that!)

YOU’RE CORDIALLY INVITED-

Most of my readers know I am always going to be pulling for the success of the romantic comedy. It is beyond depressing to see the genre be almost universally either forgotten or sent immediately to streaming or cable tv. This is why I took time out of my Sundance schedule on my birthday and went to the theater to watch You’re Cordially Invited. Unfortunately the movie did not reward my efforts with an enjoyable film.

The biggest problem with this movie is writer/director Nicholas Stoller (who has made some fun movies in the past) seems to have forgotten what makes a romantic comedy work. The biggest key factor is we have to like the lead characters at least a little bit and there has to be some degree of chemistry. Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon fail spectacularly on both these fronts in this film. It leaves the supporting cast to try and ring whatever humor they can out of the scenes. It seems like the movie wants us to judge Reese’s family but that’s hard to do when she’s the one being judgmental!

In the end the biggest problem is it’s just not funny. It might have worked if Stoller had kept Reese and Will as unlikable adversaries throughout the movie as a dark comedy but trying to sell them as a love match is completely ridiculous. He destroyed her sister’s wedding and then literally tried to kill her with an alligator. Give me a break! You’re Cordially Invited is unfortunately a movie to be uninvited from.

Frown Worthy

DOG MAN-

There perhaps is no studio more inconsistent than DreamWorks but when they hit they really hit ala The Wild Robot or Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Their latest Dog Man isn’t on that level but it is a fun zany story families will enjoy.

With such a bizarre premise (based on the novels by Dave Pilkey) it’s amazing the movie works as well as it does. Ostensibly it’s about a dog that is merged with a man to create a super dog man type character. They face off against the evil Petey who has an adorable clone mini-Pete to help him in his villainous plans.

The animation is by the same team that did the Captain Underpants movie (also from Pilkey) and there are even some CU easter eggs scattered throughout Dog Man. There are times that it goes too far and becomes too chaotic but those elements are countered by themes of friendship and kindness in the script.

Dog Man should be entertaining for kids and clever enough to entertain adults. Especially if you are a fan of the books you’ve got to see this in theaters.

Smile Worthy

HUMANIST VAMPIRE SEEKING CONSENTING SUICIDAL PERSON-

To prepare for my 2024 romance ranking I had to watch the unusual film Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person which is a charming horror comedy about a teenage vampire who hates killing people for food so she decides to find someone who is suicidal to be her ‘victim.’ This turns out to be a young man named Paul and the 2 have a relationship together.

If you like movies like Warm Bodies or Anna and the Apocalypse than you’d probably like this movie. Sara Montpetit is charming as Sasha and she has excellent chemistry with Félix-Antoine Bénard’s Paul. Your Monster is a similar movie that came out last year and I enjoyed both of them. It was a good year for romantic comedy horror!

Smile Worthy

LOVE HURTS-

When I go into a movie like Love Hurts I know I am stepping outside of my comfort zone. Super violent movies are usually not my favorite but when they are done well I can enjoy them. I enjoyed Strange Darling last year and had it as one of my favorite movies of the year and that had severed limbs and other violent scenes. Anyway, Love Hurts is admittedly not normally my thing but it did not win me over like other films have done.

I do appreciate the film is a lean 83 minutes and so it doesn’t feel bloated like so many action films today. That said, it still feels very repetitive with the action and the narrative is scattered all over the place making the connection with Ke Huy Quan’s character challenging and the action less compelling. I hate to say it but Ariana DeBose is awful in this film, and I’m beginning to wonder if she belongs more on the stage than screen (outside of West Side Story of course.) At the very least her team has not been picking good projects for her and her acting has been flat and uninspired in this and other films.

If you love gross over-the-top action you might enjoy Love Hurts more than I did but the script wasn’t there, making the whole film underwhelming.

Frown Worthy (We see Adam Hurtig as a homebuyer in a few scenes. I interviewed him here.)

LONELY PLANET

As part of my romance ranking I also caught up with Lonely Planet which premiered on Netflix last October. Even though I was late getting to this movie I was hopeful it would be a hidden gem because the stars Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth are very likable and writer/director Susannah Grant has written some wonderful films like Ever After and Erin Brokovich. Unfortunately this film ends up on the long list of forgettable Netflix romances.

