Eight hundred and fifty-five join the war effort to address a three-year mail backlog. Despite discrimination and war-torn conditions, they sort over seventeen million pieces of mail ahead of schedule.
The Six Triple Eight is directed by Tyler Perry director of the Madea franchise, A Jazzman’s Blues (2022), Divorce in the Black (2024), Mea Culpa (2024) and many others. The film is about the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion an all Black and all-female battalion in World War II.
One of the most frustrating types of movies are the ones that are about a very interesting true story that is not told very often and tells that story not very well. Perhaps you did not need me to tell you that Tyler Perry has yet again made another terrible movie, in comparison to a majority of his filmography The Six Triple Eight is a masterpiece. But that really is not saying much if you know anything about Tyler Perry.
There’s moments of decent acting here but a majority of the time it’s very over dramatic and really hurts the storytelling as a result, Kerry Washington is the standout here but even she struggles to work with such a shoddy script. It’s sad because the actual true story is quite interesting and is a story that deserves to be told in a far better way than how Tyler Perry decides to tell it.
The acting during the movie’s first act really presents itself like a bad high school play, it’s painfully noticeable and takes away from what could be touching moments between the actors and actresses. Even when the movie is well intentioned and wants to pay tribute to these women the movie tackles the story and background of these women in such a surface level way, which considering the movie is 2 hours long is incredibly baffling.
There are plenty of moments here that should have easily been hard hitting, but due to the script and Perry’s direction it robs the movie of these moments. You don’t get to learn a whole lot about these women, it’s more focused on telling a very abridged version of this story with so many details missing.
Overall The Six Triple Eight is a huge missed opportunity to tell a story that deserves to be told in a passionate way, this is just terrible Oscar bait that doesn’t tell this story as well as it should have.
Misunderstood because of her green skin, a young woman named Elphaba forges an unlikely but profound friendship with Glinda, a student with an unflinching desire for popularity. Following an encounter with the Wizard of Oz, their relationship soon reaches a crossroad as their lives begin to take very different paths.
Wicked is directed by Jon M. Chu director of Crazy Rich Asians (2018), In The Heights (2021), Now You See Me 2 (2016), Step Up 2: The Streets (2008), Step Up 3D (2010), G.I. Joe Retaliation (2013) and Jem and the Holograms (2015). Wicked is the first installment of a two part film adaption based on the musical of the same name and serves as a prequel to The Wizard Of Oz.
It was inevitable that a film adaption of one of the biggest broadway shows in recent memory Wicked was going to be made, the questions were when was it going to be made? Who would make it? Plus would it actually happen? The answers to these questions are luckily very satisfying, which in turn led to one of the best films of the year and the very definition of a fantastic crowd pleaser.
Right from the beginning we are thrown into the land of Oz, the production design all the way through the film is quite excellent. A lot of attention to detail with the many colors that pop out, especially during the musical numbers where the film gets more creative. There’s many of these instances where the townspeople, students and get to participate and show off their choreography which truly is fantastic and really gives the film this lightning sort of energy it needed as well as a beautiful personality that really makes you feel your right there.
The performances are all fantastic, everyone here really gives it their all which leads into some of the best moments from a film this year. Cynthia Erivo was just a natural choice for Elphaba, Erivo’s singing voice is known to be big and powerful plus she her acting ability has always been top notch and here is no exception. She absolutely nails it down with “Defying Gravity” it’s a legendary song at this point and is a song that is incredibly challenging to sing, Erivo does such a masterful job with the song and really goes beyond expectations. It’s almost like you can see Erivo challenging herself to go even further which is something that is always fascinating to see from actors and actresses. We also quickly get to see how incredible Erivo’s voice really is with “The Wizard and I” a solo performance that quickly establishes that Erivo truly captures Elphaba as a character and goes even further in the film.
Ariana Grande as Galinda is just as fantastic, before this film Grande had not been in a lead or even a supporting role for years. There were cameos like Don’t Look Up (2021). But her last relatively main role was Hairspray Live (2016) but even then she wasn’t really front and center if you want go even further back it would be Victorious and Sam & Cat. To say Ariana Grande proved herself to be a fantastic actress here that could even go further in her acting career would be the understatement of the year. Right from the beginning Ariana Grande hits it out of the park with her powerful singing voice the notes she hits during “No One Mourns The Wicked” is absolutely striking and oozes with power, any doubt of Grande’s ability as an actress gets thrown out the window right at the moment. Throughout the film Grande really goes above and beyond to capture the spirit of Galinda and does such a masterful job at it, “Popular” is another grand moment for Grande the film does such a good job of comparing the personalities of Elphaba and Galinda throughout the film but this musical number and the Ozbust scene (more on that in a second) really shines. Grande brings this energizing spark to the film that really captures the land of Oz perfectly.
