So, Paddington (voiced by Ben Wishaw) ends up in London, gets adopted by Henry Brown (Hugh Bonneville) and his family, but the evil Millicent (Nicole Kidman) wants to get him and so adventures take place.
Many kids in the UK and Australia grew up with Paddington – a bear from deepest Peru who came to London and was adopted by a family. Possibly, you could even say most kids know of him. I’d heard of him, but I didn’t know the story, and had very little interest in watching this film despite being told repeatedly that it was amazing. And it was a really good kids film with a great cast, a fair bit of humour and a lot of niceness. Enjoy with some kids – that’s the best way!
Paddington was nominated for BAFTAs for Best British Film and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Suzy Darling (Claudia Karvan) has taken her two children and left her arrogant and self-centred husband, Steve Darling (Roger Corser). They move into an apartment in the same building as her dentist practice, the practice she’d taken over from her father. Little did she know that it was haunted by the spirit of English punk rocker, Henry Mallet (Matt King). Whilst everyone thinks she is crazy for suddenly up-and-leaving her husband and now talking to herself (or so they think), Suzy is falling in love with this most unlikely and most un-alive man.
There is no doubt that Claudia Karvan is one of the best things to hit Australian television screens. She has played a variety of characters, but this is my favourite so far. Suzy is an intelligent, educated and independent woman who realises that her choice of partner is not ideal and does something about it. When things get tough, she finds ways to pull herself through. And she can have fun. Just after I finished high school, a few friends and I became regular audience members at the Cheeseshop comedy nights at the Prince Patrick Hotel in East Melbourne, and we loved the comic stylings of Matt King. Eventually, I left the country and when I returned, Matt King wasn’t around so much. It’s been a delight to have him pop in various television shows, including Skins and Peep Show, but nothing has suited him as much as Henry Mallet.
My only real gripe is that some of the supporting characters were over-the-top and that took away from the reality of the show. Spirited only had two seasons, but that was the perfect length to ensure that the story was wrapped up and it avoided jumping the shark.
ireckonthat 