Today then was a me day -and well deserved it was too!
What did I do? I took daughter, Emilie, and Mrs. Sparky to see Paddington.
Paddington is quite simply one of the most sublime and enjoyable kids films of this year. The lovable bear whose antics have become famous the world over in print for several decades now gets a well deserved and long awaited make-over, and even something of a back story that he was always lacking before.
Though not as upsetting as the first half hour of Up, Paddington begins with a hint of tragedy. Paddington's Uncle is killed during an earthquake and the young bear is sent off on a trip to London by his Aunt Lucy alone because it is what his Aunt and Uncke had always intended to do but just never found the time.
Though assured of a warm welcome, Paddington (who isn't called that yet) soon finds London less friendly than he expected and it is only when he decides he has no option but to sleep in a bin that he encounters the Browns. Reluctantly, they agree to take him in for the night, but he quickly becomes one with the family as they all attempt to do their best to track down the famous explorerer who first met his Aunt Lucy many years ago and regaled her with stories all about the delights of London, England.
Add Peter Capaldi as an annoying neighbour, Jim Broadbent in a cameo as Mr.Gruber ( who doesn't get enough screen time here - more in a sequel, please), and Nicole Kidman as a nefarious taxidermist and what you get is a fun-filled family romp that will amuse and entertain both adults and children alike.
What's more - there is a veritable who's who of cameos from all manner of British comedy actors, the like of which you will no doubt recognise from various sketch shows even if you don't know their names, and in this, the film at times becomes almost like a throwback to the golden age of British comedy films from days gone by.
I loved it, Emilie roared with laughter despite having seen it already with my mum, and Mrs. Sparky was likewise throughly impressed.
A winner all round...
The second film I watched tonight was Thor:the dark world.
I'm not a big fan of the Thor films, but I kind of felt like I had to watch it as it forms part of the Infinity Stone storyline and I had already seen the aftermath in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
I actually quite enjoyed this one - more than the first at any rate - though one of the funniest bits is when Thor falls through a portal, has to get back to Greenwich, and has to take the Tube.
"How do I get to Greenwich from here?" He asks.
"Take this train for three stops," is the reply.
Once again, there is a very British connection and funnily enough, one of the random cameo actors from Paddington turns up here as well. The bonus extra scene at the end features Benicio Del Toro as The Collector, long before his appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy (more on that another day) and as per usual, this film is yet another good example of Marvel doing what they do best: giving the audience the usual Earth-under-threat crisis whilst continuing to build their ever expanding universe.
It's all pretty standard stuff, but there's nothing wrong with that and Stan Lee once more impresses with his usual cameo.
Though not my favourite of the many Marvel films I have seen (I'm now up to date), Thor: The dark world is slightly better than okay and that rates it above the first film at least.
More soon...
No comments:
Post a Comment