Together Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande bring this power that was absolutely needed to make the film work as well as it does, they go beyond expectations and even throw in their own style into the mix. One such example is during the Ozbust Elphaba and Galinda share an unforgettable beautiful moment that I believe to be the film’s heart. Before this we saw the two’s personalities challenge each other but here it’s when they collide and become friends…in a very beautiful way. The way the scene is done is just gorgeous, no dialogue besides the whispers of the crowd watching the two, they both move slowly and perform personal and beautiful movements that ultimately speak to one another. It’s a scene that admittedly made me tear up due to just how up close the camera is, the film is telling the viewer that this is a personal moment and wants you to experience it. The acting from Erivo and Grande gives us moments like this, “One Short Day” which is just oozing with energy and of course “Defying Gravity”.
The supporting roles from Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Marissa Bode and Jonathan Bailey are all fantastic. Marissa Bode has a lot of cute moments that are bound to warm your heart and Jonathan Bailey is just a lot of fun “Dancing Through Life” shows he’s quite a solid singer as well and really captures his character quite well.
The rest of the film is just a blast and it remains that way throughout the film, the choreography is energetic and as I said before everyone gets the chance to participate plus insert their own style into the mix. The film really captures the land of Oz quite beautifully with its production design, music and atmosphere. The atmosphere has this perfect balance of light and dark, the film isn’t overly too happy and it isn’t overly too dark either. It’s the perfect balance that makes the film speak for itself, all the build up is worth it to the grand finale when “Defying Gravity” plays. Even if you haven’t seen Wicked you probably have at least heard of the song or someone mention it. As I said earlier it’s a huge song that really does sum up Wicked a big and powerful piece that is booming and at times intimidating. Luckily that feeling is captured here, between all the events of the film coming together to the voices of Erivo and Grande mixing flawlessly it’s a sight that really wows you.
Overall Wicked is the definition of a crowd pleaser and one that has so much heart, it’s one of my absolute favorite films of the year! If you haven’t seen it already please do so!
A sudden attack by Wulf, a ruthless Dunlending lord, forces Helm Hammerhand and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Helm’s daughter, Héra, must lead the resistance against a deadly enemy who’s intent on total destruction.
The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim is directed by Kenji Kamiyama director of Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999), Napping Princess (2017), a few Ghost In the Shell movies and a few others.
As someone who is a major fan of the original Lord Of The Rings trilogy and was overall very disappointed with The Hobbit trilogy (Desolation Of Smaug of grown to really like in recent years but it doesn’t touch the original trilogy still) I was all for an anime Lord Of The Rings film. This had the potential to be something really creative and even bring new ideas to the table, unfortunately that’s not what happened here. When Warner Bros said they only made this movie so that they can keep the rights to the franchise it definitely shows in this movie.
I will say that the score is quite fantastic, it has the Lord Of The Rings spirit there’s a mix of Howard Shore and new music that keeps the score interesting and beautiful. The score does a wonderful job of setting the mood and tone of the movie and actually does far more talking than the writing does for the characters. The animation a lot of the time is quite beautiful, I say a lot of the time because the character models have this weird hiccup where if they are far away they look like ragdolls with no face for some reason. But outside of that the detail is excellent and there’s some very beautifully done moments that do a solid job of capturing the many locations of the movie, especially towards the second half of the movie.
Everything else however is quite disappointing, the characters being a main offender. If you are going in expecting some great character development like the original trilogy then you are in for a disappointment. While the voice acting isn’t terrible (Brian Cox being the standout) the characters are very underwritten and are a prime example of show don’t tell. We are told things about these characters such as the main character Hera being “wild and free” but we never actually get to see that, instead we see that she’s traditional protagonist number 210. Hera’s brothers Hama and Haleth have no character development outside of being Hera’s brother, Fréaláf (Helm’s nephew) disappears for half the movie and by the time he reappears during the movie’s final act it’s almost over. King Helm while kind of a neat character at times and admittedly has a great final scene has the most sloppiest put together redemption arc I’ve seen in quite some time. Finally there’s Wulf our main villain and well he’s about as standard as you can get, very typical revenge story that really doesn’t say or do anything new.
