Movie Review: PADDINGTON 2

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington
Director: Paul King
Genre: Family/Adventure
Rating: G
Australian Release Date: 21/12/2017

I was lucky enough to win a family pass to an Advance Screening of PADDINGTON 2, pretty exciting given how amazing the first movie was! This was one of the movies that Mr 10 and I both wanted to see, so I was entering all the competitions I could, and it paid off. The first movie was delightful from start to finish; I reviewed it back in 2014 when it came out and you can check out my PADDINGTON review here.

If you're going to see Paddington 2, I'd recommend watching Paddington first, because it's brilliant and you'll have a better appreciation for the sequel. But even if you haven't seen the first flick, you'll have no trouble understanding Paddington 2. 

Here's the official synopsis:
The much-anticipated sequel to the worldwide hit family film finds Paddington happily settled with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens, where he has become a popular member of the community, spreading joy and marmalade wherever he goes. While searching for the perfect present for his beloved Aunt Lucy’s hundredth birthday, Paddington spots a unique pop-up book in Mr. Gruber’s antique shop and embarks upon a series of odd jobs to buy it. But when the book is stolen, it’s up to Paddington and the Browns to unmask the thief.

I found this movie to be just as captivating as the first one. Paddington Bear is charming as usual, and the movie looks beautiful, from start to finish. It's also very funny! From a kid's perspective, the story is straightforward and easy to follow and the 'sad bits' are kept to a 'bear' minimum (sorry, couldn't help myself). This is a perfect blend of live action and CGI animation; Paddington looks very real and very cute. He's so easy to fall in love with, and you end up really wanting things to work out for him. This is a bear who is decent and kind-hearted, with really good manners. Hugh Grant is quite entertaining in his over-the-top role as Phoenix Buchanan, Hugh Bonneville seems to have gotten himself into shape since the first movie (which I immediately noticed, lol) and I have to  say, watching Sally Hawkins in this makes me want to finally see her acclaimed film, Happy-Go-Lucky. We took my son and his friend along and they both really enjoyed Paddington 2. With the school holidays approaching, put this one on your list of movies to take the kids to. It's a feel-good adventure the whole family will appreciate and I highly recommend it!

Fun Fact: Hugh Bonneville, who plays Henry Brown, was born in Paddington, UK!

You may be interested in Max My Movies: August Round-Up!

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Will you be seeing Paddington 2? Who's your favourite bear?

Max My Movies: October Wrap-Up!

Well. This shouldn't take long, because I only saw five movies in October! Which totally means I accomplished one of my October Goals though, so yay, I guess! I'll be posting the movie reviews I wrote on my Letterboxd account, with some extra notes thrown in for good measure.

MINIONS

Stars: (voices of) Sandra Bullock, John Hamm, Michael Keaton, Jennifer Saunders
Genre: Family/Comedy/Animation

Jesus Christ, you guys. I was ready to hate these annoying little fuckers. But blow me down if I didn't find the yellow idiots moderately cute. Hey, they made my son laugh, although so do farts. I actually enjoyed the '60's soundtrack, although this is WAY WAY WAY before my time. Okay?
3 stars

Notes - If your kids loved the Despicable Me movies, they will surely have fun with Minions.

JUPITER ASCENDING

Stars: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne 
Genre: Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure

This was shit but at least there was guyliner and Channing Tatum with wings. I ate a Mars Bar whilst suffering through this film and the Mars Bar was good.
1.5 stars

Notes - If you're a Mila Kunis fan you may enjoy this, but it is a bit of a ridiculous mess.

PIXELS

Stars: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad
Genre: Comedy/Action

It's no secret that overall, this film is terrible. I pretty much cringed non-stop for the first 45 minutes. Peter Dinklage is just awful in this. Josh Gad screams his way through the entire film, yet for me he was probably the best thing about Pixels. Michelle Monaghan can get fucked and don't even get me started on Sandler. Oh I almost forgot. Kevin James plays the role of US President, that's how redonkulous this film is. My son enjoyed Pixels, so maybe you have to be 8 to get it. Thank Christ I won a free double pass, because if I had to pay to watch Pixels, I would be seriously depressed right now.
1.5 stars

Notes - I think Adam Sandler stopped caring years ago, but it's never more evident than in this movie.

