For this weekend, we focus on the new series from the creators of Dark and a musical with Will Ferell and Ryan Reynolds.
Check out our mini-reviews and have a great weekend!
You can still have a longer list of the releases under the “This Friday” section on the homepage.
1899
WHY
The creators of the excellent German series Dark are back with a brand new series, 1899. We leave the German countryside to be on an impressive ship of the late 19th century and with many characters to discover. These are of different nationalities and fortunately they all speak their language, from English to French to Japanese. The script plays a little bit on the different linguistic misunderstandings. We also discover the differences between classes on the boat. We quickly feel that each character has his secrets and has a good reason to flee. This aspect is very well shown at the time of a change of course during the voyage. Everything becomes more complex when we meet another boat that disappeared a few months earlier. The tension is going to rise very quickly, especially between the different passengers as secrets are gradually revealed. The duo of Dark offers us a new exercise full of mystery quite successful even if the set up is a little long and the characters not very sympathetic at the beginning. The cinematography is really beautiful as well as the reconstitution of this time of the end of the 19th century. Are you ready to embark ?
WHAT
1899. A migrant steamship heads west to leave the old continent. The passengers, a mixed bag of European origins, united by their hopes and dreams for the new century and their future abroad. But their journey takes an unexpected turn when they discover another migrant ship adrift on open sea. What they will find on board, will turn their passage to the promised land into a horrifying nightmare.
WHERE
Spirited
WHY
As every year, we have the right to the traditional Christmas movies, so we start with Apple TV+ and its movie Spirited which offers us a modern retelling of Charles Dickens’ book, A Christmas Carol. We warn you it is a musical and we were not tempted more than that at the beginning but we must admit that it is done in a very clever way especially thanks to the very second degree and a little mocking when a musical sequence starts. And it is impressive to watch the cast mastering the singing and dancing. The choreography are very well put together and creative. It’s very entertaining to follow Will Ferrell as he tries to make Ryan Reynolds into a likable person. The “ghost” teams are shown as a production team of a show with many funny moments. The chemistry of the duo works very well and even if we already know where we are going, the story is fun to follow. To note, don’t miss the very nice tribute to the technical team of the film at the end of the credits.
WHAT
Each Christmas Eve, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Will Ferrell) selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits. But this season, he picked the wrong Scrooge. Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds) turns the tables on his ghostly host until Present finds himself reexamining his own past, present and future. For the first time, “A Christmas Carol” is told from the perspective of the ghosts in this hilarious musical twist on the classic Dickens tale.
WHERE