Encanto

My nephew Sean and I have a tradition of seeing a movie together over the Thanksgiving holiday (we have seen The Good Dinosaur, Moana, Coco, The Grinch, and Frozen II) so, of course, we had to see the new Disney movie Encanto together.  We saw it last night and we both really enjoyed it.  When Alma Madrigal (Maria Cecilia Botero) loses her home and husband while fleeing from conquerors, the candle she is holding is enchanted and it creates a magical casita for her and her three children, Julieta (Angie Cepeta), Pepa (Carolina Gaitan), and Bruno (John Leguizamo).  Eventually, her children and grandchildren are given magical gifts, such as the ability to heal, the ability shape-shift, the ability to see the future, the ability to speak to animals, etc, and the family members are encouraged use their gifts to help their village prosper.  However, Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) is not given a gift and she often feels left out while Bruno is ostracized because his gift is misunderstood.  When cracks begin appearing in the casita, it takes Mirabel, with a little help from uncle Bruno, to save the magic.  The message that expectations can sometimes be a burden and that people should be appreciated for who they are rather than who they are supposed to be is extremely powerful and I loved that a Disney heroine is just an ordinary girl (who wears glasses!).  The animation is incredibly colorful and vibrant and I really loved the attention to detail, such as the embroidery on Mirabel's blouse and skirt and all of the textures of the hair.  The music by Lin-Manuel Miranda is as fabulous as you would expect!  My personal favorites are "Waiting On A Miracle," "Surface Pressure," and "We Don't Talk About Bruno" but I heard lots of people singing the chorus of "Colombia, Mi Encanto" as they left the theater.  My biggest complaint, and my nephew echoed this as we talked about the movie on the way home, is that the introduction of the characters and their gifts is really rushed so I didn't feel very connected to anyone other than Mirabel and I sometimes had a hard time figuring out the familial relationships.  Another complaint is that, while I loved the songs, they sometimes seemed randomly inserted and interrupted the momentum of the narrative.  On the whole, I found this to be charming and I think is the perfect movie for families to see over the Thanksgiving break.

Thanksgiving 2021

It has been a rough two weeks for my family because my Dad has been in the hospital for some unexplained symptoms.  He had to be put on a ventilator for several days and recovering from that has been rough on him.  None of us were really up for celebrating Thanksgiving (and all that it entails) this year but my sister had the idea of ordering everything from Cracker Barrel!  She picked everything up on Wednesday and then all we had to do yesterday was heat it up (they even gave very detailed instructions of when to put each item in the oven so everything would be ready at the same time).  The whole dinner tasted delicious but, more importantly, we all were able to get together (except for my Dad, who is still in the hospital, and Tashena, who is playing in a basketball tournament in Arizona) and have a much needed break from the stress.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the people you love!

Note:  We are thinking of ordering Thanksgiving from a restaurant from now on!

House of Gucci

I am a huge fan of Adam Driver and, out of all of his movies scheduled for release this year, I was most excited for House of Gucci.  I knew before I even saw a trailer that I would love it (I read the book upon which it is based by Sara Gay Forden when production began) because there is no possible way that I wouldn't love a movie dealing with love, greed, betrayal, and revenge starring my favorite actor and Lady Gaga!  I saw it last night and, while there are quite a few issues, I found it to be wildly entertaining!  Maurizio Gucci (Driver) is a shy and unassuming law student but he is also the scion of the wealthy Gucci family known for their successful fashion label.  Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) is from much humbler beginnings and is dazzled by Maurizio's wealth after meeting him at a party.  She pursues him relentlessly and he eventually falls in love and marries her.  His father Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons), who runs Gucci with his brother Aldo (Al Pacino), disowns Maurizio for his unsuitable marriage which forces him to work for Patrizia's father.  Patrizia is ambitious and is not content with this lifestyle so she reaches out to Aldo, who thinks Maurizio has more potential than his own son Paolo (Jared Leto).  Even though he is initially not very interested in the business, Maurizio accepts a position with Aldo in New York at Patrizia's urging.  Eventually, Patrizia pushes Maurizio to betray Aldo and Paolo in order to oust them from Gucci but he soon grows tired of her interference and takes charge of the company himself.  He also makes changes in his personal life with a childhood friend (Camille Cottin) which brings tragic consequences.  The story is quite convoluted, especially the scenes dealing with the business side of Gucci, and it is much too long (I think 20 minutes could have easily been cut).  There are problems with the pacing and I sometimes found my mind wandering, particularly during scenes not featuring Patrizia or Maurizio.  There are some strange tonal shifts between camp and drama and many of the music choices seem very odd (although I actually really liked the version of "Baby Can I Hold You" by Tracy Chapman and Luciano Pavarotti used during the trial scene despite the fact that it is a bizarre song to use at this moment because Patrizia is completely unrepentant).  Having said all of that, I absolutely loved the performances even though they contribute to the problems with tone.  Leto, who is completely unrecognizable, chews up the scenery with abandon while Lady Gaga is so much fun to watch in an over-the-top portrayal of a woman scorned.  Driver, on the other hand, gives an incredibly nuanced performance filled with subtle gestures that brilliantly show Maurizio's character arc from someone easily manipulated by everyone in his life to someone who ruthlessly takes charge (I think it is one of his best).  It almost seems as if each of them are in a different movie but I blame Ridley Scott's direction for this rather than the actors.  This movie reminded me a lot of the prime time soap operas, such as Dallas, Dynasty, and Knots Landing, that I enjoyed watching for escapist fun as a teenager because it features a bombastic plot, glamorous settings, opulent production design, and gorgeous costumes.  I can not objectively say that this is a great movie but I loved it if for no other reason than I got to see Adam Driver smile while wearing one well-tailored suit after another for almost three hours!

