When December rolls around, there’s something special about curling up on the couch and watching a classic Christmas movie. Almost every streaming service has a strong lineup of holiday movies, but if you’re in the mood for a Christmas movie with Black leading actors, we’ve assembled a list of some of the very best films throughout the years. In most cases, you can watch these movies with a free trial!
So heat up a mug of hot cocoa, turn on the TV and start streaming something special this holiday season.
Classic Black Christmas Movies
Black Hallmark Christmas Movies
New Black Christmas Movies in 2023
Best Christmas Movies by Streaming Service
Classic Black Christmas Movies The Preacher's Wife December 13, 1996
Good-natured Reverend Henry Biggs finds that his marriage to choir mistress Julia is flagging, due to his constant absence caring for the deprived neighborhood they live in. On top of all this,...
So heat up a mug of hot cocoa, turn on the TV and start streaming something special this holiday season.
Classic Black Christmas Movies
Black Hallmark Christmas Movies
New Black Christmas Movies in 2023
Best Christmas Movies by Streaming Service
Classic Black Christmas Movies The Preacher's Wife December 13, 1996
Good-natured Reverend Henry Biggs finds that his marriage to choir mistress Julia is flagging, due to his constant absence caring for the deprived neighborhood they live in. On top of all this,...
- 12/5/2023
- by Ben Bowman
- The Streamable
Some clever ideas are wasted in this wobbly drama as a group of friends discover a dead body in nearby woodland
A gender-switched riff on Stand By Me sounds like an intriguing idea – a dead body is discovered by four pre-teen girls – and interesting things do happen in this film at first, in that it declines to conform tonally to what you expect; and yet the quirky-dreamy YA style persists. However, there is something uncertain and soft-centre about what follows, and the plot unrealities make it very silly.
Lola (Sanai Victoria), Mari (Eden Grace Redfield), Daisy (Madalen Mills) and Daisy (Lia Barnett) are four best friends in an American suburb, whiling away the long hot summer before they start middle school. Rambling aimlessly through some woodland outside town, they are stunned to discover the corpse of a man, and find themselves mostly reluctant to tell the police or their parents:...
A gender-switched riff on Stand By Me sounds like an intriguing idea – a dead body is discovered by four pre-teen girls – and interesting things do happen in this film at first, in that it declines to conform tonally to what you expect; and yet the quirky-dreamy YA style persists. However, there is something uncertain and soft-centre about what follows, and the plot unrealities make it very silly.
Lola (Sanai Victoria), Mari (Eden Grace Redfield), Daisy (Madalen Mills) and Daisy (Lia Barnett) are four best friends in an American suburb, whiling away the long hot summer before they start middle school. Rambling aimlessly through some woodland outside town, they are stunned to discover the corpse of a man, and find themselves mostly reluctant to tell the police or their parents:...
- 11/30/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Sony Pictures has debuted a new trailer for the coming-of-age offering ‘Summering.’
During their last days of summer and childhood – the weekend before middle school begins – four girls struggle with the harsh truths of growing up and embark on a mysterious adventure.
Directed by James Ponsoldt, the film stars Megan Mullally, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Lia Barnett, Madalen Mills, Eden Grace Redfield, and Sanai Victoria.
Also in trailers – Michelle Yeoh stars in teaser trailer for series ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’
The film hits cinemas on December 2nd.
The post “The older I am, the more complicated my life gets…” Trailer lands for ‘Summering’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.
During their last days of summer and childhood – the weekend before middle school begins – four girls struggle with the harsh truths of growing up and embark on a mysterious adventure.
Directed by James Ponsoldt, the film stars Megan Mullally, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Lia Barnett, Madalen Mills, Eden Grace Redfield, and Sanai Victoria.
Also in trailers – Michelle Yeoh stars in teaser trailer for series ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’
The film hits cinemas on December 2nd.
The post “The older I am, the more complicated my life gets…” Trailer lands for ‘Summering’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 11/15/2022
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Summering Review — Summering (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by James Ponsoldt, written by Benjamin Percy and James Ponsoldt and starring Lia Barnett, Sanai Victoria, Madalen Mills, Eden Grace Redfield, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Megan Mullally, Dale McKeel, Yolanda Stange, Colleen Baum, Nick Mathews, Lu Prickett and Camrey Bagley Fox. Summer’s not [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Summering (2022): Director James Ponsoldt Returns with a Watchable Story of Four Young Friends...
Continue reading: Film Review: Summering (2022): Director James Ponsoldt Returns with a Watchable Story of Four Young Friends...
- 9/11/2022
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
A handful of smaller films will start to test audience enthusiasm for movie theaters without big tentpoles. It’s been a rocky summer for specialty releases, and an uphill climb as arthouses emerge from Covid jitters with franchise films sucking up oxygen and screens. But superheroes are on hiatus.
“There isn’t giant competition from tentpoles,” said Howard Cohen, co-president of Roadside Attractions. “On balance, it’s good. Obviously, if you have Top Gun, it sucks the air out of the marketplace. It’s still better — for the specialty market — to have three or four indies than one giant release. Exhibitors are antsy about the sudden dearth of new wide releases this month and next, but they’ve also been asking for more box office breadth.
“We have seen signs of life in our sector,...
“There isn’t giant competition from tentpoles,” said Howard Cohen, co-president of Roadside Attractions. “On balance, it’s good. Obviously, if you have Top Gun, it sucks the air out of the marketplace. It’s still better — for the specialty market — to have three or four indies than one giant release. Exhibitors are antsy about the sudden dearth of new wide releases this month and next, but they’ve also been asking for more box office breadth.
“We have seen signs of life in our sector,...
- 8/12/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm on August 11th, reviewing “Summering,” the latest from co-writer and director James Ponsoldt. The film is in theaters beginning August 12th.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
The film is a quasi-reimagining of the “Stand By Me” story … but this time it’s four girl pre-teens that discover a dead body, while at the same time celebrating their long grade school bond right before transitioning to middle school. Instead of going to the authorities regarding their find, they decide to investigate on their own, leading to the last adventure of their summer. The cast includes Sarah Cooper, Megan Mullally, Ashley Madekwe and Lake Bell as their mothers.
“Summering” opens in theaters on August 12th. Featuring Lia Barnett, Sanai Victoria, Madalen Mills, Eden Grace Redfield, Sarah Cooper, Megan Mullally, Ashley Madekwe and Lake Bell. Written by James Ponsoldt and Benjamin Percy.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
The film is a quasi-reimagining of the “Stand By Me” story … but this time it’s four girl pre-teens that discover a dead body, while at the same time celebrating their long grade school bond right before transitioning to middle school. Instead of going to the authorities regarding their find, they decide to investigate on their own, leading to the last adventure of their summer. The cast includes Sarah Cooper, Megan Mullally, Ashley Madekwe and Lake Bell as their mothers.
“Summering” opens in theaters on August 12th. Featuring Lia Barnett, Sanai Victoria, Madalen Mills, Eden Grace Redfield, Sarah Cooper, Megan Mullally, Ashley Madekwe and Lake Bell. Written by James Ponsoldt and Benjamin Percy.
