My Movie Picks and Pans for December 2025

[I review "The Kiss of the Spider Woman (the musical starring Jennifer Lopez)," "Blue Moon," a new one from director Richard Linklater starring Ethan Hawke, "Oh.What.Fun," an all-star Christmas movie that defies the Hallmark tropes, and "The Wrong Paris," a little rom-com with one very handsome star]

Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025)

• 
• A new movie version of the 1993 Broadway musical.

I can't believe it has taken this long to make a movie out of the musical version of this story (the musical opened on Broadway in 1993 and won a Tony for Best Musical).  Yes, I know it was originally a 1976 novel by Manuel Puig which was made into a movie drama starring William Hurt (he won an Oscar), and then it was a Broadway musical, but 32 years before a movie version of the musical?  I guess that says something about the waning popularity of movie musicals over the years, right? That makes me sad because I love musicals.

Anyway, enough about me.  On with the show!

It's 1983 in Argentina during the "Dirty War," and Valentin (Diego Luna), a political prisoner and Molina (Tonatiuh), his cell mate, who is there for "public indecency," pass the time with Molina sharing the story of his favorite Hollywood musical, "Kiss of the Spider Woman." It transports them out of their dreary confines into a imaginary world.

So, okay, "public indecency" is code in some countries for someone being gay and that is the case with Luis Molina. He is in a cell with Valentin Arregui Paz who is a political dissident involved with a revolutionary group in a time in Argentina when the country's military dictatorship was rounding up and imprisoning left-wing opponents and civilians who disagreed with the regime. Molina is obsessed with the old Hollywood movie "Kiss of the Spider Woman," and despite Valentin's irritation with Molina's flamboyance, he lets him recount the story of the movie. The film flips back and forth between the dark existence of the two men in the jail cell and the bright lights of the silver screen depicting the story of "Kiss of the Spider Woman." It's a movie within a movie.

So here's that story.

The "Kiss of the Spider Woman" film stars Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez) as Aurora, a successful magazine publisher (Molina's retelling also casts himself as Kendall, Aurora's assistant and a closeted homosexual and Valentin as Armando, a photographer and Aurora's love interest, because remember this is all playing out in their minds). Aurora and Kendall accompany Armando to a shoot in his and Aurora's home village. Aurora and Armando fall in love, but when Aurora learns that the village is protected from malevolent spirits by the Spider Woman (also played by Lopez) in exchange for the regular sacrifice of a native woman's lover, Aurora worries that this means Armando will be taken from her. 

But to find out what happens to Aurora and Armando, you will have to listen along with Valentin as Molina tells the story.

In the meantime, the warden has coerced Molina into spying on Valentin in exchange for potential parole. Despite being eager to be released from prison as his mother is ailing, Molina starts to have feelings for Valentin and Valentin for Molina. Can Molina betray Valentin?

Written for the screen and directed by Bill Condon, there is a change of scene from the original, but it is still a dark story of political persecution and prison life and the need to escape, at least mentally.  And the two men escape into Aurora's world. Luna and Tonatiuh are compelling together as Molina tells his tale and Valentin tries to resist but is eventually drawn into both the fantasy story and Molina's own story as well.

And this is Jennifer Lopez as you have never seen her.  She stretches her acting, singing and dancing chops here. I have always been a fan of Jennifer Lopez, but not so much for her singing, so I was pleasantly surprised to see what a great job she did with that. Her dancing was great, too, but that wasn't really a surprise because I remembered that she had been a dancer on "In Living Color," one of the Fly Girls. Lopez has shared that it has always been her dream to do Broadway and this film would be a close second to that. I also heard her say getting an award for this would be a dream come true. Sadly, though I think she was wonderful in this and deserved a nomination, she was snubbed by the Golden Globes.

I was pleasingly surprised about how much I enjoyed this, because it wasn't on my list of favorite musicals (in fact I had never seen it). I wouldn't say that the songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb (they also wrote the songs for "Chicago" and "Cabaret") are particularly memorable, but they are enjoyable, and with the vivid, extravagant costumes by Colleen Atwood and Christine L.Cantella and the glittery production values during the musical numbers, the whole thing works. 

