Seeking some fun and cozy entertainment comfort this long holiday weekend? Here are some entertaining options that can be viewed at home.
Here’s our roundup.
“Senna”: Netflix’s addictive six-part series on late Brazilian race car champion Ayrton Senna zips by, fueled by a star-making turn from lead actor Gabriel Leone. Not only is he a dead ringer for the three-time Formula 1 sensation, but he conveys the full-wattage charisma of a principled, competitive athlete and revered hero. It’s a heartbreaker of a performance. Showrunner Vicente Amorim catalogs what turned Senna — who died tragically at 34 in a 1994 accident in Italy during the San Marino Grand Prix — into an icon who inspired kids and teens alike. He also highlights the racism and snobbery Senna encountered as he progressed from a scrappy go-kart racer to a celebrated Formula 1 star. The racing scenes are terrifying and nerve-jangling, including the earlier go-kart sequences. Ditto the bits pertaining to his deep connection with his supportive parents (Marco Rica and Susana Ribeiro) as well as his rivalry with racer Alain Prost (Matt Mella). But “Senna” does less well when chronicling his love affairs, including with Brazilian TV host Xuxa (Pâmela Tomé), which seems perfunctory and less than revealing. Another bump in the road comes in the fictional creation of a female journalist (Kayla Scodelario) who pops in and out and serves as narrative shorthand for Senna’s sports career and how the media portrayed him. Fortunately, the magnetic performance from Leone makes up for much of those misgivings, and brings the series satisfactorily over the finish line. Details: 3 stars out of 4; drops Nov. 29 on Netflix.
“Our Little Secret”: After a bungled attempt to spice up the holidays with the tame, stripper-themed “The Merry Gentlemen,” Netflix redeems itself with “Our Little Secret,” a lovers-to-frenemies-to-lovers Christmas charmer featuring Lindsay Lohan, Ian Harding and the always-welcome Kristin Chenoweth.
Director Stephen Herek’s perky tale sticks to the seasonal entertainment recipe but sprinkles in dashes of humor and draws out exuberant performances from everyone in the cast. In it, acrimonious former lovebirds run into each other at a family Christmas gathering and — due to extenuating circumstances — decide to act like they’re strangers. A series of mishaps ensues, of course, including an accidental ingestion of THC gummies leading to a stoned recitation of a Kool and the Gang song at children’s mass, that bumbles its way to romantic resolution. Never saw that one coming, huh? Hailey DeDominics’ screenplay and fleet direction from Herek (“Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure”) make “Our Little Secret” one of the better holiday confections to drop down the chimney this year.
Details: 3 stars; now available on Netflix.
“Spellbound”: If packing up the kids up to go see “Moana” just won’t work this weekend, director Vicky Jenson’s animated fantasy is a welcome alternative and is certain to keep everyone in the family entertained. The “Shrek” director’s latest leans heavily on a fantasy storyline as old as time — the dreaded curse — and leaves it up to a 15-year-old princess (voiced by Rachel Zegler) to cast out a spell that turned her parents (Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman) into monsters. And she’s got to do the job quickly before she gets crowned the ruler of Lumbria. What seem like a rote story, though, takes a big dramatic, emotional turnaround that is refreshing and unique. “West Side Story’s” Zegler puts her amazing vocal range to great use in a playbook of quality songs from Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. The characters she engages with are colorful and goofy, including two hilarious Oracles (Tituss Burgess and Nathan Lane) and the animation is a delight to behold. Ideal to view after a Thanksgiving feast. Details: Details: 3 stars; available now on Netflix.
“Nutcrackers”: A self-centered, big-city workaholic (Ben Stiller), who owns a flashy yellow sports car, inherits an unexpected mess once his estranged sister and her husband are killed and their four boys become orphans. With a pressing Chicago deadline looming, Mike (Stiller) wants to expediently offload all of his uncle responsibilities, but he realizes it won’t happen overnight when he visits their chaotic home, a working farm in Iowa, where there’s a snake in the toilet and pigs running around. A social worker (Linda Cardellini, given way too little to do) tries to help uptight Mike find foster-parent options, but the process never pans out. David Gordon Green’s amusing time-waster never quite warms the heart as much as it should, but does make for an undemanding film that benefits from the presence of Stiller and Cardellini. Details: 2½ stars; drops Nov. 29 on Hulu.
“Pimpinero: Blood and Oil”: Andrés Baiz’s tension-filled drama is full of surprises, including a hair-pin turn in narration near the midway point. Set along a volatile stretch of the Colombia-Venezuela border in 2010, the engrossing eye opener revolves around gas smugglers and always feels real and raw. It also creates a convincing love story about two people caught up in desperate times: Juan (Alejandro Speitzer), the youngest brother in a clan of gas smugglers, and Diana (Laura Osma). It also gives us a villain to hate in the form of the power-mad Don Carmelo (David Noreña), who resorts to odious actions to line his pockets. “Pimpinero: Blood and Oil” gripped me throughout, and part of that is is due to Mateo Londono’s sweeping cinematography. Details: 3 stars; available now on Amazon Prime.
“Rita”: Guatemalan filmmaker Jayro Bustamante’s adult fairy tale sees the outrage over how girls and teens in Guatemala are exploited by men who rarely get brought to justice. It’s a tough subject, but Bustamante tells it fantastically with storytelling reminiscent of the early works of Guillermo del Toro. The supernaturally infused drama is set in a rotting orphanage, where 13-year-old Rita (Giuliana Santa Cruz, handling challenging material with the insight of someone way older) has just arrived after landing a hospital. Once inside, she gets beat up by other girls but later becomes part of the “angel” group, girls adorning themselves with wings and seeking a way to escape from the gloomy place. It’s outlandish and angry and well-deserving of being Guatemala’s pick for next year’s Oscars race. “Rita” serves both as a damning indictment of a corrupt system and as a showcase for a fearless filmmaker who continues to open the world’s eyes to injustices being done. Details: 3½ stars; available now on Shudder.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.
