Movie Review - Paddington in Peru

Director: Dougal Wilson
Genre: Adventure/ Comedy/ Family
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Ben Wishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Imelda Staunton, Antonio Banderas Olivia Colman, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin
 
Description: Paddington returns to Pery to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey.
 
Review: Paddington has been living with the Brown family for several years. The children are almost young adults. Mother Mary worries about the inevitable empty nest as daughter and son increasingly live their own lives. But then a disturbing message arrives from Paddington’s homeland in Pery. For one last family adventure, the Browns travel to the Peruvian jungle, where they come face to face with crazy villains, spikey plants and singing nuns. Like its predecessors, “Paddington in Peru” is a dryly comic, slightly wacky and heartwarming film for all ages.

When the family arrives in Pery, Aunt Lucy is missing. So the Brown head into the jungle to find her. Paddington’s clumsiness and enthusiasm is still the root of it. His politeness and marmalade sandwiches are again his main weapon. Along with his new umbrella. A true British gentleman, of course, cannot do without one.  

Although still a writer on the project, Paul King did not direct the third film in the series. Dougal Wilson takes over. And it’s all a little bigger and brighter for this one. Even though I still highly enjoyed this film, I prefer the smaller take on the story in previous films (especially the second one).

I like all the Paddington films, because Paddington himself is just the most adorable character. You have to be completely heartless to not be affected by his kindness. The film is funny, witty, charming, heartwarming and adventurous and this is the perfect family film.

Rating: 4/ 5

10s Movie Review - Mary Poppins Returns

Director: Rob Marshall
Genre: Comedy/ Musical/ Family/ Adventure
Runtime: 130 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Wishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Pixie Davis, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Nathanael Saleh, Joel Dawson,

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 31: A DISNEY LIVE-ACTION MOVIE
 
Description: A few decades after her original visit, Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt), the magical nanny, returns to help the Banks siblings (Ben Wishaw, Emily Mortimer) and Michael’s children through a difficult time in their lives.

Review: Brother and sister Jane and Michael Banks agree. They nod in agreement when the strange antics they pulled with nanny Mary Poppins years ago, when they were children, are brought up. It was a nice fantasy, because those experiences couldn’t possibly be real.

Adults want to rationalize everything. That was precisely the problem with Jane and Michael’s father, an inveterate banker who would rather count money than take his kids to the park. Mary Poppins didn’t have to raise his children, but rather explain to George Banks what the fun of life was and how to reconnect with his family.

More than 50 years after the original, there is a sequel with “Mary Poppins Returns”. For Emily Blunt, the nearly impossible task of following in the footsteps of the legendary Julie Andrews.

We are now in 1930s crisis London. Jane and Michael are adults and have a strong bond. Michael’s wife died earlier in the year and he is trying to make the best of it with his three children. the disaster almost literally knocks on the door of 17 Cherry Tree Lane. Michael is behind on repaying a loan from his late father’s bank, where he now works himself. He is given five days pay or his family will have to move out of their home.

In the attic Michael and Jane are looking for stock certificates, because that would be the solution to their problems. But they can’t seem to find it. When the kids are playing in the park in the meantime, a very special passenger comes down from the sky: Mary Poppins is back!

Emily does the well-nigh impossible: she manages to make Andrews’ iconic rendition disappear within seconds. Her version of Mary Poppins is also a bit more in line with the one in the books. She is a bit stricter, even a bit catty and self-righteous at times, but still undeniably charming.

Back in the days, the original showed a groundbreaking blend of animation and live action. That is not only duplicated here, but surpassed, although it has become a bit easier with modern techniques. The animation sequences is truly magically done. And no Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious this time, but a wise lesson about never judging a book by its cover. Mary Poppins switches effortlessly to unadulterated Cockney for the showstopper.

Marc Shaiman is responsible for the music and he has written a lush score with beautiful timeless melodies that never feel corny or dated anywhere. “Mary Poppins Returns” is packed with catchy performances and a fine cast. Directly opposing Blunt is Lin-Manuel Miranda, who plays a lamp lighter, similar to the role of Dick van Dyke who was a chimney sweeper. In addition we see Ben Wishaw and Emily Mortimer as the adult Michael and Jane, Julie Walters as the housekeeper and Colin Firth as a shrewd banker. Meryl Streep is in only one scene, with a super catchy and fun song. 

 
I not ashamed to say that I absolutely loved this movie from start to finish and I even prefer it over the original. And that is first and foremost thanks to Emily Blunt, who is practically perfect in her role as Mary Poppins. An absolute new favorite movie musical.

Rating: 5 / 5

10s Movie Review - Shutter Island

Director: Martin Scorsese
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 138 minutes
Year: 2010
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow, Jackie Earle Haley, Elias Koteas, Patricia Clarkson

Description: A U.S Marshal (Leonardo DiCaprio) investigates the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane

Review: Every Martin Scorsese project interests me somehow. “Shutter Island” is different from his other films. It’s based on a novel by Dennis Lehane.