- 8/12/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
James Ponsoldt is expecting this question. Why did the guy who made films like “Smashed,” “The Spectacular Now,” and “The End of the Tour” — dark, knowing dramas about messed-up adults, typically with substance abuse problems and a host of neuroses — turn his attention to “Summering,” a film about four tween girls in the waning days of their favorite season?
He’s got the answer in hand: He’s a parent of three kids, his wife Megan works in the public-school system, and this is the stuff he wants to share with his family.
But the real answer? It’s still a James Ponsoldt film. It’s not as dark as its predecessors, but the filmmaker is still using his craft to ask some very deep questions. “Summering” is, after all, about a group of girls who discover a very dead body and must grapple with what to do next.
“Those...
He’s got the answer in hand: He’s a parent of three kids, his wife Megan works in the public-school system, and this is the stuff he wants to share with his family.
But the real answer? It’s still a James Ponsoldt film. It’s not as dark as its predecessors, but the filmmaker is still using his craft to ask some very deep questions. “Summering” is, after all, about a group of girls who discover a very dead body and must grapple with what to do next.
“Those...
- 8/12/2022
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
There’s a moment within the first few minutes of Summering — James Ponsoldt’s delicate, affectionate tribute to the wonder years (or more specifically, the seasonal wonder months) between childhood’s end and teenage riots — that captures the blurred, giddy adrenaline rush of youth in full bloom. Four girls are goofing around, hiding in bathtubs and scaring each other with masks. Someone’s mom shoos them all out of the house. And then the quartet begins to sprint across a front lawn in slow motion, screaming and giggling as they...
- 8/9/2022
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
The years of middle school — a swirl of hormones and insecurity — are remembered as primetime for agony by many. But there is also something beautifully wistful about those dog days of youth, on the cusp of becoming more of an adult in high school, or at least adult-adjacent.
“The Spectacular Now” and “The End of the Tour” director James Ponsoldt aims to capture in a bottle those feelings of The Last Summer of middle school before stepping onto the next phase with his film “Summering.” The film written by Ponsoldt with Benjamin Percy centers on four girls weathering harsh truths and coming of age at the end of middle school. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and next will release from Bleecker Street Films nationwide on August 12. Watch the trailer below.
The cast includes Lia Barnett, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Madalen Mills, Megan Mullally,...
“The Spectacular Now” and “The End of the Tour” director James Ponsoldt aims to capture in a bottle those feelings of The Last Summer of middle school before stepping onto the next phase with his film “Summering.” The film written by Ponsoldt with Benjamin Percy centers on four girls weathering harsh truths and coming of age at the end of middle school. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and next will release from Bleecker Street Films nationwide on August 12. Watch the trailer below.
The cast includes Lia Barnett, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Madalen Mills, Megan Mullally,...
- 7/17/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
"I don't want this weekend to end... I don't want 'us' to end." Bleecker Street has revealed an official trailer for an indie coming-of-age film titled Summering, which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. This is the newest film from acclaimed director James Ponsoldt, who has been one of our Sundance favorites for more than a decade, directing Off the Black, Smashed, The Spectacular Now, and The End of the Tour previously. During their last days of summer and of childhood -- the weekend before middle school begins -- four girls struggle with the harsh truths of growing up and embark on a mysterious adventure. It's pretty much a remake of Stand By Me, but with four girls instead, and a few different twists thrown in. The cast features Lia Barnett, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Madalen Mills, Megan Mullally, Eden Grace Redfield, and Sanai Victoria.
- 7/12/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
“Summering” is a tender coming-of-age story that follows four best friends, Daisy (played by Lia Barnett), Dina (played by Madalen Mills), Mari (played by Eden Grace Redfield) and Lola (played by Sanai Victoria) who try to solve a mystery the last weekend before they start middle school and their lives — as they know them — change forever.
The girls find a body, and while searching for clues to figure out the man’s identity, they let their anxieties, worries and deeper feelings spill out to each other.
Director and writer James Ponsoldt and actors Lia Barnett, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Eden Grace Redfield, Megan Mullally and Sanai Victoria sat down for interviews at TheWrap’s virtual Sundance studio to discuss the film.
Ponsoldt said the “biggest thing” that drove him to make this children-centered and driven film is the fact that he himself became a parent to three young kids.
The girls find a body, and while searching for clues to figure out the man’s identity, they let their anxieties, worries and deeper feelings spill out to each other.
Director and writer James Ponsoldt and actors Lia Barnett, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Eden Grace Redfield, Megan Mullally and Sanai Victoria sat down for interviews at TheWrap’s virtual Sundance studio to discuss the film.
Ponsoldt said the “biggest thing” that drove him to make this children-centered and driven film is the fact that he himself became a parent to three young kids.
- 1/29/2022
- by Aarohi Sheth
- The Wrap
“What’s going on with our girls?” asks the emotionally drained mother of a tween girl in James Ponsoldt’s Summering. As any parent (or relative) of a pre-teen can attest, that’s a complex question with no simple answer. The manner in which Ponsoldt answers said question is ultimately what sinks Summering, a ho-hum coming-of-age dramedy. Summering does not trust that its characters will hold the attention of its audience—a crucial miscalculation that derails this Sundance entry that is certainly promising on paper.
That miscalculation is the decision to force a murder-mystery subplot into a sweet story of four friends’ final days before the start of middle school. No surprise seeing that type of useless diversion wedged into the film. What is a surprise, though, is the degree to which that mystery takes over and ultimately dominates Summering. Perhaps this film, scripted by Ponsoldt and Benjamin Percy, is...
That miscalculation is the decision to force a murder-mystery subplot into a sweet story of four friends’ final days before the start of middle school. No surprise seeing that type of useless diversion wedged into the film. What is a surprise, though, is the degree to which that mystery takes over and ultimately dominates Summering. Perhaps this film, scripted by Ponsoldt and Benjamin Percy, is...
- 1/24/2022
- by Christopher Schobert
- The Film Stage
On a balmy Labor Day weekend, four best friends find a dead body in the woods, the discovery marking an end of innocence as adolescence beckons. If you think you’ve seen this one before, “Summering” makes no apology for the resemblance. Right down to a stolen pistol shoved in a backpack, James Ponsoldt’s unhurried, sun-kissed coming-of-age drama plays as an all-female homage to Rob Reiner’s “Stand By Me” — a reference that won’t mean much to the pre-teen girls at whom it’s aimed, but may make some of their parents a little misty-eyed. Yet nostalgia may be the strongest emotion engendered by this breeze-blown dandelion seed of a film, which nods to the bittersweet complexities of growing up and confronting adulthood, but never gets as far as fully dramatizing them.
As such, “Summering” is a pleasant enough watch for patient, thoughtful children and their elders alike,...
As such, “Summering” is a pleasant enough watch for patient, thoughtful children and their elders alike,...
- 1/23/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
I might be tempted to call writer-director James Ponsoldt’s new coming-of-age film about four young girls who discover the dead body of a man on the last summer days before starting middle school Stand By She. Okay I will. Its actual title is Summering and it is a sweet and sincere attempt to give young girls the kind of edge-of-turning-teen story of a last summer of no worries with your friends that has mostly been reserved for boys in classic Hollywood films in the genre. With a screenplay Ponsoldt, with co-writer Benjamin Percy, was inspired to create coming out of the pandemic, and new questions about life presented to our youngest members of the planet, they land on a somewhat dark situation. Four carefree young girls come face to face with death, and some special bonding in this unusual entry into the Kids section of the Sundance Film Festival where it is premiering today.
