What to watch: Disney+ - Jan 2021
Tired of scrolling endlessly through the list of streaming movies? Check out our recommendations.
Soul – (2020)
Soul is at once both a profound examination of what happens to a person when they move on from earth and a heartfelt tale of what we can accomplish on earth. Taking a cue from Inside Out, (the movies have the same director, Pete Doctor), Soul takes another look into our psyche as humans. Focusing on what we value in life, it asks questions that will impact you no matter where you are on life’s journey. Joe (Jamie Foxx) is a middle school band teacher with aspirations of being a famous jazz musician; little does he know that his world is about to be turned upside down. Tina Fey steals the show as Soul 22, Joe’s frustration and eventual friend. This might be one of the most adult oriented kids movies I have seen, just due to the philosophical questions it presents. Soul is well worth a close viewing.
Safety – (2020)
Safety is a sports and family tale for the modern age. Based on the real story of Ray Ray McElrathbey, a redshirt freshman football player for Clemson in 2006, Safety examines just how far one young man is willing to go to keep his family together. Due to his mother’s problems with drug addiction, Ray became the legal guardian of his younger brother just as he was starting his collegiate football career. Although Clemson football was not quite at the dizzying heights of consistent title contention in those days, there was still an incredible amount of dedication and focus required to achieve his dreams on the field. Ray Ray went out of his way to be literal safety for his younger brother, and this is a movie that will uplift anyone who watches.
Godmothered – (2020)
Godmothered explores the world of, you guessed it, fairy godmothers. The movie opens in The Motherland, the decaying institute for Godmother training. For some reason, children are no longer looking for godmothers. I suppose the world has simply become too self-sufficient. Eleanor (Jillian Bell) is determined to finish her training and become an official godmother. However, in order to accomplish this, Eleanor must find a child to dramatically assist. She sneaks into the files of the school and finds one last request for a fairy godmother from pre-teen Mackenzie. When she arrives in our world, she discovers that Mackenzie (Isla Fisher) is not so young anymore. This movie takes a close look at the importance of dreams, and the importance of keeping them alive. It is a pleasant surprise, making light of many fairy story tropes along the way.
Noelle – (2019)
Noelle takes a deep dive into the world of Santa Claus. Once the curtains are pulled back, things are not the holly jolly wonderland that everyone assumes them to be. Nick Kringle (Bill Hader) is next in line to be Santa Claus. It is a tradition passed down through the family, allowing the oldest son to take over when Father Christmas retires. There is one unfortunate complication; Nick has no desire to be Santa Claus. He longs for escape and adventure, and goes off to find it in…. Phoenix, Arizona. Noelle (Anna Kendrick), his sister, is left to pick up the pieces. She is tasked with finding Nick and saving Christmas. On her journey, she makes a discovery of her own that will alter Christmas forever. This movie is funny, light, and a great holiday experience. You may want to save it until next Christmas season, but it is certainly worth a watch!
