by Josh Sewell
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
(Rated PG for thematic material and brief underage smoking. Opens in theaters on November 8.)
The premise: Based on the novel by Barbara Robinson, this heartwarming story introduces viewers to the Herdman kids – siblings who terrorize the small town of Emmanuel through lying, stealing, bullying and more. Now, for unknown reasons, they’ve elbowed their way into the annual Christmas pageant. Grace (Judy Greer) is directing the production for the first time, so she, her daughter (Molly Belle Wright) and her husband (Pete Holmes) are preparing for disaster. However, the pageant’s new stars might end up teaching everyone the true meaning of Christmas.
The verdict: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is the latest from faith-based filmmaker Dallas Jenkins, best known for his television series The Chosen. Because the genre doesn’t have a great track record (most Christian movies start with a sermon and craft characters as mouthpieces to deliver it), I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical walking into the theater.
But Jenkins’ adaptation of Robinson’s book turns out to be a solid holiday movie that takes its characters seriously, delivering its message without being mean-spirited or patronizing. That’s despite some truly loathsome characters; as someone who grew up in church, I appreciated how bluntly it addressed the cliquish, hypocritical nature of some folks.
Greer and Holmes’ performances are really endearing, as is the Christmas Story-style voiceover from Lauren Graham. There’s the usual awkward delivery that comes from some child actors, but most of them acquit themselves relatively well.
It’s weird to be writing about a Christmas movie when it’s 80 degrees outside, but I can see this one doing well in theaters over the next several weeks. The screening I attended was full of families who were clearly having a good time.
Grade: B
Here
(Rated PG-13 for thematic material, some suggestive material, brief strong language and smoking. Now playing in select theaters and everywhere on November 15.)
The premise: The creative team from Forrest Gump reunite in this adaptation of Richard McGuire’s brilliant 2014 graphic novel. Director Robert Zemeckis (who co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth) chronicles millions of years of history from one location, starting with dinosaurs and fast-forwarding through centuries of families living on a specific piece of land. Two of those characters include a husband (Tom Hanks) and wife (Robin Wright) who experience love, loss and laughter within a single room.
The verdict: I understand why Zemeckis’ latest is being billed as the Forrest Gump gang getting the band back together. It’s a killer marketing hook. However, those anticipating a similar story or tone should temper their expectations. Like the graphic novel that inspired it, Here is much more experimental in narrative and format.
This isn’t Forrest and Jenny getting a second chance. Instead, they’re only two of a dozen people (or more) who get their own mini-arcs. Although Hanks and Wright deliver solid work as usual, they’re not in the 104-minute movie nearly as long as you might expect.
When they do appear, Zemeckis utilizes some downright atrocious CGI to age them from teenagers to senior citizens. It’s not too bad when the characters are standing further back in the living room, but any time they walk to the foreground it’s deeply unsettling.
Despite this critical misstep, I mostly liked Here. It has plenty of flaws, but I admire Zemeckis and his crew trying to make something out of the ordinary. In the current studio environment where everything has to be a massive blockbuster or a microbudget indie, I’m shocked it exists at all. Compared to the director’s other work over the last couple of decades, it’s definitely a step up.
Grade: B-
Blu-ray Review: The 4:30 Movie
(Rated R for sexual content. Now available on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital and VOD.)
The premise: Writer-director Kevin Smith crafts his most personal film to date with this coming-of-age comedy set in the summer of 1986. It follows three teenage friends (Austin Zajur, Nicholas Cirillo and Reed Northrup) who spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local theater. When one of them invites his dream girl (Siena Agudong) to tag along, chaos unfolds as the evil manager (Ken Jeong) and teen angst interfere with his plans.
The verdict: I was surprised at how much fun I had with Smith’s latest, a charming comedy that’s far more good-natured than his usual raunchy fare. It’s his version of The Fabelmans, a semiautobiographical look at a kid simultaneously falling in love with film and girls.
The 4:30 Movie has his trademark combination of crude humor and heart, but toned way down. In fact, the R rating feels like overkill. Granted, there are a bunch of sex jokes – it’s a Kevin Smith movie after all – but they’re nothing that wouldn’t be out of place on the average sitcom. Unless I missed one, I don’t even think the characters use the f-word that typically permeates his screenplays.
For movie nerds like me who still prefer physical media, the 4K and Blu-ray (which hit shelves earlier this week) includes a commentary from Smith, a making-of featurette, the theatrical trailer and a digital copy of the film. It’s definitely worth the purchase.
