It's Christmas Again

Mapelle Films, 2022

Starring Lawson Touliatos, Leela Owen, Dimintri Mareno, and Jason Burkley

Directed by Sandra L. Martin

Music by Quinten Coblenz; Lyrics by Wes Writer

We explore the less secular side of the holiday with this independent Christian film. I'm not the most religious person in the universe, but I was intrigued by the idea of seeing the birth of Christ through the eyes of a jaded teen boy. How did this come across in this low-budget family tuner? Let's begin with Jake (Touliatos) walking through his town and explaining why the holiday decorations and activities are important to the community and find out...

The Story: Jake wants his girlfriend Abbey (Owen) to go on a skiing trip with him and his family. Not only does her family want her to hang around for the holidays, but her mother encourages her to play Mary in a Christmas pageant that'll raise money for a local church. Jake's disappointed and angry with her, and is even more so when his little brother Oliver (Max Victory) breaks his ankle and his parents end up canceling that coveted skiing vacation. He jumps on his skateboard and heads over to a friend's house for a party, claiming he doesn't understand why everyone's making a fuss over Christmas and refusing to appear as a shepherd in the pageant.

After a nasty fall off his skateboard, he first awakens in Bethlehem just as Baby Jesus is born. To his shock, he's dressed as a shepherd, and the other local shepherds assume he's one of them. Two younger shepherds, one of whom looks a lot like Abbey, take him to see Baby Jesus and his mother Mary (Reina Ozbay). He's attacked by a Roman soldier (Nathan Kehn) after a big dinner with Abbey's family and finds himself back in his town and time...but now, the Christmas decorations and revelers are gone. Abbey claims no one has celebrated it in a long time. With the help of her and a homeless teen (Mareno), Jake becomes determined to bring Christmas back to his community and show everyone in the process that Christmas is truly about the spirit of giving, charity, and hope.

The Song and Dance: Some decent performances anchor this well-meaning parable. Touliatos is pretty funny as Jake, whether he's confronting Roman guards, his friends who would rather be somewhere sunny for Christmas, or trying to convince Abbey that Christmas is worth saving. Owen has a few nice moments as his girlfriend too, especially in the second half where she's the skeptical one and he's trying to make her see the light. In fact, I do like how they turn around their positions in the last third. It shows just how much Jake has changed. 

The Numbers: Jake introduces us to the many holiday activities and decorations around his town in the energetic opening title song. He's determined to do Christmas "My Way" at school, even if Abbey can't join him. Once in Bethlehem, he tells the shepherds that what they do is "Not for Me." The people in Bethlehem are more interested in "Gimmie, Gimmie" as they lament having to be counted for taxes. "Mary's Lullaby" soothes the Baby Jesus after the kids arrive. The big family dinner for Abigail and her mother and siblings turns into the "Bless This Home" chorus number that baffles Jake. He briefly sings "We Three Kings" to tell the other shepherds about the wise men who are on their way with gifts. 

"Hey Christmas" is another chorus number, this one in a coffee shop when Jake and his new homeless friend Joe try to explain the holidays to the clientele. "Time Stands Still" is Abbey's solo as she admits how much she misses her father. The trio "Reach Out a Hand" and deliver food to the poor and homeless who were displaced when the church closed. It ends with another huge chorus number and a reprise of the title song as Jake admits that there's a lot more to the holidays than the same old traditions.

What I Don't Like: First of all, it's obvious that this is a low-budget Christian film. The sets are cheap as heck, especially the Bethlehem that more closely looks like something that was filmed in the back of a church. The songs are dull pop and rap and, other than the title song, are totally unmemorable. There's also the cliche of the Mysterious Black Friend having been questioned quite a bit lately, and it gets played to the hilt in the second half. 

My biggest problems is this movie has plot holes big enough to drive a whole herd of sheep through. It should have either stayed in Bethlehem and let the kids meet the Wise Men, or gone the It's a Wonderful Life route and have Jake wake up and realize what the lack of holiday spirit has done to the town. Either one would have sustained a full plot. Or maybe kept the second half, but have him interfere with history in some way and and awaken to Christmas being gone everywhere, period, or never have existed to begin with. 

I can understand him dreaming the sequence in Bethlehem, but they never explain why he wakes up and is suddenly in a world where his town just stopped celebrating Christmas. They don't say how it happened, or how or if it's connected with the church, or why Abbey's father is suddenly dead during the last 20 minutes.

