Mistletoe and Menorahs

Christy (Jakle) loves Christmas.  She loves the traditions and goes all-out each year.  This dedication also applies to her job in sales at a toy company.  She is up for a promotion and needs to land a big account.  Her love of the holidays impresses client David Berger (Shore), who invites her to his annual holiday party.  Christy is thrilled by the invitation, until she learns that it is a Hanukkah party.  She needs to become a Hanukkah expert in a week.

Her best friend Samantha (Lee) offers a solution, her son's teacher Jonathan Silver (Epstein).  Jonathan celebrates Hanukkah, but wants to learn about Christmas to impress his girlfriend Heather's (Kathryn Kohut).  Despite a shaky start they agree to team up: Jonathan can teach Christy about Hanukkah, and she can teach him about Christmas.  They meet each day to share the history, culture, food, and traditions of the seasons.  But can all their hard work pay-off in time?  And will their respective relationships survive?

This is a Lifetime holiday film.

The Good:

The film takes both Hanukkah and Christmas seriously, devoting equal amounts of time to explaining the holiday traditions.  With Hanukkah, it is the history and why things are important.  It works without feeling overly preachy.  The leads work well on their own and together.  Kelley Jakle has a beautiful voice and gets to showcase it at the party.  Jake Epstein also has the opportunity to sing in the film and does so with gusto.

The Bad:

Not overly memorable.  Some of the side characters (the boyfriend, the girlfriend, the "villain", and the grandma) don't have much personality.  They aren't bad, just boring.

Other Comments:

-Originally titled "A Merry Holiday", but I think the official title "Mistletoe & Menorahs" fits better with this story - both mistletoe and Menorahs are plot points.

-It's a Lifetime Christmas Movie, so you know what to expect.  OK, but not great.

Mistletoe & Menorahs (2019) 85 minutes

Director: Max McGuire
Starring: Kelley Jakle as Christy Dickinson

Jake Epstein as Jonathan Silver

Cory Lee as Samantha Ames

Jon McLaren as Peter Carlson

Xavier Sotelo as Pat Stone

Michael Gordin Shore as David Berger

Damien Doepping as Edgar

Mistletoe in Montana

The Cartwright family run a ranch in Montana.  Families stay at their cabin for an authentic ranch experience.  Merry (Hart) loves her life on the ranch, but also wants to share that part of her life with someone else.  Merry and her father, Stan (Sheridan), run the ranch alongside cook Jasper (Marra), Freddy (Terry), and Laura (Larracuente).

The week of Christmas, the Aguilar family comes to the ranch: tech genius Mark (Henry), his phone-obsessed daughter Becca (Butler), son Timmy (Hunter) and nanny Debbie (Bronwyn).  As the family embraces the quiet life on the ranch, sparks fly between Mark and Merry.  Are they willing to take a chance at love?

This is a Lifetime Original Christmas movie.  This is Melissa Joan Hart's 8th made-for-TV Christmas film, following: Holiday in Handcuffs (2007, ABC Family), The Santa Con (2014, Lifetime), Broadcasting Christmas (2016, Hallmark), A Very Merry Toy Store (2017, Lifetime), A Very Nutty Christmas (2018, Lifetime), Christmas Reservations (2019, Lifetime), and Dear Christmas (2020, Lifetime).

The Good:

Duane Henry and Melissa Joan Hart are a good pairing: both are charismatic and appealing and work well together.  I was pleasantly surprised to see Michael Grant Terry (who I loved as Wendell in Bones) and I enjoyed the other side characters.  The kids were ok.

The Bad:

The film is set in Montana in December, but there is minimal snow.  It doesn't seem to be too cold there: eat around a campfire, jackets are not zipped, the scene in the barn during the "blizzard".  The costuming was a little over-the-top - pretty, but do people actually dress like that every day?

Other Comments:

-Everything looks very pretty

-It's a Lifetime movie, so you know what you're getting: the plot is predictable, but not cloying.

-The side character romances also work... essentially everyone is paired up, other than Jamey Sheridan and the kids.  The couples have good chemistry.

-Enjoyable, but not great.

Mistletoe in Montana (2021) 83 minutes

Director: Kellie Martin

Starring: Melissa Joan Hart as Merry Cartwright

Duane Henry as Mark Aguilar

Jamey Sheridan as Stan Cartwright

Sam Marra as Jasper Yellow Springs

Harley Bronwyn as Debbie Smith

Michael Grant Terry as Freddy James

Danielle Larracuente as Laura Jones

Hero Hunter as Timmy Aguillar

Malian Butler as Becca Aguilar

The Lost City

"How do they keep finding us?"

"You're basically a walking disco ball."

Loretta Sage (Bullock) is the author of a popular romance series.  After the death of her husband 5 years ago, she became a recluse, avoiding life and her books.  She reluctantly finishes the latest book and agrees to a publicity tour, arranged by her publicist, Beth (Randolph).  Also on the tour is Alan (Tatum), the cover model on all of her books. Fans love Alan, but are unimpressed with Loretta.

