Mary Poppins Returns

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Director: Rob Marshall
Writer: David Magee, Rob Marshall and John DeLuca (based on story by P.L Travers)
Released: December 2018
Starring: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Dick Van Dyke ,Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep

Well, I thought this was a scene-by-scene remake. That’s what the rumours said anyway.

However, as the title does actually suggest, this is a sequel. It follows the lives of Michael (Ben Whishaw) and Jane (Emily Mortimer) as adults – the brother and sister in the first film.

After the death of his wife, Michael’s repayments on the house lapsed. The bank demanded that he now pay up in full – which he can’t possibly afford.

Thankfully, Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) arrives just in time!

It’s a good thing you’ve come along when you did, Mary Poppins.

I have been looking forward to see this movie for ever! So as part of my hen do, we all went to watch it. It was such a magical day.

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It is a beautiful film; a real feel-good movie! I would absolutely recommend it to anyone needing cheering up.

I had to hold back the tears throughout most of the scenes because everything is just so beautiful!

Everything is possible, even the impossible.

Emily Blunt is 100% the only option to play Mary Poppins. Mary is a tough and tender character; maternal but fierce. And I think that’s Emily Blunt in a nutshell. Plus, who else is a triple threat – a singer, dancer and actress?

(Remaining ‘practically perfect’ on set was said to be difficult though!)

You’ll probably find that you adopt a frightfully posh English accent after the movie, and make promises to yourself that you will start dressing up and paying more attention to your hair style after watching Mary Poppins Returns.

Nothing. Such a useful word, isn’t it? It can mean anything and everything.

Apart from Mary, I’m sure the favourite character of many would be Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda) the cockney street lamp lighter. He’s happy and smiley and fun and wonderful!

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I adored Julie Walters too, but sadly Meryl Streep’s character was a tad too eccentric for my liking.

I’m not generally a musical fan, but I enjoyed this one. Every song is catchy and uplifting. Particularly ‘A Cover is not the Book‘ and ‘Trip a Little Light Fantastic‘, but the latter is 99% because of the choreography with the streetlights.

 

This is history in the making – you must go to see Mary Poppins Returns in the cinema. It’s simply the only way because it’s like a stage play.

Before you go to see it though, I’d recommend watching the original Mary Poppins as well as Saving Mr. Banks to fully appreciate the history of the Mary Poppins character.

I enjoyed the echoes in the first film, including the penguins, which were drawn in the traditional way – frame by frame – by the original Disney artists. Such a lovely touch!

100% must-see if you’re feeling blue.

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

 

Top 7: Live-Action Disney Remakes Coming Soon

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Disney has been creating films since 1923, beginning with an Alice in Wonderland cartoon series. But it wasn’t until 1937 that the memorable Snow White and the Seven Dwarves animation was released. Ever since then, Disney Studios has had a fairytale film career with many major successes.

I’m sure everyone holds a Disney animation close to their hearts because of its influence on our childhoods. (Mine is Sleeping Beauty (1959), which I grew up watching on VHS throughout the nineties.) Even today, children are still growing up watching Disney films.

Disney is continuing with its successful films about princesses and magic, but more live-action remakes of the classics are in development rather than brand new animated tales.

It seems we can’t stop loving the old stories. Or, perhaps the old-fashioned animations don’t fascinate the iPad-savvy kids of today.

 

WHAT REMAKES ARE COMING NEXT?
With rumours of The Lion King being remade as a live-action, I didn’t realise how many more are in the pipeline until I looked into it.

Most recently, the trailer for the film Mowgli was released by Warner Brothers.
(Although, does anyone else feel like this is an identical remake of Disney’s live-action The Jungle Book? Read about the twin movie phenomenon here.)

See if your favourite Disney picture is being remade as a live-action below.
Which one are you most excited for?

 

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Christopher Robin
(2018)
Remake of: Disney’s Winnie the Pooh (1966)
Although not my cup of tea, I appreciate that Winnie the Pooh is close to the hearts of many, and after watching the trailer (please see below) I expect to cry all the way through it anyway. This live-action film is directed by Marc Forster and will be released this coming August. Christopher Robin is all grown up in this film, and will be played by Ewen McGregor.

 

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Mary Poppins Returns
(2018)
Sequel to: Mary Poppins (1964)
Emily Blunt will star as Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins Returns, which is to be released at Christmas time this year. That’s 54 years after the original live-action Mary Poppins film, which is the longest gap between live-action film sequels in history. It’ll also star the beloved Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep and Ben Whishaw.  While not technically a remake, it is a live-action sequel of the beloved Mary Poppins.

 

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Dumbo
(2019)
Remake of: Dumbo (1941)
(Yeah, I’m put off by the above image too.) Dumbo, the live-action remake, will be released in March 2019 and directed by Tim Burton. Burton is a natural choice because he began his career on Disney’s Fox and the Hound (1981), co-produced James and the Giant Peach before directing Alice in Wonderland (2010) and Alice through the Looking Glass (2016). Dumbo will star Colin Farell, Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito.

 

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Aladdin
(2019)
Remake of: Aladdin (1992)
To be released in May 2019, this live-action remake will be directed by Guy Ritchie, co-written by John August (Big Fish) and will feature Will Smith as the genie (I miss Robin Williams!). However, there has been some controversy regarding casting, with complaints from fans of ‘white-washing’ after non-Arab, non-Middle Eastern actors were cast.