Federal agent Teddy Daniels has to track down an escaped psychiatric patient, together with his partner Chuck Aule. The task sounds simple, but an asylum for the criminally insane isn’t the most pleasant place to investigate. With that, it’s also the most guarded asylum, set on an island. It’s almost impossible to stay unfound.

Martin Scorsese is playing Clue with his audience. A fort, morbid prisoners, no way out and hint after hint to lead us to the suspect. It’s a thriller and it gives you a creepy feeling. The patient are really messed up. The atmosphere is unpleasant, which is good for the movie experience.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo form a steady base as agents. Especially DiCaprio seems to grow in every role he plays for Scorsese. Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow are probably the stars, although they have smaller roles.

“Shutter Island” is a fantastic thriller, with great twists. It’s actually one of my favorite Scorsese film.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

00s Movie Review - Howl's Moving Castle

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Genre: Animation/ Adventure/ Romance/ Fantasy

Runtime: 119 minutes

Year: 2004

Starring: Christian Bale, Jeanne Simmons, Emily Mortimer, Billy Crystal, Blythe Danner, Lauren Bacall, Josh Hutcherson, Jena Malone

Description: When an unconfident young woman (Emily Mortimer) is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch (Lauren Bacall), her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard (Christian Bale) and his companions in his legged, walking castle.  

Review: Within the field of Japanese animated film or anime there is an enormous variety of genres, and a dazzling difference in quality. While Foxkids daily bombards youthful viewers with yet another uninspired Pokémon clone, films from the renowned Studio Ghibli are screened at prestigious film festivals. Hayao Miyazaki is considered the master within the anime world, and rightly so. “Howl’s Moving Castle”, an adaptation of the book by British fantasy author Diana Wynne Jones, will not achieve a classis status, but is again a wonderful animation.

“Howl’s Moving Castle” is set in an imaginary Central European kingdom at the beginning of the 20^th century, a fairy tale variant of Austria or Hungary. The worlds of magic and industry are still intertwined: while people are already moving by steam train and flying machine, the enigmatic wizard Howl hides his walking castle amidst the misty mountains. That castle is a true piece of Miyazaki’s art: a giant, pulsating huddle of metal and wood, held together and propelled by a demonic force.

The timid young seamstress Sophie accidentally comes into contact with Howl himself, and is therefore transformed by his enemy, the Witch of the Waste, into an ancient female. To break the spell, she sets off in her new form on her way to the mountains: to find Howl, or another magician who can break her spell.

As an old Sophie finds out that although her body no longer cooperates, she has suddenly become a lot more balanced and is no longer surprised by a lot of things. She finds Howl’s castle and in no time at all makes herself a housekeeper. Together with the little boy Markl and the fire demon Calcifer, she forms the entourage of the charming but freaky Howl, who sets off at night to face the advancing war in the region. Little by little, Sophie finds out what magical powers are at work in the kingdom and what the alliance between Howl and Calcifer means. And as always with Miyazaki, hardly anyone is who he seems at first sight.

Another ingredient in every Miyazaki movie are the wonderful and often funny characters, and in “Howl’s Moving Castle” too. An absolute favorite is Calcifer, the mighty demon that sees itself reduced to a cozy fire. He is hilarious and endearing at the same time. But the contrast withing the main characters is great. Especially Howl remains a sketchy figure who does not really come to life, even though he is provided with a complex background story. Why he cares so much about the war and what all this has to do with his monstrous side, remains in the dark. There are many elements and characters in the film that are not really well-executed. This makes the story more obscure. The film loses a bit of logic towards the end.  

All this does not alter the fact that “Howl’s Moving Castle” is still worth watching. It’s not a masterpiece, like many of Miyazaki’s films are, but it can still easily enchant an audience with its beautiful animation and images.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 63: Lars and the Real Girl

Director: Craig Gillespie
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2007
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, Patricia Clarkson

Description: A delusional young man (Ryan Gosling) strikes up an unconventional relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet.
Review: Lars is different. He is afraid of human contact, he says it even hurts him physically when they touch him. Off course this stands in the way of a relationship for Lars. A co-worker shows him a website where they seel real life dolls. In a scene that is both very endearing and hilarious, Lars introduces his new ‘girlfriend’ Bianca to his brother Gus and sister in law Karen. Gus thinks Lars has lost his mind and they take him to a doctor. She advices them to play along, because to Lars, Bianca is real.
It’s funny to see the ‘relationship’ between Lars and Bianca. But at the same time you see how happy Lars is and how he is slowly coming out of his shell and is opening up more. And I love the fact that his family, his co-workers and everyone in his town play along and accept Lars for who he is. At first they don’t know what to do with the situation, but out of love for Lars they go with it.
Ryan Gosling delivers a wonderful performance as Lars. Gosling is a very handsome, okay sexy, man. It’s great to see him as a shy, dorky, character. It’s really hard not to like Lars, even with his quirks. Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider and Patricia Clarkson are all very strong as well.
“Lars and the Real Girl” is a fantasticly heartfelt film, whimsical and touching at the same time.

Rating: 5/ 5