What to watch: You're welcome! Again!
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Happy Black Friday! Or is it merry Black Friday? Have the Blackest Friday?
Whatever you go with for the day after Thanksgiving, we hope you're having a good one. Here's the deal: Whether you're shopping, partaking in leftovers and/or decompressing from a family get-together, it's a great day to watch something enjoyable. You deserve it! And just in time for a long holiday weekend, another animated "Moana" has taken to the seas for a musical adventure at the cinema, though if you're more of a homebody, there's plenty of streaming flicks to dive into – especially if you happen to dig the Fab Four. Honestly, we're still feeling a little green because "Wicked" is ruling pop culture and there's much more to dig into with what could be the season's biggest hit.
Now on to the good stuff:
Set sail with Auliʻi Cravalho, musical duo Barlow & Bear for 'Moana 2'
From the empowering twist on the Disney princess story to the awesome Lin-Manuel Miranda tunes, the original "Moana" is one of my Mouse House favorites. (And it has personal meaning, being the first movie my daughter ever saw in a theater!) The sequel is much more of the same: Though it lacks the first film's refreshing spirit, the duo of Auliʻi Cravalho's young wayfarer Moana and Dwayne Johnson's buff demigod Maui are still a joy together. (Peep my ★★★ review.)
Fun fact: I interviewed Cravalho when she was just 15 (!) for a first look at the OG "Moana." We caught up again recently when she stopped by our NYC studio where she talked about her current gig starring in "Cabaret" on Broadway as Sally Bowles. “I’ve been very vocal in wanting to play characters that are out of the high school realm, and Sally allows me to descend into madness every night," she says.
Cravalho also gets to sing some new songs in "Moana" – "Beyond" is "an absolute banger," she told me, while "Can I Get a Chee Hoo?" "lives rent-free in my brain" – and my colleague Nicole Fallert chatted with Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear about writing tunes for the sequel and reaching out to Miranda for a crash course in musical theater.
Stream Disney+ documentary 'Beatles '64,' Ben Stiller's 'Nutcrackers' and more
My editor Kim Willis is the biggest Beatles fan I know, and she was the perfect person to interview director David Tedeschi about the new Disney+ documentary "Beatles '64." The movie covers the British group's chaotic first trip to the USA and their legendary appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," though Tedeschi found their performance two days later in front of 8,000 screaming fans at Washington Coliseum – their first concert in America – "a revelation," he says. "It was like the footage grabbed me by the neck and brought me into 1964, and I got a real feeling of what The Beatles were like as a live band."
"Beatles '64" is one of several new movies now streaming, and I put together a viewing guide for your weekend including "Alien: Romulus," "My Old Ass," The Piano Lesson," "Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary" (trust me, it rocks) and "Nutcrackers." (Ben Stiller stars in the latter holiday film, and my pal Marco della Cava interviewed him about his kid co-stars and how he's a fan of movies "that just get you in the spirit of things.")
See Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode break out in blockbuster 'Wicked'
It's safe to say that "Wicked" is a smash. But while leads Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are getting the headlines (and the Oscar buzz), there are some noteworthy supporting performances as well. Our resident "Wicked" reporter Patrick Ryan talked with "Bridgerton" breakout Jonathan Bailey about playing the "confident and curious" Prince Fiyero, and Bailey admits to wanting the Lego set that features him as a little figure. “Christmas is coming and I hope I’ve been a good boy this year,” Bailey says. (He next stars in "Jurassic World: Rebirth," so there'll probably be another Lego Jonathan soon enough.)
Patrick also interviewed Marissa Bode, who plays Elphaba's sister Nessarose and is the first wheelchair user in the musical’s 21-year history to be cast in the key role. The 24-year-old started acting when she was 8 and then continued after a disabling car accident three years later on the way to a rehearsal. “It almost seemed a bit strange to me that a lot of people were like, ‘Oh, she never gave up!’ ” Bode says. “My thought was always like, ‘Well, why would I?' "
Even more goodness to check out!
- Colman Domingo is an Oscar contender again for "Sing Sing," and he's also the best thing about the new Netflix conspiracy thriller "The Madness."
- If you're as obsessed with "Wicked" as we are, then you'll want to stream these five "Wizard of Oz" movies.
- The new drama "Queer" offered Daniel Craig a very different challenge than James Bond or Benoit Blanc.
- The biggest revelation from the Netflix docuseries "Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?" is pretty darn unsettling.
- Did this past week's episode of "Yellowstone" really need to show the murder and morgue exam of Kevin Costner's John Dutton? The director says yes.
- And speaking of that very popular cowboy soap opera, here are some other Western TV shows and family dramas to watch.
Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email btruitt@usatoday.com and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.
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