“The Girl from Monaco” is anything but the typical French drama. It is filled with daring humor, stunningly bright scenery and the stereotypes of brooding, angsty Parisians are absent.
2 of 5 starsWhen Michael finds his mother engaged to a complete stranger, David Harris, he is far from pleased — especially when his new stepfather explodes at all threats to the ideal he envisions for the newly formed family. As the opening scene proves, Michael is right to be concerned.
2 of 5 starsFall break is past, Thanksgiving yet to come, but “A Christmas Carol” already present. This time Disney tries its luck with a performance-captured animation of Charles Dickens’ classic novel. The result can be best described as something like an adolescent facing an identity crisis. It’s unsure of what it wants and goes back and forth between extremes.And while the name Robert Zemeckis seems reason for excitement because of his earlier successes such as “Forrest Gump” and “Back to the Future,” and previous Disney work “The Polar Express,” the result is disappointing.
3 stars “Coco Before Chanel,” an almost two-hour-long biopic of France’s most beloved fashion pioneer, relies more on atmosphere than action, which is both a flaw and a merit.The movie shows Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel swimming against the current of time, place and circumstance. She is a single woman without a steady income, torn between French playboy Etienne Balsan, whose mistress she becomes at the start of the film, and Boy Capel, an English businessmen who tends more to her emotional needs — quite the reversal of national stereotypes.
