HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — This Thanksgiving weekend, new movie releases feature a legendary opera singer and a brave seafaring heroine.
The tumultuous and tragic true story of Maria Callas, the world-famous original opera diva, comes to life in “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie as the hapless opera singer. The biopic is a poignant depiction of the iconic soprano's final days in 1970s Paris as she struggles to return to her illustrious career.
“Moana” fans, your wait is over! The sequel, “Moana 2,” arrives this weekend eight years after the original won the hearts of young and old. Auli'i Cravalho stars as the eponymous heroine, alongside Dwayne Johnson as the demigod Maui.
Check out our thoughts on the two new releases below.
Movies coming out this weekend
“Mary”
Angelina Jolie, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher; directed by Pablo Larraín
Chilean director Pablo Larraín completes his trilogy of films about iconic women of the 20th century with Angelina Jolie in 'Maria'. Like 2021's “Jackie” and 2016's “Spencer,” the third chapter paints a portrait of an enigmatic woman at her lowest ebb while capturing her grace, fleetingness, and fragility through the prism of a closed era to reflect on her life.
As such, Larraín fans will recall that “Jackie” portrayed First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the days following her husband's assassination, and that “Spencer” captured Lady Diana Spencer, future Whale Princess, on a stressful weekend Christmas with the Royal Family. “Maria,” meanwhile, also begins with a transformative event. This time, the film follows Maria Callas in her final days, a week before the opera singer's untimely death in 1977.
The film's opening scene echoes a death aria, with Callas lying on the floor of her ornate Paris apartment, dead of a heart attack at the age of 53. For the past four years, he lived in isolation while suffering from a rare muscle disease. “Maria” then fills the screen with photos of Jolie at various stages of the diva's life, along with a black-and-white close-up of Callas singing “Ave Maria (Desdemona)” from Verdi's “Otello.”
In “Maria”, the entire soundscape presents a vocal mix. When the film shifts to Calla's prime, the diva's voice is louder. Meanwhile, when scenes call for the present, the voiceover comes mostly from Jolie's voice. The final scene, however, merges Callas' voice with Jolie's in a spectacular sequence.
Overall, Jolie brilliantly deconstructs Calla's personality with incredible bravado. Without her, “Maria” would just wander around aimlessly. Audiences will also be in awe of the cinematography that, for the most part, serves as a conduit for Callas' complexities.
Finally, Larraín's wonderful art is on full display, a genius that never fails to highlight Jolie's commanding performance in a dreamlike collage of events both real and surreal.
“Moana 2”
Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Tudyk? directed by David G. Derrick, Jr; co-directed by Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller
Eight years after the eponymous seafarer put a sparkle in our eyes, the intrepid Polynesian heroine returns to the high seas this Thanksgiving weekend for another fun adventure.
The long-awaited sequel – originally announced by Disney as a streaming series – reunites Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) with the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson).
Three years after Moana found her feet in the world, the new film takes our young heroine on a perilous journey to break the storm god Nalo's curse on the sunken, twin-peaked island of Motufetu. For her near-impossible mission, Moana has recruited a crew of experts, including engineer Loto (Rose Matafeo), storyteller Moni (Hualalai Chung), elder farmer Kele (David Fane). Remember the scene where he stole Heihei the rooster and Pua the pig from the original? He is also on board.
It won't be long before Moana is reunited with Maui. Along the way, the sequel will delight audiences with the duo's usual delightful interactions. Meanwhile, the plot lines highlight a litany of brand new songs including 'Can I Get a Chee Hoo?', 'We're Back' and 'Beyond'. However, it's highly doubtful that any of these tunes could eclipse the popularity of the songs from the first film's soundtrack, which include “How Far I'll Go,” “Shiny” and “We Know The Way.”
Suffice it to say that the sequel, at times, evokes identical pivotal moments from the original film. Chief among them is the scene where Moana and Maui are desperately trying to escape a seemingly inescapable place. While it was an island in the original, it is now a giant clam in the sequel.
Is 'Moana 2' better than the original? No, it isn't. However, the whole family will find it worthwhile and entertaining as it dazzles with compelling performances, punctuated by a much more colorful animation.