Just as the retelling of a movie musical helps these two prisoners escape  their dreary and scary lives, so, too, do musicals take us away from our own cares of the world as we watch. That's why musicals are an important art form.

Rosy the Reviewer says...an homage to musicals, and I was reminded how much I love and miss them. I throw a kiss to the movie musical! (For rent or purchase on Amazon Prime)

Blue Moon (2025)

A night in the life of Lorenz Hart.

The film begins with a quote from Mabel Mercer: "He was the saddest man I ever knew."

"He was dynamic and fun to be around." - Oscar Hammerstein II

They were both talking about Lorenz Hart who with his writing partner, Richard Rodgers, wrote 28 Broadway musicals and some 500 songs: "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," "Where or When," "Isn't It Romantic?" "My Funny Valentine," "Spring is Here," "The Lady is a Tramp" and, of course, "Blue Moon," to name a few. They were considered the American Gilbert and Sullivan and wrote together for 25 years.

But now it's March 31, 1943, opening night for the new musical "Oklahoma!," and Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) is in the audience but slips away and heads over to Sardi's, where the opening night celebration will be. Hart is a bit down in the dumps because it looks like the show will be a hit and he is not a part of it. His former creative partner, Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott), has written the show with Oscar Hammerstein II (Simon Delaney) and not him. Rodgers and Hart "broke up" after a string of very successful musicals and hit songs because Hart's drinking made him unreliable.

But now Hart is newly sober and very talkative.  He holds court with the bartender, Eddie (Bobby Cannavale), who tries not to serve him liquor, but you know how those things go. Morty (Jonah Lees) is at the piano and the two commiserate with Hart as he complains about the sensational success of Oklahoma!, which he declined to write, and the state of his own career. Declaring himself "omnisexual," Hart reveals his infatuation with Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley), a Yale art student and aspiring production designer. After months of correspondence and an unconsummated weekend with the 20-year-old Elizabeth, 47-year-old Hart believes this is the night to win her over.

Meanwhile, Hart recognizes writer E.B. White (Patrick Kennedy) sitting nearby, and seeks out his opinions as a fellow writer in a fun little digression.  White reveals he is working on his first children's book and Hart intrigues White with the story of a mouse who keeps coming back to his 19th floor apartment. White asks if he'd named the mouse and Hart comes up with "Stuart."  Well, we all know how that turned out, right?

As the playgoers, Elizabeth, and Rodgers and Hammerstein arrive at Sardi's and the rave reviews for "Oklahoma!" pour in and it becomes clear that Elizabeth doesn't think of Hart "that way," he becomes more and more depressed, so he drinks.

It doesn't end well for Hart.

Nominated for a Best Picture Golden Globe, this film, directed by Richard Linklater, and written for the screen by Robert Kaplow (based on the letters of Lorenz Hart and the real life Elizabeth Weiland) is a wonderful recreation of 1940's New York and boasts a first-rate ensemble cast.  

But this is a tour de force for Ethan Hawke, who is completely transformed into Hart, who was less than five feet tall (Hawke is 5' 11" in real life) thanks to the direction of Linklater and Hawke's acting abilities (he is also nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe). Hawke even shaved part of his head to achieve the comb over that Hart sported. And it's all him, all of the time, holding forth in Sardi's as Hart, lamenting what could be unrequited love for the 20-year-old Elizabeth and bitter about what could perhaps be the end of his career.  I think Hawke said recently he had more lines in this movie than in all of his movies for the last ten years (or something like that). And he is just remarkable.  I forgot I was watching Ethan Hawke and for an hour and 40 minutes, I felt like I was in Lorenz Hart's world.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you love classic musicals, you will have fun getting all of the references (and see if you spot a young Stephen Sondheim), but even if you aren't particularly interested in musicals, if you appreciate great acting, this will be an enjoyable experience. I see an Oscar nod for Ethan Hawke. (in theatres and for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime)

Oh.What.Fun (2025)

An homage to the true heroes of the holidays, the Moms who make Christmas happen for their families.

Texas housewife Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer) spends the entire year planning the perfect family Christmas for her husband Nick (Denis Leary) and their kids. Channing (Felicity Jones), the oldest, is home for the holidays with her husband, Doug (Jason Schwartzman), and two kids; middle child Taylor (Chloe Grace Moretz) is gay and has a reputation for bringing a different girlfriend home every Christmas and this year she has brought Donna (Devery Jacobs); and Sammy (Dominic Sessa) is in a funk because his girlfriend just dumped him. 

But Claire is doing everything she can to make the holiday merry and bright and all she wants for Christmas is for the kids to nominate her for the Best Holiday Mom contest, which would result in an all-expenses-paid trip to Burbank to meet her idol, self-help guru and talk show host, Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). She has been hinting about that to the kids but not only don't they get the hints, they take all of her efforts for granted.

And then the final straw.  Claire has gotten tickets to a show and everyone climbs into two cars - and they forget Claire.  Think "Home Alone," except instead of forgetting Kevin, the family forgot Mom!  So that's it. Claire decides to leave and drive to California where she gate-crashes Zazzy's live televised broadcast.

Written by Chandler Baker and Michael Showalter and directed by Showalter, I was really looking forward to this film.  It had a great line-up of stars and none of the Hallmark Christmas movie tropes. The idea that Moms would get some props seemed to be a refreshing idea, but sadly, overall the movie was very disappointing. 

Though the competition between Claire and her neighbor, Jeanne Wang-Wasserman (Joan Chen), who appears to have the perfect family and who seems to do everything right much to Claire's annoyance, was kind of fun, it all fell apart for me when Claire goes to the mall to get a candle for Jeanne that will outdo the one Jeanne gave Claire, and finding the checkout line too long, Claire walks out of the mall with the candle.  Security tries to stop her and chases her, but she gets away and that's that. Huh? No knock on the door later, no police, she gets away with it?  All I could do was talk to the screen and say, "What? Didn't they get her car's license number and report her to the police?" That whole scene didn't need to happen. And then why was Doug so needing to get Taylor's approval?  Made no sense. And then it all kept going downhill from there for me. Too many unbelievable plot holes, too many questions and I just didn't care anymore.

Rosy the Reviewer says...despite an all-star cast and a good idea, it was NOT so.much.fun. It made me wish for those Hallmark movie tropes! (Amazon Prime)

The Wrong Paris (2025)

Twenty-five-year-old aspiring artist, Dawn, has been admitted to art school in Paris but doesn't have the funds to pay for it.  What to do?  Why, go on a dating show, what else?

Dawn (Miranda Cosgrove) lives in a small Texas town with her two sisters and grandmother Birdie (Frances Fisher). Dawn is thrilled to be accepted to an art school in Paris, but is short of funds after spending some of her savings on Birdie's medical expenses.

A huge fan of the dating show - "The Honeypot" - a bachelor-type show - Dawn's sister, Emily (Emilija Baranac) talks Dawn into auditioning for the show, as the  appearance fee would help cover her studies. Dawn reluctantly goes to an audition and is surprised to learn she is cast for the upcoming season, which will be taking place in Paris. Later, the two sisters go out for a drink and to play pool to celebrate, and Dawn connects with one very handsome cowboy. They have a few moments together and then part, thinking, that's that.  Well, this is rom-com.  You know how that goes.

But here's the twist for Dawn and the viewer.  The show is not going to take place in Paris, France, but rather Paris, Texas!  And guess who the bachelor on the show is going to be?  You got it.

So though Dawn likes the cowboy bachelor, Trey (Pierson Fode), she doesn't like the fact that she is in Paris, Texas, and not Paris, France, so she wants off of the show and does everything she can to get kicked off. But this is rom-com. Again, you know how that goes.

Yes, I know, this isn't "Citizen Kane," but sometimes it's fun to watch a little airy rom-com, especially if it stars two nice looking people, especially one very handsome cowboy.  Sorry.  I gush. 

Written by Nicole Henrich and directed by Janeen Damian, this definitely feeds into my obsession, er... tendency to watch dating shows. I enjoy watching handsome and beautiful people fall in love, but this little movie is also a satire of that genre, poking fun at it e.g. all of the girls are kind of wacky and none of them will eat in front of the camera (kind of true - think about it) and when Trey chooses who stays, he asks "Will you accept this...spur? Lol! But that aside, the movie is also one of those "what if" stories.  What if there is a girl on a Bachelor-type reality show who really doesn't want to be there? Fun ensues.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you enjoy dating shows, you will enjoy this, and even if you don't, this is a light refreshment. Yes, it's far-fetched and has a certain amount of slapstick, but what's wrong with that?  But I thought it was fun, and I am accepting the spur! (Netflix)

See You Next Time!

And Happy Holidays!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

What I Learned On My Spring Vacation

Okay, it's not exactly spring and, it wasn't exactly a vacation because, since I am now retired, every day is a kind of vacation, but Hubby and I left town and traveled back East to Richmond, Virginia to visit family, and it was a total of 12 hours in the air round trip.  I am not a fan of flying, especially for that long, so what does one do with that much time on one's hands? 

I binged and I read!

***The Binge***

One Day (2024)

A 14-episode British series that follows Emma and Dexter on the same day for 20 years - from graduation from the University of Edinburgh to...well, you will just have to watch and find out.

Emma (Ambika Mod) is a serious, hard-working, top-of-the-class, but sarcastic young Indian woman who meets Dexter (Leo Woodall, who you might recognize from "The White Lotus"), a privileged, handsome, kind, but rather shallow playboy, who is drop dead gorgeous (that last bit is me talking).  The two "meet cute" on July 15, 1988, right before graduation from the University of Edinburgh and spend the day and night together.  They know that after graduation they will both go their separate ways, which they do, but, despite the fact that they are polar opposites in many ways, they can't forget about each other and their lives entwine as the series checks in on them on that same day - July 15 - for the next 20 years.

Emma dabbles in the theatre, becomes a teacher and struggles to find her way as a writer while Dexter becomes a controversial TV presenter (that's a TV host to us Americans) on a not-very-important TV show (it's a video game review show) and struggles with family issues, unemployment, drinking and other self destructive tendencies. But both find other loves and remain friends and confidants, always coming close to getting together, but the time never seems right. Will the time ever be right? 

Created by Nicole Taylor and based on the novel by David Nichols, this is one of those opposites attract tales where two young people meet and are attracted to each other, but it's never the right time to be in love.  You watch because you want to know if they will ever get together. It reminded me of "Normal People," another series I loved.

The series takes place in various spots around England with some other exotic locales thrown in, the throwback to the 80's and 90's well done, the music is emotionally and pop culturally fitting and the two actors are attractive and engaging, especially Woodall, who is, ahem, did I already say?...rather delightfully handsome.

And if you think you don't need to see this because you saw the 2011 movie version, and especially if you didn't like the movie, give this a chance. This adaptation, the actors and the episodic format works much better to bring this love story to life and let you get to know these characters, and you will enjoy spending time with these characters on every one of those days.

"Imagine one selected day struck out of it, and think how different its course would have been. Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day.” - Charles Dickens

Rosy the Reviewer says...a little bit of a Gen X mashup between "Same Time Next Year" and "The Way We Were" that all ages will find charming and a reminder that no matter what happens, value each day.  Have tissues handy. (Netflix)

Love is Blind, Season 6 (2024)

This is a "social experiment" reality show hosted by Nick Lachey and his wife, Vanessa, where men and women "date" each other in "pods," talk to each other through a speaker but not see each other, and fall in love? 

Okay, I know, I know.  You know me as a serious, intellectual who doesn't suffer fools, right? (lol) So what am I doing watching this show? Well, like all of you, I have my weaknesses and dating shows is one of them.  I know you are judging me, and I totally understand because when I was in college, I was totally enamored of a philosophy major who I thought was just the smartest and deepest man I had ever met.  But then he told me that his favorite movie was "The Love Bug," and that was it. I lost all respect for him.  So go ahead and judge me.  I totally understand. BUT, here is what I have learned.  "Judge and ye shall be judged," right?  Because here I am watching this show, my own little "love bug."  And you know what?  I would bet you have one too! 

Anyway, as for "Love is Blind," men and women come and go out of "pods," rooms where they can stretch out, have a cocktail, eat, exercise, and talk to their "dates" on the other side of a wall.  And they talk and talk and talk and eventually they may or may not declare their love for each other, based on the fact that they are so simpatico from all of that talking. "Here is someone who gets me."  If that happens, they become engaged, and they finally get to see each other in person. And that's when the trouble sometimes begins.  Those who hook up go off on a retreat and eventually move in together.  Some stay together and some relationships go to hell because, yes, we were soul mates when talking but now that I see you?  Don't really want to have sex with you. Uh-oh.  Not fun.  But fun for us, right?

I am not the only person who enjoys this show.

This is a popular series around the world.  The American version is now in its sixth series, and there are also Swedish, Japanese and Brazilian versions, all available on Netflix, and all of which I have watched or will watch because, hey, people, it's fun. And I know those of you who stick your noses up at reality TV because you don't believe it's real, you are right to a certain extent.  There is usually a plan about how it should go, but people just can't help themselves or hide who they really are and no matter what is scripted, something interesting, and real, usually transpires.  

And why do I watch?

I know I was making fun earlier, but the human condition, especially when it comes to love and, er, sex, is very interesting to me. I am just fascinated by how people react to each other, how they say one thing about what they want and then, when the reality sets in, not so much.  Also, I find it interesting what people are willing to expose on camera. To me, these kinds of shows say a lot about the human condition, that whether you are in Sweden or Japan or Brazil, the same issues crop up.  We are all more the same than we are different when it comes to human interaction, and I find that fascinating...and like I said, fun!  

And truth be told, I have to admit, sometimes I just want to watch TV shows that don't require a lot of thinking from me! Don't you?

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you enjoy reality dating shows, this is a fun and interesting one. It's kind of like "Married at First Sight (which I also enjoy)" but less sight.  (Netflix).

So now that you are over the shock that I watch reality dating shows, we can get back to my more serious, intellectual side.  I also read books!

***The Read***

Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up and Figuring it Out by Gracie Gold (2024)

The subtitle tells it all as Gracie Gold, 2014 Olympic Team bronze medalist, the 2014 NHK champion, the 2015 Trophee Eric Bompard champion, and a two-time U.S. National champion (2014, 2016), shares her experiences as a world class figure skater. And it's not pretty.

Gold, with her cute little blonde hair bun, was likened to Grace Kelly and was the face of women's figure skating in the mid-2000's.  She had it all - the looks, the body, the skill. She had great success as a figure skater, but there was darkness behind the scenes. Gold reveals in this candid memoir that she was three people.  She was Grace Elizabeth, the young tomboy who had great athleticism and as a young girl wanted to play hockey; she was Gracie Gold, "America's Sweetheart" of figure skating; and she was also Outofshapeworthlessloser, the perfectionist, who had an eating disorder and suffered from anxiety and suicidal thoughts. 

Yes, there were highs like winning medals, being written up in magazines and baking cookies with Taylor Swift.  But the lows were very low as she faced pressure from her coaches and the powers-that-be within the figure skating community to excel and, as injuries and an eating disorder threatened to derail her, her family was falling apart and her self-destructive inner voice kept calling her an "outofshapeworthless loser."  

Gold goes deep in sharing her story but she also reveals the dark side of figure skating, where young girls are expected to wear skimpy costumes and a smile no matter what. She exposes some stereotypes e.g. all male figure skaters are gay (not true) and the female are straight (also not true - she shares that she is bisexual).  She was also not so happy with commentators Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir whose comments were often less than helpful when she was struggling.

As many of you probably know I am a huge figure skating fan and Gold was always a favorite of mine.  I feel bad for giving up on her when her career took a turn but I am glad she has taken control of her life, come to grips with her demons and pulled back the curtain to reveal a disturbing world behind the scenes of figure skating.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you are a figure skating fan, you will definitely want to read this, but those of you who also like raw, revealing memoirs, this is one of those. (Check your local library)

***So, what did I learn?***

I learned that when confronted with a long plane ride or even hanging out in a motel room, it is essential to plan ahead and stock up on preferred TV and movie content and reading material before I leave home. I was able to watch those shows and read that book on the plane, because I had downloaded them all onto my trusty IPad, so I had content that needed no wi-fi. You can do that with your phone as well. Highly recommended. Movies and shows are easily downloaded from all of the main streaming services, and you can purchase and download reading material from Apple Books or other sources and/or download books for free through services provided by most libraries.

Oh, and here is something else I learned. I learned that budget airlines have lots and lots of kids on board! 

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, Twitter, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer 

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critic Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!