Good church friend has been wanting to see
Moana 2 , so we saw it today after church (and lunch and a trip to Target). She absolutely loved it and said it was every bit as good as the original. I OTOH thought it was good but not great. Once again, Moana is compelled to sail to a place her people have never been, this time to unite all the "people of the ocean" and save the island from, I guess, interbreeding? It was never quite explained why Moana and company had to find (and raise) a specific sunken island, and it was never quite explained why the "god" who sank it did so, and why he hates humans so much. Like the first movie, Moana doesn't undertake her voyage alone; she's joined by a small, hand-picked crew that of course seem like a bunch of misfits at first but somehow magically improve by the end via...sheer can-do spirit? The best part of the movie: Maui's back and just as fun as he was in the first movie. The worst part of the movie: almost anyone not named Moana. Disney upped the cuteness factor by giving Moana a pouty little sister and having Moana bring her pet pig Pua along for the ride this time. Both are kind of pointless. I appreciated the old guy recruited to join Moana's sailing crew--it's a nice nod to how us, ah, more seasoned people can still be useful--but the smartypants handy girl was practically a stereotype at this point (if you're familiar with Disney's Zombie movies, this character is basically Liza with less attitude) and the big guy stanning for Maui was kind of annoying. Worse, because Lin-Manuel Miranda wasn't involved, the music was forgettable. Also, I almost dozed off a couple times mid-movie. Based on the popularity of the film and a scene mid-credits, it's virtually guaranteed there will be a Moana 3, which I'll probably go see if good church friend really wants me to.
I started watching The Holdovers on DVD the day I couldn't make it in to work due to the bad weather but the disc was pretty scratched, and the movie froze halfway through. I was really enjoying it too; I'm undecided whether to get the DVD from a different library or just pony up the $3.99 it would cost to watch the movie on Spectrum On Demand.
