Special: Trolls: World Tour, Spenser Confidential, The Hunt Mini-Reviews

Trolls: World Tour:

Synopsis: In an adventure that will take them well beyond what they've known before, Poppy (Kendrick) and Branch (Timberlake) discover that they are but one of six different Troll tribes scattered over six different lands and devoted to six different kinds of music: Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, Pop and Rock. Their world is about to get a lot bigger and a whole lot louder. A member of hard-rock royalty, Queen Barb (Rachel Bloom), aided by her father King Thrash (Ozzy Osbourne), wants to destroy all other kinds of music to let rock reign supreme. With the fate of the world at stake, Poppy and Branch, along with their friends set out to visit all the other lands to unify the Trolls in harmony against Barb, who's looking to upstage them all.

My thoughts: This was certainly a step back from the original which I did not see coming given the addition of rock music. It was not a bad movie by any stretch it just was a disappointment given the opportunity it had to improve on the originals 3.5 rating.

Final verdict: 3 musical strings out of 5.

Spenser Confidential:

Synopsis: Spenser (Mark Wahlberg) -- an ex-cop better known for making trouble than solving it -- just got out of prison and is leaving Boston for good. But first he gets roped into helping his old boxing coach and mentor, Henry (Alan Arkin), with a promising amateur. That's Hawk (Winston Duke), a brash, no-nonsense MMA fighter convinced he'll be a tougher opponent than Spenser ever was. When two of Spenser's former colleagues turn up murdered, he recruits Hawk and his foul-mouthed ex-girlfriend, Cissy (Iliza Shlesinger), to help him investigate and bring the culprits to justice.

My thoughts: This is the 5th straight movie in which director Peter Berg has made starring Mark Wahlberg. I haven't gotten around to most of those since Battleship soured me on him but Winston Duke was enough to get me interested and it was... Fine. Nothing spectacular but it's the best thing Netflix has done since Point Blank.

Final verdict: 3.5 Post Malone acting credits out of 5.

The Hunt:

Synopsis: Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don't know where they are, or how they got there. They don't know they've been chosen... for a very specific purpose... The Hunt. In the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory, a group of globalist elites gathers for the very first time at a remote Manor House to hunt humans for sport. But the elites' master plan is about to be derailed because one of the hunted, Crystal (Betty Gilpin), knows The Hunters' game better than they do. She turns the tables on the killers, picking them off, one by one, as she makes her way toward the mysterious woman at the center of it all.

My thoughts: Half action, half thriller. The Hunt was entertaining enough although it could've still been improved. It didn't seem to know what it wanted to say, was it anti-rich? anti-south? Hollywood-adjacent? I think clarifying the tone would go a big way towards pushing this rating up but hey, bonus points for making Trump hate it.

Final verdict: 3.5 dressed pigs out of 5.

Special: Noelle, Klaus, Let It Snow Mini-Reviews

Noelle:

Synopsis: After Santa Claus decides to retire and his son gets cold feet on Christmas Eve, it falls to his daughter Noelle to take over the family business.

My thoughts: Noelle is a fantastic entry into the yearly Christmas movies to watch in December. It might be a tad on the silly side but it's likeable leads and great job of balancing everything you could want in a Christmas movie more than make up for it. I was shocked the reviews for this film weren't strong since the closest comparable title I could think of is the much beloved Elf. Obviously Grinches won't enjoy this film but honestly I don't think they would want to but in the event they do, their heart may just grow 2 sizes after a singular viewing. If this and Lady & The Tramp is any indication, Disney+ Original films are going to be top notch.

Final verdict: 4.5 snowcones out of 5.

Klaus:

Synopsis: When Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) distinguishes himself as the postal academy's worst student, he is stationed on a frozen island above the Arctic Circle, where the feuding locals hardly exchange words let alone letters. Jesper is about to give up when he finds an ally in local teacher Alva (Rashida Jones), and discovers Klaus (Oscar winner J.K. Simmons), a mysterious carpenter who lives alone in a cabin full of handmade toys. These unlikely friendships return laughter to Smeerensburg, forging a new legacy of generous neighbors, magical lore and stockings hung by the chimney with care.

My thoughts: The animation was beautiful and the story was sweet but the first hour or so could've been better but the final 40 minutes is among the best time I've spent watching animation this year. If only they could've stretched that over the film's entire runtime this would be the best Christmas film this year.

Final verdict: 3.5 post offices out of 5.

Let It Snow:

Synopsis: When a snowstorm hits a small midwestern town on Christmas Eve, a group of high school seniors find their friendships and love lives colliding thanks to a stranded pop star, a stolen keg, a squad of competitive dancers, a mysterious woman covered in tin foil, and an epic party at the local Waffle Town. Come Christmas morning, nothing will be the same.

My thoughts: Featuring a laundry list of "Hey I know them from something". This ensemble is really good, and it has the perfect amount of holiday cheer. The only thing that really holds this back is all the teenage cliches it contains. I tried to ignore most of it for the sake of the film, which is usually something that can be done, especially in holiday films but it's still hard to do. But in saying that it's still worthy of a once a year watch like Klaus above to fill us with some Christmas joy.

Final verdict: 3.5 waffle houses out of 5.