Movie Review: Mary Poppins Returns

THIS REVIEW MAY HAVE SOME SPOILERS.

I remembered being one of the people who would enter a video shop and rent Mary Poppins every Monday. Sitting in front of the television, I would then try to imitate Julie Andrews’ Mary Poppins as she sang A Spoonful of Sugar as well as convincing that there is such world out there if you think of the impossible possible. Of course, I still remembered the animation that would take on a larger form of entertainment in the movie as I was too young to understand and feel the story. This happened in 2005 and 13 years later, I get to relive the trip again through Mary Poppins Returns.

Set many years after Mary Poppins had successfully taken care of the Banks family, this time, she returns to help Michael Banks’ family as they are experiencing the likelihood of losing the house as well as the recent loss of the wife/mother who indeed made a significant impact to the family. Its premise remained the same as how anyone would recall from the original which indeed would make any viewers who were entertained by the original movie even more excited. At least, to me, I think that Mary Poppins Returns is a lovely sequel that successfully capture the essence of what makes Poppins Poppins.

Firstly, the original music has some likeness to the previous movie especially songs like Trip A Little Light Fantastic and A Cover Is Not A Book. The music does remind me of what makes Mary Poppins such an interesting Disney movie and I was even more impressed with the production especially when the choreography performed was magnificent that I wished I was part of that world. Secondly, I applaud the fact that the movie remained firm to its decision to have 2D animation – which is already a lost art form that has since been replaced mostly with the use of modern 3D tools and computer animations. I mean, there were a few computer visual effects here and there like the part where Mary Poppins and some characters were in the porcelain bowl. It was truly thrilling to see this aspect. Lastly, the cast were splendid in their own roles and especially Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s synchronous chemistry. I also enjoyed the special appearances by Dick Van Dyke and Meryl Streep, another elevation towards the movie’s light-hearted attitude.

Although Mary Poppins Returns may not provide so much originality and mood as the first one, it still indeed provide the magic that makes Mary Poppins – a movie for family and everyone to enjoy especially during these holidays. I really loved this latest sequel and lots of tremendous respect to the people behind the scenes and the cast for bringing this adaptation back to the screen and making me falling head over heels for the animated characters as well as the soundtrack and the world that most of us know.

What an incredible gift to the cinema this season.

Ratings: 8/10

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Movie Review: Roma

THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS.

When life gives you lemons, you take the lemons and squeeze them to become the juiciest lemonade in the hot summer time. Roma indeed was the juiciest drink in the winter and given how the setting was, I would say the movie was a well-crafted story that brought much happiness to audience on such relatable scale.

Roma is a movie set in the turmoil period of Mexico of 1970s and a nostalgic letter to domestic life of most families regardless of who you are and where you are from. It is the celebration of life in times of crisis and happiness that makes the movie on a relatable note especially when the movie is viewed in a living room. I watched the movie with my family members and for the first time, most of us enjoyed such movie where the story brought some joy. As you know, I have always been the one among my family members who truly enjoyed movies and some genres or stories don’t seem to get along well with them.

However, Roma was different from the movies I tend to view. It started off with the scene where we see a domestic family’s helper washing the yard of the house (possibly from the poops left from the dog). We then start to be introduced to the house through scenes of living room, kitchen, outside drains of the house and to the family whom the helper is serving. She isn’t the only one helping the family but there are two more helpers who were as good as her in the domestic chores. As the movie progresses, we then see the story goes from a happy portrait to a sad period, a chaotic period – the helper was three to four months pregnant, the wife of the family trying to hold herself together to make sure life was going well especially for her children and of course, the protests and the events that bring some turbulence to the story settings.

We know, life can never be smooth. There will always be ups and downs in life and the only way to bring about is to keep carrying on with life, always being firm in choices and then being together as the remaining family, keeping the spirit is still the best thing on Earth. That was what came to me even when the movie progresses, and it end – the celebration of ups and downs which we know as life itself. Life still moves like how the tides turned in the waters. Life is about appreciation of things that happened in the present and learned through the past to bring about more positive change to the future, and that is why Roma is a celebration of humans regardless of circumstances.

Roma, if possible and only possible, is a consideration to movie industry that we should not look upon lightly. It should be recommended to your friends, your family and even to the world. Take the time off and watch this crisp black and white movie about celebration of life as we know. Roma is a wonderful movie and one of the best storytelling in intense, sentimental imageries I have ever seen.

Ratings: 8.5/10

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Movie Review: Cold War/Zimna wojna (2018)

THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

Every love story is the best especially when one is spawn from the love of both parents, and this movie, Cold War is the one which seems to be a love song to the director’s parents. Cold War is a movie that looks like montages placed together to create an art which pushes the boundary of what is defined as love, no matter how turbulent or volatile the fragile love is.

Turbulent as what the movie title suggested, Cold War is a movie that requires one to watch and interpret for their own instead of entering the cinema and leaving the place with a story that contents a person’s heart during the holiday season. It is no holiday season movie especially when it lacks the kind of warmth seen in movies like “Love Actually”, but it was still entertaining.

Set between 1949 and 1964 in a post-war Europe, Cold War tells a story of a relationship between two leading characters and how they are constantly being in this tug of war that never seem to end. It is not a common love and yet the turbulent relationship between the two people is somewhat relatable at some level. Between acts in the movie, we are shown that the characters first met during an audition held to fine pick individuals to be part of an exciting opportunity - a communal singing group travelling around Europe as a new folk act, an art in the making unlike the ordinary.

The attitude of the movie initially got me on the soft note that this was a romantic film as what was advertised by Amazon Studios - a hopeful glimmer of love in the conflicting harsh period of the history. Due to the movie being penned on the perspective of the leading woman, Zula, we managed to see the dynamics of the new world she was in and the love between her and Wiktor, her counterpart in the movie. I think what got me to realise and change my perception of Cold War was the scene act set in Paris, France. It is a crucial act to realise about the indifference of the relationship - one not understanding the life in Paris and its people, another not understanding the other person’s inability to accept the things the way they are.

As the movie progresses through more acts and cuts in between, you learned that Cold War is not about the unlikely relationship that is torn by the external factors, but the internal factors. Had the characters learn to be more patience and understanding, they would not have such difficulties and painful realisation that anything they do is improbable. That is why Cold War moved the audience - through the painful process of conflicting internal emotions and sympathy from song to song (“Two Hearts” is repeated in several acts but offered different emotional interpretation), and nostalgia imagery.

In conclusion, Cold War is at best, one of the anticipating foreign movies to look out. I would not suggest watching the movie if you are one for romance or similar to New Wave. However, at the very most, I believe Cold War is a movie that is best interpreted when you have a look at it for yourself and I think that is an experience that can never be taken away.

Ratings: 7/10

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