MeshugaNutcracker just might be your new holiday tradition

Movie Title:  MeshugaNutcracker

Grade:   A

Rating: G, 2 hours 11 minutes (including an entertaining 15 minute intermission).

In a Nutshell: Fathom Events brings stage productions and other special events to theaters across the country for limited release. 

For the month of December, it’s showcasing MeshugaNutcracker, a creative mix of Chanukah stories and songs set to the music of Tchaikovsky's beloved Nutcracker ballet.  Sounds pretty crazy, right?  "Meshugana" means crazy!

I need to disclose that this movie was co-created and directed by an old friend of mine from high school, Stephen Guggenheim!  We sang in choirs and performed in school productions together, but he was always the one with true talent. I’m so excited for him and proud of him! He co-created the production, directed the film, did all of the vocal arrangements, and stars as the Mayor of Chelm.  Talented indeed.

This is a film version of a stage production that was first workshopped in 2003, which has been performed every year since.  The moving stories illustrate Jewish strength, tradition, and faith.  Just so you know, no actors were harmed in the reenactment of the Maccabean revolt.  (wink)

 

Uplifting theme: 

• Heroism
• Jewish tradition and values
• “Light can always overcome the darkness.” – Jacob (Jackson Davis)
• “Light is everything.  Together, our lights can shine more brightly.” – little girl (Shannon Guggenheim)
• We witness miracles every day and sometimes take them for granted.
• Hope

Things I liked:

• Cute introduction by Kevin Weisman in the film version of the stage production.
• Get that phlem going as you learn about the foolish people of Chelm, a mythical town in Poland of Jewish folklore. 
• Eight actors perform 20 original songs. You’ll also hear Handel’s famous “Messiah” being sung with new lyrics about dreidels.  It is also the number eight that represents the number of times the funny cast yells, “Oy!”  ha ha
• The costumes are clever and colorful, incorporating symbols that represent various traits of the characters, such as corn fields, scrolls of the Torah, a Kiddush cup, and the Jerusalem skyline.
• Continue watching during the final credits in the end for more clever jokes, video clips of the cast, and upcoming features that are coming soon to the Theater of Chelm.
• Christians will be able to learn about Jewish customs and stories appreciate the rich religious and culture celebrated this time of year.
• You’ll want to stay seated during the intermission just to enjoy the entertaining lessons and quizzes on Yiddish sayings, Jewish traditions, and items for discussion.
• Cute, whimsical set.
• Talented cast!

Things I didn’t like:

• I love that each time the cast performs live, they invite a celebrity to surprise the audience in the end.  This movie version of the show features Bruce Vilanch, who was an embarrassing disappointment, bumbling his way through his parts.  Granted, he was only given minutes to prepare, and I’m sure not many of us could do any better under those circumstances.  On another note, I loved his “Jewbacca” t-shirt.
• After the intermission, you get a quick glance of the surprisingly small audience that watched the production while it was being filmed.  I’m so glad that it is now being seen in movie theaters across the country through Fathom Events so that more people can enjoy it.

Tips for parents: 

• Challenge your children to find the hidden gold coin on each of the characters’ costumes.
• The second act may prove too long for children, who might get antsy.
• Safe entertainment for all ages.
• Christian children will probably be unfamiliar with the Jewish stories and history lessons, so it's a great opportunity to expose them to this faithful nation.

@trinaboice 

Four Blood Moons now available on Netflix

Movie:  Four Blood Moons

Rating:  PG

2 hours 30 minutes

Grade:    B-

In a Nutshell:   This documentary was a one-day theatrical release in a limited number of cities back in March 2015.  Now it is available to everyone on Netflix and Amazon.  

Based on the New York Times Bestseller of the same name, author and pastor John Hagee explained,  “The thing that compelled me to write “The Four Blood Moons” was when I saw the scientific information that NASA was putting out:  that it (4 blood moons) happened in 1493, that it happened in 1949, that it happened in 1967 and was going to happen in 2015.  Knowing history, I knew that these 3 dates  applied to Israel and are the Jewish people.”   John Hague

If you don’t know history, those dates correspond with the expulsion of the Jewish people from Spain, the creation of the Israel nation, and the Arab/Israeli 6^th day war.  The movie walks you through each of those significant events, pointing to an equally important event to occur Fall of 2015.

