Capsule Reviews: 'Moana 2' & 'Sing Sing'

by Philip Price

Moana 2

Photo: Disney

The sense of sameness can be detracting at times but seeing “Moana 2” on an IMAX screen and watching my 10, five and (almost) three-year-olds sit, jaws dropped, as they drank in the gorgeous oceanic imagery while appreciating everything they loved about the original as reconfigured for this sequel is a Thanksgiving memory that will be attached to this film for a long time. 

​My 10-year-old girl was “aww-ing” every time Moana’s little sister showed up, talking through her adorable front teeth. My five-year-old boy barely blinking as he grooved along to each of the new songs that have already been deemed lesser but will undoubtedly become warmly nostalgic to him as an adult. And my three-year-old little man, bless him, excitedly screaming “Maui!” every time the demigod showed up on screen and then immediately chuckling uncontrollably at the ensuing antics.

“Moana 2” was never going to feel as fresh as the original - a film that genuinely ushered Disney’s golden era ‘90s musicals into the modern era - but despite whatever behind-the-scenes maneuvering went on with this new chapter in what is clearly a far from finished franchise felt like a natural continuation of our titular character’s voyages beyond the reef. Maybe Moana’s magic will eventually lessen the more the corporate machine squeezes her, but for now, she’s as wonderful as she ever was, at least to my three wide-eyed fans. 

P.S. The run of “What Could Be Better Than This”, “Get Lost”, and “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” are each solid examples of expertly combing storytelling, characterizations and catchy hooks while each complimenting/pushing the other aspects to the next level. Don’t sleep.

---

Sing Sing

Photo: A24

Despite being a movie about a theatre group made up of incarcerated men, “Sing Sing,” a heartfelt true story that also deals with the messed-up process of the U.S. prison system, is as infuriating and gut-wrenching as one should expect it to be.
​
Colman Domingo's lead performance is what's most inspiring about director Greg Kwedar's film, though, and not only because Domingo is a naturally affecting presence but because his performance here is emblematic of the balance those interested in the arts strive to strike between reality and their artistic impressions; a balance that is more vital than ever in a prison environment. Allowing the silly, sometimes ridiculous nature of artistic whims to hold weight with those not in the thick of such makes it crucial to find ways to lend credibility to these ideas and make them as inclusive as possible. Domingo and Clarence Maclin's dance throughout is an exemplary portrait of a natural resistance to the eccentricity art intends to extract and how giving oneself over to such creative inclinations can remedy the harsh realities that might wait outside the imagined worlds on stage. Creative processes such as these can heal on several levels, thus making “Sing Sing”
 feel the same.