Part of the problem is Dern and Hemsworth have no chemistry together despite some steamy scenes. The spark just isn’t there but they aren’t given enough time to be unique and interesting characters. It’s just one bland scene after another with nothing to stand out or get invested in. I wish Lonely Planet was better but aside from Morocco looking nice there isn’t much here to recommend.

Frown Worthy

I’M STILL HERE-

When Oscar nominations came in one of the big surprises for me was I’m Still Here in for Best Picture as well as International Film and Best Actress. I had missed this one during awards screening season but finally got the chance to see it in the theaters this week and it turned out to be a film worthy of its nominations. I’m Still Here is a moving true story that is beautifully made and acted.

The film is based on a true story about a Brazilian woman named Eunice Paiva who in 1971 is devasted when her husband is arrested and subsequently disappears. Eunice not only has to lead her large family but becomes a lawyer so she can help fight the fascist regime and continue to look for her husband.

The cast for I’m Still Here is the its greatest asset. Fernanda Torres might win the Oscar and if she did it would be deserved. She’s incredible here as is her real life mother Fernanda Montenegro who plays the older version of Eunice. The whole family is very well cast and director Walter Salles creates a real sense of community and chemistry in every scene.  It really feels like this is a family and that helps us be invested in what is happening to them.

The pacing can be a bit laborious in this film but there are so many positive aspects I can forgive it being a slower-than-needed burn. I’m Still Here probably won’t be in theaters for long so take the chance you have now to see this wonderful family drama.

Smile Worthy

So there you have it. What have you been watching? I would love to hear.

Make sure you check out the patreon for perks, exclusive reviews and to be part of our monthly events and watch alongs. Find out more here.

Hi friends! I just have a quick update for you today. I have been so busy the past few weeks with Sundance that I didn’t post on here my January blind spot even though I did get the podcast episode out before the end of the month. January was particularly fun because we were delighted to have Griffin Schiller with us to talk about the first James Bond movie Dr No. Griffin is a Bond expert so it was fun to get his perspective since we are both green on the franchise.

As far as the movie I enjoyed it. Since I am most familiar with the Daniel Craig era it was interesting to compare this movie to those films. I like the over-the-top villain we get with Dr No and there are some tense scenes like when Dr No puts a tarantula in Bond’s bed. I also enjoyed Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder. She’s beautiful but has some personality and spunk as well that doesn’t make her a total pushover with Bond.

One surprising aspect was how fast and loose the movie is with the radiative contamination at Dr No’s island. I would think in the 1960s audiences would be a lot more sensitive to these elements with the Cold War and everything. Still, Dr No is an entertaining start to the franchise and one I am glad I finally got off of my blind spot list.

What’s your favorite of the early Bond films? I’d love to hear.

Hi friends! January is not as busy a movie month in comparison to other times of the year but I have a few films to update you on.

WOLF MAN

https://youtube.com/shorts/aOpAkeJeW8U?feature=share

Director Leigh Whannell is in the midst of a fascinating project where he gives modern interpretations to the classic Universal Monster characters. In 2020 he gave us Invisible Man and this year we have Wolf Man. I don’t know what most will think but for this critic he’s 2 for 2 in this new franchise. I had a really fun time watching Wolf Man.

In the film Christopher Abbott plays a sweet Dad Blake to a young girl named Ginger in a struggling marriage with Charlotte played by Julia Garner. When his Dad is declared dead they go to see the property and end up having quite the night.

This version of the story is a simple one. It may be too simple for some but I think it expertly developed atmosphere and mood making each scare more compelling than the next. I was squirming like crazy in my seat because it’s never completely sure how far gone Blake has gone to the wolf and if he can be saved. There is always a sense of uncertainty of whether he should be helped or abandoned.

In many ways Wolf Man felt like a pandemic movie with most of the action happening in or around one house and that sense of isolation added to the tension. It’s also only one night so there isn’t a lot of time wasted with exposition or backstory. The film is also beautifully shot with very effective night time cinematography.

Smile Worthy

QUEER

Director Luca Guadagnino is one of those filmmakers I always want to like more than I do. He has such unique style to his movies that I can see why he’s appealing to so many but often times he loses me in the storytelling aspects and it feels like more style over substance. Such is the case with Queer. It’s a well-meaning but plodding story of how hard it is to have a meaningful relationship.