The Big Finale: This recommended only for the most ardent teen Christian movie fans or parents desperately searching for a holiday movie to entertain their teens for an hour and a half before Christmas dinner.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming. Tubi currently has it for free with commercials.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Tubi 

Musicals On TV - Rent Live! (2019)

Fox, 2019

Starring Brennin Hunt, Jordan Fisher, Vanessa Hudgens, and Tinashe

Directed by Michael Greif and Alex Rudzinski

Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson

After their success with Grease, Fox searched for another recent rock musical that could match its popularity with teens and young adults. Though the movie version of Rent wasn't a hit in 2005, the stage show continued to be a favorite of young people who enjoyed the story and unique characters. How well did it adapt to TV, especially after they ran into major trouble right before the broadcast? Let's begin with a black screen showing the words of Jonathan Larson himself and find out...

The Story: Mark Cohen (Fisher) is a documentary filmmaker who spends a year shooting life in and around the dilapidated building in Manhattan's East Village where he and his songwriter roommate Roger Davis (Hunt) live. Their former roommate and current landlord Benny (Mario) is demanding the rent, even going so far as to turn off the electricity and padlock the building. Part-time philosophy professor and their friend Tom Collins (Brandon Victor Dixon) falls for kind-hearted transvestite Angel Dumott Schunard (Valentina), while Roger gets involved with exotic dancer Mimi Marquez (Tinashe). 

Mark's ex-girlfriend Maureen Johnson (Hudgens) is a performance artist whose avant-garde one-woman protest against Benny's desire to build a "cyber studio" in place of their tenement sparks a riot on Christmas Eve. She's in an on-again, off-again relationship with uptight lawyer Joanne Jefferson (Kiersey Clemons), who doesn't appreciate Maureen's flirting with everything and anything. Roger's even less happy with Mimi's drug addiction and breaks it off with her, too. The group finally breaks up after Angel dies of complications from AIDS, with Mark selling his work to a network show and Roger heading for Santa Fe. Roger returns to New York when he can't forget Mimi. 

The Song and Dance: For something that was only intended to be a dress rehearsal, there's some genuinely good performances here. Real-life drag queen Valentina has an absolute blast as Angel, especially during the "Today 4 U" number. Hudgens is even more fun as flirtatious Maureen than she was as Rizzo in Grease Live, and Tinashe is a touching and delicate Mimi. That enormous industrial set, with its crisscrossing pipes, bright lights, and graffiti-covered "walls," definitely gives this show a gritty urban vibe and won deserved Emmys. And heck, that last 10 minutes or so with both the new and original cast singing "Seasons of Love" is pure electricity and almost worth the price of admission. 

The Numbers: "Tune Up #1 and #2" and "Voice Mail #1" introduce us to Mark, Roger, and their situation with the housing and Mark's big film-making project. "You Okay, Honey?" and "Rent" brings in Angel and Tom as they try to help a homeless man and explain the trouble with the building and what Maureen is protesting. Roger says what he wants is just "One Song Glory" and to be remembered for something great before he dies. "Light My Candle" introduces Mimi to Roger. Angel tells the guys she's going to take them on the town as she struts her stuff in feather-trimmed Christmas duds to "Today 4 U." 

Benny protests them not paying the rent, saying "You'll See" what he does to get rid of them. Mark and Joanne dance a "Tango; Maureen" as they discuss the woman they have in common and why she drives them crazy. "Life Support" and "Will I?" introduces the AIDS group Mark films, while Mimi laments having to go "Out Tonight." "Another Day" and "I Should Tell You" are Mimi and Roger's love duets; "I'll Cover You" is Tom and Angel's. Tom tells Mark and Angel he dreams of quitting his job and opening a restaurant in "Santa Fe." Joanne claims "We're Okay," while the others sing about those "Christmas Bells." Maureen's idea of a protest is doing a really strange number about cows jumping "Over the Moon." Everyone gets a lot more into the big first-act closing number "La Vie Boheme," despite Benny's protests.

The second act opens with everyone performing this show's biggest hit, "Seasons of Love" and wishing each other "Happy New Year!" Maureen and Joanne's argument ends with them telling each other to "Take Me or Leave Me," while Mimi and Roger try to live "Without You." "Contact" and the reprise of "I'll Cover You" depicts Angel's death and the heartfelt funeral afterwards. The entire group says "Goodbye Love" as they split up, with Roger and Mark fleeing New York in "What You Own." The "Finale" brings Roger back to Mimi as she reveals what she's seen after her near-death experience. The entire cast, including the cast of the original 1996 Broadway show, return over the end credits to encore "Seasons of Love."

Trivia: The last 15 minutes with "Seasons of Love" was the only scene that ended up being filmed live. Brennin Hunt broke his foot during the dress rehearsal, which is why he is in a wheelchair during the finale and they ended up broadcasting the dress rehearsal. 

