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When Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the Wicked Witch of the West, dies and the munchkins of Munchkin land are rejoicing, Glinda The Good Witch, AKA Galinda (Ariana Grande) descends in a bubble to confirm the news; it’s then revealed that Galinda and Elphaba were once good friends. Recounting how the two met, grew close, and broke apart while a great disturbance in the land of Oz was on the rise, the untold story of Elphaba and what she truly stood for is set to unfold. Based on the wildly successful Broadway Hit and Directed by Jon M. Chu this fantastical and magical trip to Oz has finally peaked after what feels like a metric ton of marketing and advertising, and, to be blunt, the hype is real. Packed with now iconic hits including Popular, What is This Feeling, and Defying Gravity, leads Erivo and Grande turn on the power and crank their vocals to eleven to illicit sing along action from the audience and actual applause at the end of each number, meanwhile, further cast support from Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Marissa Bode, Jonathan Bailey, and Ethan Slater fill out the front line and deliver fitting performances. With solid production design, costuming, well thought out choreography, and further digital support the land of Oz feels strangely palpable and still full of whimsy. On a critical note, the film is a beast in terms of runtime, at two hours and forty minutes, and this is just part 1, the whole experience does drag in a few points and could have been assisted from a heavier editor’s knife, regardless, the fun abounds and the magic continues. Wicked: Part 1 is rated PG.

When Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) is kidnapped the ELF team of the North Pole steps in to save Christmas. Heading up the security detail is Santa’s most trusted advisor, Callum Drift (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), the beefiest mythological protector aside from a polar bear. But, tracking Santa’s captor will take some special skills, to that end, world hacker and bounty hunter Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans) finds himself called in to action. It’s naughty vs. nice and the clock is ticking, will hope prevail?Written by Chris Morgan and Hiram Garcia and Directed by Jake Kasdan this globe trotting action adventure for the holidays delivers surprisingly decent action set pieces and clever adventure premise in a surprisingly touching and feel good way, a careful dichotomy tightrope act that once again proves Johnson’s charisma and humor seems to have a magic ability to thread success in the face of what could be utter flop or failure, left in the hands of someone less adept and the “magic” of Red One might not be so magical at all. Meanwhile efforts from Evans, Simmons, Lucy Liu, Bonny Hunt, Kiernan Shipka, and Kristofer Hivju add more fun and flair to the mix. Surely this won’t go down in history along side other family favorites such as Miracle on 34th Street or A Christmas Story, but for creativity in weaving folklore, action, and fun, this may be one of the better Holiday offerings we’ve seen in some time, albeit irreverent, but fun. And, with production design and CGI that stays consistent, it’s all about the look and the feel, it must be Christmas. Running just a little longer than necessary at 2 hours and three minutes, Red One is Rated PG-13.

Upon the Pope’s (Bruno Novelli) death the cardinals are gathered for Conclave to vote and decide who will become the next leader of the Catholic Church. At the head of the Conclave proceedings is the respected and dutiful Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes). But, as powerplays are in order and politics begin to take hold within the church itself, several front runners find themselves shaded and discredited from acquiring the Papacy; with questioning of faith and the church at its core central to each Cardinal’s heart, it could take divine intervention to select the next Pope. Written by Peter Straughan and Robert Harris and Directed by Edward Berger this master’s class in cinema and acting shines with its lead and further ensemble including Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini; each and all delivering the goods in what could be a simple procedural but instead turns whodunit amidst the nuanced stickiness that faces the Catholic church in present day. Beautifully captured cinematography and further notes to the production design, costuming, and score all elevate this piece to the top of the class as we head into award season. And, while the film’s finish is telegraphed well in advance, it’s still a pleasure to watch all the pieces come together over the two hour runtime. Totally worth it, Conclave is rated PG.