Disney's Christopher Robin (2018)

Want see Winnie The Pooh get the same adaptive treatment as Hook? ME TOO!

Disney's Christopher Robin follows, funnily enough, Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor). 30 years on from his last adventure in the hundred-acre wood, he now heads up the efficiency department for a luggage company, fun right? He also has a loving wife (Hayley Atwell) and daughter (Bronte Carmichael) who are hating seeing him waste away working to the bone. At the same time, Winnie the Pooh (Jim Cummings) seems to have misplaced his friends and decides to put an end to his 30 years of boredom as he ventures out to find Christopher Robin for a long awaited playtime.

For a generation of children being hypnotised and bombarded with bright, flashing colours, loud, shouted dialogue and stories based around food fights or ridiculous pranks, Disney's Christopher Robin proves to be a delightfully simple adaptation of the original stories of the hundred-acre woods. It's easy on the story enough to warrant being described as "a film for small children" but it's calm, caring and harks back to an era of where children still appreciated their teddy, instead of being stuck in a phone, which is arguably going to test their problem solving skills but this is more about a child's comfort, their social skills and generally just having a friend, be it human or not.

Whilst not the original 1977 voice of Winnie the Pooh, Jim Cummings who has voiced both Pooh and Tigger since 1988, fantastically adapts himself to taking Pooh into the real world and actually into London, spreading joy and carefree notions throughout the film that give the impression of a curious child that is accidentally the wisest in the room. Alongside this is Ewan McGregor's delightful portrayal of a man re-discovering his innocence, greatly displaying the transition from stiff, no-nonsense working man to a care-free, excitable playmate who's more than happy to fend off Heffalumps and Woozles.

Bronte Carmichael is by far the star of the show though. Considering Disney's Christopher Robin is all about re-discovering innocence, the secondary story of Madeline wanting a loving father back instead of a financial provider, really pushes the boundaries of what a child viewing this film can really be taught. As Christopher Robin regains innocence, Madeline regains her father's passion to be involved in her life properly and with such a pure lesson that you couldn't miss even if you were blindfolded, I believe that the children in the audience go away appreciating family, instead of thinking how funny a peanut can be.

In summary, the simple nature of Disney's Christopher Robin makes it all the more powerful. Family films can pull on the heartstrings in so many ways and this film is a perfect combination of homage to old stories and a new generation's introduction to some of the cleverest and most wonderful characters in literature.

4/5 - Is anyone else missing their teddy?

Last Flag Flying (2017)

With the world full of war and cold technology, it's easy for the people to slip through.

Last Flag Flying follows Marine Veterans Larry 'Doc' Shepherd (Steve Carrell), Salvatore 'Sal' Nealon (Bryan Cranston) and Reverend Richard Mueller (Laurence Fishburne) as they journey across America to collect Larry's son, who whilst also serving as a Marine has died in combat and is being taken home for his funeral. Over the journey, we discover the damaging and yet bonding past of these three friends.

The amount of topics covered is Last Flag Flying is astonishing. Doc, Sal and Mueller spend two hours talk about hard-hitting topics like service in the military, religion, alcoholism, old-age, politics, race and even music. Each one is explored in personal relevance to the characters and in either deep, dramatic tones or with genius, comedic writing, the combination of which results in the feeling of talking around a table with immensely close friends, the respect is immeasurable.

Steve Carrell's performance as Doc carries such weight, you desperately want to reach through the screen to comfort him. It's also amazingly real as it covers the confused desperation of a father when he sees his dead son for the first time, to the cold, quiet sadness when he's burying him. Cranston and Fishburne aren't far behind, embodying what seems to be an inventive take on the little Angel and Devil on Doc's shoulders, but instead of good and evil, it's now Doc's desperation to cling to some sort of faith, embodied by Mueller literally speaking the word of God, as well as the ugly truth, real-world pessimism and depression manifested in the alcohol fuelled Sal, who is in constant denial of any negativity in his life whilst constantly bringing up how crappy the situation is. Doc has the least amount of dialogue of the three but we never feel he's not taking part as everything the Sal and Mueller are saying is being carefully intended to try and help their friend. These three are a perfectly balanced triangle of friendship and support.

With the industry taking a view of war that is either a constantly exploding action film of hardened soldiers with endless ammo or a dramatic, depressive episode of death and loss, I think Last Flag Flying with it's combination of respectful quiet moments and hilariously funny banter between friends, it represents a true grieving process, surrounded by friends who know what you're going through but aren't afraid to forget the empty apologies and just help you face it.

4.5/5 - Support your troops, support their families.

Samurai Gourmet (2017)

If you don't already enjoy good food, this show will teach you how!