What I Don't Like: The critics have a point. Why didn't Fox have stand-ins or understudies for the main cast, just in case someone did get hurt? Couldn't they have gotten someone else, or done it as a concert? This was advertised as a live show, and it didn't end up being that. And while I do think Rent is tailor-made for the small screen, it might be better off on streaming or a cable channel like MTV with less stringent standards. Fox altered lyrics and cut a lot of profanity and sexual and drug references. 

The Big Finale: This ended up being much better than I thought it would be from all the criticism it received in 2019. Worth checking out if you're a fan of the show, of Larsen's other work, or of other rock operas. 

Home Media: Currently available for purchase only at Amazon.

Amazon Prime (Purchase Only)

Musicals On TV - Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas

NBC/Warner Bros, 2014

Voices of Jim Parsons, Ed Asner, Mark Hamill, and Kate Miucci

Directed by Mark Caballero and Seamus Walsh

Music by Matthew Sklar; Lyrics by Chad Beguelin

The film Elf, about a human who was raised as an elf and goes to New York to get his father off the naughty list, was an instant sensation in 2003. Comedian Will Farrell had one of his biggest roles as Buddy, the enthusiastic, Christmas-loving human-sized elf who inspires the holiday spirit even in jaded New Yorkers. It became a Broadway show in 2010, and even then was popular during the holiday season. How does this story work as an animated holiday special? Let's begin in Christmastown as Santa (Asner) explains how Buddy (Parsons) was the happiest elf in the North Pole despite also being the clumsiest and find out...

The Story: As it turns out, Buddy isn't an elf. He's a human whose mother gave him up for adoption before her death. Santa sends him to New York to find his birth father Walter Hobbs (Hamill), who is on the naughty list. Walter is a high-powered publishing executive who spends more time trying to create a blockbuster Christmas children's book than with his wife Emily (Rachel MacFarlane) and son Michael (Max Charles) and thinks Christmas means nothing but making money.

Buddy doesn't have a pleasant introduction to the Big Apple. He's thrown out of Walter's office in the Empire State Building when he mistakes him for a singing telegram boy, then ends up at the Hobbs' apartment after he accidentally reveals a mall Santa to be an impostor and starts a brawl. Emily and Michael take to him far more than Walter after he helps Michael with a science project. Buddy's thrilled, and is even happier on a date with sweet but cynical Jovie (Miucci). His father just gets angry with him after he excitedly tears up an important manuscript. Buddy runs away, but his new family bring him back when Santa crashes, and Buddy could be the only one who can drum up enough Christmas spirit to get him back in the air.

The Animation: I really like the unique cut-paper stop-motion work they did here. It looks like the pop-up book Santa reads in the beginning, complete with fluffy clouds made of actual cotton and Wooly yarn or curly nylon hair. While a bit on the jerky side, that once again does kind of work with it being a pop-up book read by Santa. Some of the designs - notably Buddy and Walter's obnoxious boss Mr. Greenway (Gilbert Gottfried) - can be awkward or a little scary, though that was probably intentional in the case of the latter.

The Song and Dance: This wound up being much cuter than I thought it would be. Jim Parsons has just as much fun playing the energetic Buddy as Will Farrell did and sings the heck out of his numbers to boot. Hamill matches him as the executive who is so focused on making a blockbuster by Christmas Eve, he's forgotten what's important. The songs are a lot of fun too, especially Buddy's big decorating number with his family at their apartment and "The Story of Buddy the Elf" over the closing credits.

The Numbers: Santa's a bit annoyed with how the elves are "Happy All the Time" as they work in Christmastown, especially Buddy! Buddy's excited when he goes to find his father,  hoping he'll be the "World's Greatest Dad." Emily and Michael wistfully admire a department store display, telling Santa "I'll Believe In You" if only their husband and father would pay attention to them. They and Buddy use the cards in their house and a few umbrellas to make the austere Hobbs apartment "Sparklejollytwinklejingley." 

"A Christmas Song" explains Buddy's feelings on the holiday to Jovie as they dance on their date and why he loves it so much. After his father rejects him, Buddy joins a group of department store Santas (including Jay Leno) to lament "Nobody Cares About Santa." Emily and Michael rally the New Yorkers in Central Park by claiming "There Is a Santa Claus." This leads into a reprise of "A Christmas Song," ending with the cast singing Buddy's tale over the end credits in "The Story of Buddy the Elf."

Trivia: Elf: The Musical debuted on Broadway as its big Christmas show for 2010. It would return to Broadway in 2012 and is currently playing there again through January. It was on the West End during Christmas in 2015, 2022, and 2023. It's toured extensively during the holidays on both sides of the Atlantic and is a popular holiday attraction for regional theaters as well.

