Paddington 2 (2017)
Genre: Adventure
Director: Paul King
Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Sally Hawkins, Ben Whishaw, Michael Gambon, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Joanna Lumley, Peter Capaldi, Imelda Staunton
Duration: 103 minutes
Class: PG
KRS Releasing Ltd

The marmalade-loving bear returns for more adventures in Paddington 2.

The sequel to the 2014 live action/CGI animated adventure film, based on the stories of Paddington Bear by Michael Bond, once again features a who’s-who of British stars – from Hugh Grant to Joanna Lumley, promising a good dose of laughter amid all the  madcap adventure.

In this film set in London, Paddington undertakes a number of odd jobs to afford a unique pop-up book from an antique book shop – a present for Aunt Lucy on her 100th birthday.

But before Paddington can save enough to buy it, the book is stolen by a local past-his-prime actor (Hugh Grant), who has a much darker reason for wanting it. It is then up to Paddington and the Brown family,  with whom he lives in Windsor Gardens, to find the thief.

The film, to be released in the UK and Malta on Friday, has already received rave reviews.

Helen O’Hara of Time Out described it as “a family adventure that’s the right sort of heartwarming, delivering real human emotion through the medium of a small bear”.

Olly Richards of Empire magazine described it as “a pure delight, as sweet and sharp as marmalade and wrote: “Paddington 2 should be prescribed as an antidote to anyone who finds the madness of the modern world a bit wearing. It’s probably possible to not absolutely love it but it’s hard to see how.”

Guy Lodge of Variety  commented: “Conceived once more with bounding wit, kindness and visual imagination by writer-director Paul King, Paddington 2 is another near-’pawfect’ family entertainment, honouring the cozy, can-do spirit of [Micheal] Bond’s stories while bringing them smoothly into a bustling, diverse 21st-century London.”

On a perhaps slightly pessimistic note, Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter, wrote: “Paddington 2 won’t save the world, sadly, but it's existence makes everything just that tiny bit better and more, well, bearable.”

Ratings
IMDB: 9.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Empire: 5 stars

Breathe (2017)
Genre: Drama
Director: Andy Serkis
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Hugh Bonneville, Tom Hollander, Ed Speleers, Ben Lloyd-Hughes
Duration: 118 minutes
Class: 12A
KRS Releasing Ltd

Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy lead by example in Breathe.

Andy Serkis, best known for his performance capture roles such as the Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboot, makes his directorial debut with this biopic.

The drama tells the story of Robin Cavendish (Andrew Garfield), who after contracting polio at the age of 28, is confined to a bed and given only months to live.

With help from his wife Diana (Claire Foy) and her twin brothers, and the groundbreaking ideas of inventor Teddy Hall (Hugh Bonneville), Cavendish emerges from the hospital ward and devotes the rest of his life to helping fellow patients and the disabled.

The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and has been shown at several other festivals since then, earned mixed reviews.

Helen O’Hara of Empire magazine wrote: “There's a hint of comforting, chocolate-box, Sunday-night TV here, but it’s delivered via such quietly powerful performances and with such hope that it's hard to resist.”

Michael Ordona of Common Sense Media said: “In his directorial debut, Serkis keeps the focus tightly on the characters – and reaps the rewards, especially from Foy’s superb performance as Diana.”

Others were, however, less overwhelmed. Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times wrote: “This exceptional life is smothered by a cloying fairy tale romance that turns every challenge the couple faces into a lark.”

The film was released in the UK on October 27 but still has to open in major markets around the world.

Ratings
IMDB: 6.9
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Empire: 3 stars

A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)
Genre: Comedy
Director: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Christine Baranski, Susan Sarandon, Cheryl Hines, Jay Hernandez
Duration: 104 minutes
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

It’s not all cheer for Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Kathryn Hahn in A Bad Moms Christmas.

The wild gang of mothers from Bad Moms (2016) returns.

Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn reprise their roles as under-appreciated and overburdened mothers Amy, Kiki and Karla respectively.

This time, they rebel against the challenges and expectations of Christmas. As if creating the perfect holiday for their families is not hard enough, they will have to do it while hosting and entertaining their own mothers (Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines and Susan Sarandon) when they come to visit.

The film did not go down very well with critics, although a few liked it. Such as Joyce Slayton of Common Sense Media, who wrote: “Maybe it’s the beer and shots talking, or maybe the Christmas lights are casting a twinkly holiday glow, but this outing is a little bit sweeter than – if just as filthy as – the original.”

The critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “Featuring twice the moms but roughly half the laughs, A Bad Moms Christmas is a slapdash holiday sequel that falls short of the original with a disappointing dearth of good cheer.”

Released on November 1, the comedy has so far grossed $28 million worldwide.

Ratings
IMDB: 5.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 31%
Empire: N/A