Daniel Craig is good as a man named Lee who in the 1950s falls for a young student named Allerton (Drew Starkey). The problem with this film is Lee and Allerton’s relationship feels completely vapid and full of talking about deeper meanings without the chemistry and emotion we need for those words to land. It ends up leaving the viewer feeling underwhelmed and bored.

In addition, the more creative directing choices feel more pretentious than authentic and the story meanders into the repetition of addiction and self-loathing that isn’t as insightful as Guadagnino wants it to be. I didn’t love his movie Challengers as much as many others but I certainly found it much more entertaining than Queer. I’d watch that one instead.

Frown Worthy

BETTER MAN

https://youtube.com/shorts/7Ry6dFGjMvQ?feature=share

When I was in high school I used to keep up with popular music pretty well. However, in recent years I have lost interest in most new music (outside of showtunes.) Suffice it to say I had no idea going into Better Man who Robbie Williams was or what any of his songs are. Nevertheless I still really enjoyed it and found it was better than the gimmick it could have been.

The gimmick in question is having Williams portrayed as a CG monkey for the entire film. There’s not much reason given for this choice and nobody else in the cast is a also a monkey. Like I said, this is a gimmick and yet it oddly worked. Monkey Robbie is quite endearing and it made me root for him early in the story. When there is a more cliched element of the story it feels more interesting because he is a monkey. It’s wild but true!

Michael Gracey has proven himself to be a wiz at musicals after this and The Greatest Showman (which I really enjoyed.) He really knows how to stage crowd-pleasing spectacle musical sequences well. It may seem crazy but you just might find yourself tearing up at the monkey Robbie Williams movie after all! I did!

Smile Worthy

THELMA: THE UNICORN

I’ve been catching up on some of the animated films to do this year-end wrap up pod with my friend Mat (see here) and the next 3 are all in that group, starting with Thelma: The Unicorn on Netflix. This by-the-numbers animated film follows a unicorn named Thelma who wants to be a famous singer.

For the first 30 minutes of this film I was enjoying it. It was sweet and the music is decent. Unfortunately it isn’t content to give us a short but instead drags it out for another hour with a bland evil manager/I want to be famous dynamic. It’s not unwatchable but still bad

Frown Worthy

THE TIGER’S APPRENTICE

In a lot of ways The Tiger’s Apprentice is a bummer because there are strong moments in the action. I can see if they had a stronger script the animation could have really worked but as is it feels episodic and unremarkable. Evidently they were hoping to do a spinoff series of this but there’s nothing special enough in the film to justify that kind of focus. Like I said, some of the animation is decent in the action but that’s about it.

Frown Worthy

SAVING BIKINI BOTTOM: THE SANDY CHEEKS MOVIE

Every franchise has its duds and at least in the feature film department Spongebob Squarepants certainly does. This Sandy Cheeks movie is terrible. It really is unwatchable. Especially as it gets to the 3rd act with what they are doing to Wanda Sykes character Sue Nahmee. The humor doesn’t work and it all feels repetitive and dull.I really disliked this one!

Frown Worthy

So there you have it. What have you been watching? I would love to hear.

Make sure you check out the patreon for perks, exclusive reviews and to be part of our monthly events and watch alongs. Find out more here.

Happy New Year! I hope you are all doing well. I have been busy as ever before wrapping up 2024 movies and getting ready for new 2025 films. In particular I have begun planning for Sundance which will be here before I know it (the festival planning is bizarre this year with only 2 venues in Salt Lake!) Make sure you check out my Most Anticipated video for 2025 movies:

I have caught up on a few 2024 releases since I did my mammoth post last week.

Here we go:

And Mrs

I have been working my way through all the romances of 2024 and I stumbled upon this little indie from the UK, and I ended up really enjoying it. It tells an unconventional story of a woman (Aisling Bea) who after losing her fiancé decides to marry him anyway. This is obviously bittersweet, but I found it quite endearing with an excellent supporting cast. Billie Lourd shines as her pregnant best friend and Colin Hanks, Elizabeth McGovern and Harriet Walter all give entertaining performances.

And Mrs is also an R rated romantic comedy so it won’t be for everyone but I found it the right balance of emotion and laughs with a fresh perspective.

