3 crowd-pleasing theater films for the holidays

Some movies out there are frightful. But a few this year are so delightful. 

Holiday 2020 offered a new film for the holidays, Wonder Woman 1984, a day-and-date theater and streaming release film that was so bad I almost walked out of my own house. Early 2021 didn’t offer many gems to convince people to return to their ol’ cinema habit (I’m looking at you Spencer), but it ended with some strong films. Bonus, a few of them fit the tone of the holidays and are safe to bring most of the family to.

It's more of a rarity than you'd think. With award nomination voting season about to hit, December often sees more dramas than the season would normally invite. I always feel bad for families who ventured out on Christmas Day to see fan-favorite Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep together in August Osage County (2013), a dysfunctional family drama about death, funerals and horrifying family secrets. Even the festively named Four Christmases (2008) with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn was a divorce downer to anyone who attended.

So, while I do recommend Netflix and Jane Campion’s powerful Power of the Dog (2021), this is not your family gathering event, trust me. Save this for the winter doldrums of January — and opt for these instead:

Belfast
From the very start, open up your heart; Belfast is a story of everlasting love. Set in 1969 during the height of the conflicts between Protestants and Catholics, Kenneth Branagh’s love letter to his youth is a family drama that you won’t soon forget. 

It’s a black-and-white film featuring characters with names such as Ma and Pa and it comes with its share of drama, but you’ll fall in love with Buddy’s family and fall for its uplifting vibe. I suggest the theater for this if you have a safe option. If not, you can stream it on VOD through Apple or similar services. Expect to see this and Power of the Dog perform strongly on Oscar nomination day.

Spider-Man: No Way Home
I have mixed feelings about the superhero serials, but it's been years since I was in a movie theater with gasps, laughs, cheers and spontaneous clapping during the film. Spider-Man: No Way Home earns it. There’s one sad moment, but ultimately it’s an uplifting film full of redemption for the characters and joyful surprises for the audience. Simply put, Spider-Man may just save the day — and movie theaters.

West Side Story (2021)
It should have been a lose-lose idea. Staying close to the 10-Oscar winning classic could be too corny. Redoing it; blasphemy. But Spielberg’s vision worked in all the right places while keeping the perfect tone. Turns out, we need both the perfect and 1961 film and a new one.

Despite all the young, first-love romance and vibrant singing and dancing, there are definitely serious storylines from start to finish. However, they are not shown any more graphically than in 1961 and are no less sad than Romeo and Juliet.

Bonus: In The Heights 

So if you prefer your Puerto Rican culture without the side of tears, stream the excellent In The Heights at home. It’s one of 2021’s best films and it’s a joy from start to finish.

Happy Holidays and have a happy time at the movies!

Spider-Man: No Way Home

SPOILER-FREE

At this point, the Marvel and DC  films are mostly soap opera serials, answering questions from other films, building on the core stories and opening up magical portals to the next ticket purchase.

I have mixed feelings about superhero films. The year started with Wonder Woman 1984 on my TV screen. It was a film so bad that I wanted to walk out of my own house. Summer brought us Black Widow, a film that brought people back to the theater only to realize it wasn't such a fun time and potentially ruin the international pastime. If not for Annette, Black Widow would have been my pick for absolutely worst time at the cinema this year.

But then there are the Avenger films, offering a grand time at the movies and the joy of feeling like a kid again for a two or three-hour ride that feels like half of that. Spider-Man: No Way Home, a lighthearted film full of treats, is just like those fave Avengers films—and it may save the movie houses.

The surprises start early and just when I was thinking the fights and legendary matchups were all stopping short of where they could go, I realize they were pacing us for the finale where they go all in. Memorable movie moments ensued.

It's been years since I was in a movie theater with gasps, laughs, cheers and spontaneous clapping during the film. Spider-Man: No Way Home earns it.

The Ten Buck Review: My low expectation spider-sense was off; this was great fun and a wildy entertaining, unique story. As a bonus, no bad guy gets large so they have to throw a special thing at it.

Award potential: Fan favorite? Not really an Oscar contender except Best VFX.