What I Don't Like: Fans of the movie will note many changes, from the narrator being Santa instead of the head elf who adopted Buddy to the elimination of Buddy wrecking havoc in the mail room at the Empire State Building, mistaking a short author Walter is trying to impress for an elf, and helping Michael with bullies in Central Park. I can understand losing the first two, but I wish they'd kept the last one in. We really don't get to see Buddy bond much with any of his family, including the father he's traveled so far to find. It also eliminates a few songs from the musical for time, notably Jovie's solo "Never Fall In Love" and Buddy's "Just Like Him," moves "The Story of Buddy the Elf" to the finale, and uses the opening number created for the 2012 Broadway revival "Happy All the Time."

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the original film or the musical, or just want to show your kids a unique modern animated special, you can do far worse than Buddy's frantic Christmas tale.

Home Media: Easily found on every format, including all over streaming.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Musicals On TV - She Loves Me (1979)

The BBC/PBS, 1979

Starring Gemma Craven, Robin Ellis, David Kernan, and Diane Langdon

Directed by Michael Simpson

Music by Jerry Bock; Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick

We return to Europe for our next vintage Christmas tale. The 1940 romantic comedy The Shop Around the Corner starred James Steward and Margaret Sullivan as co-workers at a Hungarian perfume store who hated each other, but who were also each other's secret pen pal. This became the basis for the 1963 Broadway musical She Loves Me. The original production wasn't a huge hit, but it was well-remembered enough to be adapted into this version. Originally produced for the BBC in 1978, it eventually ran on PBS as part of their Great Performances series in December 1979. How well does it handle the story? Let's begin in front of Maraczeck's (Derek Smith) Parfumerie at Budapest, Hungary in 1937 and find out...

The Story: Head salesman Georg Nowack (Ellis) is excited about the pen pal letters he's been receiving from a mysterious woman who only signs herself "Dear Friend." He's certainly not interested in Amalia Balash (Craven), the young woman who turns up in the store and earns a job simply by passing off a difficult-to-sell cigar holder as a candy box. Seems Amalia also has a "Dear Friend" she's been writing to, one whose letters seem rather familiar. 

Amalia thinks she hates Georg, but she's more concerned when he's fired because Maraczeck thinks he's been sleeping with his wife. After Maraczeck nearly ends his life, he realizes how important his head clerk is...and Amalia begins to realize that maybe Mr. Nowack isn't such a bad fellow after all. 

The Song and Dance: Craven and Ellis are perfectly cast as the antagonistic salespeople who don't realize they're really in love in this sweet production. Diane Langdon and David Kernan also have a great time as flirtatious co-worker Illona Ritter and smooth-talking Steven Kodaly, whose seductive methods of getting ahead are what actually causes the trouble at the store in the first place. Bock and Harnick's best score along with Fiddler On the Roof is retained in almost its entirety and is stunningly performed. 

The Numbers: We open with the cast introducing themselves in "Good Morning, Good Day." That takes us right into "Thank You, Madam," as the salespeople do their jobs with the wealthy women who come in looking for perfume. Amalia convinces the lady to buy that box by telling her "No More Candy." "Three Letters" is a montage of Amalia and Georg reading off the letters they write each other over the next few months. Georg is excited to meet his pen pal "Tonight at Eight." Amalia admits to Ilona that "I Don't Know His Name." 

Sipos (Peter Sallis), an older clerk, gives "Perspectives" on the situation at the store. Kodaly seduces his "Ilona" while Sipos and delivery boy Arpad Lazlo (Nigel Rathbone) look on. Ilona, for her part, claims "I Resolve" to not fall for charming rascals like Kodaly. Amalia wonders "Will He Like Me" during the aborted date at the expensive restaurant, while the head waiter pushes for a "Romantic Atmosphere." She finally lets Georg have it with the "Tango Tragique" and laments that she's lost her "Dear Friend." Georg manages to cheer her up the next day with "Ice Cream" even as she wonders "Where's My Shoe?" 

Lazlo energetically begs Maraczeck to "Try Me" as a clerk while he's in the hospital. At the store, Ilona gushes about her new romance and the handsome scholars you can meet during "A Trip to the Library." The now-fired Kodaly claims it was "Grand Knowing You," but he's going to start his own store. Everyone is excited that it's "Twelve Days to Christmas," but Amalia and Georg are only interested in remembering him and the "Ice Cream."

Trivia: She Loves Me debuted on Broadway in 1963, with Barbara Cook as Amalia, David Massey as Georg, and Jack Cassidy as Kodaly. Critics loved the show - Cassidy won a supporting actor Tony - but audiences of the early 60's preferred their musicals bigger and bolder, and it ran for a little over a year and a half. The London production in 1964 didn't even make a year. It's done much better on both sides of the Atlantic in the past three decades, including hit Broadway revivals in 1993 and 2016. The 2016 revival was so popular, it became the first Broadway show to have a performance streamed live.

This isn't the first musical version of The Shop Around the Corner. The 1949 MGM musical  In the Good Old Summertime featured Van Johnson and Judy Garland in the leads and set the story in turn-of-the-century Chicago. It would be remade again as another non-musical romantic comedy, You've Got Mail, in 1998. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, there's a reason this took thirty years to catch on with the general public. It's not for people who prefer their musicals on the bigger and bolder side, or who aren't a fan of operetta. There's a lot of music in this movie, and most of it is even more old-fashioned than its setting. While the cramped pastel sets do allow for a feeling of intimacy, they also make the film look like the cheap BBC production it is. 

The Big Finale: I'm glad people are finally starting to succumb to the charms of this sweet and delicate romantic comedy. Perfect for cozy, quiet nights by the fire side during the holiday season. 

Home Media: Alas, the only place you can currently find this in the US is YouTube. At least the copy I have linked here is the full original production, complete with vintage 1978 PBS logos and original stage show stars Barbara Cook and Daniel Massey an interview near the end.

YouTube

The Lemon Drop Kid

Paramount, 1951

Starring Bob Hope, Marilyn Maxwell, Jane Darwell, and Lloyd Nolan

Directed by Sidney Lanfield

Music by Jay Livingston; Lyrics by Ray Evans

We jump start Christmas this week with two adaptations of older films as holiday musicals, starting with this one based on a Damon Runyon story. This was originally filmed in 1934 with Lee Tracy as the lemon candy-loving racetrack tout, but it was heavily reworked for Bob Hope and his gags by former Looney Tunes animator Frank Tashlin, among others. How does this story of a con man who uses an older lady to make money, only to learn a holiday lesson about giving, look today? Let's begin in Florida with The Lemon Drop Kid (Hope) selling phony horse race tips and find out...

The Story: The Kid gets into real trouble when he sells a phony tip to the girlfriend of gangster Moose Moran (Fred Clark). The furious boss demands that he pay back the $10,000 she lost by Christmas Eve. He returns to New York, first trying to get money off his girlfriend Brainey Baxter (Maxwell), then from local crime boss Oxford Charlie (Nolan). Seeing all the sidewalk Santas earning money, he hits on the idea of posing as a Santa, too. He's arrested for panhandling, but that just gives him the idea of posing as a Santa earning money for charity.

Hearing how local older lady Nellie Thursday (Darwell) wasn't allowed to join a senior home because her husband is in jail, he creates the "Nellie Thursday Home for Old Dolls" at one of Moran's abandoned casinos. He and other local gangsters bring in older women as friends for Nellie and even dress as Santas themselves to earn money for her. The Kid originally intends to hand the money over to Moran, but starts to have second thoughts when Brainey leaves her job as a dancer for Charlie to look after the women and he realizes just how big this has gotten...and how important it is to the ladies.

The Song and Dance: This ended up being really cute. Hope is having a terrific time as the candy-sucking con man who thinks he's found a way to easy riches, before he realizes he's found people who really care about him instead. Maxwell also has fun as his sarcastic girlfriend who has been left sitting without a fur coat for too many years. All of the character actors playing gangsters are a riot, too, especially William Frawley as Gloomy Willie and Sit Melton as Little Louie, and Darwell is adorable and very funny as the kindly older woman whose dilemma gives the Kid his charity idea in the first place.

The Numbers: We get the chorus girls doing a dance routine at Charlie's club, claiming "You Obviously Came to Hear Us Sing." Brainey and the Kid gently remind the older women as they settle them down for the night that "It Doesn't Cost You Anything to Dream." The holiday standard here is "Silver Bells," and it gets a number worthy of it, too. Frawley begins it as an attempt to drum up customers. Brainey and the Kid encourage him to give it a softer sell...which leads into them and half of Times Square to tout the delights of the city at Christmastime.

Trivia: Frank Tashlin ended up directing part of the film along with writing part of it, but received no credit for directing. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, I did read that this has nothing whatsoever to do with the original short story or the first film besides the title and a con-man who likes lemon candy. It wasn't originally set at Christmas, either. You can definitely detect Tashlin's wacky Looney Tunes sensibilities in the increased emphasis on slapstick and wacky gags for one of Hope's movies, including near the end where he dresses as an old woman to find the older ladies Oxford Charlie has kidnapped and the missing money. 