Samurai Gourmet follows Takeshi Kasumi (Naoto Takenaka), a man in his later years who has just begun his retirement. With his workaholic, desk life gone, he is left to fill the time with a craving for culinary adventures. Unfortunately for Takeshi, he is very shy and afraid to try new things, thus he seeks the help of an imaginary Samurai (Tetsuji Tamayama), who teaches him how to be confident and how to enjoy the life he's been missing out on. 

There is heartwarming, there is beyond heartwarming and then there is the realm of Samurai Gourmet. This series relates to the soul and gives a warm, relaxing glow to anyone watching, be it with a cold beer on hot day, grilled fish that reminds you of a beach holiday or even some fried snacks from your childhood. Each episodes tackles an experience with a restaurant or a food establishment that isn't legendary, they're not michelin star, they're just familiar and comfortable but when visited at the right time, can form a memory that will last forever.

The first episode, "Mid-day beer at a restaurant", completely encapsulates the aims of the series. We're introduced to Takeshi and his new boredom overload, he attempts to rid himself of this feeling, as everyone does, by taking a walk. He soon discovers a small restaurant for lunch but questions having a beer in the middle of the day, very refreshing but surely it's irresponsible? But with his new freedom from the daily workload, he's free to expel the heat of the day with a cool, crisp beverage. It's in these little moments that Samurai Gourmet draws it's inspiration. Whereas other food shows may draw pleasure from eccentric gimmicks or expensive once-in-a-lifetime experiences, Samurai Gourmet meets the audience where they live and show them how to enjoy an everyday meal out.

Although Samurai Gourmet may not demonstrate groundbreaking production values or a star-studded cast, I believe that really lends itself to what they're trying to achieve. By giving an experience that's as close to realistic visually, you can enjoy every meal like it's right in front of you, the same with the music, it's used purely to enhance the experience Takeshi is enjoying, but to levels that similarly still feel realistic. With the amount of over-the-top shows about the supernatural and superhuman currently filling the channels and streaming sites, something like Samurai Gourmet is greatly appreciated as something that provides easy viewing, no over-complicated stories and a boost to the audience's outlook.

I believe the overall lesson of Samurai Gourmet is to enjoy the time we have and appreciate the little things rather than simply struggle for the big things.

4/5 - Tasty little morsels of freedom.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E (2015)

Guy Ritchie directs Superman in a suit and an angry Russian versus Nazi's? Yes please!

The Man from U.N.C.L.E follows an American Cia Agent, Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) as he teams up with with KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) to attempt to foil Nazi plans to build nuclear weapons during the Cold War.

Guy Ritchie absolutely blows it out of the park again with this fantastically constructed, artistic masterpiece of a film. The action is intense, the comedy is hilarious and the characters blend so perfectly that you'd think that the story had 47 years to be perfected . . . wait a minute.

Joking aside, The Man from U.N.C.L.E compliments Ritchie's action/comedy style perfectly, giving him tons of opportunities to turn the Spy Movie genre into more than just car chases and bomb countdowns, now there is personality, dialogue, actual people behind the guns and they are a thrill to watch. Moments in the film really challenge the pace of the Spy and Action genres, more specifically when Illya is being pursued by security in boats whilst driving his own boat around in a sealed lake. We see the explosions and quick shots of Illya doing some extreme boating, but most of the scene is taken by Napoleon eating lunch in a truck, overlooking the lake, listening to classical music, fresh from being thrown from Illya's boat. This fascinating take on a scene's pacing does so much; it allows the audience to enjoy the action, they can laugh at the absurdity of Napoleon casually eating lunch surrounded by explosions and they can actually be relaxed instead of constantly thrown about in quick camera cuts and vehicle flips.

Cavill and Hammer perform fantastically together, the well-timed and precisely drafted dialogue is further enhanced by Cavill's execution of the signature cockiness and pride Napoleon Solo embodies, alongside Hammer's rich depth of character and steadily-paced performance as Illya. With this comes the ever seductive, if a bit rough around the edges, Gaby (Alicia Vikander). In order to outweigh all the testosterone being thrown about, Gaby, the West German mechanic, manages to provide a menagerie of different elements of the film; a window for the audience, a powerful female lead character, a weakness for the two male leads and a whole world of humour for herself.

I believe that having Guy Ritchie direct a Spy film really boosts both the genre and the style of the director. With Ritchie's classic "Scene then reveal" scenarios in which he plays the scene regularly, then has a character run through what was "really happening" afterwards, revealing the true plan, it perfectly fits as opposed to a film like King Arthur: Legend of The Sword, in which it feels overly stylised, it still worked as a charming artistic technique but having Napoleon Solo cockily explain his victory to the antagonist over the radio, it's a hark back to classic gentlemen spies, which proven by Kingsman, people very much enjoy.

Overall, The Man from U.N.C.L.E pays homage to it's original series, tests the waters for new Spy films and puts Ritchie's skills on display once again, without the use of British Gangsters.

4.5/5 - A well-tailored film for a well-tailored viewer.