Only for the kiddies
The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two
Netflix
*ing: Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Judah Lewis, Darby Camp, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Julian Dennison, Tyrese Gibson
Rated: 6/10
If an adult is watching this, it will be difficult to get past the strange language the elves speak or the near bizarreness of the entire storyline. But first, they are Santa’s elves; they can speak whatever they want as long as Santa Claus understands the same. Second, it is a Christmas movie. What else is one going to expect but a good Santa Claus and Mrs Claus. An evil elf who is hell bent on destroying Christmas forever. Imagine the catastrophe in the child’s life if there was no Christmas, no gifts, no stocking to hang, no gingerbread house or cookies; it is akin to a Diwali with no crackers.
Having said that, the kids are going to love this movie. The elves are cute and you want to cuddle them even if one of them is evil. The entire Santa’s village is a sight to behold – a giant Christmas tree in the middle of the square with lights twinkling, guns firing snow at regular intervals (it is a secret village in the North Pole that no one is supposed to know about so it has a shield cover), hot chocolate you revive you instantly and most importantly the idea of a Christmas with healthy food – broccoli cake!
Santa’s sleigh is another high point. It is like a high-speed sledge with reindeers managing to dodge the evil elf’s hyenas or so they look like. Totally something out of a sci-fi film.
Then there is Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, one of Hollywood’s most enduring duos who have been together for 37 years. Goldie here has a much bigger part to play than the cameo she did in the original one. She maintains the holiday spirit and does magic at the span of her fingers. The film rests on their shoulders and while one can see the familiarity and ease, they have with each other, the plot doesn’t really help them steer it to safety.
Over all it is a movie that the children will love; the adults can give this one a miss
Feel good family treat
Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square
Netflix
*ing: Dolly Patron, Jenifer Lewis, Josh Segarra, Jeanine Mason, Treat William, Jenna Hathaway
Rated: 5.5/10
Those who don’t know who Dolly Patron is, here is a bit about her. She is one of the most honoured female country performers of all time, achieving 25 RIAA certified Gold, Platinum, and Multi-Platinum awards. She has had 25 songs reach No 1 on the Billboard country music charts — a record for a female artist.
Not only this, she has nine Grammy Awards, two Academy Award nominations, ten Country Music Association Awards, seven Academy of Country Music Awards, three American Music Awards and hit films like Steel Magnolias and 9 to 5 to her credit.
This one, a musical, was bound to create a stir given it is the whole Scrooge thing. This time it is a rich woman who has inherited her father’s property and is all set to evict everyone on Christmas Day! But it is a Christmas movie and hence the whole idea of giving rather than receiving. No surprises here how it ends.
The surprise is how beautifully this musical has been curated. The dancers are amazing, the set is beautifully done and how the dialogues have been woven into songs.
While there is nothing much in terms of the story, the fun is in watching the great choreography, a few toe-tapping tunes, creating a fantasy and that miracles happen.