Paul McGuire Grimes, creator of Paul’s Trip to the Movies, talked with the star of the Netflix series, The Madness. Plus we get his review of Moana 2 and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

THE MADNESS (Netflix)

Oscar nominee Colman Domingo stars in the new Netflix series, The Madness. He plays Muncie Daniels, a journalist and correspondent on CNN who finds himself caught up in the murder of a member of a white supremacist group. He’s staying at a cabin in the Poconos when he witnesses the crime. He manages to escape but now the men behind the murder want to frame him given his race and public profile. Munchie was in the wrong place at the wrong time and finds himself on the run in the cat and mouse chase of figuring out whose behind the murder while trying to save his own life.

-All eight episodes are now streaming on Netflix

–The Madness is a topical thriller dealing with current issues from the rise in white supremacist hate groups to distrust in the media to corrupt powerful individuals who can buy their way in and out of controversy.

-While it’s a thriller with Muncie continually on the run and hiding, there is a slow burn approach. I feel it actively working against the use of twists and turns, cliffhanger episodes, or other binge-worthy techniques. It’s very dialogue heavy that gets deep into what’s all happening behind the scenes and under the surface over relying on action to carry the show.

-Muncie and some of the other main characters find themselves caught up in a game of trust when it comes to their allies and enemies. Relationships are tested and re-examined as truths are revealed.

-Colman Domingo is a compelling actor and knows how to actively keep Muncie in the present. The audience never gets too far ahead of the character as we’re always on his side.

-Even at eight episodes, it feels overly long and drawn out. I kept waiting for it to dive in deeper into the topical elements its addressing. Instead, it just feels like it’s about cover-ups and Muncie running for safety.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

MOANA 2 (in theaters)

Long gone are the days of the old-fashioned Disney princess fawning over her prince. Moana has no time for that. She’s far more concerned about family and community in the highly-anticipated sequel, Moana 2. Moana and her trusty sidekicks, a pig named Pua and a rooster named HeiHei are back for more adventures. Auli’i Cravalho voices Moana who is now considered a wayfinder by her community and ancestors. She knows there’s power in connecting her past, present and future. It takes place three years after the first film, and now the ancestors are calling on her to find an ancient and cursed island. There she can help connect the people of Oceania bringing unity once and for all. She can’t do it alone, so she gathers a crew of friends to help guide her, and yes, that includes Maui who finds himself in his mess of trouble when the film opens. Dwayne Johnson reprises his role of voicing the demigod, Maui.

-The creative team behind Moana 2 has some notable fresh faces compared to the first film with all new directors and composers.

-The film also features new original music by Abigail Barlow and Emily who take over for Lin-Manuel Miranda who wrote the music for the first film. Their music tonally feels cohesive to the first film, even if the new songs don’t have the catchy melodies or strength of “How Far I’ll Go”

-While it may be lacking in a fully original and new story, Disney still excels at the breathtaking animation at bringing Moana’s Pacific Island culture and the majestic qualities of nature to life. You really get a sense of how important it was to get these elements correct in telling their story authentically.

-The character of Moana is so inspirational for young kids. Auli’I Cravalho brings a maturity and sense of duty to her. She’s fearless and gutsy and is the kind of selfless character family movies need.

-Dwayne Johnson brings easy laughs once again as Maui the demigod. He and HeiHei give the film some needed levity, as it’s much darker and scarier than the first film.

– Parents should be warned it may be too scary for the little littles out there who are used to watching the first film on Disney+

RATING: 3 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW (Disney+)

Writer/director Jon Watts brought a youthful vibe to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his Spider-Man trilogy. Now he’s entering the Star Wars universe with Skeleton Crew. This story takes place after the Fall of the Empire during the New Republic era, which is also the same timeline as Ahsoka and The Mandalorian. There are space pirates running amok in the galaxy causing chaos. Meanwhile, back on the planet of Adatan, kids are going to school, parents are working and it’s a very simple life. Ravi Cabot-Conyers plays Wim, a young boy who is running late for school one day and comes across a Jedi temple buried in the ground in the middle of the woods. He and his alien friend Neel think they’ve stumbled upon something secretive only to find that their classmate, Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), and her buddy, KB, are also there and claim dibs to it. As they mess around, they realize this isn’t a temple, but a starship that they accidentally activate and fly off in. The kids find themselves lost in space face to face with the unknown creatures, humans, and a prisoner named Jod, who seems to possess the powers of the Jedi. Jude Law plays this mysterious Jedi who may be their only hope.

-The first two episodes of eight are now streaming on Disney+ and will air weekly through January 14th.

-From very early on, you’ll notice a distinctly different approach taken with this series compared to some of the other Star Wars Disney+ series. This has a kid-friendly vibe as this is all told from the perspective of the four main cast members. It feels like kids at home playing with Star Wars action figures and what that would look like if it really came to life. It’s a fun ride so far with that lens applied.

-The goal was to give it that ‘80s movies/Goonies tone making it this a fun, thrilling space adventure.

-The writing team have done a wonderful job of capturing the proper voice and tone to these young characters. There’s certainly an antagonistic quality between Wim and Fern, as they bicker about who gets to be captain of the ship, who makes decisions, and so forth. All they want to do is find their way back home, which is never as easy as it sounds.

-The younger cast members are having a blast playing in the Star Wars galaxy, and the same can be said for Jude Law. There’s an enigmatic quality to his character, and it’s unclear yet if we should trust him or not.

-It’s unclear if it will connect to any other series or movies. More importantly, it doesn’t need to. This can be a self-contained space adventure geared for a younger audience.

RATING: 3 out of 5 TICKET STUBS