Right down to his name, Paddington is a very English bear. Still, it should be remembered that the hero of Michael Bond’s children’s books hails originally from “darkest Peru.” Thus Paddington in Peru is a return of the native story, as Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) heads from London back to the land of Machu Picchu to search for his beloved Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton). She’s disappeared from her retirement community, run by relentlessly smiling nun Olivia Colman. Along with his upper-middle-class adoptive family (Hugh Bonneville as the dad; Emily Mortimer replacing Sally Hawkins as the mum) Paddington charters a river boat, captained by Antonio Banderas, in search of “Rumi Rock,” where he believes he’ll learn of Aunt Lucy’s fate. But the Captain, it turns out, has a familial agenda of his own.
The first Paddington flick, in 2014, was a delight, marred only by an unnecessarily nasty Cruella de Vil-style villainess in Nicole Kidman. 2017’s Paddington 2 was even better, with Hugh Grant striking exactly the right note as the harebrained ham-actor villain; it was one Grant’s best performances.
Paddington in Peru isn’t quite as good as Paddington 2, but it’s still terrific. As before, the quiet, marmalade-loving bear in his blue coat and floppy red hat serves as a polite foil for the wacky antics of character actors. Banderas has fun both as the Captain and as the heckling ghost of his Conquistador ancestor. And Colman is a riot as the guitar strumming Sister, her face an impenetrable wall of cheeriness. The director, Dougal Wilson, stages some grand and knowing parody action scenes. It’s not every kids’ movie that has references to Fitzcarraldo, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Sound of Music and Buster Keaton.
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The current Marvel movie, Captain America: Brave New World was, I confess, new to me. At least, I think it was; I must have either missed or forgotten earlier chapters in this strand of the saga, and I was a little bit lost throughout.
Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) was the Falcon; now he’s taken over the title rank from Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). The other characters refer to Sam as “Cap” and he carries the shield, but he still flies with Falcon’s wings. Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford, taking over for the late William Hurt), now the President, has suggested that Wilson re-establish The Avengers, but then an assassination attempt which implicates Sam’s friend (Carl Lumbly) screws up their uneasy alliance.
A plot along the lines of The Manchurian Candidate or Telefon ensues, with such heavies as Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) and Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito) involved in the intrigue. It’s all pretty silly, of course, but it’s not punishingly overlong, and director Julius Onah stages an amusing finale involving the Red Hulk rampaging among the cherry blossoms in D.C.
Also, the acting is strong. Ford brings his movie star gravitas to the role of the chastened Ross, and Lumbly likewise gives a touch of the tragic to his scenes. Conversely, Danny Ramirez lightens things up as the cocksure Falcon-in-training. Best of all is Mackie; I liked how he wasn’t “dark” or cynical or conflicted, or an anti-hero. He’s uncomplicatedly a good guy.
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The Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival gets rolling this weekend. The 29th annual edition of the fest features films from around the world “with a little Jewish flavor.” Selections this year include dramas like Polish Women, comedies like Running on Sand, and documentaries on subjects ranging from the Catskills to Joe Liebermann to Janis Ian to Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop.
It’s held at three different venues: Harkins Arrowhead to the west; Harkins Chandler Fashion to the southeast and Harkins Shea to the northeast. Individual tickets are $15; a festival pass is $250; various packages are available in-between. Go to gpjff.org for details.