The writing gives these characters no room to develop or have a unique identity, it’s all stock character traits that you have probably seen in countless movies. Which leads into another main issue….why was this a Lord Of The Rings film? There’s a cameo and a name drop during the final moments of the movie, how Helms Deep got its name (even then the movie does a terrible job of explaining that) and Miranda Otto returns to narrate. Outside of that I completely forgot this was supposed to be a Lord Of The Rings film, this felt much more like a very cliched fantasy film than a Lord Of The Rings film. It’s a very weird mishmash of trying to connect to the franchise and very cliched ideas that not even fans of the fantasy genre would enjoy.
It’s very weird saying “I don’t have much else to say” about a Lord Of The Rings film but that’s actually the case here The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim is a very nothing movie, we don’t learn anything new or interesting about Middle Earth all we get is a very messy cash grab (considering how bad this movie is bombing currently it’s not even good at that.) By far the most disappointing movie of the year.
The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim is currently in theaters.
Mismatched cousins David and Benji tour Poland to honor their grandmother. Their adventure becomes complicated as old tensions resurface while exploring their family history.
A Real Pain is directed by Jesse Eisenberg who previously directed When You Finish Saving The World (2022).
Something I absolutely love seeing in film is a director improving, Jesse Eisenberg’s directorial debut When You Finish Saving The World (2022) was incredibly flawed and overall very forgettable. A Real Pain is the direct opposite of that, what we have here is such a personal and powerful story that quite clearly means so much to Eisenberg and he shares that with the viewer in such beautiful ways.
The performances are really what make this film work as wonderfully as it does, Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin are fantastic and work so naturally together. We get to explore the two’s characters in great detail, David Kaplan (played by Jesse Eisenberg) has a wife and kids in New York City, has his life together and while is yet another one of Eisenberg’s socially awkward characters it actually really works here. Benji Kaplan (played by Kieran Culkin) does not have a job and hides a lot of pain that bothers him, sure he might seem like he “lights up the room” when he enters it. But on the inside he is hiding battles that do get to him.
The character is truly fascinating and really builds the bond of the two and leads to some incredible moments. Culkin is of course fascinating throughout the film, one moment he’s a jokester who means well in what he’s saying. Then the next moment he takes a stance of how the way the tour guide talks about the Nazi Germany Holocaust tour wanting more emotional authenticity rather than focus on statistics. Jesse Eisenberg gives a career best moment during the dinner table scene, Benji makes uncomfortable comments and leaves which leads to David to explain that Benji tried to kill himself which ended up drifting the two apart. Eisenberg’s acting in this scene is truly beautiful and so gut punching that it makes you cry, it’s such a powerful way of previously setting up a character (Benji) who seemed to be happy and comfortable with himself be shown to be going through a whole lot. Eisenberg really puts in the work for this scene alone he should absolutely be nominated for an Oscar (as well as Kieran Culkin).
The haunting yet beautiful piano score that’s used throughout the film is truly beautiful and really captured the atmosphere the film is going for. The theme of pain is present throughout the score and ultimately delivers some truly touching quiet moments, it’s a score that’s also very therapeutic that slowly brings you into the film. It’s a very smart way of easing the viewer in, getting you comfortable and just setting up beautiful scenes.
The writing and direction from Jesse Eisenberg is just absolutely brilliant, Eisenberg creates some of the most raw and human performances of the year. The scene where the group visits the concentration camp is absolutely haunting and is about as perfectly directed as you can get. The silence, the atmosphere, the cinematography and the sound of the group’s steps as they look at the remains of the camp it’s all there. It’s one of those scenes that never leaves your mind after watching, Eisenberg proves he can write a meaningful scene after meaningful scene, everything in this film really mixes so well together in the end and paints this beautiful and emotional picture that you never want to stop looking at.
Overall A Real Pain is one of the best films of the year. The compare and contrast element of David and Benji as characters is fascinating, their bond rebuilding is absolutely beautiful and the film is just so well done. I am absolutely interested to see what Eisenberg does next as a director.
Famed opera singer Maria Callas retreats to Paris in the 1970s after a glamorous yet tumultuous life in the public eye.
Maria is directed by Pablo Larraín director of Jackie (2016), Ema (2019), Spencer (2021), El Conde (2023) and many others. Maria is the third film in Larraín’s trilogy about important 20th century women the other two being Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021). Maria tells the story of opera singer Maria Callas and her final years.