THE WAY WAY BACK

Stars: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Alison Janney, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Amanda Peet
Genre: Comedy/Drama

How weird is it seeing nice guy (well that's my perception of him!) Steve Carell playing an arsehole? It's unsettling and reminds me I still need to see Foxcatcher, so I can freak myself out some more. This is a beautiful coming-of-age film, that's touching and heartwarming. Sam Rockwell's character is a joy to behold!
4 stars

Notes - I cried a fair bit. But in a good way!

INTERSTELLAR

Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain
Genre: Sci-Fi/Drama/Adventure


Flipping long and I still hate Anne Hathaway. But apart from that, it's epic and reminds me of 2001: A Space Odyssey. *smacks Matt Damon on the bum*

4 stars

Notes - This is well worth seeing. You won't be disappointed (hopefully!).

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Have you seen any good movies lately?

Movie Review: PADDINGTON

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Nicole Kidman, Peter Capaldi, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, voice of Ben Whishaw.
Genre: Family/Comedy

Today we took Mr. 7 to see PADDINGTON. He found the movie trailer hilarious and I thought it was rather cute, so I engaged mission 'win tickets to Paddington', which thankfully, was successful!

This family movie was delightful from start to finish. It's very funny in parts, but also carries a level of charm and emotion throughout. I was mightily impressed by the artistic quality of the film. Every frame looked beautiful, and it was a visually rich and stunning experience.

The story was engaging, Paddington was endearing and Nicole Kidman was certainly evil as the Taxidermist. Doctor Who fans will notice Peter Capaldi is in this, and my keen-eyed son kept saying "he looks a LOT like Doctor Who!" which elicited many chuckles from fellow cinegoers. This is a wonderful film for all ages, and I'm pretty sure my husband and I loved it as much as my son. Paddingon is still in cinemas, so go catch this red hat wearing, marmalade-loving bear while you still can. You won't be disappointed!

Fun Family Flicks!

My seven year old son loves going to the movies. We've been taking him since he was about four (back in the fidgety, stand up and dance during the film days), so he's quite an old hand now, and sits through the whole movie, albeit with a fair few whispered questions for us throughout. Recently, we had two Movie Double days, where we saw two kid-friendly films on the same day (thanks to family passes I'd won and Weekend Family Flicks days at our local EVENT cinema, where all tickets were only $6). Here's the round-up!

RIO 2
The sequel to RIO, this colourful, animated film sees Blu, Jewel and their three cute kids move from the city to the wild Amazon jungle. My son loved this film. It's bright, fun and there's plenty of humour and musical sequences. The voice cast includes Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, will.i.am, Jamie Foxx, Tracy Morgan and Leslie Mann.

POSTMAN PAT: THE MOVIE
I may have enjoyed this one more than my son, and if you're a fan of the TV show, this would be up your alley. There are evil clone-robots though, which may be scary for some kids. Featuring the voices of Stephen Mangan, Ronan Keating, Jim Broadbent, Rupert Grint and David Tennant, this film centres around a TV talent show, so there's plenty of entertaining musical numbers to keep youngsters and their parents engaged.

PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE
This Disney film is a sequel to Planes (itself a spin-off from the Cars franchise), and it centres around Dusty Crophopper, a racer whose gearbox has hit the skids. Consequently, travels to Piston Peak and trains to join the Fire and Rescue crew instead. My son really enjoyed this one. Planes: Fire & Rescue has great computer animation and an interesting story with plenty of heart. The extensive voice talent includes Dane Cook, Stacy Keach, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher, Cedric the Entertainer, Hal Holbrook, Julie Bowen and Ed Harris.

THE HOUSE OF MAGIC
Despite a promising start (The Cure's 'Love Cats' features), I was not enchanted by The House of Magic. Cute kitty Thunder is abandoned, and when looking for a place to live finds an old mansion, owned by a retired Magician. He moves in, much to the displeasure of Jack Rabbit and Maggie Mouse. The House of Magic is visually beautiful, so this may dazzle younger viewers, but for me there was just something missing. The voice cast are basically unknown. My son said this was his least favourite film out of the bunch.

Do your kids love going to the cinema?

