Thanksgiving Weekend Movie Guide: 'Maria,' And 'Moana 2'

HOLLYWOOD, CA — This Thanksgiving weekend, the new movie releases feature a legendary opera singer and a brave seafaring heroine.

The turbulent and tragic real-life story of Maria Callas, the world-famous original opera diva, comes alive in “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie as the ill-fated opera singer. The biopic is a piercing depiction of the iconic soprano's final days in 1970s Paris as she struggles to stage a comeback to her illustrious career.

“Moana” fans, your wait is over! The sequel, “Moana 2,” arrives this weekend eight years after the original captured the hearts of young and old alike. Auli‘i Cravalho stars as the eponymous heroine, joined by Dwayne Johnson as the rodomontading demigod Maui.

Check out what we thought of the two new releases below.

Movies Out This Weekend

“Maria”

Angelina Jolie, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher; directed by Pablo Larraín

Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín completes his triptych of films on iconic 20th century women with Angelina Jolie in “Maria.” Like 2021's “Jackie” and 2016's “Spencer”, the third chapter paints a portrait of an enigmatic woman at her lowest ebb, all while capturing her grace, elusiveness and fragility through the prism of a cloistered time to reflect on her life.

As such, Larraín fans will recall that “Jackie” portrayed First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the days following her husband’s assassination, and that “Spencer” captured Lady Diana Spencer, future Princess of Whales, on a stressful Christmas weekend with the Royal Family. “Maria,” meanwhile, also sets in motion with a transformative event. This time around, the film follows Maria Callas in her final days, one week before the opera singer's untimely death in 1977.

The film’s opening scene echoes a death aria, with Callas lying on the floor of her ornate Paris apartment, dead from a heart attack at the age of 53. Over the past four years, she has been living in seclusion, while suffering from a rare muscular disease. “Maria” then fills the screen with takes of Jolie in various stages of the diva’s life, along with a black-and-white closeup of Callas singing “Ave Maria (Desdemona)” from Verdi’s “Otello.”

In “Maria,” the entire soundscape presents a vocal mix. When the film pivots to Callas' heydays, the divas' voice is more prominent. Meanwhile, when the scenes call for the present, the vocal sound emanates mainly from Jolie's voice. The final scene, however, melds Callas' voice with Jolie's in a spectacular sequence.

In all, Jolie deconstructs Callas’ persona brilliantly with blazing bravura. Without her, “Maria” would simply rove aimlessly. Audiences will also be in awe of the cinematography which, for the most part, serves as a conduit to Callas’ intricacies.

Finally, Larraín’s magnificent artistry is in full display, a stroke of genius that never fails to highlight Jolie’s commanding performance in a dreamlike collage of events, real and surreal at the same time.

“Moana 2”

Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Tudyk; directed by David G. Derrick, Jr; co-directed by Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller

Eight years after the eponymous seafarer put a twinkle in our eyes, the daring Polynesian heroine returns to the high seas this Thanksgiving weekend for another fun adventure.

The long-awaited sequel — which Disney initially announced as a streaming series — reunites Moana ( Auli‘i Cravalho) with the swaggering demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson).

Set three years after Moana found her footing in the world, the new film sails with our young heroine on a risky voyage to break storm god Nalo’s curse on the sunken twin-peaked island of Motufetu. For her next-to-impossible mission, Moana has enlisted a crew of specialists, including engineer Loto (Rose Matafeo), storyteller Moni (Hualalai Chung), elder farmer Kele (David Fane). Remember the scene-stealing Heihei the rooster and Pua the pig from the original? They are also on board.

It will not be long before Moana reteams with Maui. Along the way, the sequel will delight audiences with the duo's usual enjoyable interplays. Meanwhile, plot lines highlight a litany of brand-new songs, such as “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?,” “We’re Back” and “Beyond.” However, it is highly doubtful that any of these tunes could eclipse the popularity of the songs from the first film’s soundtrack that includes “How Far I’ll Go,” “Shiny” and “We Know The Way.”

Sufficed to say, the sequel, at times, evokes identical pivotal moments from the original film. Chiefly among them is the scene where Moana and Maui are desperately trying to flee a seemingly inescapable place. Whereas it was an island in the original, it is now a giant clam in the sequel.

Is “Moana 2” better than the original? No, it is not. Still, the entire family will find it worthwhile and entertaining, as it dazzles with exhilarating performances, punctuated by a much more colorful animation.