By Susan Granger
Special to WestportNow
A few years after his first adventure, “Paddington 2,” the red-hatted, blue-raincoated, marmalade-scarfing bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) has settled into a new life in London’s Windsor Gardens with his adoptive parents, the Browns (Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins).
Since his beloved Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton), an Anglophile who still lives in Darkest Peru, is celebrating her 100th birthday, Paddington wants to send her a rare book of famous London landmarks, described as a “popping book” by Mr. Gruber (Jim Broadbent), the antiques dealer.
But before Paddington can earn enough money, the expensive book is stolen by prissy Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant), an aging actor who has been reduced to doing dog food commercials.
What dastardly devious Phoenix knows that Paddington doesn’t is that the seemingly innocuous pop-up book is really a secret treasure map, so he frames Paddington for the theft.
Dispatched to prison, Paddington finds himself living with intimidating inmates like the snarling chef, Knuckles McGinty (Brendan Gleeson) — or “Nuckel’s” as it’s misspelled on his tattooed fists — whom Paddington wins over with — what else? — marmalade!
Meanwhile, the émigré bear’s friends and family (Julie Walters, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin) work diligently for his release, much to the dismay of Mr. Curry (Peter Capaldi), the neighborhood’s odious Britain-firster.
Continuing his witty live-action adaptation of Michael Bond’s series of whimsical children’s books, writer/director Paul King, teaming with co-writer Simon Farnaby, carry on the elaborately endearing slapstick silliness, replete with imaginative interludes and inventive, colorful sets.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Paddington 2” is an adorable, thoroughly enjoyable 8, reinforcing the sublime belief: “If you’re kind and polite, the world will be right.”
Daniel Day-Lewis is one of our finest actors; each performance is precisely researched, resulting in absolute authenticity. In “Phantom Thread,” he’s eccentric, self-absorbed Reynolds Woodcock, a British fashion designer.
In the 1950s, lavish haute couture was revered by rich women and royalty, along with the couturiers. Impeccable, imperious Woodcock demands that his elegant London town house home/office revolves around his whims. Breakfast is silent: no crunching toast or idle chatter.
Woodcock’s domineering perfectionism is supported by his omnipresent spinster sister/business partner Cyril (Lesley Manville), who dismisses his mistresses when he tires of them.
When he spies a young waitress, Alma (Vicky Krieps), in a countryside cafe, Woodcock impulsively decides she will be his new muse/model, proclaiming her broad shoulders, small breasts and belly are “perfect.”
So Alma moves into his hermetic existence, proud to have the strength and stamina to stand for hours while he meticulously uses her lithe body to fit gorgeous gowns, often stitching secret embroidered messages into the fabric’s lining.
But, soon, her passive/aggressive presence becomes disruptive within the House of Woodcock. Which leads to an overt, psychopathic twist, even as Woodcock, who is haunted by the memory of his mother, indulges in a petulant, jealous pique when a longtime patron buys from a rival.
It’s all about a tortured, misogynistic artist who revers his creativity, controlling and abusing those around him, following the same theme as Darren Aronofsky’s ill-fated “Mother!”
Auteur Paul Thomas Anderson (“There Will Be Blood,” “The Master,” “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia”) has crafted a bizarrely superficial Gothic romance, paying sinister homage to Alfred Hitchcock, whose wife’s name was Alma.
Woodcock’s character was inspired by monastic Cristobal Balenciaga and Charles James, who was known to punish misbehaving couture clients. And kudos to production designer Mark Tildesley, costumer Mark Bridges, and music by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood.
On the Granger Gauge, “Phantom Thread” is a strange, shallow 6 — despite charismatic Daniel Day-Lewis’s immersive performance.
In the 1970s, the ethnic subgenre of action thrillers, starring black actors, was known as “Blaxpolitation” films. Exemplified by “Shaft,” “Cleopatra Jones” and “Foxy Brown,” they were originally aimed an urban audiences, but their appeal spread.
Now — with the rise of fighting female characters — Taraji P. Henson (“Hidden Figures,” TV’s “Empire”) takes the titular role in “Proud Mary,” a ruthless African-American assassin who feels guilty about one particular hit for the Boston Mob.
After killing his father, Mary does little to keep orphaned Danny (Jashi Di’Allo Winston) out of trouble — until she discovers him unconscious in an alley. Taking him home, she goes after the culprits, involving Mary’s boss Benny (Danny Glover), his feckless son Tom (Billy Brown) and, above all, her desire to discard the badass lifestyle that she’s sick of.
Working from a simplistic script, cobbled together by Steve Antin, John Stuart Newman and Christian Swegal, director Babak Najafi (“London Has Fallen”) never gets Mary’s Maserati in gear. The pacing’s poor and the lighting’s either too bright or too dark.
Plus, John Fogerty’s adamant that his 1969 hit song with Creedence Clearwater Revival and “Proud Mary” have nothing in common, noting: “It irks me when people capitalize on the popularity of my music and the good will it has earned for their own financial gain … They simply picked the title and wrote a completely fictitious story around it.”
Fogarty clarified: “I wrote the song about a mythical riverboat, cruising on a mythical river, in a mythical time. It was obviously a metaphor about leaving painful, stressful things behind for a more tranquil and meaningful life … Far from a story about killing people for money.”
FYI: The term “Blaxploitation” was coined by former publicist-turned-Los Angeles’ NAACP head Junius Griffin.
On the Granger Gauge, “Proud Mary” is an unfocused, faulty 4. Talented Taraji P. Henson deserves a better franchise.
(Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