School Holiday Movie: FROZEN (3D)

Starring (voices of): Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Alan Tudyk.
Genre: Family/Animated

We took Zachary to see FROZEN in 3D over the weekend. I went into the theatre completely clueless about the story and the cast, as you do when it's more about your kids having fun than yourself, but it really was an enjoyable movie for the whole family. I'd won an Admit 4, so we took my Mother In Law, too, and she didn't even fall asleep like she usually does! 

FROZEN features lots of singing, kid-friendly Disney characters, an epic journey up a freezing cold, snowy mountain, with plenty of adventure and laughs along the way. Olaf, the snowman, was pretty funny, especially when singing about his eagerness to experience the heat of Summer. Say what? Yes, a snowman with a penchant for Summer. LOL. I thought some of the scenes may have been too sad for my son, who's 6, but he was fine, and came out of the movie saying it was "really good".

There's an awesome Disney short called 'Get a Horse' playing before the film, which expertly combines black and white cartoon-style Mickey Mouse with start of the art modern 3D effects. I was very impressed! Make sure you're not late to FROZEN, as you won't want to miss this amazing short.

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

Starring: (voices) Zac Efron, Danny DeVito, Taylor Swift, Ed Helms, Betty White
Genre: Animation/Family/Fantasy

The Lorax is set in the walled-in city of Thneedville, where everything is artificial. 12 year old Ted (Zac Efron) sets out on a mission to acquire a real tree, to win the affections of the girl of his dreams, Audrey. He travels out of town to visit the Once-ler, and attempts to undo the devastation the Once-ler caused when he ignored the protests of the Lorax and let his greediness reign. However, the Mayor of Thneedville is hell-bent on stopping Ted, since his profits are based on exploiting the city's environmental collapse.


The characters are brought to life by great voice work from the cast, and fantastic computer-animation. The hair on these characters, in particular, is just amazing. The film is colourful and just gorgeous to look at. This is one of those movies where hubby and I were just as entertained as our four year old son. A great film, that also comes with a strong environmental message, and a good one to see as a family.


Fun Facts: 12 year old Ted is named after Theodor Seuss Geisel, Dr. Seuss's real name. And Audrey (played by Taylor Swift) is named after Audrey Geisel, Dr. Seuss' wife. (source: wikipedia)

Did you catch this one at the cinema?

The Muppets

Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Jack Black, Kermit, Miss Piggy
Genre: Family/Comedy

For anyone who grew up watching The Muppet Show on TV, this is an awesome film. Featuring old favourites Kermit The Frog and Miss Piggy, as well as Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Rowlf The Dog, Bunsen, Beaker, Scooter, Animal, Swedish Chef and even old wise-cracking dudes Statler and Waldorf, The Muppets is entertaining, funny and just as enjoyable for adults as it is kids. My four year old managed to sit still through nearly the whole movie and was laughing out loud, despite never having seen the original show on which this film is based.

Jason Segel, Amy Adams and even baddie Chris Cooper are great in the many musical numbers peppered throughout, and Jack Black is funny as usual. Jason Segel (TV's How I Met Your Mother, as well as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up and Bad Teacher) has done a bang-up job writing this screenplay, for the Muppet characters ring true to how I remember them, all those years ago. Apparently, Segel approached Disney in 2007 to write a Muppets movie, because as an avid fan, he was concerned the younger generation were missing out on one of his childhood favourites.

If you have young kids, or even loved The Muppet Show when you were young, I highly recommend catching The Muppets while it's still in cinemas!

Let me know your thoughts below if you've seen it!

Santa's Apprentice

Starring: (voices) Shane Jacobson, Magda Szubanski, Delta Goodrem.
Genre: Animated, Family

Santa's Apprentice is being marketed as a "heart warming, animated adventure for the whole family". We follow the adventures of Nicholas, a seven year old Australian orphan, who because of his name and his pure heart, is chosen by Santa to become his apprentice.

To be completely honest, I did not enjoy this one bit. From the moment I smacked my eyes on the archaic animation, I was underwhelmed. The dialogue is corny and I know it's a kid's movie, but my four year old was bored shitless during this. For comparison, he loved The Smurfs and was much better behaved in the cinema. It seems they made this on a shoestring budget, for the voice cast is unimpressive and I just don't think there is any justification for the crappy animation displayed here, given the current technology available in this field. We have come so much further than this! I was disappointed, and honestly, I'm glad this was a short movie and I got to see previews for Arthur Christmas and Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked before the feature.