The Big Finale: One of Hope's better comedies of the 1950's deserves far more love than it gets for the hilarious script and its two lovely songs. Definitely recommend checking it out this holiday season if you're a fan of Hope, are looking for an adorably hilarious comic caper, or ever wondered where "Silver Bells" came from.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - Moana 2

Disney, 2024

Voices of Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Hualalai Chung, and Rose Matafeo

Directed by David Derrick Jr, Dana Ledoux Miller, and Jason Hand

Music by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear

Apparently, this one had a bit of a convoluted trip to the big screen. It began as a limited series for Disney Plus, but Disney was so impressed with the animation, they strung the episodes into a full-length movie in February. It's done wildly well against heavy Thanksgiving competition in theaters, but critics aren't as impressed. How does Moana's second adventure in the South Seas come off? Let's begin, not with Moana, but with demi-god Maui (Johnson) in trouble and find out...

The Story: Moana (Cravalho) returns to her beloved island home and her little sister Simesa (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda) who adores her. She's about to receive the title of Wayfinder when there's a massive lighting storm. During the storm, she sees a vision of her ancestor Tataui Vasa (Gerald Ramsay) revealing why she's found no other people traveling the seas. Storm god Nalo (Tofiga Fepulea'i) pulled the island Motufetu that connected all islands into the sea, and the people of her island will go extinct if she can't find it. 

Deciding that this adventure is too big for just her, she corrals a crew that includes historian, artist, and Maui fan boy Moni (Chung), craftswoman Loto (Matafeo), and grumpy farmer Kele (David Fane), and sets off across the Pacific to find the island. They're first captured by the coconut pirates from the first film, then by a giant monster clam. They rescue Maui from the clam, and Moana is aided by goddess Matangi (Awhimi Fraser) and encouraged to think outside the box. When Maui insists he can raise the island and Moana should be the first to touch it, she'll need every ounce of intelligence and strength to get to that island...and remember that we're all connected to our past and to other people on their own journeys.

The Animation: This was made for streaming? No wonder Disney wanted to push this on the big screen. It's gorgeous. Every wave glows, every hair and blade of grass looks stunningly real. Everyone moves well, including the gods and other fantasy characters. Maui's famously funny moving tattoo has somewhat less off a role this time, but it's still animated well and has a few good moments.

The Song and Dance: That lovely animation really carries the day here, along with some decent performances and the glimpses of South Seas culture. Cravalho and Johnson have just as much fun this time around. They do especially well in the sequence after they're stranded on the island and Maui finds himself having to cheer up a despairing Moana. Of the newcomers, Matafeo and Fraser come off the best as the quirky boat designer who is constantly trying to take everything apart and the vengeful goddess who is willing to help Moana in order to get out of that clam.

The Numbers: We open with "We're Back" as the villagers await Moana's arrival. Moana describes the world "Beyond" for her little sister before the storm. She insists "What Could Be Better Than This?" to her squabbling crew as they begin their journey. Matangi encourages Moana to "Get Lost" in the center of the clam and not be afraid to make mistakes. "Can I Get a Chee-Hoo?" insists Maui as he attempts to put a smile on Moana's face. "Beyond" is heard again when she finds the island and in the end credits.

What I Don't Like: At times, it's too obvious that this is six episodes of a streaming mini-series strung together. Most of the plot is even more meandering than the first film, and the incidents with the coconut pirates and the clam pop up with no rhyme or reason. Moana's crew doesn't really have all that much to do, either, nor do we get to know them that well. 

It feels like a far more advanced version of the "movies" Disney put direct-to-home-media in the 90's and early 2000's that were episodes of canceled series strung together. While I appreciate Disney using their first all-female songwriting team, I'm afraid the songs they came up with are only so-so, and not nearly as memorable as Lin-Manuel Miranda's music for the first film. 

The Big Finale: Even with the meandering plot and so-so music, it's still worth seeing on the big screen for the stunning animation and some terrific performances, particularly for fans of the first film or those with young girls who are looking for female-oriented action.

Home Media: No listings for the actual film yet, but the soundtrack will be released on physical media in January. 

CD soundtrack

The Young Girls of Rochefort (Les Demoiselles de Rochefort)

Comacico, 1967

Starring Catherine Denveuve, Francoise Dorleac, George Chakaris, and Gene Kelly

Directed by Jacques Demy

Music by Michel Legrand; Lyrics by Jacques Demy

After the massive success of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Demy went back to the musical form for something far lighter. This time, he borrowed from classic American musical film, even using two of its stars, Kelly and Chakaris. Danielle Darrieux, who played Denveuve and Dorleac's mother, had also done several Hollywood musicals. How does this effervescent story of two sisters who fall in love during their seaside town's spring fair look today? Let's begin with the caravan of carnival barkers and performers as they dance and drive their way to Rochefort and find out...

