MOVIE REVIEW: PADDINGTON IN PERU

 

When Paddington discovers his beloved aunt has gone missing from the Home for Retired Bears, he and the Brown family head to the jungles of Peru to find her. Determined to solve the mystery, they soon stumble across a legendary treasure as they make their way through the rainforests of the Amazon.

Director: Dougal Wilson

Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Carla Tous, Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Ben Whishaw

Release Date: February 14, 2025

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Mystery

Rated PG for action, mild rude humor and some thematic elements.

Runtime: 1h 46m

Review:

Paddington's third outing shakes up the formula by moving to a more action adventure focus which gives this entry a different feeling while never losing the family friendly charm of the first two films.  Dougal Wilson does an admirable job taking over the reins from Paul King who directed the first two well-regarded entries.  Wilson can conjure up a similar sense of whimsical fun throughout even if he can't quite match the levels of his magical predecessor.  That's not to say this entry isn't as earnest and heartfelt as those previous entries but just lighter throughout as we follow Paddington's adventure through the Peruvian jungle as he searches for Aunt Lucy and a mystical city.  Ben Whishaw easily moves back into the titular bear's hat and duffel coat proving more than capable of exuding his polite charm through the screen.  Whishaw again does an excellent job of balancing the sillier and more emotional moments with impressive ease.   Hugh Bonneville and Julie Walters reprise their roles from the first two entries as the Brown patriarch and housekeeper with Emily Mortimer taking over for Sally Hawkins as Mary Brown.  Mortimer along with Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin, as the pair's older children, brings a slightly different energy to the family as the kids are growing up and starting on their own journey's.  The returning and new cast members manage to give the audience an authentic sense of the love that exists in their family and their ability to come together.  Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas are clearly having a great time hamming it up in key supporting roles.  Colman brings her very specific sort of energy to her instantly suspicious Mother Superior while Banderas has fun being able to play a larger array of personas.   Throughout all the jungle hijinks Paddington and his family encounter, the story still manages to stay grounded with the series' overarching theme of family whether it be by blood or chance.  

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: RELIC

A woman links her mother's increasingly volatile behavior to an evil presence at their family's decaying country home.

Director: Natalie Erika James

Cast: Emily Mortimer, Robyn Nevin, Bella Heathcote, Jeremy Stanford, Chris Bunton

Release Date: July 3, 2020

Genres: Drama, Horror

Rated R for some horror violence/disturbing images, and language

Runtime: 1h 29min

Review:

Natalie Erika James debut film is an impressively crafted horror film that works smartly as an allegory for real life issues.  Her film heavy on atmosphere and light on cheap jump scares which works in the film’s favor.  Its Spartan use of jump scares makes the few that pop up all the more effective.  This story itself runs thru some standard haunted house/ghost story tropes but here you can feel a lot more weight in their actual meaning.  The cast is all understated but effective throughout with the trio of actresses displaying some impressive chemistry together.  Emily Mortimer, Robyn Nevin & Bella Heathcote all bring an air of authenticity and emotions to the entire proceedings.  Each interaction is believably heavy with subtext with very little said outright but there are lingering wounds that are heavily implied.  As is the case with most of these types of films the build up is better than the climax with the finale leaving multiple story threads left unresolved.  Regardless, it’s hard not to appreciate the high level of craftsmanship and talent on display throughout. 

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of Mary

CINDY PRASCIK·SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2019·2 MINUTES As anyone with even a passing familiarity with me or my writing or my Instagram will know: I have a real soft spot for Academy Award winner Gary Oldman. (Yes, you have to say it like that now.) When Gary is in a movie or show, I see it. If I can, I own it. I own a Gary movie that's in Japanese, one where he plays a guy who puts Chapstick on his butt, and one that Gary, himself, has called "the worst movie ever made." (Those are Rain Fall, Nobody's Baby, and Sin, respectively, if you didn't know and were interested.) Today I am a little bit horrified to report on a movie that will be right at home with lemons like Tiptoes, the Backwoods, and that revisionist version of the Scarlet Letter that co-starred Demi Moore. Friends, I give you: Mary.


Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from a trailer if you've seen one. Odds are you haven't.

In hopes of rebooting his life and his marriage, a man buys a boat and takes his family out to sea...but little does he know of the vessel's cursed history! (DUM DUM DUM!) Mary is one of those movies that makes you think everyone involved should sack their agents posthaste. While it's Gary's name above the title, co-stars Emily Mortimer and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo are no slouches. They all deserve better than this thrill-less thriller that ticks every predictable box in the cheap horror movie lexicon. Startle-scares are so obvious they won't raise even a little jump. A paper-thin backstory has been done to death a thousand times before. The dialogue is simply excruciating. I try mightily to say something nice about everything, but the only nice thing I can say about Mary is that it's mercifully short.

Mary clocks in at 84 minutes and is rated R for "some terror, violence, and language."

Mary is available now on most streaming/download platforms.

Mary is a by-the-numbers thriller that'll make Gary Oldman fans pine for the genius of that 1998 Lost in Space movie.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Mary gets one (for Gary). Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: MARY POPPINS RETURNS

Now an adult with three children, bank teller Michael Banks learns that his house will be repossessed in five days unless he can pay back a loan. His only hope is to find a missing certificate that shows proof of valuable shares that his father left him years earlier. Just as all seems lost, Michael and his sister receive the surprise of a lifetime when Mary Poppins -- the beloved nanny from their childhood -- arrives to save the day and take the Banks family on a magical, fun-filled adventure.

Director: Rob Marshall

Cast: Emily Blunt, Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep

Release Date: December 19, 2018

Genres: Comedy, Family, Fantasy

Rated PG for some mild thematic elements and brief action

Runtime: 2h 10 min

Review:

I feel obliged to mention that I’ve never actually watched the original Mary Poppins start to finish.  I’m well aware of it by reputation and honestly I’m more familiar with The Simpson’s parody of it than the actual movie.  As such, I head into this reboot with the ability to take Rob Marshall’s sequel mostly on its own merits.  Keeping with the transparency theme, I’ll state that I’ve been a big fan of Marshall’s work since Chicago and Mary Poppins Returns only further confirms my admiration.  Marshall can stage a song and dance sequence like few others can and here he’s in top form delivering some wonderfully fizzy and enjoyable sequences that will leave a smile on your face.  The film moves at a steady pace, rarely lingering too long much less on the barebone’s plot.  It keeps moving on Marshall’s energy and its stars incredible charm and screen presence.  Emily Blunt is everything you could ask for as she takes over the reins from Julie Andrews.  It’s a role that seems tailor made for her and she plays it with palpable energy and vigor.  Manuel Miranda is a bit of an outlier, no so much that he’s bad but he just feels slightly miscast even though he does add some spice into some of songs.  Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer are mostly left by the wayside in thankless supporting roles.  It help that three child actors who spend the most time on screen with Blunt prove to be more capable of carrying their own.  It’s a treat to watch and the film as a whole is about as charming and delightful they come.

A-