I was pretty excited about this one going in, I really loved both Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021) especially the latter it’s a film that I consider one of the best of the decade so far. Unfortunately Maria is a huge step down from the other two films of the trilogy, it’s not a bad movie by any means it just falls in line with a lot of other biopics where as Jackie and Spencer did not.
Angelina Jolie undeniably gives a phenomenal performance, it’s one of those performances where you can tell the performer really captured the soul of the person they are portraying. There’s brilliant moments during this film (mostly around the last 25 minutes) that standout quite well, you can absolutely see the pain of Maria Callas through Jolie’s eyes and acting. Jolie’s singing voice is also incredibly beautiful and really captures Callas’s voice, it’s huge and powerful to the point where her singing voice really speaks for certain scenes themselves. Much like Natalie Portman portraying Jacqueline Kennedy or Kristen Stewart portraying Princess Diana, Angelina Jolie completely captures Maria Callas and even when the script falls into typical biopic territory she’s able to still give a phenomenal performance.
The cinematography from Edward Lachman (who was also the cinematographer for Larraín’s previous film El Conde) and the direction from Pablo Larraín both mixed together work well, much like a lot of Larraín’s work the film is beautiful to look at especially when combined with the setting. While I do think Spencer’s more dreamlike filming style is a lot better it still nice to see Lachman again and much like last time with El Conde he nailed it here as well. Larraín’s direction this time around does have its weak points, but it’s still quite great. When you combine his direction with Angelina Jolie’s performance you truly get fascinating results.
The downside of Maria ultimately comes down to the script from Steven Knight, which is a bit of a disappointment since he also wrote Spencer and that wasn’t written like a traditional biopic. As I said before Maria plays out much like a usual biopic which coming off of Jackie and Spencer you can’t help but feel disappointment, granted nothing is particularly bad here. The movie does a solid job of telling the final years of Maria Callas it’s just not anything really noteworthy, the last 25 minutes or so I will admit are some very powerful moments that do get the ball rolling a bit when it comes to leaving the line of traditional biopics.
Overall Maria is just fine, if you are going to watch the movie watch it for Angelina Jolie’s performance.
Eddie Brock and Venom must make a devastating decision as they’re pursued by a mysterious military man and alien monsters from Venom’s home world.
Venom: The Last Dance is directed by Kelly Marcel which is her directorial debut, this film serves as the final film in the Venom trilogy and is the fifth film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.
Going into this one I was hoping it would be somewhat fun. I liked the last film Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) decently enough but did not like Venom (2018). Unfortunately The Last Dance is a very nothing movie, it really does seem like everyone involved had no clue how to wrap up the trilogy so they threw as many ideas as the wall as they possibly could.
Tom Hardy is still quite fun here, the interactions between him and Venom are still great and have some decently funny moments. They aren’t on the scale as they were in the past but considering how empty the rest of this movie is that should be considered a compliment. I also do like some of the action scenes, the special effects are quite bad in some areas but the action is just silly enough to be considered entertaining.
Unfortunately the rest of the movie is a mess, we are introduced to a lot of new characters who quite frankly should have been in the previous movies. Because tell me why this is the last movie of the trilogy and we are only now getting introduced to bare bone characters? Chiwetel Ejiofor and Juno Temple in particular have very little to work with, the movie also wastes so much potential with Knull (played by Andy Serkis) as the villain. Knull suffers from not being in the movie that much and really fails to show how interesting the character can be. Instead the movie wastes so much time on plot points that should have been explored far earlier in more depth.
Perhaps the most jarring thing about this movie is the final moments, it ends with Maroon 5’s Memories in just such a so bad it’s hilarious type of way that is so baffling. It’s by far the most memorable part of the movie in all the wrong ways, it makes you wish that the rest of the movie at least attempted to try and be that silly. But that’s not the case here, unfortunately you are stuck with dull characters that you couldn’t care less about with some mediocre action and a very bland wrap up to a trilogy.
The ending also really makes you question what was even the point of the trilogy to begin with, it’s obviously trying to go for this emotional “let’s look at the old times” sort of deal but it doesn’t work narratively and that it’s just so laughably bad.
Overall Venom: The Last Dance is a very nothing movie and adds nothing to the trilogy, it’s a shame because as I said earlier the stuff with Knull had potential. There was just absolutely no focus whatsoever at all in this movie.
Venom: The Last Dance is available on all VOD platforms.
