[Cali Panthers Fan]

I realized that I have a few reviews to catch up on from my holiday viewing:

Holmes & Watson: *disclaimer-I am a huge fan of Reilly and Ferrell together in anything. They have exceptional comedic chemistry together and that alone is worth watching*.

Ok, let’s be real, this isn’t a good movie by any stretch, but it is terribly fun to watch. Some gags are stale, and others are played out too long, but the good stuff is very funny. Simply watching these two very American actors attempt what are obviously silly versions of English accents was quite fun. A few parts of the film are meant to lampoon the Robert Downey Jr. films on Holmes, and so this was clearly written a while ago. Those jokes feel stale, even if well executed. There are also a lot of plot devices and minor characters that are half heartedly developed with confusing results. Let’s get real, this is a vehicle to allow two comedians to be silly together on screen for less than 90 minutes. The short run time is clearly due to over editing a full on mess from day one. It’s sloppy and disjointed.

BUT, and this is a huge but, there are plenty of laughs and silliness to be found. If you’re in the mood for this kind of movie, watch it. You’ll find enough to be entertained. Just don’t pay much for it.

3/10

Mary Poppins Returns:

This is a brave film to make. It’s almost on the level of making a sequel to Citizen Kane or Gone With the Wind. Hallowed ground to be sure. However, this is a surprisingly lovely movie. Charming and impish, Blunt’s version of Poppins falls much closer to the books (which I am currently reading to my son so I have been comparing it to the Andrews version of Poppins a lot). She’s not the singer that Andrews is (nobody is), but she brings her own charm to the role. My big gripe is that it follows nearly the same plot as the first film, just slightly different situations. There is some more intense gravitas with the loss of the children’s mother, which is explored beautifully in one of the songs, but there’s no big moment between father and children the way there is in the first film.

The look of the film is incredible, and the musical numbers are adequate, but hardly memorable. Lin-Manuel Miranda as Jack gives a major shot in the arm to the Everyman character that is foil to Poppins’ austerity and brings her out of her shell. He isn’t the goofball of the first film, but rather an earnest and plucky guy that simply enjoys life and is ready to lend a helping hand to anyone and everyone.

Meryl Streep’s small role is decent enough, but too goofball for my liking. However, I’m sure kids will like it. It has a vague Harry Potter feel to it.

Emily Mortimer is completely wasted and forced into a story that has no room for her character. It would have been much better for it simply to be grown Michael and children, rather than bring Jane in to attempt a full revival of the old days. More time could have been spent on the difficulties of Michael being a father and perhaps reflecting on the parenting style he learned from his father. That was a major theme of the first film, and it could have been explored with great emotional impact. A huge missed opportunity IMO.

But at the end, people are going to this film to see magic, whimsy, and most of all, something fun. This film delivers that, but not overwhelmingly so. In the end, I enjoyed it, but it won’t stay with me long.

7/10

The Favourite:

A thoroughly engaging film from beginning to end, even though it boils down to little more than junior high school girl politics. All of Colman, Stone, and Weiss deliver exceptional performances throughout. Much of the film rests on their capable shoulders, and they play off each other so well. Colman is especially good in this film. The supporting cast is all very good as well, especially Nicholas Hoult. It’s a beautiful film to watch. Just a handful of locations/rooms, but all exquisitely decorated. Exceptional costume work as well. The lighting appears to be all natural lighting (either sunlight or fire/candle light) which makes for a mood that feels very authentic and intense at times. Too much use of fish eye lenses for my liking though.

This is a truly funny movie, with lots of dark sarcasm and scathing remarks back and forth. It’s somewhat serious as well, based loosely on historical events and people. But this is the kind of dark humor that is accessible to an audience, rather than the severe and uncomfortable humor of The Lobster. Some anachronistic items are included to help the audience relate a little more to the film, and I think it’s used just enough to be effective without being heavy handed.

If period pieces with sharp wit as the main weapon being used isn’t your thing, stay away, but otherwise, check this one out. You won’t be sorry.

9/10.