We take a look at this week’s top cinema releases
PADDINGTON (PG)
Rating: 4/5
More than 50 years after he first appeared in print, author Michael Bond’s beloved bear, Paddington, has finally arrived on the big screen in his first star-packed family adventure.
Upcoming director Paul King’s film lovingly weaves the traditional tenets of the duffel-coat-wearing bear’s story into a modern narrative.
Like the books, the film starts in deepest, darkest Peru, where a well-mannered three-foot bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) lives with his elderly Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) and Uncle Pastuzo (Michael Gambon).
In their youth, Lucy and Pastuzo were visited by a kindly English explorer who left his red hat with his furry friends.
When their home is threatened, Aunt Lucy packs her nephew off to the safety of London to track down the explorer, who has promised that there will always be a home for them in the capital.
Of course, after sailing the oceans in a boat filled with supplies of his treasured marmalade, the bear finds London isn’t actually that friendly.
In fact, it’s pretty miserable, what with the drizzly weather and glum commuters pushing and shoving their way out of Paddington station and ignoring his pleas for a home.
“Sorry, we haven’t got time for this,” cries worrywart Mr Brown (Hugh Bonneville), while his moody daughter, Judy (Madeleine Harris), exclaims she’s “embarrassed” to be near the small grisly, who has a “Please look after this bear” sign around his neck.
Luckily, warmhearted Mrs Brown (Sally Hawkins) and son Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) vow to take the furry chap home for the night.
Naming him Paddington after the station where they found him, the Browns introduce their guest to kindly housekeeper Mrs Bird (Julie Walters).
But disaster soon strikes when Paddington tries to freshen up in the bathroom, resulting in a flood, two earwax-stained toothbrushes and a sharp telling off.
Determined to find the explorer, Mrs Brown takes Paddington to see her friend Mr Gruber (Jim Broadbent), an antiques dealer who might have clues to his existence, but, in doing so, they attract the attention of cranky curtain twitcher Mr Curry (Peter Capaldi) and a slimy associate of villainous taxidermist Millicent (Nicole Kidman), who is hell-bent on “stuffing that bear”.
With Millicent determined to get her mitts on Paddington to display him in the Natural History Museum, the Browns find themselves on a humdinger of a cat and mouse chase to try and keep their furry friend safe.
As comforting and sweet as Paddington’s beloved marmalade, King’s delightful adaptation has heaps of heart and enough humour and carefully plotted cameos to ensure everyone more than grins and bears his adaptation.
HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 (15)
Rating: 2/5
Released in 2011, Horrible Bosses centred on three friends, who plotted to kill their sadistic employers and found self-respect in the process.
Sean Anders’ raunchy sequel flings that self-respect out of the window and subjects the same unfortunate characters to a barrage of potty-mouthed humiliations that might be tolerable if we could muster an iota of sympathy for anyone in this redundant and joyless mess.
The luminous Jennifer Aniston spends the entire film spouting sexually explicit obscenities as an aggressive alpha female with an addiction to sins of the flesh.
Our resistance to the sequel is resolute.
Best friends Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman), Dale Arbus (Charlie Day) and Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis) appear on Good Morning Los Angeles to launch their invention, Shower Buddy, which dispenses shampoo directly into the cascading water.
Burt Hanson (Christoph Waltz), multimillionaire owner of a giant mail-order retailer, places an initial order of 100,000 units.
Once the final Shower Buddy has been lovingly manufactured and packaged, Burt ruthlessly cancels his order and unveils a rip-off called Shower Pal, which is manufactured cheaper abroad.
“I hate to break it to you, but the American Dream is made in China,” grins Burt’s son Rex (Chris Pine).
Faced with financial ruin, Nick, Dale and Kurt foresee one way out: kidnap the younger Hanson and ransom the son for a small fortune.
Horrible Bosses 2 doesn’t work on any level. Ironically, filmmakers threw millions at this film and have created a poor excuse for a comedy.