 

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The Lion King
(2019)
Remake of: The Lion King (1994)
To be released in July 2019, I’m sure this is one of the most anticipated live-action Disney films since the release of the animation in 1994. Directed by Jon Favreau (Elf) with Donald Glover cast as Simba, Beyonce as Narla, and Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan as Timon and Pumbaa respectively.

 

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Mulan
(2020)
Remake of: Mulan (1998)
I get told off frequently when I admit that I haven’t seen the original animated Mulan, but I hear it is a favourite for many. The storyline is different to all other Disney princess fairytales after all. Not much is known about the film yet but casting for Mulan appears to have been a bit of a drag as casting took place across five continents and 1000 people were auditioned for the iconic part. The director is New Zealand’s very own Niki Caro.

 

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Cruella
(TBC)
Spin off of: One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
We know jack about Cruella de Vil so far, only that Cruella will be played by the amazing Emma Stone. Strange choice, but I have full confidence that Emma Stone will be brilliant.

There are even more live-action Disney films in early development including Pinocchio, another Snow White film called Rose Red, and a Cinderella-based film called Prince Charming.

There’s a Lady and the Tramp live-action/CGI version coming out in 2019. This is to be directed by Charlie Bean.

The Little Mermaid is being made into a live-action three times! The first one is to be released is a loosely-based indie version, which is to come out in 2019. Universal is working on a version with Richard Curtis as the writer and starring Chloe Moretz, and Disney is in extremely early talks about their film.

There’s also two Peter Pan films in the making: Peter Pan is to be directed by David Lowery, and fans are crossing their fingers hoping that Tom Hiddleston will be cast as Captain Hook. The second Pan film is Tinker Bell, featuring Reece Witherspoon (originally Elizabeth Banks) as Tink!

(Thanks to time.com for the tip offs!)

TIMELINE OF THE DISNEY CLASSICS:
Which is your childhood favourite?

1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
1940Pinocchio
1941Dumbo
1942Bambi
1950Cinderella
– Disney’s first ever live-action film Treasure Island
1951 – Alice in Wonderland
1953Peter Pan
1955Lady and the Tramp
1959Sleeping Beauty
1961One Hundred and One Dalmatians
1964Mary Poppins (live-action)
1966Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
– Walt Disney dies on December 15 of lung cancer
1967The Jungle Book
1970 – The Aristocats
1973 – Robin Hood
1981 – The Fox and the Hound
First Disney home video released (Dumbo)
1989 – The Little Mermaid
1991 – Beauty and the Beast
1992 – Aladdin
1994 – The Lion King
1995 – Pocahontas, Toy Story
1996 – The Hunchback of Notre Dame, James and the Giant Peach, 101 Dalmations (live-action)
1997Hercules
          – First Disney DVDs released
1998MulanA Bug’s Life
1999 – Tarzan, Toy Story 2
2000 – The Emperor’s New Groove, 102 Dalmatians (live-action)
2001Monsters, Inc.
2002 Lilo & Stitch
2003 Finding Nemo
2004The Incredibles
2006Cars
            – Disney acquires Pixar studios
2007 – Ratatouille
2009 – Up, A Christmas Carol
2010Alice in Wonderland (live-action), Toy Story 3, Tangled
2012Wreck-It Ralph
2013Oz: The Great and Powerful (live-action), Monsters University, Frozen
2014Big Hero 6
2015Cinderella (live-action), Inside Out, Brave
2016 – The Jungle Book (live-action), Alice Through the Looking Glass (live-action), Finding Dory, The BFG (live-action), Moana
2017Beauty and the Beast (live-action)
2018 – The Incredibles 2
2019 – Toy Story 4, Frozen 2 

Along with the classics are well-known stories with a twist: Saving Mr Banks is the heartwarming  ‘behind the scenes’ story of Mary Poppins, while Maleficent is about the villain in Sleeping Beauty, and Into the Woods is a jumble of well-known fairytale characters in a musical.

Suffragette

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Director: Sarah Gavron
Writer: Abi Morgan
Released: October 2015 (Boxing Day in NZ though…)
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson, Anne-Marie Duff, Ben Whishaw and Meryl Streep

As you may know by reading my “Looking forward to: Suffragette” post, I have been obsessed with this film for months. I’ve watched every movie clip, interview and behind-the-scenes glimpse.

Unfortunately, it appears the film company have actually released the entire movie throughout their promotion of Suffragette… I felt like I had already seen it by the time I watched it in the cinema.

If you too have watched the trailers that have been released, you have actually seen the beginning, the most scandalous and shocking scenes, as well as the final scene.

Not even joking.

suffragette film review with Carey Mulligan arrestedWatching it in the cinema, I was clutching my handbag and holding my breath… Any second now, the mild-tempered Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan) is going to flip her sh*t.  But she didn’t. She remains meek throughout the entire film. She just cries more and more as the story goes on.

So that was disappointing.

Nevertheless, this is an important movie that accurately (I’m assuming) documents the life of women in the early 1900s. It is beautifully lit and shot, the acting is spectacular, and costume design is great.

Suffragette film review with Meryl StreepAnd, no make-up! Like, usually there’s the ‘no make-up, make-up’ look. But it actually looks like the Hollywood actresses are bare-faced. Kudos.

Suffragette is important for more than its content, though. It’s the first film ever to be shot in the Houses of Parliament. And, with a female director, writer, and predominately female cast, it’s significant for Hollywood.

Some may say Suffragette is a film made by women for women. But I think the moral of the story is fairness and equality – a universal idea that should be applied to men and women in any situation.

It’s an important film, and something to be proud of, anyway.

Jodie’s rating: 6.5/10