- 1/23/2022
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Tiger Rising” spells out its entire plot and overarching theme from the get-go, bluntly articulating its inspirational modus operandi so viewers can remain perpetually ahead of its action. The fact that writer-director Ray Giarratana’s film is based on Kate Dicamillo’s children’s book — and thus intended for young audiences — is hardly an excuse for such stodgy storytelling, which plays out with no mystery, ambiguity or subtlety. when it debuts in theaters on Jan. 21 and on VOD on Feb. 8.
Designed for maximum corniness, “The Tiger Rising” peppers its action with enough references to God, upturned-to-the-heavens gazes and warm enveloping light to make clear its function as a homily. As overtly expressed by opening narration, the message here has to do with cages — namely, the figurative ones encasing grief-stricken adolescent Rob (Christian Convery) and furiously angry new friend Sistine (Madalen Mills), and the literal one surrounding a tiger that...
Designed for maximum corniness, “The Tiger Rising” peppers its action with enough references to God, upturned-to-the-heavens gazes and warm enveloping light to make clear its function as a homily. As overtly expressed by opening narration, the message here has to do with cages — namely, the figurative ones encasing grief-stricken adolescent Rob (Christian Convery) and furiously angry new friend Sistine (Madalen Mills), and the literal one surrounding a tiger that...
- 1/21/2022
- by Nick Schager
- Variety Film + TV
(Welcome to SlashClips, a series where we bring you exclusive clips from hot new Digital, Blu-ray and theatrical releases you won't see anywhere else!)
In this edition:
"The Tiger Rising" "Two Deaths Of Henry Baker" "Warhunt" "Last Radio Call"
First up we have an exclusive clip from Highland Film Group's new movie "The Tiger Rising," featuring Academy Award nominee Queen Latifah ("Hairspray"), who is also an executive producer on the film. Written and directed by Ray Giarratana, the movie also stars Christian Convery ("Sweet Tooth"), Madalen Mills ("Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story"), Tony Award-nominee Sam Trammell ("True Blood"), Katharine McPhee ("Smash"), and Golden Globe-nominee Dennis...
The post Clips Round-Up: Queen Latifah Is A Tiger Rising, Jackson Rathbone On A Warhunt & More! [Exclusive] appeared first on /Film.
In this edition:
"The Tiger Rising" "Two Deaths Of Henry Baker" "Warhunt" "Last Radio Call"
First up we have an exclusive clip from Highland Film Group's new movie "The Tiger Rising," featuring Academy Award nominee Queen Latifah ("Hairspray"), who is also an executive producer on the film. Written and directed by Ray Giarratana, the movie also stars Christian Convery ("Sweet Tooth"), Madalen Mills ("Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story"), Tony Award-nominee Sam Trammell ("True Blood"), Katharine McPhee ("Smash"), and Golden Globe-nominee Dennis...
The post Clips Round-Up: Queen Latifah Is A Tiger Rising, Jackson Rathbone On A Warhunt & More! [Exclusive] appeared first on /Film.
- 1/20/2022
- by Max Evry
- Slash Film
Written and directed by Ray Giarratana, The Tiger Rising stars an ensemble cast of Christian Convery (“Sweet Tooth”), Madalen Mills (Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story), Tony Award nominee Sam Trammell (“True Blood”), Katharine McPhee (“Smash”), Golden Globe nominee Dennis Quaid (Far From Heaven) and Academy Award® nominee Queen Latifah (Hairspray) who was as an executive producer on the film.
The Tiger Rising will be In Theaters – January 21, 2021 and On Demand and Digital – February 8, 2022. Here’s the trailer:
Queen Latifah and Dennis Quaid star in this beloved tale based on the New York Times best-selling book by Kate Dicamillo. When 12-year-old Rob Horton (Christian Convery) discovers a caged tiger in the woods near his home, his imagination runs wild and life begins to change in the most unexpected ways. With the help of a wise and mysterious maid, Willie May (Queen Latifah) and the stubborn new girl in school (Madalen Mills), he navigates through childhood memories,...
The Tiger Rising will be In Theaters – January 21, 2021 and On Demand and Digital – February 8, 2022. Here’s the trailer:
Queen Latifah and Dennis Quaid star in this beloved tale based on the New York Times best-selling book by Kate Dicamillo. When 12-year-old Rob Horton (Christian Convery) discovers a caged tiger in the woods near his home, his imagination runs wild and life begins to change in the most unexpected ways. With the help of a wise and mysterious maid, Willie May (Queen Latifah) and the stubborn new girl in school (Madalen Mills), he navigates through childhood memories,...
- 12/8/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
"It's our tiger to save!" The Avenue has unveiled an official trailer for a family adventure movie called The Tiger Rising, about some kids trying to save a tiger. Opening in theaters in January, on VOD in February. "Let Your Imagination Run." Based on the NY Times best-selling book. A young boy discovers a caged tiger in the woods near his home after he moves to rural Florida. With the help of a wise and mysterious maid, Willie May, and the new girl in school Sistine, he tries to set the tiger free and in turn uncage his emotional grief. This stars Christian Convery, Madalen Mills, Sam Trammell, Katharine McPhee, Dennis Quaid, and Queen Latifah. This sounds like a good story that is kind of anti-Tiger King, but they're also probably trying to latch onto the popularity of that Netflix series (and tigers in general) anyway. Take a look. Here's...
- 12/8/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
With the exception of 2017’s The Circle (which received a Tribeca Film Festival premiere), James Ponsoldt had his four previous films Off the Black (2006), Smashed (2012), The Spectacular Now (2013) and The End of the Tour (2015) all premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The filmmaker has stayed consistently busy with sprinkling of television projects but he got back in the saddle hitting the half dozen mark this summer on Ponsoldt’s a coming-of-age Stand By Me sounding Summering. Shot in the state of Utah, the cast is comprised of Lia Barnett, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Madalen Mills, Megan Mullally, Eden Grace Redfield and Sanai Victoria.…...
- 11/24/2021
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Bleecker Street has acquired the U.S. rights to “Summering,” the next film from director James Ponsoldt that co-stars comedian Sarah Cooper as part of an ensemble cast.
“Summering,” which is currently in production, is a coming-of-age story and mystery of four girls and their moms. The film’s four young stars include Lia Barnett, Madalen Mills, Eden Grace Redfield and Sanai Victoria. The girls’ mothers will be played by Cooper, Lake Bell, Ashley Madekwe and Megan Mullally.
“Summering” follows the four girls on the brink of starting middle school on the last weekend of summer, who take a mystery into their own hands when they make a startling discovery at one of their favorite old hangout spots.
Ponsoldt also co-wrote the script with Benjamin Percy.
Producers on “Summering” are P. Jennifer Dana of 3311 Productions, Peter Block of A Bigger Boat and James Ponsoldt through his Ninety-One Braves banner.
