A standout Christmas musical, a freaky horror comedy and a bro dramedy unlike no other top our weekly streaming/movie picks for this terrific week.
“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”: An original holiday musical is good reason to break out the eggnog early, and perhaps spike it with something extra, if your tolerance for Christmas heartwarmers is strong enough. Even Scrooges might agree that Netflix “sleighs” it with this brassy, lavish and extraordinary spectacle — destined to be a holiday perennial. Everything about “Jingle Jangle” clicks. The original tunes (mostly R&B) from John Legend, Philip Lawrence and Davy Nathan are smooth and seamless and make you want to sing along, while the energetic dance numbers — created and staged with flair by choreographer Ashley Warren — provide a Broadway fix we’ve been craving since theaters were shuttered by the pandemic. And the story –while largely predictable — is heartfelt and sweet, as a resourceful granddaughter (Madalen Mills) helps her inventive grandfather (Forest Whitaker) reclaim his creative mojo. Director/writer David E. Talbert has crafted a holiday movie that seems destined to become iconic. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; available Nov. 13 on Netflix.
“The Climb”: After its March 27 release got tabled by Covid-19, Michael Angelo Covino’s squirmy black comedy about clueless guy behavior finally sees a release date. The wait’s been worth it, since this is one hysterically funny and pointed feature film debut. It’s also one of the finest films of 2020. Covino is a scream as Mike, who confesses to his cycling buddy Kyle (Kyle Marvin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Covino) that he slept with his pal’s fiancee. The friendship deteriorates until … . The sharp writing, fearless acting and creative direction (there’s one tracking shot that is ingenious), make “The Climb” an uncompromising look at straight white guys. Details: 3½ stars; opens Nov. 13 in limited release.
“Freaky”: What begins as a “Scream” rip-off morphs into a “Freaky Friday”-ish horror-comedy delight. A killer screenplay and adroit tone-switching by director and co-writer Christopher Landon make it a treat, but it’s the performances that truly sell it. Vince Vaughn has rarely been better as a Jason-like killer who does a body swap with a high school teen. (He’s on a par with the quality of physical comedy that Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin showed in “All of Me.”) As self-effacing teen Millie, Kathryn Newton effortlessly flips the switch from sweet to menacing. It’s so much fun, but get ready for hard R violence. Details: 3 stars; opens Nov. 13 in limited release.
“Dating Amber”: Two closeted teens in 1995 rural Ireland date in a ploy to stop bullying from classmates about their sexuality. Similar in style to Netflix’s frothy “Sex Education,” writer/director David Freyne’s dramedy is an absolute joy to behold, a sweet-and-sour slice of life that doesn’t shy away from showing the deeply entrenched self-hatred that Eddie (Fionn O’Shea) experiences when he tries to stifle his feelings for guys. Eddie’s beard girlfriend, the sassy Amber (a perfect Lola Petticrew) is far more comfortable about pursuing girls, and makes a killing from renting out a mobile trailer to horny teens. Freyne’s feature is a major LGBTQ find, a crowd-pleaser that doesn’t compromise. Details: 3½ stars; begins streaming Nov. 13 on various platforms.
“Jungleland”: It’s not the most unusual storyline — two brothers (Charlie Hunnam and Jack O’Connell) reluctantly agree to transport human cargo (Jessica Barden) and then grow to like her — there’s something extraordinary about the execution and acting here. O’Connell is a boxer and Hunnam is his manager, and the financially strapped pair tanhttps://youtu.be/Dxcib_ixmT8gle with a series of bad guys, including one played by Jonathan Majors of “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” and “Lovecraft Country” acclaim. “Jungleland” is a raw and exciting effort from filmmaker Max Winkler. Hunnam, in particular, is a knockout. Details: 3 stars; streaming on various platforms.
“Chick Fight”: Pummeled by rotten luck, Anna (Malin Akerman) gets her toughness back at an underground female fight club in Florida. The intriguing premise and hip-to-the-cause cast — especially Dulce Sloan as a lesbian cop and Alec Baldwin as a drunken fight instructor — make this featherweight exercise an enjoyable but unremarkable diversion. Sometimes on a Friday night, that’s all you need. Details: 2½ stars; available to stream Nov. 13.
“Synchronic”: Indie filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead have made the sci-fi landscape a much more vibrant and interesting place. And if their latest mindbender doesn’t match the rascally indie spirit of such previous features such as “The Endless,” it’s still a cut above standard genre fare. Its greatest asset is Anthony Mackie’s bravura performance as an EMT driver hooked on a drug that plunks you into different time periods. Jamie Dornan co-stars. As in all Benson/Moorhead films, there are big emotional stakes here, and “Synchronic” capitalizes on that until landing at a too-traditional finale. Details: 3 stars; now playing in limited theaters.
“Monsoon”: “Lilting” director Hong Khaou prefers making quiet, observational dramas about gay men grappling with family issues and their own identity. In his second feature, Khaou sharpens his talents for a lovely quasi-romance. “Crazy Rich Asians” star Henry Golding hits a career high as a gay man traveling to his native Vietnam in the aftermath of his mother’s death. His meets distant relatives as well as a Black American (Parker Sawyers) with whom he grows more comfortable in a land that he can’t quite call home yet. Khaou’s impressionistic style surprises you, as does the depth of the performances from Golding and Sawyers. Details: 3½ stars; available Nov. 13 at Alamo on Demand.
“A Cup of Cheer”: If you find those Hallmark Christmas movies about as tasty as Aunt Sally’s rum-soaked fruitcake, then Jake Horowitz’s spoof of holiday romance movies might be for you. All the expected tropes get roasted like chestnuts in a flimsy story about a big-city journalist (Storm Steenson) landing in small-town U.S.A. and meeting a coffee shop proprietor (Alexander Oliver). Screenwriters Horowitz and Andy Lewis employ anything and everything for laughs, including an elf pole dancing. Some of it works, a lot doesn’t. But if you chuckle at exchanges like this — “Is this gluten free? No it’s five dollars” (as I did) — you’ll want to stuff it into your cinematic stocking. Details: 2½ stars; streaming on various platforms.
“Beasts Clawing at Straws”: An unclaimed Louis Vuitton bag stuffed with loot triggers carnage and double-crosses galore in Kim Yong-hoon’s massively entertaining neo-noir. Set in South Korea, Yong-hoon’s film toys with time and introduces disparate, duplicitous characters, each of whom wants to get their talons on that money. It’s a wicked, twist-filled winner. Details: 3½ stars; streaming as part of the Virtual Cinema series at the Roxie Theater.
“City Hall”: At a time when many Americans are disgusted with politics, along comes documentarian Frederick Wiseman to restore a little civic-minded faith. His latest magnum opus — it clocks in at just over 4½ hours — invites us into the inner workings of Boston City Hall, from mayor Marty Walsh’s numerous appearances, to home inspections, to discussions about a parade to celebrate the Boston Red Sox World Series win, and so on. Wiseman’s camera observes the minutiae and creates an indelible portrait about a system that even with its imperfections works to make the lives of residents better. Details: 3½ stars; available Nov. 13 as part of the Virtual Cinema series at Roxie Theater and the Smith Rafael Film Center.
Contact Randy at sotisrandy@gmail.com.
