Here Comes a 'Spirited' Christmas
Spirited inverts the tropes of the holiday musical genre to update an age-old tale for 2022. It's a paean to those who make grand spectacles possible.

A precocious, proud preteen who has grown up throwing tea parties argues with her friends over whether she is too old now to still enjoy tea parties, while the babysitter attempts to resolve a misunderstanding with their rocky relationship. Meanwhile, a toy elephant narrates the entire event.
Spirited inverts the tropes of the holiday musical genre to update an age-old tale for 2022. It's a paean to those who make grand spectacles possible.
A masterful portrayal of a long-forgotten story that needs to be told.
An anti-war film denouncing the valorization of senseless violence, 'All Quiet on the Western Front' is (unfortunately) all too relevant in 2022.
Asha, the main character, is a biracial woman who discovers the power of magic wishing dust.
As this critic continues to look back at some of this Summer's films I have taken in, I would be remiss if I didn't mention one of the most overall unsettling trends in Hollywood over the last several years.....sequels, reboots, and remakes. Look, I am all for seeing more than one film for certain originals that made a splash, ie: "Jurassic Park", "Pirates of the Caribbean", "Transformers", etc.
Though 'Bound' technically falls under the genres of crime and thriller, the film's heart is a romance between two women.