“Summering,” which is currently in production, is a coming-of-age story and mystery of four girls and their moms. The film’s four young stars include Lia Barnett, Madalen Mills, Eden Grace Redfield and Sanai Victoria. The girls’ mothers will be played by Cooper, Lake Bell, Ashley Madekwe and Megan Mullally.
“Summering” follows the four girls on the brink of starting middle school on the last weekend of summer, who take a mystery into their own hands when they make a startling discovery at one of their favorite old hangout spots.
Ponsoldt also co-wrote the script with Benjamin Percy.
Producers on “Summering” are P. Jennifer Dana of 3311 Productions, Peter Block of A Bigger Boat and James Ponsoldt through his Ninety-One Braves banner.
- 8/10/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Bleecker Street and Stage 6 Films have jointly acquired worldwide rights to Summering, a new coming-of-age film from director James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now).
Bleecker Street will handle the film’s U.S. release, with Stage 6 overseeing its international distribution.
Lia Barnett, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Madalen Mills, Megan Mullally, Eden Grace Redfield, and Sanai Victoria star in the film, scripted by Ponsoldt & Benjamin Percy.
It centers on Mari, Dina, Lola and Daisy, best friends on the brink of starting middle school, who realize their lives are about to change forever. So on the last weekend of summer, they set out to make the most of it. Nothing could prepare them, though, for the startling discovery they make while revisiting one of their favorite haunts. Instead of calling the police or telling their parents, they decide to take matters into their own hands by attempting to solve a mystery,...
Bleecker Street will handle the film’s U.S. release, with Stage 6 overseeing its international distribution.
Lia Barnett, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Madalen Mills, Megan Mullally, Eden Grace Redfield, and Sanai Victoria star in the film, scripted by Ponsoldt & Benjamin Percy.
It centers on Mari, Dina, Lola and Daisy, best friends on the brink of starting middle school, who realize their lives are about to change forever. So on the last weekend of summer, they set out to make the most of it. Nothing could prepare them, though, for the startling discovery they make while revisiting one of their favorite haunts. Instead of calling the police or telling their parents, they decide to take matters into their own hands by attempting to solve a mystery,...
- 8/10/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Bleecker Street and Stage 6 Films have picked up the worldwide rights to James Ponsoldt’s coming of age film Summering, now in production.
The film stars Lia Barnett, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Madalen Mills, Megan Mullally, Eden Grace Redfield and Sanai Victoria. Written by Ponsoldt and Benjamin Percy, Summering portrays best friends Mari, Dina, Lola and Daisy making the most of their last summer weekend and facing a startling discovery as they revisit a favorite haunt.
Instead of calling the police or telling their parents, they take matters into their own hands to solve a mystery that takes them on a life-changing ...
The film stars Lia Barnett, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Madalen Mills, Megan Mullally, Eden Grace Redfield and Sanai Victoria. Written by Ponsoldt and Benjamin Percy, Summering portrays best friends Mari, Dina, Lola and Daisy making the most of their last summer weekend and facing a startling discovery as they revisit a favorite haunt.
Instead of calling the police or telling their parents, they take matters into their own hands to solve a mystery that takes them on a life-changing ...
- 8/10/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Bleecker Street and Stage 6 Films have picked up the worldwide rights to James Ponsoldt’s coming of age film Summering, now in production.
The film stars Lia Barnett, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Madalen Mills, Megan Mullally, Eden Grace Redfield and Sanai Victoria. Written by Ponsoldt and Benjamin Percy, Summering portrays best friends Mari, Dina, Lola and Daisy making the most of their last summer weekend and facing a startling discovery as they revisit a favorite haunt.
Instead of calling the police or telling their parents, they take matters into their own hands to solve a mystery that takes them on a life-changing ...
The film stars Lia Barnett, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Madalen Mills, Megan Mullally, Eden Grace Redfield and Sanai Victoria. Written by Ponsoldt and Benjamin Percy, Summering portrays best friends Mari, Dina, Lola and Daisy making the most of their last summer weekend and facing a startling discovery as they revisit a favorite haunt.
Instead of calling the police or telling their parents, they take matters into their own hands to solve a mystery that takes them on a life-changing ...
- 8/10/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
James Ponsoldt directs, produces with P. Jennifer Dana, Peter Block.
Bleecker Street and Stage 6 Films have acquired worldwide rights to James Ponsoldt’s coming-of-age film Summering featuring a cast that includes Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper and Megan Mullally.
Ponsoldt and Benjamin Percy wrote the screenplay to the story of three best friends on the cusp of middle school who embark on a mystery. The cast includes Lia Barnett, Ashley Madekwe, Madalen Mills, Eden Grace Redfield and Sanai Victoria.
Bleecker Street will release the film in the US and Sony-owned Stage 6 Films handles international rights.
Producers are P. Jennifer Dana of 3311 Productions,...
Bleecker Street and Stage 6 Films have acquired worldwide rights to James Ponsoldt’s coming-of-age film Summering featuring a cast that includes Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper and Megan Mullally.
Ponsoldt and Benjamin Percy wrote the screenplay to the story of three best friends on the cusp of middle school who embark on a mystery. The cast includes Lia Barnett, Ashley Madekwe, Madalen Mills, Eden Grace Redfield and Sanai Victoria.
Bleecker Street will release the film in the US and Sony-owned Stage 6 Films handles international rights.
Producers are P. Jennifer Dana of 3311 Productions,...
- 8/10/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Updated with full list of winners: The 52nd annual NAACP Image Awards wrapped up a week of honors Saturday with a primetime ceremony in which it named the Will Smith-Martin Lawrence reteam Bad Boys for Life its Outstanding Motion Picture of the Year. D-Nice won the organization’s marquee Entertainer of the Year award, beating a field that also included Regina King, Viola Davis, Trevor Noah and Tyler Perry.
Other top winners in the two-hour show hosted by Anthony Anthony Anderson and airing live on BET and CBS and across the suite of ViacomCBS networks included two victories for Viola Davis, who took best actress in Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and drama series actress for her final season of How to Get Away With Murder. Chadwick Boseman, who won a supporting actor prize earlier this week, won again, taking the best actor prize for Ma Rainey,...
Other top winners in the two-hour show hosted by Anthony Anthony Anderson and airing live on BET and CBS and across the suite of ViacomCBS networks included two victories for Viola Davis, who took best actress in Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and drama series actress for her final season of How to Get Away With Murder. Chadwick Boseman, who won a supporting actor prize earlier this week, won again, taking the best actor prize for Ma Rainey,...
- 3/28/2021
- by Patrick Hipes and Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The NAACP Image Awards virtual experience continued on Friday and “black-ish,” the Octavia Spencer miniseries “Self Made” and “Power Book II: Ghost” won three prizes each from the organization.
Anthony Anderson, Deon Cole and Marsai Martin won acting prizes for “black-ish.” Spencer and Blair Underwood also won for “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker,” while the Netflix miniseries won in the outstanding TV movie, limited series or dramatic special category. And Clifford “Method Man” Smith and Mary J. Blige won on behalf of “Power Book II: Ghost,” while the series also won for outstanding drama series.
