If you take a look at this films trailer, you can tell this was a film that is desperately trying to court the award-season crowd. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, when I saw that Rustin was directed by George C. Wolfe, who did the fantastic Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, the film immediately went on my list as something to look out for. And for full transparency, I had no clue who Bayard Rustin was before I even saw the trailer, and while I feel the film does highlight an important figure in history, this may not be the best execution of the man’s story. This is a film about a man’s grand vision to pull off the impossible, and despite this being a landmark historical event, I feel the delivery missed the mark. While this is a biopic about Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo), it is very much about  only a small portion of the man’s life, basically just the short amount of time he had to put together a march on Washington DC in 1963 that would live on in infamy for the civil rights movement and the famous “I have a dream” speech from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  I feel this is a bit of a disservice to the man who responsible for so much, especially when the film is called Rustin, but there is so much going on in this film that it should have been called something else. But before I get carried away, the biggest strength this film has is the terrific performance by Colman Domingo. He does a fantastic job at showing his passion for his beliefs as he pretty much controls every scene he’s in. There are a lot of speeches over the course of the film, maybe too many, but he delivers each with the conviction and the passion I’d imagine the civil rights leader had.

The great 100,000-man march was a civil rights march for jobs and freedom, and when it was pitched by Rustin, we saw how it was shot down and treated as though it would be an impossible task. Roy Wilkins (Chris Rock) as the head of the NAACP wants nothing to do with Rustin and sees the march could only hurt their cause, and then there is Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (Jeffrey Wright), a politician who Rustin’s opponent who seems to object to Rustin simply because the man is a homosexual. It was nice seeing Chris Rock. This is one of those performances that reminded me just how good he can really be when he’s given the right material … but it is Jeffrey Wright who just shows up and commands every frame that he is on screen. Powell is pretty much the biggest combatant Rustin is up against, and when these two have their moments together the tension just shines, but unfortunately the film doesn’t have enough of those moments.

Every year around this time, it seems studios are attempting to release the next holiday classic, or at least a film that will be revisited by fans. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Elf, and Die Hard (yes, it is a Christmas movie) are just a few that are in heavy rotation in my household. For those looking for something a little more wholesome and family-friendly, you may be in luck with the release of Dashing Through The Snow, which will be debuting on Disney Plus just in time for the holidays. At first glance I wasn’t so sure about this film, but when I saw that the film was written by Scott Rosenberg, I couldn’t resist. Rosenberg is responsible for writing the screenplays for Beautiful Girls and High Fidelity; both movies are near and dear to my heart, and if you haven’t seen these films, I highly recommend checking them out. More recently he’s been attached to more big-budget popcorn films like Venom and the newer Jumanji films. Then helming the film is director Tim Story, who has an impressive resume as well with The Barbershop and the Ride Along films. So does this film deliver us something nice, or was the viewing experience on par with receiving a massive lump of coal in my stocking?

When we first meet Eddie Garrick, we are taken 30 years back, as we get to hear why it is that he isn’t a fan of Christmas. It’s a slightly amusing yet tragic story about a mall Santa coming into his home to rob the family, and things end up getting worse for poor Eddie. Modern-day Eddie is played by Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. Eddie has grown up to be a social worker who helps out the Atlanta PD and is also a divorced father. For Christmas Eve, Eddie is spending time with his daughter, Charlotte (Madison Skye Validum), but things are not going to remain peaceful and quiet; in fact, the night is about to turn into an adventure of a lifetime when Eddie comes across Nick (Lil Rel Howery), who claims to be Santa.  Eddie is a good guy and wants to help Nick. It’s Christmas, after all, but Nick aka Santa is being chased by a trio of goons who have been ordered by Conrad Harf (Oscar Nunez), a corrupt congressman, to retrieve a tablet that Santa may have accidently picked up earlier that night.

“Imagine a place where wishes come true. Where your heart's desire can become a reality. What if I told you that place is within reach? All you have to do is give your wish ... to me.”

Disney has been taking us around the world in its efforts to duplicate its achievements with a certain princess that had to let it all go. And while I respect what they are trying to attempt, I doubt they are going to find that kind of lightning-in-a-bottle success that they found with that movie with Wish. That is not to say that Wish was not a enjoyable experience; I just don’t feel that the story came together fully in the manner that would make it iconic. However, I fully appreciate Disney’s efforts with taking us across the globe to foreign lands. And while the lands and areas tend to be fictional, they are always clearly inspired by real-life areas with diverse cultures. It reminds me of EPCOT and feels very inclusive. This time around, we are taken to the fictional land of Rosas, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, where the people are protected by King Magnifico and his wife Queen Amaya. Having studied magic and sorcery, Magnifico has become a powerful practitioner and gained the ability to grant the wishes of his subjects. When each resident of Rosas turns 18, a ceremony is held where they give up their wish to Magnifico, who keeps them sealed in his observatory. Once a month, Magnifico selects one of the residents' wishes to be granted before the city.