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Christopher Robin (2018)
Christopher Robin (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
The Hundred Acre Wood (0 more)
The Real World (0 more)
It was an entertaining experience, even if it failed to completely recapture the magic of the hundred-acre-wood.

Full Review:https://www.bohanreviews.com/post/christopher-robin
  
Christopher Robin (2018)
Christopher Robin (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Re-entering the 100 acre woods
Many of us remember growing up watching our favourite characters from the 100 acre wood; Winnie the pooh, Eyore, Tigger, Piglet...
This new film allows us to reimerse ourselves once again in this world.

We follow Christopher Robin, older now, having lost his childish imagination and sense of adventure. We see him with his own family, who he doesn't have time for and in a job he has poured his attention into yet received nothing in return.

Christopher Robin finds an old friend who helps him remember what is really important and how to overcome the Woozles in your life.
  
Christopher Robin (2018)
Christopher Robin (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Return to Hundred Acre Wood
As a child I adored Winnie The Pooh. From owning soft toys of Pooh bear and his friends to playing Pooh sticks in the woods with my grandad, it shaped a lot of my childhood. Perhaps this explains why I was so drawn to this film from the day it was released. I was excited yet quietly apprehensive as you often are when your favourite childhood characters are revived on the big screen. There’s always a risk that it just won’t be the same.

Thankfully Christopher Robin did a fantastic job of bringing audiences back to Hundred Acre Wood, and telling the story of an adult Christopher Robin. As you can probably imagine; he soon outgrows his toys and is forced to grow up very quickly as he’s sent off to boarding school. Beyond that, he is soon conscripted and upon his return, has to work tirelessly to provide for his wife and daughter. This level of stress soon turns Christopher Robin into a serious workaholic who would much rather see his child study hard than play games. All that changes when Robin is reunited with Winnie The Pooh, and he soon remembers all the fun he once had as a child.

Ewan McGregor delivers a stunning performance as an adult Christopher Robin, perfectly encapsulating the serious businessman persona, as well as one filled with child-like glee. It’s refreshing to see McGregor in a much more playful role than usual, and I believe he’s appealing for all audiences, both adult and children alike. His performance made me cry in places, because the script tugs at your heartstrings and delivers a jolt of welcome nostalgia. In all honesty it makes you want to grab your bear and be a child again, just for a few moments. And even more honestly, is there anything wrong with that? It’s a film that reminds you to stop working so hard, and make sure you enjoy those precious moments with those dear to you. Pass the tissues, please!

Pooh and his friends are animated wonderfully, they blend in effortlessly with the scenes and create this illusion of toys coming to life. It’s very easy to forget that they’re not actually real. I especially loved classic grumpy Eeyore, as he resonates well with the adult audience and makes you think “you know what Eeyore, I can relate to that”. He’s a hilarious antidote to the mushier characters, and reminded me why I’ve always loved his character. It was so fun seeing Pooh and friends again, and I’m so happy they were portrayed the way they should’ve been.

Christopher Robin is an all-round beautiful family film, full of playful visuals, genuinely funny one-liners, and moments that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. It is very cheesy in places but you have to remember that this is a sweet, family film, so overly mushy moments don’t feel too out of place. I soon learned to roll with it and found myself genuinely beaming at the chemistry between characters, and the love that radiated from the screen. Frankly, it’s a welcome change from the blood and guts I’m used to, and I’m happy about that. Sometimes even a die hard horror fan needs a teddy bear in their lives.

https://lucygoestohollywood.com/2018/08/22/return-to-hundred-acre-wood-a-review-of-christopher-robin/
  
