Tag Archives: Simon Farnaby

The Magic Faraway Tree – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While the story has little depth, you can’t help but get caught up in the wonder of this fantastic world.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene, and an end-credit sting, but you don’t need to stay for the end.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

The family coming over a rise.

The Magic Faraway Tree Review Introduction

Today, we look at a very peculiar film. In talking with people, it’s clear that the original Enid Blyton stories hold a special nostalgic place in many childhoods. I didn’t read it as a child, so I’m not coming into this film with those baked-in feelings. On the plus side, I don’t have those years of built-in wonder that could be devastated by changes in the story, but then I don’t have that connection built in, ready to engage that suspension of belief from the outset. That history is what frames my experience with the film today.   

So, to set the scene, Tim (Andrew Garfield) and Polly Thompson (Claire Foy) are trying to raise their family, Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy), Fran (Billie Gadsdon) & Joe (Phoenix Laroche), in a modern world that fosters disconnection. When Polly gets fired from her job, because she discovered her Fridge (Judi Dench) project was being used nefariously, the family comes to a crossroads. Taking a gamble, they dive into the wilderness of the English countryside, to the village of Netherbridge, to live out one of their dreams in their dream journal. The kids are not a fan of their new barn house, which does not have electricity, let alone wi-fi. But when Fran gets an invitation to visit the enchanted woods, which everyone says is dangerous, well, she can’t help but see what is there to discover.

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Paddington in Peru – Movie Review

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TL;DR – While it has not reached the heights of its predecessors, it was still a joy to be back in this world.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid and end-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Paddington in Peru Review –

Few films series have hit such high expectations as the Paddington series, especially after just two films. Paddington 1 will always hold a special place in my heart because of getting to watch it with friends at a drive in one day and the joy that came with it. I don’t think I need to tell you about Paddington 2, given its impact on the film landscape. I mean, it was an entire plot point in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. But can they make it a hat trick? That is what we will find out today.

So, to set the scene, there have been a lot of changes to the Brown household. Henry (Hugh Bonneville) has a new boss, Madison (Hayley Atwell), who has told him he has to embrace risk. Judy (Madeleine Harris) has begun looking for a University, Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) has gone full-teenage and spends all his time in his room, and Mary (Emily Mortimer) is struggling with the coming empty next. But Paddington (Ben Whishaw) has just gotten his British citizenship and passport, which was just in time because The Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman) of The Home for Retired Bears in Peru writes to let everyone know that Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) not well. The Brown family rush to Peru, but when they get there, they find out that Aunt Lucy is missing and only Paddington might know where she has gone.

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Wonka – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A delightful romp through Wonka’s past, full of musical energy and more than a few full-belly laughs.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

An overhead shot of dancers making a W out of umbrellas.

Wonka Review –

I am going to be perfectly honest with you from the start, when I heard that there was going to be a prequel based on the back story of Willy Wonka, I could not help but roll my eyes. The constant francisation of the cinema landscape has led to many of these projects that just feel like they are going through the motions rather than having anything interesting to say. However, now that I have seen it, I am glad to say that I was wrong.

So to set the scene, we open as Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) arrives in a mysteriously unnamed European City. He has spent the past few years sailing around the globe, finding the best combinations for chocolates, and he is now ready to share them with the work at the famous Galleries Gourmet. But Wonka has a kind view of the world and is not prepared to be crushed by the Chocolate Cartel run by Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Prodnose (Matt Lucas), and Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton). Nor does he read the small print before taking a room in Scrubbit’s (Olivia Colman) Laundry as recommended by Bleacher (Tom Davis), a less-than-savoury individual. However, just when things are at their lowest is when you can really shine, and his new friend Noodle (Calah Lane) helps him find that.

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