The Story: Twins Delphine (Denveuve) and Solange (Dorleac) Garnier run a small ballet school in Rochefort, but what they really want is to try their wings as a dancer and composer in Paris. Delphine is also hoping to meet the man she's been dreaming about there...and so is Maxence (Jacques Perrin), a sailor just out of the Navy who wants to become an artist. Solange eventually falls for American dancer Andy Miller (Kelly) after she encounters him while picking up her little brother Booboo (Patrick Jeantet) from school. 

The girls agree to dance for carnival barkers Etienne (Chakaris) and Bill (Grover Dale) after their original dancers run off with sailors. They're hoping it will lead the guys to take them to Paris after the Carnival ends. Delphine is also hoping to avoid her obnoxious and egotistical ex-boyfriend Gulliaume Lancien (Jacques Riberoles), who is more interested in making money than being in love with her. There's also Simon Dame (Michel Piccoli), the owner of the music shop where Solange works...and whose description of the woman who loved him but couldn't stand his last named and walked away with his children. Madame Garnier's description off her ex sounds mighty familiar, too....

The Song and Dance: This is a gorgeous movie with an excellent performance by Catherine Denveuve, and stunning use of color...and that's about where the resemblance to Umbrellas ends. Unlike through-sung Umbrellas, this is a more traditional musical that thrives on its dance sequences. We see people dancing before we hear a word of dialogue or anyone singing. The dances are everywhere, among everyone from basketball players to lovers on the street. They inform everything that everyone does, and their energy really keeps the movie hopping. 

The lovely colors here are warm and airy pastels rather than the dark, saturated shades of Umbrellas, but they're just as pretty to look at. We get a good mix of French and American sensibilities, with the two male dancers and Kelly giving this the feel of an especially elegant MGM production of a decade before. Dorleac matches her real-life sister Denveuve as the slightly more practical sister, while Darrieux and Piccoli are fine aging lovers who don't realize their sweethearts have been in the same town all along and Perrin is a strapping sailor-turned-artist.

The Numbers: We open before a word has been sung with Etienne, Bill, and the other carnival performers doing two lively group dances on the pier done to the instrumental "The Ferry Bridge" and "Arrival of the Truckers Ballet" as they prepare to cross the Bay of Biscay. After they cross the Bay, we move to "The Ballet Lesson" and see the twins teaching their young charges. What they really want to do is move to Paris and pursue their passions as they explain what "A Pair of Twins" can do. 

We first meet Maxence at their mother's cafe as he explains why "You Must Believe In Spring" and he believes in his dream of the perfect girl. "From Delphine to Lancien" is Delphine explaining why she no longer wants to continue seeing Guilliame. Etienne and Bill tell their girls that "We Travel From City to City," but they're far from impressed. "Simon's Song" and "Yvonne's Song" gives us their not-so-different views on why she left him over his name. Delphine reprises "Must Believe In Spring" as she explains her own dream lover. "Andy In Love" is Kelly's number after he meets Solange and finds the pages she lost from her concerto. 

Bill manages to get the girls to dance for them with "Sailors, Friends, Lovers, and Husbands" as the girls explain they have none of the above. Having returned to the cafe, Maxence once again talks about his dream lover with his reprise of "Must Believe In Spring." "Solange's Song" talks about her desire to become a great composer. She and Delphine talk about what will happen when they go "From Hamburg to Rochefort" and reprise "Pair of Twins." Their mother sings of "Lola Lola."

"The Basketball Ballet" takes us to the carnival as we see a basketball team practice before the crowd. "Woman Cut to Pieces" and "The Meetings" are instrumental dance numbers for Delphine's dance troupe and a group of chorus dancers in the town square. "Andy's Song" gives him a dance routine and a chance to admit his feelings for Solange. "Kermesee" is Bill and Etienne's number as they leap around their motorcycle onstage. Dressed to kill in fire-engine red, the twins dance to a sultry "Summer Day Song," with Solange a bit more awkward than a delighted Delphine. When Bill and Etienne admit they love them, the girls say men "Always Never" will respect them and their feelings. "The Concert Ballet" brings Solange and Andy together in a pas de deux bathed in white, while the film ends with "The Fairground Departure Ballet" as people clean up and the townspeople rejoice in their new relationships and "The Truckers Departure Finale."

Trivia: Sadly, this was Dorleac's second-to-last film. She died in a car accident in Nice three months after the movie's release. 

