Movie Season

It seems to me that Hollywood keeps some of the best movies to show in December. Is it for the Oacar buzz? The schoolkids who are looking for an escape? I don't know but it makes for some magic. I have seen two and I highly recommend them both.

The first one I saw was Red One. The premise is that Santa Claus, played by a buff JK Simmons, has been kidnapped and must be rescued by head ELF Dwayne Johnson and Dwayne must enlist a computer hacker and not-so-nice guy Chris Evans to help. It's funny. It's quirky. It is almost family friendly- a little heavy on action and cartoon violence for little ones, but mostly a good share. Honestly, it also gets a little sentimental. Is that a bad thing? Nah. Do you know exactly how it's all gonna play out? Well, the villain has a few surprises, and the casting leaves you guessing, but mostly, this is not a film for deep thinkers. Did I love it? Yeah, yes, I did.

The other movie I saw, I have to admit, I did out of a sense of obligation since it started life as a book, which I read, a long time ago. I saw Wicked. Now, I have to admit that I am not actually a Wizard of Oz fan. I have watched the movie repeatedly. I have warm, fuzzy memories of the first time I saw it on tv and how excited my parents were to share it with me. I have watched Return to Oz. I have finally read the original book. I'm not a fan. Plain girl gets whisked off to magical land to save the place is pretty much the plot of most of my favorite stories and daydreams, but still, Oz, for me, was only marginally entertaining. I don't hate it, to be clear, but never been a huge fan. So, when the book Wicked was getting a lot of attention, I read it out of curiosity more than anything. Plus, I liked how Gregory McGuire put a unique spin on his twisted fairy tales by offering another character's point of view. That being said, the only thing I really remember from the book is that the wicked witch had a kid, which, by the way, is not covered in the movie. When the Broadway musical came out, I was mildly intrigued, as I had not seen anything in the book, which is a little dark, to be singing about. I love musicals, but this one did not raise my interest. So keep in mind that when I say I went, it was as close to an impartial observer as you can get. Not a fan, but not a hater either. My review...It was lovely. The colors, the over-the-top acting, yes, the music- it all worked beautifully to take you to another world for a little while, and that's really all I ask from a good movie. Did it make me a fan? No. Sorry. I will likely see part 2 when it comes out, but I am not going to lose any sleep in anticipation of that. But would I recommend it? Absolutely!