After a series of misfortunes, a snail-collecting, melancholic misfit learns how to find confidence within herself amid the clutter of everyday life.
Memoir Of A Snail is directed by Adam Elliot who previously directed Mary and Max (2009).
When I heard Adam Elliot was going to direct another film I was incredibly excited, Mary and Max (2009) was such a fantastic film that I don’t think enough people talk about. I’m happy to say Memoir Of A Snail is yet another fantastic film from Elliot, a film that is both an incredibly dark tragedy yet a very inspiring and hopeful film that’s blended with a mix of comedy.
For starters the stop motion animation is absolutely beautiful especially when combined with the use of color. The dark colors used throughout the film really set the mood and completely capture the atmosphere that is present throughout, the color and stop motion animation itself tells the story of each scene and what’s going on in great detail. Speaking of which the detail is just wonderful, it’s like reading a pop up storybook it’s all in your face but you are constantly in awe of how beautiful everything is especially the film’s world. If there’s an example of a film that immediately takes you into the world as soon as it starts Memoir Of A Snail is one of them!
The voice acting is just brilliant, Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Magda Szubanski and everyone else make their characters come to life. They add so much to what at first may seem like straightforward characters, but as the film goes on we learn more about them. Sarah Snook in particular blends so well with Adam Elliot’s work and style that it’s just incredibly satisfying to watch unfold, the story of Grace (played by Sarah Snook), Pinky (played by Jacki Weaver and Gilbert (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee) is so powerful, so well done and just absolutely filled to the brim with touching moments that will leave you shedding tears.
The writing is absolutely beautiful, a story about good things that get taken away from you or go horribly wrong. Yet still finding the positives in life and have this inspiring feel despite all of that is truly fascinating. It’s a film that hits even harder since it’s actually loosely inspired by Elliot’s own life, which isn’t too surprising to hear given that the film definitely has this personal feel to it. Like Elliot is inviting you to listen as he tells his story, it’s all very beautiful to listen to and really makes you feel like you’re getting to know Elliot as a friend.
Memoir Of A Snail is one of the best films of the year, I absolutely do hope we get to see Adam Elliot’s next film somewhat soon. But if we don’t I’m sure the wait will be absolutely worth it!
Memoir Of A Snail is available on all VOD platforms.
A juror for a high-profile murder trial finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma that could influence the verdict and potentially convict, or free, the accused killer.
Juror #2 is directed by Clint Eastwood director of Unforgiven (1992), Space Cowboys (2000), Million Dollar Baby (2004), Gran Torino (2008), American Sniper (2014), The Mule (2018), Richard Jewel (2019) and so many others.
It is an absolute shame what Warner Bros did to what might be Clint Eastwood’s last film Juror #2 only putting it into 50 theaters, while the movie did end up getting released in 300 theaters in the UK. It still felt like a huge slap to the face to a director who has been working for years and has given audiences so many fantastic films.
If Juror #2 is indeed Eastwood’s last film then he finished incredibly strongly, while yes the film is a lot like 12 Angry Men (1957) and is a very traditional courtroom drama. The film itself does a lot more than that and really manages to have this old school feel that tackles the themes of justice, what doing the right thing really means and a haunting examination of guilt. All of this combined together paints a very interesting picture that the viewer slowly examines throughout the film.
The performances are fantastic especially Nicholas Hoult who plays Justin Kemp the main character we follow and we slowly but surely get to know more about him throughout the film. Hoult’s performance is incredibly authentic and really captures the mind thinking of many different scenarios, when he’s interacting with the rest of the jurors we get to see inside his mind or even when he’s at home with his wife Ally Crewson (played by Zoey Deutch.) sure the interactions may not seem like much but you can tell from his facial expressions that he’s hard at work thinking of both outcomes of the case. Deutch is also the heart of the film as well, even if she doesn’t get a lot of character development she still gives such a great performance that really lifts Justin Kemp as a character.
Toni Collette is also quite great here as well, her acting is incredibly raw much like everyone else in the film and while her character Faith Killebrew is a bit of a traditional prosecutor type of character her performance is what makes it worth it.
The direction from Eastwood is fantastic here, you can absolutely feel the tension between the characters. Especially when they challenge each other. When they question each other’s viewpoints on the cast, it’s all very fascinating and is once again an example of how Eastwood captures the old school feel of the courtroom drama film while also adding his touch to the mix.