Uplifting Theme:   

*  The Bible announces that God made the sun and the moon to be used as signs in the heavens.   “What we notice in science is the more you research the record of nature, the more evidences you find for the handiwork of God and so, it’s not a surprise that we see increasing numbers of scientists looking at that evidence.” – Hugh Ross, Astrophysicist/Author

*  The tagline for the movie is: Something is about to change.  If he's right, what are you doing to prepare?

          

Things I liked:

* I liked the variety of experts in science, history, and religion sharing their "take" on this fascinating symbolism.  The format of the movie is documentary-style interviews, followed by dramatic reenactments to illustrate each of the pivotal moments in history.

*  The information is extremely interesting and should leave you hanging with anticipation to see what unfolds within the next few months.  Pay attention to the news!

*  Writer and Director Keith Merrill has made several beautiful films for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; however, this is NOT a Mormon movie.  In fact, no LDS theology is even mentioned, focusing, instead on doctrine and symbolism explained by Jewish rabbis and pastor John Hagee, who founded "Christians United for Israel." 

·          

Things I didn’t like:

·    At the end of the movie, you see that the majority of the reenactments were filmed in North Carolina; however, you won't be surprised that the film was produced in the Middle East somewhere, because the majority of the actors look like Americans with bad wigs and fake beards.  The actors looked like they were recruited by a small casting company who only hired locals who wanted to dress up in costumes.  In other words, the acting was pretty bad.

*  The scientific and historical evidence is presented to an audience that is pretty much already Christian and Jewish "believers".  

*  There is no strong call-to-action at the end of the movie, only that "something" is coming.  I would have liked to learn about several theories that the experts think might happen and then hear their ideas on how to be best prepared for certain scenarios.

Interesting lines:

·         “The Talmud states clearly that the eclipse of the sun is difficult for the nations of the world.  The eclipse of the moon is difficult for the Jewish people and express a difficulty for the Jewish people.” – Rabbi Shlomo Riskin

·          

Tips for Parents:  

*  Young children will mostly be bored.  

*  Teens who are interested in the subject matter will learn a little bit more about historical events.  There are inspiring and miraculous stories that are reenacted, which could be a good launching pad for faith-building discussions.

·          

Would you like to know more? You can read the New York Times best-seller by John Hagee:

 

 Here's another one that is a fascinating read by Jonathan Cahn. You'll find a ton of interesting videos on YouTube by him as well:

 

The Cobbler features a shy Adam Sandler

Movie:    The Cobbler

PG-13, 1 hour 38 minutes

Grade:    D

In a Nutshell:    The Cobbler is a curious little film that hit the big screen in March 2015 and then landed on DVD 2 months later.  If you blinked, you missed it.  Guess how much money it made....$4 million?  $2 million?  Try $24,000.  Yikes.

While considered a complete dud, it's still a refreshing departure from Adam Sandler’s usual mix of crass and stupid; however, what could have been a charming fairy-tale gets muddled along the way.  

The premise is interesting: what would you do if you could transform yourself into other people’s lives?  Unfortunately, co-writers Thomas McCarthy and Paul Sado fail to dig deeper and we never get to really know the people whose shoes Adam Sandler’s character wears.

Uplifting Theme:

·         Sometimes walking in another man’s shoes is the only way to discover who you really are.

·         “It is a privilege to walk in another man’s shoes.” – Abraham

Things I liked:

·         The delightful Dustin Hoffman makes a welcome appearance.

·         “Method Man” gets a lot of screen time, and you’ll recognize Melonie Diaz from that sweet and quirky film Be Kind Rewind .

·         It’s always a pleasure to see Steve Buscemi.

·         Ellen Barkin is always at her best when she plays hardball.

·         Orange Is the New Black: Season 1 fans will get to see Dascha Polanco for about 3 minutes.

·         The ending is fun, but completely nonsensical.  Don't even try to figure it out.

Things I didn’t like:

·         It’s odd that a successful director like McCarthy could create such an uneven mess.

·         So many of the scenes are shot from boring, non-creative angles.

·         Droopy Jewish chords play in the background throughout the entire first half of the movie.

·         Max continues to make such dumb mistakes.  That’s super frustrating for me to watch.

Interesting lines:

·         “Who do we have to worry about? – Max

“Dry cleaners.  They’re not nice fellows and they’re very powerful.” - Abraham

Tips for Parents:

·         Kids will be curious about this film because it has Adam Sandler Sandler in it.  They might be entertained by it, but it’s definitely not what they’re expecting.

·         Some mild profanity and someone flips the bird.