‘Jingle Jangle’ your way into holiday season
Also worth seeing: ‘The Climb,’ ‘Freaky,’ ‘Dating Amber’
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. Directorwriter David E. Talbert has crafted a holiday movie that seems destined to become iconic. \*\*\*/* out of 4; available Friday 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 cowrote 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 >> \*\*\*/*; opens Friday in limited release.
“FREAKY” >> What begins as a “Scream” ripoff 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 menac
ing. It’s so much fun, but get ready for hard R violence. DETAILS >> \*\*\*; opens Friday 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 >> \*\*\*/*; begins streaming Friday 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 — but 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 tangle 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 >> \*\*\*; 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 >> \*\*/*; available to stream Friday.
“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 >> now playing in limited theaters.