Christopher Robin (2018)
Christopher Robin (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Great coming-of-age story of leaving behind childish things (a la Toy Story 3), weighed up with the perils of growing up (responsibilities and prioritising work over family). Christopher Robin leaves the Hundred Acre Wood to grow up and somehow loses his way as the stresses of adult life take hold.
I really hated the trailer for this film, thinking it looked like they'd taken the plot of The Smurfs or Paddington and just swapped in the different characters. It really didn't do it justice as this is not your average CGI creatures madcap adventures in the real world film. There are real poignant moments in the Hundred Acre Wood before any of the toys have really made it to the real world. Also I did not like the look of Pooh, he seemed just wrong on so many levels. But as with any 2D character, nothing 3D will quite look right and you soon become to like him and appreciate his facial expressions.
Ewan McGregor is OK as Christopher Robin (though interesting that he somehow lost his North English accent as he grew up), though is somehow neither truly believable as the curmudgeon nor as the eventual (spoiler alert) happy, funloving Dad.
The cast of the Hundred Acre wood seem quite familiar to me, as Jim Cummings continues his reign as Pooh and Tigger, but we (briefly) have Peter Capaldi (doing an impression of Gary Oldman) as Rabbit and Toby Jones as Owl.
Enjoyable cameo appearances from Mackenzie Crook and Matt Berry in one scene.
Some real poignant moments at the start of the film, but this wasn't reflected in the finale as that was not as emotive as it could have been.
Not really a film for under-10s, more for the older children, who ironically may think it is more babyish than it really is (my eldest is 10 and was refusing to go and see it but I think she enjoyed it more than her younger siblings).
  
Christopher Robin (2018)
Christopher Robin (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Pooh and the gang (0 more)
Hayley Atwell is very underused (1 more)
Not really much of a kids movie
A good dose of warm fuzzy feelings
After recently reading a fair few uncomplimentary critic reviews for Christopher Robin, I wasn't sure what to expect from this. But, I was actually pleasantly surprised. And my wife absolutely loved it!

The movie begins with Christopher Robin as the child we all know from the stories. He's having a farewell tea party with Pooh and the gang in the hundred acre wood - a chance to see this latest incarnation of them all, beautifully rendered, different from what we're used to, but still very familiar. Christopher Robin is leaving them to head off to boarding school, so it's going to be a while before we see them all again.

From there we quickly skip through the next few chapters of Christopher's life, while the opening credits play. Boarding school, the death of his father, meeting his wife (Hayley Atwell) and heading off to fight in the war, before returning home. We pick up again with him while working for Winslow, a luggage company. His manager (a brilliant performance from Mark Gatiss) is putting pressure on him to come up with cost saving measures, in order to save the failing company, and demands that he work the whole weekend in order to come up with a solution. Christopher was due to go away with his family that weekend to his childhood home in Sussex, so must let them down once again in favour of work. Hayley Atwell is greatly underused in this movie, but plays the disappointed wife very well. Daughter Madeline doesn't think her dad ever was a child as all he wants her to do is work hard in order to go to boarding school, read her boring books instead of fun books and work instead of play. He's a far cry from the young Christopher Robin we know.

The whole movie is very dark and gloomy looking, with bright vibrant Disney colours rarely to be seen, even more so in this first part of the movie. Aside from some small comedy moments, this isn't really a kids movie at all.

When Pooh arrives in London, seeking out Christopher Robin having lost Tigger and his other friends, the tone of the movie immediately changes. The wonderful, soothing, familiar voice of Jim Cummings bringing this silly old bear to life as he tries to adjust to Lon-don life. There are some wonderfully funny moments, full of heart, even more so when the whole gang are finally reunited and all causing chaos in London.

While never quite reaching the dizzyingly high standard set recently by the amazing Paddington 2, Christopher Robin still manages to provide you with a warm fuzzy feeling inside and a very funny, enjoyable experience. And with a lesson in making sure your embrace your inner child thrown in too!
  
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Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Christopher Robin (2018) in Movies

Jun 10, 2019 (Updated Jun 10, 2019)  
Christopher Robin (2018)
Christopher Robin (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
A Future Classic
The characters of Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger are synonymous with the childhood of millions of adults across the globe. A.A. Milne’s classic creatures are etched into the memories of many, passed down through generations with tatty old story books and stuffed animals.

