Dark Qiviut

I beg your pardon for bumping a thread that hasn't had a comment in 4.5 years, but I've been a big Paddington movie fan lately, both this and its sequel. Late January, I watched Paddington for the first time, and I loved it. Despite all the praise for it, I was legitimately surprised by how good it was. From the first minute, it became crystal clear how this wasn't your stereotypical live-action "kids' film" with a CGI animal lead. It subverts that "noble savage" trope by making the bears curious, clever, quick learners, and super intelligent. If that wasn't enough, little details later on helped shape its quality, including: Using Paddington's empty jars of marmalade to indicate passage of time. How in thirty seconds, the dynamic of the Brown family was established. When Mary Brown meets Paddington, the word "Found" in the "Lost & Found" sign lights up. As Paddington writes to Aunt Lucy in his first night at the Brown residence, the family dynamic is shown in a series of rooms inside a dollhouse. Paul King didn't simply want to create any normal "kids' film." He wanted to create something fun for the whole family while creating such a unique presentation and atmosphere. With how well CGI can be presented realistically, he had an extra advantage. This film can be divided in two C's: charming and creative. To go over them one by one. Charming: Dozens of bear years ago, Lucy taught Paddington her lifelong philosophy: "If you are kind and polite, the world will be right." This movie succinctly sticks to his moral. Paddington Bear is one of the kindest character you'll ever meet. No matter how rough the person may be, he sees the good in the people and the community they live in. While his naivety can get him into really sticky situations, the film never shoots him down for it. Being the fish out of water, he struggles to adapt in London, but maintains his optimism. When he makes a mistake, he tries to make it better. Even though he sometimes struggles with vaguenss and idioms, the film doesn't treat him (and us, by association) like he's dumb. But it isn't simply him. The Brown family has its quirks, most of their antics funny. Henry Brown as overprotective, Mary Brown as open-minded, Jonathan Brown as creative, Judy Brown as defensive, Mrs. Bird as quirky. No, it's not a dysfunctional family. Disagreeable may be the better adjective. But the more they get to know him, the more thy like him, and the more developed they become as characters. Even Henry, the last to trust him, began to grow fond of him. That night when the Browns handed Paddington their generational trench coat began the film's biggest quality: its heart. This film is full of heartwarming moments, all the way till the snowball fight to end it. Creative: This movie is inspired by the late Michael Bond's books, and the way the movie's constructed makes it feel like you're watching his kid-like imagination. And with that imagination, King goes through liberties to make it feel storybook-ish. The dollhouse is merely one element. His updates, the old-timed black-and-white film exploring Darkest Peru, Paddington watching people leave the shop owner's toy train, Paddington walking into the old film (reminding himself of home), the quirky design of the Geogropher's Guild entrance hall, and the tree's loss and gaining of leaves depending on the home's mood. But the creativity doesn't end there. The script is super tight and wastes nothing, not even small gags. On the surface, thy looked miniscule and merely funny, yet impact the film later. The taxi driver driving Paddington around became Millicent Clyde's hostage later. Paddington's struggles with the Brown family's portable vacuum resulted in him using those in the museum to climb up the furnace. Judy's quick learning of the Bear language helps her locate his whereabouts and where to rescue him. Paddington's struggle with a toy apple early is soon called back when he ate a real apple off the family table. Millicent Clyde was sentenced to community service at a petting zoo (the same one her father founded), and the monkey she tried to kill watched her getting humiliated. The reoccurring pigeon gag directly contributing to Clyde's disgrace. There's too many to list. Beyond the script, the camerawork is breathtaking! Paddington takes full advantage of not the types of angles available, but wen to use them. Spinning the camera so we see the whole family at the table or the camera zooming down through the middle of the spiral or the Dutch angles so we see the family and Mr. Curry in the same shot. King's camera work was extremely creative and really stands out amongst the others. After all of this, I still haven't talked about Millicent Clyde. Apparently, actress Nicole Kidman had a world of fun as the film's villain. She's crafty, spunky, and absolutely hilarious. Her interaction with Mr. Curry rally makes her stand out as a credible threat to Paddington. Her character oozes confidence, and that confidence and spunk bleed in every shot she's in. All in all, Paddington is a wonderful film. Creative, charming, witty, heartwarming, and intelligent. I only saw this for the first time several weeks ago, and I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner. (And after watching Paddington 2, one of the best family-friendly films this decade, for the first time earlier this week, I can't apologize enough.)

Mr. Rogers is such an international treasure that can never be duplicated. But out of everything he ever did in his show, perhaps the best moment is when he met then-10-year-old Jeff Erlanger, who became paralyzed when he was under a year old due to spinal tumors. This moment below is unbelievably sweet and will make people shed a tear. Please, watch it all the way through. You won't regret it.

I already watched it when it was leaked, and my thoughts remain the same. Non-Compete Clause is crap. AJ and Rainbow Dash were completely OOC here, especially the latter for putting her focus on winning Teacher of the Month over the Student Six's safety while rowing. Thank God FIM's a piece of fiction, because had it be real-life, the school and Twilight might've had their plots sued for negligence. This episode features easily my bottom moment of the season: Yona nearly drowning. You'd think for a second that Dash and AJ would stop acting competitive with each other, grow the fuck up, and learn to be teachers. Instead, they continue to qualify one of Neighsay's strongest criticisms of the School: AJ and RD act completely unqualified. You two, this isn't Fall Weather Friends; at least you two weren't that close at the time, and the stakes were much lower. Had they remained competent and in character, that canoeing accident wouldn't have happened, and Yona wouldn't have to have her life saved. The dialogue itself is lousy. Clunky, forced, and painfully unfunny. To make it worse, this episode feels a lot like filler. After thy learned how their competitive behavior got in the way, they started arguing again, and it was all back to square one. The only saving graces here are Twilight calling Dash and AJ out for their shit (and threatening to take over the field trip after Yona nearly drowned) and Dash and AJ getting nominated for TotM — them risking that reward will make them think about how stupid they behaved on the trip. Overall, a major thumbs down.