Paddington in Peru (2024)

After his aunt goes missing in Peru, Paddington must go back home to find her, as he gets mixed up with nuns and a riverboat captain on a quest to find El Dorado. If you're a fan of the others, it'll give you what you're looking for, but I didn't find myself as invested as the first two films and it hardly got an emotional response out of me. Most of the fun comes from Antonio Banderas as this entry's villainous lead. It's a cute adventure and the jungle scenery definitely pops on the big screen, but it's diminishing returns at this point.

2½ passport photos out of 5

Note: Emily Mortimer takes over the role of Mrs. Brown from Sally Hawkins, which probably accounts for why it feels so uneven compared to the others.

Paddington 2 (2017)

Paddington's second foray on the big screen picks up not long after the first film. Having fully integrated with his new found family, the titular talking bear takes up a series of odd jobs and is framed for a crime he didn't commit. This time around, Hugh Grant portrays the big bad as a clever master of disguise.

People seem to consider this one superior to the original (due to its 100% "fresh" score and a running gag in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent), but it feels like a much more derivative family film and much less "grounded" in reality. While the humor and warmth is consistent and it remains wholesome and charming, it was massively overhyped for me compared to the original.

3 pop-up books out of 5

Paddington (2014)

An extremely charming British film based on the children's book series of the same name. A talking bear in a red bucket hat and rain slicker migrates from the jungles of Peru to a London railway station where he is discovered and subsequently taken in by the Brown family. What follows is essentially a fish out of water story where Paddington attempts to assimilate with urban life, while trying to avoid a tricky taxidermist (played by Nicole Kidman) looking for her next trophy. It's a heartwarming family film that's perfect for kids of all ages and manages to get the characterization of the books right.

3½ marmalade sandwiches out of 5

THE DANISH GIRL [2015]

Director Tom Hooper delivers a dramatic portrayal of transgender operation patient pioneer Lili Elbe in the biographical drama The Danish Girl.
Set in the 1920's in Copenhagen, the film follows Elbe's and his wife's journey through the change from man to women and all the personal & physical complications it brings into their lives.
Despite it's wonderful performances (particularly Alicia Vikander), the film feels like it's a bit afraid to tackle it's subject matter and opts for a more safer route by merely scratching the surface.  There are moments of slight intimacy that feel a bit personal but it doesn't seem like it knows how to handle it with enough bravery.  Apart from it's beautiful photography and actors, The Danish Girl seems like it held back in order to play it safe come awards season.

3 scarves out of 5

THE LOBSTER [2015]

Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos' English language debut The Lobster retains his oddball, unsettling sense of humor firmly intact.
Set in a strange reality where single folks are sent to live in The Hotel, where they must find a significant other in 45 days or they are turned into an animal of their own choosing and left to fend for themselves in the woods.
Like Lanthimos's previous works, it's going to leave mainstream audiences feeling like they wasted their time but those looking for something off the beaten path, they've definitely come to the right place.  Each actor deliver such understated performances, they become hilariously surreal that even the weirdest moments seem subtly organic.
Something this bizarre doesn't usually look as cinematic as it does but like it's punchy classically flavored score, it constantly lets off whiffs of Kubrick.
Where the wild roses grow, indeed.

4 toasted fap hands out of 5