Smile Worthy

Chosen Family-

Everyone knows I am always rooting for a romantic comedy as I love the genre. Unfortunately they don’t always work out. Such is the case with Heather Graham’s directorial debut Chosen Family. She stars with Julia Stiles and John Brotherton (who I have actually interviewed here) and they actually have decent chemistry. The problem is the script doesn’t give them much to do. It focuses mostly on his extremely bratty daughter and their attempts to placate or get around her outbursts. We also have an array of supporting characters played by Thomas Lennon, Michael Gross and more.

The movie feels like it wants to be a Hallmark movie but then is too sexy and edgy for the sweet genre. It doesn’t know what it wants to be so it ends up being dull and uninteresting. It’s too bad because I do think these 2 leads have a good rom-com in them and I’d encourage Graham to try again.

Frown Worthy

Elton John: Never Too Late-

While there are definitely facets to like about this music documentary on Elton John it’s also frustrating with the amount the film skips over in favor of just telling John’s story from a pride perspective. While his journey in his sexuality and addiction is important it’s kind of crazy to get a documentary on the man on Disney Plus that doesn’t mention The Lion King even once. Does that seem crazy to anyone else?

I feel like I learned more about John from watching the narrative Rocketman film than this documentary and that shouldn’t be the case. Still if you want to hear him sing and see his very cute family than this is fine. I was just hoping for more.

Frown Worthy

Music by John Williams

The better music-themed documentary on Disney Plus is Music by John Williams. It profiles the incredible career of John Williams starting out in his teen years with his parents making him take piano lessons and how he went from jazz musician to composing scores. I had no idea he was nearly 40 before doing Jaws. I guess that makes sense given he is 92 now but still it was interesting to learn about his pre-Jaws work as I was only really familiar with Fiddler on the Roof.

The documentary covers all his popular projects and franchises and includes interviews from Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Chris Columbus and more. It is much more comprehensive than the Elton John doc and I loved hearing about his inspiration for Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and more. This is definitely a must watch for any movie fan.

Smile Worthy

 Babygirl-

Babygirl is a movie with a lot of erotic scenes that aren’t actually very sexy. There is no emotional connection between our couple so it feels clinical and not romantic hurting my investment in the story. I get it wasn’t trying to be a traditional romance but there needs to be some reason for me to be invested in this couple other than watching 2 attractive people have kinky strange relations.

It is very well filmed and the actors do what they can but it felt repetitive and boring when it is supposed to be sexy and intriguing. Antonio Banderas does what he can in an underwritten role (who ever thought he would be the fuddy-duddy husband in a movie like this!) but I was ready for it to be over pretty quickly. I certainly will never think of a glass of milk the same way again.

Frown Worthy

So there you have it. What have you been watching? I would love to hear.

Make sure you check out the patreon for perks, exclusive reviews and to be part of our monthly events and watch alongs. Find out more here.

 

 

Hi friends! I’m excited to announce the 2025 Blind Spot picks! This will be my 10th year doing monthly blind spot reviews but will be my 2nd year with the podcast component with my friend Manda. What a joy it has been talking about these films with her each month and it was so much fun to make our selections for 2025 together (and gratifying that she enjoyed the experience enough to want to continue.)

The announcement for next years films starts at around 29 min mark after the ad.

As is usually the case we tried to have a variety in our Blind Spot picks with some classics, cult classics, critical darlings, and commercial hits in a variety of genres and styles. Here’s what we came up with for 2025:

Jan- DR NO by director Terence Young

James Bond is a franchise I have a lot of blind spots for. I have seen the recent Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan films but that’s about it. With this gap it only makes sense to start with the first film and watch Dr No starring Sean Connery as our suave Agent 007

Feb- PUNCH DRUNK LOVE by director Paul Thomas Anderson

As a comedian I must admit I am not a big fan of Adam Sandler. Most of his comedies have been miserable experiences and it caused me to not take him seriously as an actor especially before I became a critic. I know he has been highly praised in more serious roles including his turn in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch Drunk Love. I know it has some quirky attributes so I’m looking forward to seeing it.

March- XANADU by director Robert Greenwald

Of course you all know I am very forgiving of musicals- even bad musicals. Therefore, I thought it would be fun to finally watch the cult classic much-maligned musical from 1980 Xanadu. I know my friend Stanford thinks it’s one of the worst movies ever made so that has me intrigued!