Apparently, the English language version of this seen in the US wasn't a hit, which may be why it's even harder to find than the one for Umbrellas of Cherbourg today. The soundtrack and two video clips are all that remain of it.

What I Don't Like: The music is as charming and bubbly as the film, but while "A Pair of Twins" wound up being a hit, I don't think the songs are quite up to the haunting score from Umbrellas of Cherbourg. This is a more traditional musical, with numbers between spoken interludes. Those who are looking for something more experimental and less dance-heavy will want to go elsewhere or back to Umbrellas. And same caveat from Umbrellas applies here. If you don't speak French and don't want to use subtitles, you may have a hard time understanding what's going on. 

The Big Finale: That said, while I think Umbrellas is the slightly better film, both of these movies are definitely must-sees for their lovely scores, stunning use of color, delightful performances, and in the case of this one, fabulous dancing. Check these out this holiday season with your sweetheart or your favorite sister. 

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming, the former from the Criterion Collection.

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The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg)

American International Pictures, 1964

Starring Catherine Denueve, Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon, and Marc Michel

Directed by Jacques Demy

Music by Michel Legrand; Lyrics by Jacques Demy

This week, we take a holiday trip to France in the 1960's with our first two reviews. Umbrellas was Demy's third film and first of three musicals. He made copious use of the new Eastman color stock to turn the real-life French town of Cherbourg into a riot of color, light, and shadows, giving the story of two young lovers parted by fate and circumstance a melancholy fairy-tale feel. How does the story of a mechanic and the daughter of the owner of the title shop look now? Let's begin with bright umbrellas in the rain showing off those eye-catching primary colors and find out...

The Story: Genevieve Emery (Denueve) is passionately in love with Guy Foucher (Castelnuovo), a mechanic in Cherboug. Her mother Madame Emery (Vernon) believes they're too young to wed, as Genevieve is only 17. Guy lives with his aging Aunt Elise (Mirrelle Perrey) and her caretaker Madeline (Ellen Farner), who has a crush on him. Genevieve is devastated when Guy is called to the Algerian War. She writes him constantly, but after a while, his letters become fewer. Her mother finally convinces her to wed handsome young diamond merchant Roland Cassard (Michel) after they discover she's pregnant. 

Meanwhile, Guy returns home from the war and takes to drinking after he learns his beloved has married another and his aunt has died. Madeline is happy to be there for him and to take care of him. Even though their lives eventually take very different paths, when they encounter each other again one cold, snowy Christmas night, Guy and Genevieve can't help but wonder what would have had happened if things were different...

The Song and Dance: This is one of the most breathtaking musical films I've ever seen. Bless everyone who restored the Eastman color negatives, because they did a sensational job. The color almost literally pops off the screen, blasts of scarlet, shocking pink, olive green, and robin's egg blue. Genevieve and Guy wander through a fairy tale France where umbrellas come in every color of the rainbow, Christmas Eve is pure white, and even little shops and gas stations are a riot of primary hues. The performances are magnificent, too, despite everyone being dubbed. Denveuve is so radiant and heartbreaking, she became an international star after her performance here. Castelnuovo and Vernon nearly match her as her adored mechanic sweetheart with big ambitions and her mother who just wants to see her and the shop taken care of.

The Numbers: This is more-or-less an opera. Every note is sung-through, making it hard to separate songs the way you would for a regular musical. Two songs in particular became standards. "Recit De Cassard," Roland's solo when he's explaining his difficulty courting women to Genevieve and her mother, would be translated into English as "Watch What Happens." Guy and Genevieve's theme that runs throughout their numbers became the Oscar-nominated "I Will Wait for You" in English.

Trivia: The building that stood in for the umbrella shop still exists in Cherbourg today. It's currently marked with a plaque that commemorates the film.

When Roland Cassard tells Madame Emory he once loved a woman named Lola, he's referring to Demy's previous comedy Lola, where Michel played the same character. 

Madame Demy wasn't kidding when she referred to how young Genevieve was. Denveuve was only 19 during filming. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, the English-language dub for this is extremely rare today. If you don't speak French or aren't willing to use subtitles, you may have a hard time with the lyrics. Second, this is not a feel-good musical. It's a bittersweet melodrama with a relatively unhappy ending. If you're not in the mood for a sad love story, this isn't for you, no matter how pretty it is to look at. 

The Big Finale: One of the most exquisitely gorgeous musical films ever created. Highly recommended for musical lovers, romantics, fans of the French New Wave, and those who either speak French, have a passing acquaintance with the language like me, or are willing to use subtitles. 

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming. The Blu-Ray is from the Criterion Collection, and even the DVD (which I've seen) has a marvelous transfer.

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