The NAACP all week has been rolling out its winners for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards, revealing a slate of winners across various categories each night leading up until the televised awards show on Saturday, March 27. On Friday, the Image Awards recognized film and scripted TV categories.
“Insecure” won for best comedy series,...
Anthony Anderson, Deon Cole and Marsai Martin won acting prizes for “black-ish.” Spencer and Blair Underwood also won for “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker,” while the Netflix miniseries won in the outstanding TV movie, limited series or dramatic special category. And Clifford “Method Man” Smith and Mary J. Blige won on behalf of “Power Book II: Ghost,” while the series also won for outstanding drama series.
The NAACP all week has been rolling out its winners for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards, revealing a slate of winners across various categories each night leading up until the televised awards show on Saturday, March 27. On Friday, the Image Awards recognized film and scripted TV categories.
“Insecure” won for best comedy series,...
- 3/27/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
“I wanted to create my best work that I have ever done,” admits composer John Debney about composing the original score for Netflix’s popular festive fantasy “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.” “He wanted me to dream big and go for the most amazing score that I could,” the veteran composer says of his director David E. Talbert. “When you’re given that kind of opportunity and that kind of palette, it opens the floodgates to creativity. I honestly felt it my duty, my job, to create something that would be really special, like I always do, but especially for ‘Jingle Jangle.'” Watch our exclusive video interview with Debney above.
In “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” an imaginary world comes to life in a holiday tale of eccentric toymaker Jeronicus Jangle, his adventurous granddaughter and a magical invention that could change their lives forever. The film was written and...
In “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” an imaginary world comes to life in a holiday tale of eccentric toymaker Jeronicus Jangle, his adventurous granddaughter and a magical invention that could change their lives forever. The film was written and...
- 2/25/2021
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
This year’s Oscars have set a new record for the largest number of entries ever in the Best Original Song category, but the 105 eligible songs do not include Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ “(If Only You Could) Save Me,” a 1930s-style big band song from “Mank” that was recently nominated for the second annual Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards.
The song is heard briefly coming from a radio in the background of one scene and plays for only about 40 seconds. Academy rules require “a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody,” and the song was judged to not fulfill that requirement.
Other songs that didn’t make the list, although they were thought to be in the running, include “Uh Oh” from “Promising Young Woman” and “Boss Bitch” from “Birds of Prey.” Even without those, the list of eligible songs tops 100 for the first time...
The song is heard briefly coming from a radio in the background of one scene and plays for only about 40 seconds. Academy rules require “a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody,” and the song was judged to not fulfill that requirement.
Other songs that didn’t make the list, although they were thought to be in the running, include “Uh Oh” from “Promising Young Woman” and “Boss Bitch” from “Birds of Prey.” Even without those, the list of eligible songs tops 100 for the first time...
- 2/5/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
D-Nice, Viola Davis, Regina King, Trevor Noah and Tyler Perry are nominated for entertainer of the year at the 2021 NAACP Image Awards.
The nominations were virtually announced Tuesday on the NAACP Image Awards’ Instagram by Anika Noni-Rose (“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”), Chloe Bailey (“Grown-ish”), Erika Alexander (“John Lewis: Good Trouble”), Nicco Annan (“P-Valley”), and Tc Carson (“Living Single”).
This is King’s third consecutive nomination for the top award and Perry’s second since 2014. Davis was previously nominated consecutively from 2015-2017. All of them have never won the top category. This is the first nominations for D-Nice and Noah in the category.
Davis also picked up nominations for best actress in a drama series for “How to Get Away with Murder” and best actress in a motion picture for her work in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” while King was among the nominees for directing her debut feature “One Night in Miami.
The nominations were virtually announced Tuesday on the NAACP Image Awards’ Instagram by Anika Noni-Rose (“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”), Chloe Bailey (“Grown-ish”), Erika Alexander (“John Lewis: Good Trouble”), Nicco Annan (“P-Valley”), and Tc Carson (“Living Single”).
This is King’s third consecutive nomination for the top award and Perry’s second since 2014. Davis was previously nominated consecutively from 2015-2017. All of them have never won the top category. This is the first nominations for D-Nice and Noah in the category.
Davis also picked up nominations for best actress in a drama series for “How to Get Away with Murder” and best actress in a motion picture for her work in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” while King was among the nominees for directing her debut feature “One Night in Miami.
- 2/2/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
As voting opens for the Oscar shortlists on Feb. 1, the picture is slowly coming into focus: Academy composers and songwriters are faced with one of the most diverse batches of scores they’ve ever heard.
The approximately 350 members of the Academy music branch are sifting through dozens of films to try and single out 15 scores and 15 songs worthy of placement on its shortlists, which will be revealed Feb. 9. These preliminary choices will be narrowed down to five final nominees in each category, to be announced March 15.
Best Original Score
It’s a surprisingly competitive year, making predictions even more difficult. But the music branch likes to reward familiar names, so look for such past winners as Alexandre Desplat (“Grand Budapest Hotel”) for his alternately melancholy and hopeful score for “The Midnight Sky”; Ludwig Göransson (“Black Panther”) for his propulsive, synth-orchestra hybrid for the intense spy thriller “Tenet”; and Howard Shore...
The approximately 350 members of the Academy music branch are sifting through dozens of films to try and single out 15 scores and 15 songs worthy of placement on its shortlists, which will be revealed Feb. 9. These preliminary choices will be narrowed down to five final nominees in each category, to be announced March 15.
Best Original Score
It’s a surprisingly competitive year, making predictions even more difficult. But the music branch likes to reward familiar names, so look for such past winners as Alexandre Desplat (“Grand Budapest Hotel”) for his alternately melancholy and hopeful score for “The Midnight Sky”; Ludwig Göransson (“Black Panther”) for his propulsive, synth-orchestra hybrid for the intense spy thriller “Tenet”; and Howard Shore...
- 1/29/2021
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Of course, 2020 was a year like no other when it came to screen entertainment. As the coronavirus pandemic shut down productions across the U.S., it allowed Netflix to continue churning out content from its deep arsenal of movies and series.
Last year, Netflix put forth no fewer than eight original song contenders, including contributions from Taylor Swift and John Legend. What are the chances the streamer will dominate, and ultimately win, in the category? Two words: Diane Warren.
The legendary songwriter has been nominated for original song 11 times, but never won. If the Academy feels she’s long overdue, “Io Si (Seen),” her contribution to Netflix’s “The Life Ahead,” the Sophia Loren starrer whose song is performed in Italian by Laura Pausini, is as deserving as they come. Warren wrote the lyrics in English before it was translated. As she explains of the film’s two main characters,...
Last year, Netflix put forth no fewer than eight original song contenders, including contributions from Taylor Swift and John Legend. What are the chances the streamer will dominate, and ultimately win, in the category? Two words: Diane Warren.
The legendary songwriter has been nominated for original song 11 times, but never won. If the Academy feels she’s long overdue, “Io Si (Seen),” her contribution to Netflix’s “The Life Ahead,” the Sophia Loren starrer whose song is performed in Italian by Laura Pausini, is as deserving as they come. Warren wrote the lyrics in English before it was translated. As she explains of the film’s two main characters,...
- 1/27/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay and Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Costume designer Michael Wilkinson is the mastermind behind the looks in “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” a period musical that’s now streaming on Netflix. The idea, Wilkinson says of the holiday movie, was to design something viewers hadn’t seen before while paying homage to beloved titles such as “Mary Poppins.”
Directed by David Talbert, the film tells a magical story with a diverse cast including Forest Whitaker and Phylicia Rashad. Wilkinson says he infused the story with bold choices while aiming for a “fusion of 19th-century Victorian-era silhouettes with African culture” both by looking at historic photographs and merging them with bold, colorful patterned textiles from West Africa.
Wilkinson broke down some key looks from “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.”
Phylicia Rashad – A Majestic Character
“David was keen for us to create something that audiences hadn’t seen before. So that was kind of my M.O from the start.
Directed by David Talbert, the film tells a magical story with a diverse cast including Forest Whitaker and Phylicia Rashad. Wilkinson says he infused the story with bold choices while aiming for a “fusion of 19th-century Victorian-era silhouettes with African culture” both by looking at historic photographs and merging them with bold, colorful patterned textiles from West Africa.
Wilkinson broke down some key looks from “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.”
Phylicia Rashad – A Majestic Character
“David was keen for us to create something that audiences hadn’t seen before. So that was kind of my M.O from the start.
- 12/25/2020
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Young actress Madalen Mills has signed with WME and Brillstein Entertainment for representation. The signing comes as Mills recently marked her feature acting debut in Netflix’s first original live-action musical, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, from writer and director David E. Talbert.
Mills stars alongside Oscar winner Forest Whitaker and is featured in two songs from the musical’s soundtrack. The holiday tale is set in the town of Cobbleton and follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Whitaker), whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (Mills) and a long-forgotten invention to heal old wounds.
Up next, Mills stars opposite Queen Latifah and Dennis Quaid in The Tiger Rising, a film adaption based on Kate Dicamillo’s children’s book by the same name.
At age 9, Mills was the...
Mills stars alongside Oscar winner Forest Whitaker and is featured in two songs from the musical’s soundtrack. The holiday tale is set in the town of Cobbleton and follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Whitaker), whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (Mills) and a long-forgotten invention to heal old wounds.
Up next, Mills stars opposite Queen Latifah and Dennis Quaid in The Tiger Rising, a film adaption based on Kate Dicamillo’s children’s book by the same name.
At age 9, Mills was the...
- 12/15/2020
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix is bringing their A-game, again, with “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” on their streaming platform. Featuring some of the most famous stars in Hollywood, this is going to be huge. However, it’s breakout star Madalen Mills that has people talking. In a cast of big names, she’s the young girl who is taking the world by storm. Everyone wants to know more about her. Who she is and what she’s up to, because we all know she’s about to be a huge star. She’s young, but she’s so talented we cannot get enough of her. Let’s
10 Things You Didn’t Know about Madalen Mills...
10 Things You Didn’t Know about Madalen Mills...
- 11/29/2020
- by Tiffany Raiford
- TVovermind.com
Netflix is doing its level best to eat everyone else’s entertainment lunch, and the holiday movie game is no exception. Just a few short years after planting the flag that was the cult megahit A Christmas Prince, the streamer has more offerings than ever, including some sequels to their top-notch 2018 productions. We break down some of this winter’s already released heavy hitters so you know what to watch and what to skip.
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Available Now
This star-studded Christmas musical is the most magical of the bunch. Picture The Wiz meets Willy Wonka, with John Legend as a producer. Forest Whitaker stars as a down-and-out toymaker who has lost his touch and everything else that makes life special: his wife (Sharon Rose) has passed and his daughter moved away, estranged. Years earlier he created a unique matador toy that comes to life. The naughty toy...
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Available Now
This star-studded Christmas musical is the most magical of the bunch. Picture The Wiz meets Willy Wonka, with John Legend as a producer. Forest Whitaker stars as a down-and-out toymaker who has lost his touch and everything else that makes life special: his wife (Sharon Rose) has passed and his daughter moved away, estranged. Years earlier he created a unique matador toy that comes to life. The naughty toy...
- 11/25/2020
- by Delia Harrington
- Den of Geek
Writer-director David E. Talbert’s new film, “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” is a Netflix musical set in the vibrant fictional town of Cobbleton, and follows renowned toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker) whose whimsical inventions are wondrous. But when his apprentice (Keegan-Michael Key) steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his precocious granddaughter (Madalen Mills) to retrieve all that has been lost. Twenty-two years in the making, it’s an ambitious spectacle that’s unlike anything Talbert — whose previous film credits include dramedies “First Sunday” (2008), “Baggage Claim,” and “Almost Christmas” — has ever done before.
“If you look at my catalog before ‘Jingle Jangle,’ it’s hard to say [that] this same guy was going to do this expensive, epic, visual effects-heavy, period musical, but these are the kinds of films that I watched growing up. It’s always been in me to do it, but I just never had a path to get here,...
“If you look at my catalog before ‘Jingle Jangle,’ it’s hard to say [that] this same guy was going to do this expensive, epic, visual effects-heavy, period musical, but these are the kinds of films that I watched growing up. It’s always been in me to do it, but I just never had a path to get here,...
- 11/24/2020
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
David E. Talbert had been developing “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” as a stage musical for several years, but wasn’t getting anyone to back the project.
He shelved it until one day when he was watching “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” with his young son. “He wasn’t into it,” Talbert tells Variety. “I realized it was my nostalgia but he needed something that felt a little bit more contemporary…So it was time to do it, but make it this time with characters and images that represented how the world looks, including him.”
Written and directed by Talbert, “Jingle Jangle” (available on Netflix) is a musical movie with a Black family at the center of the story. Taking place during the Victorian era, Forest Whitaker stars as Jeronicus Jangle, the world’s greatest inventor whose life falls apart when a villainous toy (Ricky Martin) convinces his apprentice (Keegan-Michael Key...
He shelved it until one day when he was watching “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” with his young son. “He wasn’t into it,” Talbert tells Variety. “I realized it was my nostalgia but he needed something that felt a little bit more contemporary…So it was time to do it, but make it this time with characters and images that represented how the world looks, including him.”
Written and directed by Talbert, “Jingle Jangle” (available on Netflix) is a musical movie with a Black family at the center of the story. Taking place during the Victorian era, Forest Whitaker stars as Jeronicus Jangle, the world’s greatest inventor whose life falls apart when a villainous toy (Ricky Martin) convinces his apprentice (Keegan-Michael Key...
- 11/13/2020
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” from director David E. Talbert and John Legend’s Get Lifted Film Co., is among an increasing number of new Christmas movies that revolve around Black characters. Hair and makeup designer Sharon Martin went to great lengths to reimagine the look of the Black hairstyles in the family film, set against the backdrop of Victorian England and bowing Nov. 13 on Netflix.
Martin aimed to portray the women in the film, particularly Grandma, played by Phylicia Rashad, as “one of the ladies who looked smart, who went to church or went to see their families, as opposed to how we typically see Black women in films from that era where they’re in slave roles and not celebrated.”
The designer, who has worked on films including “Doctor Strange,” started by researching rare photos of Black people in Victorian England and building on the basic shapes and styles she saw.
Martin aimed to portray the women in the film, particularly Grandma, played by Phylicia Rashad, as “one of the ladies who looked smart, who went to church or went to see their families, as opposed to how we typically see Black women in films from that era where they’re in slave roles and not celebrated.”
The designer, who has worked on films including “Doctor Strange,” started by researching rare photos of Black people in Victorian England and building on the basic shapes and styles she saw.
- 11/13/2020
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
We love these products, and we hope you do too. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of the revenue from your purchases. Items are sold by the retailer, not E!. Do you hear what we hear? Netflix's first live-action musical Jingle Jangle is here! Madalen Mills, the breakout star of Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, is not only a talented actress and musician, but she also has some amazing gift ideas for the holiday season ahead! "My best gift-giving advice for the holidays would be to take the time that you need to think about what the receiver of the gift likes or may want," the Broadway actress explained to E!. "For example, think about what they like to do for fun or...
- 11/13/2020
- E! Online
Last year, and for more than four decades before that, if you’d said the words “Black Christmas movie,” a lot of people’s minds would have gone straight to Bob Clark’s sorority-house slasher flick “Black Christmas” — that’s how few holiday films Hollywood has made for and featuring African Americans. Writer-director David E. Talbert started to fix that problem with his more inclusive 2016 comedy “Almost Christmas,” but the real breakthrough is “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” an ambitious Yuletide tuner the prolific stage and screen creator has had up his sleeve for decades.
Now, Netflix has made Talbert’s musical a reality — the latest bauble in the streamer’s ever-expanding Christmas-movie catalog — and though the film foregrounds Black actors in nearly all its lead live-action roles, the audience needn’t be limited to one race. Talbert has crafted an upbeat eyeful, set in a Dickensian toy store where...
Now, Netflix has made Talbert’s musical a reality — the latest bauble in the streamer’s ever-expanding Christmas-movie catalog — and though the film foregrounds Black actors in nearly all its lead live-action roles, the audience needn’t be limited to one race. Talbert has crafted an upbeat eyeful, set in a Dickensian toy store where...
- 11/13/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix’s festive fantasy about a kid and her inventor granddad is pure infectious energy – and with exquisite detail
Christmas is coming. And if anyone is not convinced it’s the most wonderful time of the year, here’s an excessively Christmassy Victorian-set musical on Netflix to batter you into good cheer. In many ways, Jingle Jangle feels like a fairly boilerplate family movie (think Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or Willy Wonka) but with one big difference: the characters are mostly black. There’s a brilliant scene where a group of children have a snowball fight on a Dickensian cobbled street. Their ringleader is brainiac child genius Journey (Madalen Mills), a 10-year-old girl. As the kids pelt each other with snowballs, a song by Ghanaian singer Bisa Kdei plays, and Journey and her friends break into African dance moves. Their ethnicity is not the point of their characters or of the scene,...
Christmas is coming. And if anyone is not convinced it’s the most wonderful time of the year, here’s an excessively Christmassy Victorian-set musical on Netflix to batter you into good cheer. In many ways, Jingle Jangle feels like a fairly boilerplate family movie (think Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or Willy Wonka) but with one big difference: the characters are mostly black. There’s a brilliant scene where a group of children have a snowball fight on a Dickensian cobbled street. Their ringleader is brainiac child genius Journey (Madalen Mills), a 10-year-old girl. As the kids pelt each other with snowballs, a song by Ghanaian singer Bisa Kdei plays, and Journey and her friends break into African dance moves. Their ethnicity is not the point of their characters or of the scene,...
- 11/12/2020
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
To celebrate the release of Netflix’s latest original film, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, we sat down with some of its huge ensemble and writer/director to get a little bit festive.
Let’s face it, we all need a big pick-me-up this festive season after the year we’ve had and while Christmas might not be as we know it come December, Netflix’s Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is here to help us through it all. The brainchild of writer/director David E. Talbert, the film is a visual feast full of wonder, joy, and plenty of original music and may soon take its place amongst our favourite festive films.
We spoke to Talbert and his amazing cast, including Forest Whitaker, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, Keegan-Michael Key, Ricky Martin, and newcomer Madalen Mills to chat about the film, their own seasonal recommendations, and much more.
A...
Let’s face it, we all need a big pick-me-up this festive season after the year we’ve had and while Christmas might not be as we know it come December, Netflix’s Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is here to help us through it all. The brainchild of writer/director David E. Talbert, the film is a visual feast full of wonder, joy, and plenty of original music and may soon take its place amongst our favourite festive films.
We spoke to Talbert and his amazing cast, including Forest Whitaker, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, Keegan-Michael Key, Ricky Martin, and newcomer Madalen Mills to chat about the film, their own seasonal recommendations, and much more.
A...
- 11/11/2020
- by Scott Davis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Filmmaker and playwright David E. Talbert could very well be the preeminent auteur of holiday movies. In 2016, he directed Almost Christmas which was followed by El Camino Christmas in 2017. On November 13, the director will bookend his unofficial holiday trilogy with Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey on Netflix.
The musical starring Forest Whitaker, Phylicia Rashad, Keegan-Michael Key, Anika Noni Rose, Hugh Bonneville, Ricky Martin and newcomer Madalen Mills calls back to the days of old Hollywood, serving classic movie musical magic. However, it is stocked with contemporary charm with original songs by John Legend, Philip Lawrence and Davy Nathan. In addition, it’s stacked with a cast that is primarily Black — something that we have never really seen in the holiday musical genre.
Set in the town of Cobbleton, Jingle Jangle follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Whitaker) whose inventions are filled with whimsy. Things take a turn when his trusted apprentice...
The musical starring Forest Whitaker, Phylicia Rashad, Keegan-Michael Key, Anika Noni Rose, Hugh Bonneville, Ricky Martin and newcomer Madalen Mills calls back to the days of old Hollywood, serving classic movie musical magic. However, it is stocked with contemporary charm with original songs by John Legend, Philip Lawrence and Davy Nathan. In addition, it’s stacked with a cast that is primarily Black — something that we have never really seen in the holiday musical genre.
Set in the town of Cobbleton, Jingle Jangle follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Whitaker) whose inventions are filled with whimsy. Things take a turn when his trusted apprentice...
- 11/10/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos and Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
At the start of David E. Talbert’s delightful “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” narrator Phylicia Rashad promises to unveil a “new story” to her cute grandkids, big holiday fans who are a bit worn out by the classics. While the shape of what follows is familiar enough — it wouldn’t be a holiday tale if it didn’t hinge on the literal power of believing in something — , from an admirable obsession with human intelligence to an unbridled enthusiasm for the power of the young.
Rashad ushers both said cute grandkids and the audience through the tale, which opens with the literal cracking of a book, a glittering affair entitled “The Invention of Jeronicus Jangle.” The story picks up in a Victorian era-ish small town, bursting with color and whimsy and pure joy, most of it centered around Jeronicus’ magical toy store, Jangles and Things, which offers a “gadgets and...