April- A ROOM IN TOWN by director Jacques Demy

By this point I have seen the high profile movies by Jacques Demy so I thought it would be fun to dive a little deeper into his filmography with A Room in Town. We may also do Umbrellas of Cherbourg to introduce Manda to that one. I’ve heard this one described as a “cinematic cousin” to Cherbourg so that’s promising. Either way it’s sure to be beautiful.

May- HEATHERS by director Michael Lehmann

Heathers is an interesting blind spot because it’s a rare case where I have actually seen the musical adaptation twice before seeing the movie. I’ve seen the proshot from 2022 and saw a live production of it this year. It should be very interesting to see the differences with the musical and what makes this very dark horror comedy work as a movie and 1989 cult classic.

June- RUSH by director Ron Howard

One of the reasons I love doing this Blind Spot series is it helps me find time to see movies I missed that I’ve heard good things about. Such an example is Rush, which I didn’t see back in 2013 but heard is really entertaining. It should be a fun star-studded movie to start off the summer months.

July- BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE by director Richard Quine

I’ve heard a lot about Bell, Book and Candle over the years. Particularly as it was the name of Cassie’s shop in the show Good Witch which I covered for Hallmarkies Podcast. I’ve heard about it but just never had the chance to see it so this should be a lot of fun to check off my list.

Aug- FIGHT CLUB, PANIC ROOM directed by David Fincher

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Because his movies are so violent I actually have a lot of David Fincher blind spots. In August we are going to double up (Manda had seen Fight Club) and cover Fight Club and Panic Room. I know especially Fight Club is quite iconic so it should be fun to talk about both films with my friend.

 Sept- WUTHERING HEIGHTS directed by William Wyler

I must admit I am not the biggest fan of Wuthering Heights as a novel so I haven’t been that motivated to see all the film adaptations over the years. There have been so many and I’ve seen several of them but I have never seen the iconic 1939 version by director William Wyler. 1939 was one of the most amazing years for film so will be interesting to see how this stands up to other movies like The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach and Gone with the Wind.

Oct- POLTERGEIST directed by Tobe Hooper

One of the blessings of this Blind Spot series is I’ve been able to check off a lot of horror classics off of my list usually in October. Next year it will be Poltergeist which I know some people think Steven Spielberg actually directed but he was a writer and producer of the film and given a story credit. I’ve heard it’s not too scary so hopefully won’t be too much for me.

Nov- I AM LOVE directed by Luca Guadagnino

Director Luca Guadagnino has become one of the most highly praised and significant directors of our age and I Am Love is one of his earlier films I still haven’t seen. I love Tilda Swinton and the premise sounds intriguing. She learned to speak Russian and Italian for the movie so that’s impressive.

Dec- KISS KISS, BANG BANG directed by Shane Black

Given my work with Hallmarkies Podcast it’s getting increasingly difficult to find holiday blind spots I do have. One director who almost always sets his movies at Christmas is Shane Black so our 2025 final pick is his comedy crime movie Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. I’m honestly not the biggest fan of Black’s style (for example, reviewed Lethal Weapon for this series which he wrote, and I didn’t love.) However, I am excited to see a young Robert Downey Jr in Kiss Kiss and it will hopefully be a nice break from the rom-coms I typically watch in December.

So there you have it! Our 2025 Blind Spot picks! What do you think of these picks? Do you think we have a good variety? Are they favorites of yours? Let us know! I’m so happy to be doing this series with my friend so please subscribe and keep an eye out each month for our episodes as well as my monthly posts. Enjoy!

Make sure you check out the patreon for perks, exclusive reviews and to be part of our monthly events and watch alongs. Find out more here.

Merry Christmas! I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas day. I am having a chance to get some rest and feel rejuvenated after a very stressful last 3 months. Covering all the Christmas movies for Hallmarkies Podcast and getting Oscar screeners watched was a daunting task combined with everything I have to do to make a living and be a theatre critic. Anyway, I’m glad to have a quiet Christmas and some time to think about the wonderful year of 2024.

One of my favorite parts of 2024 is beginning a podcast arm to this monthly Blind Spot series with my friend Manda. Not only do I get to check movies off my list but I get to talk about them with one of my best friends. It has truly been a joy. Our final film for the year is the 1947 classic It Happened on 5th Ave.