The film tackling themes of justice, doing the right thing and guilt are all very well done. Almost immediately when the jurors start to deliberate they want to find the man guilty, with one of the main reasons being that they just want to go home and get it over with. Which brings the question is this really justice? Eventually when we do get to know more about Justin and his past he changes his position from wanting to not convict to convict due to a twist that I won’t spoil here. That’s where the theme of guilt comes in and we see it play out through the rest of the film in a very haunting way that is sure to shock the viewer.
Overall Juror #2 is a fantastic film that might seem simple enough at first, but gets much more interesting and has a lot of twists that are sure to keep the viewer on a excellent ride from beginning to end.
On the last night of 1999, two high school juniors crash a New Year’s Eve party, only to find themselves fighting for their lives when Y2K becomes a reality.
Y2K is directed by Kyle Mooney which is his directorial debut.
Y2K is a film about the whole Y2K scare that was going on and what if it actually happened. A simple enough idea that for the most part executes its premise decently well, since Kyle Mooney really goes all out to make something incredibly fun.
The cast are quite solid who each deliver some funny moments, Jaeden Martell and Rachel Zegler are charming and the bond that slowly builds over the course of the movie is cute. It’s not anything really special and does have the typical love interest cliches you come to expect but they fit the 90s callback atmosphere going on here. Although I do wish the movie did a lot more with Zegler’s character there’s moments where you could tell they were attempting to do something but kind of forget about it. Kyle Mooney gives a humorous performance that got a lot of laughs out of me, he’s a very basic stoner character but once again it matches the atmosphere.
Fred Durst is the standout and the moment he enters the film he completely steals the show. He matches the atmosphere and really goes all out with his performance, easily connects with the rest of the cast and doesn’t feel forced. Durst’s inclusion could have easily felt forced and would have basically killed the movie right at the moment he enters. However due to how charming the film is, the atmosphere working in his favor and the energy he brings it completely works.
The robot designs are incredibly neat, seeing all the different parts together and the detail of them is fascinating. The music is a nice throwback to the 90s and the kills are a lot of fun, all of these little things really help to mold this movie into something incredibly fun.
The weakest part of Y2K is by far the character writing, outside of Fred Durst a lot of the other characters really don’t have a whole lot going on. Which is to be expected it’s a very silly film about Y2K, but I don’t think some of the characters were exactly strong enough to really make the viewer remember them. Eli (played by Jaeden Martell) is a fine enough main character but if you have seen any coming of age films, sex comedies like American Pie (1999) or teen comedies you basically have seen Eli. The same can be said with the other characters Laura (played by Rachel Zegler) is your usual love interest, Garrett (played by Kyle Mooney) is the typical stoner, Danny (played by Julian Dennison) is the typical best friend and so on.
Despite my problems however I do think Y2K is a surprisingly charming film, there might not be a whole lot going on here writing wise (hence why it’s a bit hard to really go into detail) but the movie undeniably oozes with charm and keeps that up all the way through the film. It’s a very fun watch that I do recommend taking a look at.
Pop icon Sabrina Carpenter jingles all the bells in her first ever variety music special.
A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter is directed by Sam Wrench director of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (2023) and a whole lot of other concert films.
This is going to be short because there really isn’t a whole lot to be said. That being said A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter is exactly what you expect. Fun performances, celebrity guests, duets and a few skits all done in 50 minutes.
The songs are great and do show how great of a performer Sabrina Carpenter really is, by the far the best moment of the special is her and Chappell Roan singing Wham’s Last Christmas. Their voices go so well together like peanut butter and jelly, it feels natural and the two’s voices bounce off of each other incredibly well. Tyla, Shania Twain and Kali Uchis are the other singers Carpenter has a duet with.
The best solo song is Santa Doesn’t Know You Like I Do an excellent performance that really shows Carpenter’s powerful voice, very well done and I do think this one of the few moments where the special was visually interesting.
Everything else about the special is just fine enough, the filming is nothing really special, the skits are chuckle worthy but not really anything you are going to remember (although I will say I do think Sabrina Carpenter’s acting has gotten better) and the special itself definitely could have benefited with being a bit longer, you can absolutely feel the special cramming in so much with very little time towards the end.
Having that said from what was presented this was not bad, it’s a very fun time and Sabrina Carpenter is quite likable to really make this special stand on its feet. I don’t think this is something I’ll ever go back to but it’s definitely not a bad way to spend 50 minutes.
A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter is available on Netflix.
Jerome Reviews... 