Grade: B
(Rated PG for thematic material and brief underage smoking. Opens in theaters on November 8.)
The premise: Based on the novel by Barbara Robinson, this heartwarming story introduces viewers to the Herdman kids – siblings who terrorize the small town of Emmanuel through lying, stealing, bullying and more. Now, for unknown reasons, they’ve elbowed their way into the annual Christmas pageant. Grace (Judy Greer) is directing the production for the first time, so she, her daughter (Molly Belle Wright) and her husband (Pete Holmes) are preparing for disaster. However, the pageant’s new stars might end up teaching everyone the true meaning of Christmas.
The verdict: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is the latest from faith-based filmmaker Dallas Jenkins, best known for his television series The Chosen. Because the genre doesn’t have a great track record (most Christian movies start with a sermon and craft characters as mouthpieces to deliver it), I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical walking into the theater.
But Jenkins’ adaptation of Robinson’s book turns out to be a solid holiday movie that takes its characters seriously, delivering its message without being mean-spirited or patronizing. That’s despite some truly loathsome characters; as someone who grew up in church, I appreciated how bluntly it addressed the cliquish, hypocritical nature of some folks.
Greer and Holmes’ performances are really endearing, as is the Christmas Story-style voiceover from Lauren Graham. There’s the usual awkward delivery that comes from some child actors, but most of them acquit themselves relatively well.
It’s weird to be writing about a Christmas movie when it’s 80 degrees outside, but I can see this one doing well in theaters over the next several weeks. The screening I attended was full of families who were clearly having a good time.
Grade: B
(Rated PG-13 for thematic material, some suggestive material, brief strong language and smoking. Now playing in select theaters and everywhere on November 15.)
The premise: The creative team from Forrest Gump reunite in this adaptation of Richard McGuire’s brilliant 2014 graphic novel. Director Robert Zemeckis (who co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth) chronicles millions of years of history from one location, starting with dinosaurs and fast-forwarding through centuries of families living on a specific piece of land. Two of those characters include a husband (Tom Hanks) and wife (Robin Wright) who experience love, loss and laughter within a single room.
The verdict: I understand why Zemeckis’ latest is being billed as the Forrest Gump gang getting the band back together. It’s a killer marketing hook. However, those anticipating a similar story or tone should temper their expectations. Like the graphic novel that inspired it, Here is much more experimental in narrative and format.
This isn’t Forrest and Jenny getting a second chance. Instead, they’re only two of a dozen people (or more) who get their own mini-arcs. Although Hanks and Wright deliver solid work as usual, they’re not in the 104-minute movie nearly as long as you might expect.
When they do appear, Zemeckis utilizes some downright atrocious CGI to age them from teenagers to senior citizens. It’s not too bad when the characters are standing further back in the living room, but any time they walk to the foreground it’s deeply unsettling.
Despite this critical misstep, I mostly liked Here. It has plenty of flaws, but I admire Zemeckis and his crew trying to make something out of the ordinary. In the current studio environment where everything has to be a massive blockbuster or a microbudget indie, I’m shocked it exists at all. Compared to the director’s other work over the last couple of decades, it’s definitely a step up.
Grade: B-
(Rated R for sexual content. Now available on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital and VOD.)
The premise: Writer-director Kevin Smith crafts his most personal film to date with this coming-of-age comedy set in the summer of 1986. It follows three teenage friends (Austin Zajur, Nicholas Cirillo and Reed Northrup) who spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local theater. When one of them invites his dream girl (Siena Agudong) to tag along, chaos unfolds as the evil manager (Ken Jeong) and teen angst interfere with his plans.
The verdict: I was surprised at how much fun I had with Smith’s latest, a charming comedy that’s far more good-natured than his usual raunchy fare. It’s his version of The Fabelmans, a semiautobiographical look at a kid simultaneously falling in love with film and girls.
The 4:30 Movie has his trademark combination of crude humor and heart, but toned way down. In fact, the R rating feels like overkill. Granted, there are a bunch of sex jokes – it’s a Kevin Smith movie after all – but they’re nothing that wouldn’t be out of place on the average sitcom. Unless I missed one, I don’t even think the characters use the f-word that typically permeates his screenplays.
For movie nerds like me who still prefer physical media, the 4K and Blu-ray (which hit shelves earlier this week) includes a commentary from Smith, a making-of featurette, the theatrical trailer and a digital copy of the film. It’s definitely worth the purchase.
Grade: B
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com
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