King Richard

I do not know anything about tennis or about Venus and Serena Williams, beyond the fact that they are amazing tennis players, but I love inspirational sports movies and King Richard looked really good.  I was able to see it last night and, while I expected to like it, I was not prepared for how much I loved it!  Richard Williams (Will Smith) is determined to turn his two daughters, Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton), into champion tennis players despite his limited means.  He has a very detailed plan for their success which focuses on education, discipline, hard work, humility, and dignity.  He is relentless in his dedication to the plan and this sometimes puts him at odds with his wife Oracene "Brandi" Price (Aunjanue Ellis), and the girls' coaches Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn) and Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal).  He refuses to allow the girls to compete on the junior level because he thinks that these tournaments put too much pressure on young players, he pulls them out of practice for other pursuits because he wants them to get an education and be well-rounded, and he turns down multi-million dollar endorsement deals because he thinks they can do better.  Despite all of the naysayers, Richard's methods ultimately prove successful when Venus makes it to the final match against Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (Marcela Zacarias), the number one player in the world, at her first professional tournament.  I really loved this story because Richard stays true to himself against all odds but he isn't shown to be infallible.  I particularly enjoyed a highly charged scene between Richard and Brandi where she confronts him about not valuing her contribution and another emotional one between him and Venus where she says that she is ready to compete and that he needs to trust her.  Smith gives the performance of his career and I have no doubt that he will be nominated, and rightly so, for every Best Actor award.  I also enjoyed all of the other performances, especially those from Sidney, Ellis, and Bernthal (also one of his best).  I really liked the tennis scenes and, as someone who knows nothing about tennis, I thought they were really exciting.  This is a stand up and cheer movie (the audience literally applauded at the end in my theater) that I highly recommend!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

It is always a lot of fun to watch a long-awaited blockbuster on a Friday night with a large crowd and I definitely had a great time watching Ghostbusters: Afterlife last night!  After Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis via archival footage and CGI) dies under mysterious circumstances, his estranged daughter Callie (Carrie Coon) and her two children, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (McKenna Grace), relocate to his creepy and isolated farmhouse near Summerville, Oklahoma.  A series of unusual earthquakes are occurring in Summerville and Phoebe eventually learns that the imminent return of Grozer is causing them and that her grandfather was preparing for it. Phoebe, who is scientifically inclined, restores all of the ghost catching equipment and Trevor, who is mechanically inclined, restores the Ecto 1.  They also enlist the help of Phoebe's science teacher Gary (Paul Rudd), Phoebe's friend Podcast (Logan Kim), and Trevor's crush Lucky (Celeste O'Connor) to fight Grozer when it finds a new Gatekeeper and Keymaster.  This reminded me a lot of The Force Awakens in that it pays homage to the original characters, the aforementioned Egon Spengler, Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts), and Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), while introducing audiences to a new generation who are taking up the mantle of catching ghosts with a story that follows the same beats as the original.  It was also a very similar viewing experience to the one I had when I saw The Force Awakens the first time because the audience cheered when each original Ghostbuster, the Ecto 1, and the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man appeared on screen.  I didn't really mind all of the nostalgia because there are some great action sequences and a nice character arc for Phoebe, who finds an affinity with her grandfather after feeling like a misfit all of her life.  If nothing else, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is certainly entertaining and fans of the franchise are sure to enjoy it.

Note:  There is a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene setting up a possible sequel.