Rashad ushers both said cute grandkids and the audience through the tale, which opens with the literal cracking of a book, a glittering affair entitled “The Invention of Jeronicus Jangle.” The story picks up in a Victorian era-ish small town, bursting with color and whimsy and pure joy, most of it centered around Jeronicus’ magical toy store, Jangles and Things, which offers a “gadgets and...
- 11/9/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
‘Tis already the season to be jolly, as Netflix has begun to launch its 2020 slate of holiday movies, TV series and specials.
The list includes sequels like “The Princess Switch: Switched Again” and “The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two,” as well as the debuts of movies “Holidate” and “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” and shows “Dash & Lily” and “Holiday Home Makeover with Mr. Christmas,” and the Christmas specials/series finales for “The Big Show Show” and “Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love,” along with many more titles.
If you’re already looking ahead to next year, Netflix has revealed that its ordered a third “Princess Switch” movie starring Vanessa Hudgens, which will begin production in Scotland later this year for a holiday 2021 release.
See Netflix’s full release schedule for its new holiday content below.
Movies
“Holidate” – Oct. 28
Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Bracey) hate the holidays. They constantly find themselves single,...
The list includes sequels like “The Princess Switch: Switched Again” and “The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two,” as well as the debuts of movies “Holidate” and “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” and shows “Dash & Lily” and “Holiday Home Makeover with Mr. Christmas,” and the Christmas specials/series finales for “The Big Show Show” and “Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love,” along with many more titles.
If you’re already looking ahead to next year, Netflix has revealed that its ordered a third “Princess Switch” movie starring Vanessa Hudgens, which will begin production in Scotland later this year for a holiday 2021 release.
See Netflix’s full release schedule for its new holiday content below.
Movies
“Holidate” – Oct. 28
Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Bracey) hate the holidays. They constantly find themselves single,...
- 11/9/2020
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Wednesday saw a unique red carpet unfold in Los Angeles. It had actors and interviewers, but there was no premiere or awards show. And the real stars were the reporters.
The reporters were 10 students from the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (Laces), a public high school in Mid-City Los Angeles. The occasion was the conclusion of the inaugural Micheaux Project, the outreach program launched earlier this year by Variety and the African American Film Critics Assn., designed to introduce high school students from Bipoc communities to potential careers in the entertainment industry.
Laces is the first school to host Micheaux Project workshops. The eight-week course covered such topics as film criticism, interviewing, finding a point of view and working with a newsroom. And though the students had dipped their toes into interviewing over seven previous workshops, with the virtual red carpet assembled for the final installment, the budding reporters...
The reporters were 10 students from the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (Laces), a public high school in Mid-City Los Angeles. The occasion was the conclusion of the inaugural Micheaux Project, the outreach program launched earlier this year by Variety and the African American Film Critics Assn., designed to introduce high school students from Bipoc communities to potential careers in the entertainment industry.
Laces is the first school to host Micheaux Project workshops. The eight-week course covered such topics as film criticism, interviewing, finding a point of view and working with a newsroom. And though the students had dipped their toes into interviewing over seven previous workshops, with the virtual red carpet assembled for the final installment, the budding reporters...
- 11/6/2020
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
Like a gorgeously decorated tree with a few too many presents stuffed under it, “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” is excessive but never unwelcome. An ambitious original musical packed to the gills with visual delights, it’s the kind of Christmas movie that can charm adults into looking past its flaws while turning delighted children into lifelong fans.
On the heels of his charming ensemble comedy “Almost Christmas,” writer-director David E. Talbert fearlessly marries whimsy and steampunk, sentimentality and science fiction, with big musical numbers composed by Philip Lawrence, Davy Nathan and Michael Diskint, plus one from John Legend (who executive produced the film). That this big, bright Netflix extravaganza features a principally Black cast is not insignificant in the history of cinema, particularly in the history of large-scale family musicals and of Christmas movies.
We open with a grandmother played by Phylicia Rashad, reading a Christmas story to her grandchildren from an extraordinary book,...
On the heels of his charming ensemble comedy “Almost Christmas,” writer-director David E. Talbert fearlessly marries whimsy and steampunk, sentimentality and science fiction, with big musical numbers composed by Philip Lawrence, Davy Nathan and Michael Diskint, plus one from John Legend (who executive produced the film). That this big, bright Netflix extravaganza features a principally Black cast is not insignificant in the history of cinema, particularly in the history of large-scale family musicals and of Christmas movies.
We open with a grandmother played by Phylicia Rashad, reading a Christmas story to her grandchildren from an extraordinary book,...
- 11/5/2020
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Netflix is getting into the holiday spirit early this November, dropping a number of Christmas-themed titles down the chimney for subscribers.
Festive original films hitting the streamer this month include Operation Christmas Drop, Alien Xmas, Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square and sequels to The Christmas Chronicles and The Princess Switch.
On Nov. 13, Netflix will release the musical Jingle Jangle, which follows toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker) as his most prized creation is stolen by his trusted apprentice (Keegan-Michael Key) and his granddaughter (newcomer Madalen Mills) has to use a long-forgotten invention to make things right. The film is written and directed ...
Festive original films hitting the streamer this month include Operation Christmas Drop, Alien Xmas, Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square and sequels to The Christmas Chronicles and The Princess Switch.
On Nov. 13, Netflix will release the musical Jingle Jangle, which follows toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker) as his most prized creation is stolen by his trusted apprentice (Keegan-Michael Key) and his granddaughter (newcomer Madalen Mills) has to use a long-forgotten invention to make things right. The film is written and directed ...
- 11/1/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Netflix is getting into the holiday spirit early this November, dropping a number of Christmas-themed titles down the chimney for subscribers.
Festive original films hitting the streamer this month include Operation Christmas Drop, Alien Xmas, Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square and sequels to The Christmas Chronicles and The Princess Switch.
On Nov. 13, Netflix will release the musical Jingle Jangle, which follows toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker) as his most prized creation is stolen by his trusted apprentice (Keegan-Michael Key) and his granddaughter (newcomer Madalen Mills) has to use a long-forgotten invention to make things right. The film is written and directed ...
Festive original films hitting the streamer this month include Operation Christmas Drop, Alien Xmas, Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square and sequels to The Christmas Chronicles and The Princess Switch.
On Nov. 13, Netflix will release the musical Jingle Jangle, which follows toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker) as his most prized creation is stolen by his trusted apprentice (Keegan-Michael Key) and his granddaughter (newcomer Madalen Mills) has to use a long-forgotten invention to make things right. The film is written and directed ...
- 11/1/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The fantasy, family musical feature "Jingle Jangle", written and directed by David E. Talbert, stars Forest Whitaker, Phylicia Rashad and Keegan-Michael Key", streaming November 13, 2020 on Netflix:
"...in the vibrant town of 'Cobbleton', legendary toymaker 'Jeronicus Jangle' (Whitaker) amd his fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder.
"But when his trusted apprentice (Key) steals his most prized creation, it's up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (Madalen Mills) - and a long-forgotten invention - to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...in the vibrant town of 'Cobbleton', legendary toymaker 'Jeronicus Jangle' (Whitaker) amd his fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder.
"But when his trusted apprentice (Key) steals his most prized creation, it's up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (Madalen Mills) - and a long-forgotten invention - to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 10/21/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
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