Where to see it: In the theaters, thank goodness.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

West Side Story (2021)

When I first heard that Spielberg’s first-ever musical, something he’s hinted at for decades, would be a remake of the near-perfect, 10-Oscar winning West Side Story, I imagined my review would begin with this line from the lyrics of its key song— “We'll find a way of forgiving.”

Well, I was wrong. There’s a place for this. Turns out, we need both the perfect and 1961 film and a new one.

It should have been a lose-lose idea. Staying close to the 10-Oscar winning classic could be too corny. Redoing it; blasphemy. But Spielberg’s vision worked in all the right places while keeping the perfect tone.

He also did the unthinkable. The climactic, signature song “Somewhere” is no longer sung by the lead couple. Instead, EGOT winner Rita Moreno, in a new role (Valentina), does. Moreno, who won an Oscar for the original, adds new depth and layers to the song making it more moving and profound. The first Latina Oscar winner delivers lines such as “there’s a place for us” with extra heft and meaning with her quiet, powerful voice. It is not a cameo. It is the heart of the film.

Baby Driver star Ansel Elgort (Tony) initially seemed somewhat inferior seen side by side with Broadway singers and dancers, but eventually won me over. In today’s enlightened, media-savvy world, it’s most important that the role delivers on the earnest naivety of a young man who would do anything for a first love. I believed it.

Juliet to his Romeo, Rachel Ann Zegler, a YouTuber discovered in a search for this role, lights up the screen and is dazzling. And Arian DeBose (Hamilton) has the unenviable task of appearing onscreen with Moreno in the role she’s famous for, Anita. She rocks it. Simply put, the full cast of performers is A+mazing.

It is an all-star production not to be missed. Take Leonard Bernstein’s music and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics, add this generation's most rounded A-list director (Schindlers List, ET), a script by Tony Kushner (Angels in America, Munich, Lincoln), dazzling, swooping, wide-scoped choreography by visionary Justin Peck, this cast, and Leapin’ Lizards! you have one of the best films of any year.

In a nutshell: Something good. Spielberg’s musical debut pulls off the impossible; it’s a can’t miss film.

Award potential: A front runner for all the top categories. If Moreno is nominated, she’ll be the first to do so twice for the same film title.

Where to see it: In theaters. I recommend IMAX or the largest screen near you.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.

The Power of the Dog

“Adapted from Thomas Savage's dramatic novel of the American West” and “directed by Jane Champion” are two phrases I never expected to put together, yet The Power of the Dog is just that.

Champion’s films (The Piano, Portrait of a Lady) are generally a work of castration to its characters and well, mankind. Fittingly, her first movie in a decade delivers an actual one. The gritty cowboy scenes with animals may beg you to look away, but it is boorish cowboy Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) who is the real horror. 

It's a performance that you just can’t look away from.

Phil is somewhere between a nuisance and a terror to this brother (Jesse Plemons) and family (Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee) who all inhabit a 1925 cattle ranch. Both big and intimate in story and visuals, Champion directed the film with bold precision in both open-air settings and tight, light-filled corners. Its beauty is a testament to Champion's auteur skills—as is her handling of building momentum for the final turn. Champion kept me guessing at the path and the ending and I was truly surprised at the final landing place. A rare feat.

In a nutshell: Expertly crafted storytelling; a dark but excellent 2021 film.

Award Potential: Cumberbatch has never been better and newcomer Smit-McPhee is a standout. Although Cumberbatch reportedly did not shower throughout the shoot, he’ll be showering and dressing up for the red carpet (Best Actor) as well as Smit-McPhee (Best Supporting Actor).

The film, director, cinematographer, screenplay, and technical categories should round up tons of Academy Award nominations. If there’s room, Plemons and Dunst may be there in supporting categories as well. The film has already received a Golden Globe and NY Film Critics nod for Best Picture as well as a landside of Critics list wins.

At this point in the Oscar race, which is perhaps too soon to say this, it looks like we'll have women director wins back to back (following Chloe Zhao's win for Nomadland). 

Where to see it: Out of theaters; now on Netflix

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks