Last Christmas, Apple TV+ made an important place for itself in the hearts and minds of viewers. Mariah Carey gave a Christmas special. This year, Apple TV+ is back amid a host of new original Christmas shows. To bring even more magic into the holiday season.
Honestly, can anyone get enough of Mariah?
Last year, Kerry’s Christmas special featured cameos from various show businesses, from Billy Eichner and Jennifer Hudson to Ariana Grande. It’s the fun and exceptional renewed ’70s you’d expect from co-director Roman Coppola. Who lived and died from his aggressive production design. Consider a Star Wars Holiday Special or a Paul Lynde Halloween Special.
Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues and is not a continuation of last year’s special. It is about 20 minutes long and contains only two songs. A new one and a version of Kerry’s classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You”.
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The new song isn’t very catchy, though “All I Want” would be hard for anyone to follow. (This is one of the few Christmas carols I’ve written in my life that changes drastically over the holiday season.) Unfortunately, the new song with Kirk Franklin and his choir and singer Khalid sounds like many styles and ideas. It started as a lounge number and ended as a 1996 R&B torch-coloured gospel song. It’s OK, but nothing special.
Mariah’s Christmas: The magic continues, from the new song to DJ Lowe’s 10-minute interview with Kerry. This is a reason to be seen. Lowe is here for an interview, but Kerry has other ideas. He recounted in a strange way how the film crew wouldn’t allow him to bring his dog on stage. And how he was fed up with running around.
Lowe actually tries a lot to put a good face on each random statement:
The interview did seemed to be going well, but she couldn’t take the half-guarded Kerry knitted into a shiny gown. Worth seeing. Then the kids Mariah Moroccan and Monroe (Rock and Rowe, got it?). To show up and talk about how much they love Christmas.
Apple TV+ is offering several holiday episodes this year for kids’ programs like Getting Started with Otis and Stagnant Water. As well as a Peanuts Auld Lang Syne special. None of them was shown to the press before, including this one.
Understandable: How much pressure can these things put? But I mean, it’s Mariah Carey – Christmas specials may not be cheap to make. Although they take less time than microwave Thanksgiving leftovers.
An unusual choice for teachers
Joseph Kahn directed this year’s special, making me laugh a little. Cannes is one of the most prolific music video directors by day. And the creator of hyper-masculine genre films by night. IMDb’s key characters include the war-rap comedy Filled with Body. The hyper-violent anti-utopian satire Holding Back and The Moment, the middle finger in the Fast and Furious films, about a vengeful motorcycle gang. So basically the most expressionist male job possible.
Khan is a talented image creator (you can’t make that many music videos without the best visual sensations). But his humour always prevents his fiction from working perfectly for me. The film is clapping too confidently. So it’s kind of weird he’s got Mariah Carey’s kids together for Christmas.
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The touch is most evident during installation. While Coppola and Hamish Hamilton held the camera last year, according to the old TV format of the holiday special, Cannes cut in like crazy. It kept the camera spinning around the actors. He even went so far as to place a different camera on the instruments played by band member Kerry.
That’s a slight bit of an exaggeration, but I understand he’s trying to breathe a little life into the old format that wasn’t innovative when it was new. Not sure if you can improve on this genre, but the effort is rewarded, although I like the stickiness it’s trying to get rid of. However, a vacation offer should be something you can’t take your eyes off of. Mission accomplished.