It’s interesting because it seems like this film has quite a following from folks who love classic films, particularly TCM buffs. On one hand I can see why because it can be quite charming and speaks to themes of equity and friendship that still ring true today. However, it’s also a little surprising because it lacks huge star power and  doesn’t have the emotional punch of many films of its era. It particularly reminded me of a Frank Capra film like Meet John Doe or Mr Deeds Goes to Town. In fact, as I was researching for the podcast I learned this film was at first planned for Capra but he ended up doing It’s a Wonderful Life instead.

I’m a sucker for a friendship story and that was my favorite aspect of It Happened on 5th Ave. I love the idea of these interlopers all becoming friends through sharing this mansion together- even the actual owner in disguise becomes friends with this group of people. That’s a lovely concept. I just wanted the filmmakers to do more with it. It all felt relatively sitcom-like failing to get the emotional intensity to make it truly memorable.

Still It Happened on 5th Ave was pleasant enough and I think you will enjoy Manda and my discussion in the video above. Let me know what you think of this classic and what are some of your favorite Capra-esque Hollywood films?

Make sure you check out the patreon for perks, exclusive reviews and to be part of our monthly events and watch alongs. Find out more here.

I don’t think anyone would argue that Walt Disney Animation Studios is going through a rough patch the last few years. Films like Wish and Strange World have failed to connect with viewers while Encanto and Raya and the Last Dragon were victims of the pandemic. With this track record it makes sense for them to return not only to the extremely profitable sequels of the 2010s but to their huge hit Moana from 2016. I have no doubt Moana 2 will be highly profitable for them especially given that it was originally going to be an animated series for Disney Plus; however, whether it is good is another question.

I have been more forgiving on some of these sequels when compared to other animation fans and critics. You can read my review of Frozen 2 and Ralph Breaks the Internet here. I went into this screening for Moana 2 with an open mind and even did a video about the reason I had to be optimistic

Unfortunately all my high hopes were for naught because Moana 2 proves to be another misfire from a studio that seems to have truly lost their way particularly in the story department.

Without giving spoilers it’s hard to talk about the particulars of the story but basically Moana is sent on a mission to find other human settlers. I realize Moana’s island nation is a fictional land but my understanding is it was within the bounds of Polynesia. While there are some more isolated islands in this area it’s unlikely they would have absolutely no interaction with other humans. It was like they were on an alien planet instead of a fake island on Earth. It reminded me of Themyscira in Wonder Woman which is just a bizarre way to approach a story like this.

Things get even weirder when a long sequence is spent in the underworld facing off against a goddess Matangi. I realize Maui was a demi-god in the first film but that was just one character on an otherwise relatable journey. This doesn’t even have worldbuilding that we can understand or connect with. If we don’t understand the world she’s facing how are we supposed to feel tension or any stakes from this kind of villain?

As the movie goes on the plot becomes more convoluted and the challenges Moana faces more confusing. Things aren’t helped by Moana surrounding herself with a troupe of supposedly quirky characters that only distract from her relationship with Maui and go nowhere leading to frustration rather than pleasantness.

Compounded on to these problems is the constant remember berries from the original film. They even have lines about how Moana has to see ‘how far I’ll go.’ Yes exact lines from the first film are repeated expecting to get a response. Characters like the kakamora resurface for no reason except they are in the first film and pretty much all the songs are warmed over retreads of the original songs. For example, instead of “How Far I’ll Go” in the first film we get “Beyond” in this. Instead of “You’re Welcome” we get “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” in this. Come on Disney you can do better than this!

At least when Disney used to do a rare sequel it would try and be something different. For example, Rescuers Down Under moved all the events to Australia with a completely different tone, setting, villain and everything else than the original. In this you even have a cameo I won’t spoil as if to say ‘see we brought him/her back too…’

In the end Moana 2 is a convoluted mess when it tries to tell a new story and a bland forgettable retread when it leans on the original. Basically it’s a Disney sequel I will quickly forget about which is very disappointing as I really did enjoy the first film. Oh well. Hopefully they can be inspired by the work of their contempories and climb out of this hole. I am sure this film will make a boatload of money so I suppose they will at least have that to buoy their spirits. Either way it’s certainly not getting a recommendation from me.

Frown Worthy