The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (#617)


I was the only one in the theater today to watch what might be termed a very early entry in the seasonal movies cycle, and I actually shed a few tears.  Yes, it was faith-based and therefore religious; and yes, it was sentimental but not overly so or forced; and yes, it was silly at times; and yes, it treated its subject matter tenderly and not pedantically; and yes, sometimes it was funny and predictable. And yes, I liked it!  A lot. The storyline is simple. The small town location is poised to put on the 75th anniversary of its Christmas pageant, and the usual director is injured and unable to do the job. Townspeople enlist a local mother who is reluctant but accepts, but her role is thwarted by the appearance of the worst kids in town and maybe in any town: The Herdman's. They are undisciplined, bullies, crude, rude and completely unmanageable, and they demand to be cast as the leads in the pageant, Mary and Joseph, and the director is unable to turn them down. The townspeople are outraged, the rehearsals a madhouse, but we all know how things work out, don't we?  It doesn't matter whether anyone could act; things just resolved themselves and the experience was enjoyable and not in any way cloying.  90% of critics and 98% of audiences gave it a thumbs up. You don't have to be faith-based to like this one.

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular

The Fabulous Four (#580)

Image
I avoided the crowds yesterday by opting not to see the latest Marvel Comics release Deadpool & Wolverine (which I plan to see on Wednesday) and instead went to see a movie I really didn't want to see.  I am always apprehensive about the movies starring women embarked on a quest to do something different.  THE FABULOUS FOUR starred, among others, Susan Sarandon and Bette Midler.  I must report that, in my opinion, neither the stars nor the movie were fabulous.  This was a stinker with a capital S.  It's about 4 girls who bond in New York City way back when and are the closest of friends.  One of them, Midler, now lives in Key West and invites two of them to be bridesmaids at her upcoming wedding.  She is estranged from the fourth one, a surgeon named Lou (? spelling), estranged because years before she married a man that Lou was in love with.  He subsequently died.  Are you following this?  They dupe Lou into coming with them, explai...
Read more

Civil War (#541)

Image
Because I have been expounding my theory about the upcoming presidential election to anyone crazy enough to listen to me, (my theory being that no matter who wins the election, there is going to be a civil war in this country), I was profoundly interested in the movie I saw today.  Its premise and point of view are cloudy because there is no explanation for the "war," what it's about, why it started and who are the players.  Initially, the president speaking to the nation talks about the resurrectionists (is that a valid word?) in Texas and California, and the ones in Florida trying to persuade the Carolinas to join the rebellion, but later a newscaster reports on the Russians invading Washington, DC, and demanding total surrender at the White House. That is, if I was hearing things correctly.  Perhaps it was the rebels in the White House.  The movie, well directed and remarkably well and realistically filmed, does not appear to have any political bent or motivation....
Read more

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (#473)

Image
Well, I did it! — because I didn’t  want to disappoint some of my grandchildren who would have been disappointed if I hadn’t gone since they chide me endlessly for my liking Taylor Swift.  So, despite misgivings — possible crowds and long lines, it wasn’t included with my unlimited subscription so I ha to pay and i would miss some football — I went to the 11:30 a.m. showing of TAYLOR SWIFT; THE ERAS TOUR, which was scheduled to be shown every half hour (and sometimes only 15 minutes) from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm.  I was more than mildly surprised; I liked it.  A lot!  Even though it was endless, lasting just short of three hours, it was spectacular.  The settings were incredibly creative, the band, dancers and singers were excellent, the choreography flawless, and Ms. Swift was remarkable, in energy, voice, enthusiasm and everything else.  The music, she explained, was from the five albums she released which were not associated with a tour, among them Red...
Read more

Oddity (#579)

Image
I goofed again, as one of you kindly pointed out.  In my Twisters (plural) review, I identified the leading players as Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton.  But they starred in Twister (singular) almost 30 years ago, snd I am reasonable certain one or more of them are dead or too old to stand up to a tornado. Sorry about that.  Despite my lukewarm review of Twisters, it was 30 times better than ODDITY, which I saw yesterday.  A young married woman is brutally murdered in a remote country house being renovated by the woman and her husband, a psychiatrist in local mental hospital.  The suspected murderer is a patient from that hospital but he ends up dead, too.  Along comes the woman's twin sister, who is not only a self-styled psychic but a collector of weird things.  And to add a twist, she is also blind which is why she can easily move freely though dark interiors.  She is suspicious of her sister's death and, in trying to get revenge for the murder, pays...
Read more

Killers of the Flower Moon (#475)

Image
I entered the theater yesterday with trepidation because I was faced with the prospect of a THREE AND A HALF HOUR movie, which is borderline extreme punishment!  Surprise!!  It was not any form of punishment; it was an excellent experience and never once felt too long or too boring.  In his introduction to KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, director et al Martin Scorcese explains he had wanted to do this film every since he read the book.  He did it with glorious cinematography, excellent scripting and first class performances by all the cast.  This, as many of you (but not me) know, is the story of the serial murder of indigenous people,  the Osage, in Oklahoma in the 1920s.  They are the wealthiest people in the world thanks to  oil found on their land, and certain people, lead by a sycophantic and duplicitous King Hale, a superb performance by Robert De Nero,  resent them.  Aided by his needy nephew, Ernest, played by Leonardo DiCaprio in hi...
Read more