Loretta is kidnapped by billionaire Abigail Fairfax (Radcliffe).  Abigail is seeking the lost city and crown of fire that was referenced in Loretta's latest novel.  He believes Loretta is the only one who can help him find the treasure, as she understands the ancient language.  Time is not on their side, as the city is located on an island with an active volcano that will destroy the site.  He flies her to the island and forces her to translate the clue.

Meanwhile, Alan feels responsible for not protecting Loretta and sets out to find and save her.  He manages to rescue Loretta, with the help of a tracker, Jack (Pitt). But the rescue does not go as planned, leaving Alan and Loretta stranded on the island with no phones, no vehicle, no weapons, no map, and no clue how to survive in the wild.  Can they survive a real adventure and find the crown?

A loose remake of the 1984 film Romancing the Stone.

The Good:

Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum have good chemistry.  Their characters can carry scenes on their own, but are best when they are together.  Daniel Radcliffe is a solid villain, and easy to cheer against.  The Brad Pitt scenes are also a highlight.

The Bad:

The side characters don't have much to do and are not fully realized characters.  The leeches scene... they go for the cheap laugh and take it to far.

Other Comments:

-As stated above, the basic premise (romance author, lost in the jungle, goes a reluctant adventure in the jungle) is very similar to Romancing the Stone

-Oscar Nuñez has a small, but memorable role as a pilot who helps Beth.

-I didn't enjoy this film as much as expected.  The main cast is enjoyable and the story is interesting, but something is missing: it needs more than the charisma of the stars.

The Lost City (2022) 112 minutes

Rating: PG-13 for violence and some bloody images, suggestive material, partial nudity and language

Director: Aaron Nee and Adam Nee

Starring: Sandra Bullock as Loretta Sage

Channing Tatum as Alan

Daniel Radcliffe as Abigail Fairfax

Da'Vine Randolph as Beth Hatten

Brad Pitt as Jack Trainer

Oscar Nuñez as Oscar

Patti Harrison as Allison

Jungle Cruise

"If you believe in legends, you should believe in curses too."

In 1916, Dr. Lily Houghton (Blunt) is a scientist seeking the Tears of the Moon, a tree whose petals have magical powers to cure illnesses/injuries/curses.  The tree is considered a myth, sensationalized by the legend of Spanish conquistador Don Aguirre (Ramirez).  Aguirre and his men sought the tree and were cursed by the Puka Michuna tribe to become immortal, but bound to the Amazon River.  Lily's brother MacGregor (Whitehall) presents the research before the Royal Society, in hopes of finding the tree and using it's magical healing properties toward the war efforts.  The Royal Society refuses, refusing to acknowledge Lily or condone her pursuit of a myth.  Undeterred, Lily and MacGregor travel to Brazil with a stolen artifact.

Frank Wolff (Johnson) is the skipper on a cheap jungle cruise in Brazil.  He cons tourists, with a combination of terrible puns and fake danger.  He also attempts to stay a step ahead of harbormaster Nilo Nemolato (Giamatti), who he owes a sizable sum.  Lily and MacGregor hire Frank to take them down the Amazon River.  They are pursued by Prince Joachim (Plemons) who seeks the tree for Germany.

Prince Joachim is willing to do anything to gain his prize.  He finds and forms an alliance with the conquistadors.  Can Lily, MacGregor, and Frank survive the dangers of the adventure and find the Tears of the Moon before their foes?

Based on the Disney ride, also called Jungle Cruise.  The film has several references to the ride, including calling the tour guide "Skipper", the puns, the "backside of water", etc.

The Good:

It is an enjoyable, family-friendly adventure.  The story moves at a brisk pace, but never feels rushed.  Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt have good chemistry and easily embody their characters.  The story strikes a balance between comedy and adventure.  Jack Whitehall's MacGregor is the consistent comic relief.

The Bad:

The CGI on Proxima.  But as a whole, not much to complain about.

Other Comments:

-The film is also inspired by the 1951 film The African Queen, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, which was Walt Disney's favorite film and the inspiration for the ride.  Most notably in Frank's attire, Lily's pants and name (Hepburn's middle name was Houghton).

-Feels reminiscent of The Mummy: female expert/adventurer and her charismatic but inept brother, reluctantly team up with the only guide who knows the terrain.  There is a cursed villain and adventure mixed with humor.  An added connection, Dwayne Johnson appeared in The Mummy Returns.

-Jesse Plemons' villain is over the top, but it works.

-A sequel is planned, but there are no specific details at this time.

Jungle Cruise (2021) 128 minutes

Rating: PG-13 for sequences of adventure violence

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Starring: Dwayne Johnson as Frank Wolff

Emily Blunt as Lily Houghton

Edgar Ramirez as Aguirre

Jack Whitehall as MacGregor Houghton

Jesse Plemons as Prince Joachim

Paul Giamatti as Nilo Nemolato

Veronica Falcon as Trader Sam