A light weekend followed by two days of being sick means lots of movie watching:
The Last Duel: 4.75/8
A stellar cast, stellar director and based on a true story, but I just couldn't get into it much.
Spirited (AppleTV): 6.75/8
What a genuine delight this was! It's nice to go into a movie with no expectations and be blown away. Both Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell (who can be very hit or miss) brought their A game. Octavia Spencer is also excellent.
I'm kind of disappointed that it's on Apple TV, because with a wider audience I think it would become a new Christmas Classic.
I also fully predict that it will be on Broadway in the next 5 years. The songs may not all be A-list, but they're all catchy and it's a good story. A fresh take on Dicken's "A Christmas Carol".
Disenchanted (Disney+): 4.5/8
Worth a watch if you're a fan of the original, but it doesn't hold a candle to it's predecessor. Enchanted was a huge success not only because of Amy Adams, but a solid supporting cast with Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden and Idina Menzel. They all take a back seat to Adams in the sequel. And in her own right, she's great in the movie (I don't know that there's a role she can't play), but at the same time the movie suffers from the lack of the strong ensemble the first movie had, as well as the songs just not being as good.
Smile (Paramount+): 4.5/8
Nothing inherently bad with it, just not my kind of movie.
Secret Headquarters (Paramount+) 4.75/8
While mostly a kids movie, it's the adults that carry the movie, in particular the leads of Owen Wilson and Michael Pena.
The People We Hate At Weddings (Prime Video): 5.5/8
A pretty enjoyable comedy that's also a bit of a RomCom. Solid cast of Allison Janney, Kristen Bell and Ben Platt.
Licorice Pizza (Prime Video): 5/8
A good movie, but also an awkward movie. The movie basically revolves around a 15yr old and a 25yr old striking up a friendship and a "will they or won't they" relationship for the entire movie. Apparently inspired by true events. Also, it felt weird that this kid accomplishes so much in basically what amounts to less than a year. Some people don't do as much in a lifetime as he supposedly does in less than a year.
Enola Holmes 2 (Netflix): 5/8
As a Sherlock Holmes fan, and fan of mysteries in general, the Enola Holmes series has been a fun addition to the Sherlock lore.
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse (Disney+): 5/8
If you're a Mickey fan, or even just a Disney fan in general, this documentary about Mickey's history is worth a watch.
A Christmas Story Christmas (HBO Max): 6/8
As someone who's always found "A Christmas Story" highly overrated, I must say I very much enjoyed the sequel. In fact, I'd say it's far better than the original. It's a fun movie in it's own right while also honoring the original, in particular the dad. The star of the sequel though is the mom (who's been recast since the original mom is now 83, and the sequel is set in 1973). She's now played by Julie Hagerty, who some will know from the Airplane movies or the mom in Just Friends. She steals the show with some great comedic moments.