Their film history is a little more chequered. True box-office domination has eluded the little critters, until now at least. Rolling off the success of Paddington and its arguably even better sequel, Disney gets in on the action, the live-action that is, and brings Pooh and co to life in Christopher Robin. But does it work?

Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) – now a family man living in London – receives a surprise visit from his old childhood pal, Winnie-the-Pooh. With Christopher’s help, Pooh embarks on a journey to find his friends — Tigger, Eeyore, Owl, Piglet, Rabbit, Kanga and Roo. Once reunited, the lovable bear and the gang travel to London to help Christopher rediscover the joy of life.

With Marc Forster’s name attached to directing duties, you’d be forgiven for thinking he’d been hired simply to get the job done. After all, this is the same Marc Forster that brought us the perfectly adequate Quantum of Solace and the enjoyable if undistinguished World War Z. These aren’t the directing credits you’d expect when looking at a film involving a honey-loving bear in a red jumper.

Nevertheless, Forster proves us wrong. Christopher Robin is a sumptuous tale, beautifully realised with a script that makes us stop and look at the little things in life. Much like the film itself as it happens. Ewan McGregor was the ideal choice to play a world-weary Robin. At the brink of exhaustion and close to losing the truly important things in life – his wife (Hayley Atwell) and daughter (Bronte Carmichael), McGregor plays the part beautifully. Watching his inner-child slowly but surely rise to the surface is wonderful to see.

Elsewhere, the entire cast of voices used to bring our cuddly cast to life are absolutely spot on. Jim Cummings’ return as Pooh and Tigger brings a warm familiarity to proceedings and this was a nice touch by Disney to have him back behind the microphone. Toby Jones and former Doctor Who Peter Capaldi are also great as Owl and Rabbit respectively. Brad Garrett’s turn as Eeyore really couldn’t be more perfect.

Christopher Robin…is sure to be a future classic that can be passed down for generations
To look at, Christopher Robin really is sublime. The spectacular Sussex countryside is brought to life in the Hundred Acre Wood and the post-war setting of London lives and breathes right before your eyes. This is a film that draws you in as the script moves our cast from 1940s London, rich with smoke and smog, to lush countryside, heavy with dew and dripping in colour.

The CGI to bring Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga, Roo, Owl and Rabbit to life is nothing short of astounding. The way their fur moves in the wind feels so real and it is this depth that proves to be the film’s strongest suit. Using Disney’s seemingly unending source of funds, Marc Foster and his team have managed to create something truly astonishing.

Above all though, this is a film about the importance of family, and on that level it succeeds, and then some. While brief, the moments in which we see McGregor and his family spending time together, with Pooh and company in tow, are Christopher Robin’s most poignant. In typical Disney fashion, the film tugs on the heartstrings on more than one occasion, just enough to wipe away a solitary tear, but not enough to dig out the Kleenex.

Christopher Robin is another success for Disney’s live-action arm. With understated performances, very much similar to 2016’s remake of Pete’s Dragon, the House of Mouse has achieved something rather extraordinary. Yes, they’ve brought these wonderful characters back to life, but in a way that honours the books and stuffed animals we will have all grown up with. Unlike this year’s Peter Rabbit that destroyed the legacy of a much-loved literary character, Christopher Robin builds on that and is sure to be a future classic that can be passed down for generations.


https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/08/18/christopher-robin-review-a-future-classic/
  
Winnie the Pooh (2011)
Winnie the Pooh (2011)
2011 | Animation, Family
9
8.2 (12 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Everything Is Honey
Winnie The Pooh- is a excellent movie, with excellent charcters and a excellent plot. It has adventure, more adventure and dont forgot about adventure. Did i mention adventure. It also has comedy, sadness and music. Songs like.. "The Tummy Song", "A Very Important Thing To Do", "The Backson Song", and "Everything is Honey".

The plot: Three stories inspired by A.A. Milne add up to a very busy day for Winnie the Pooh (Jim Cummings) and friends. Upon learning that Eeyore (Bud Luckey) has lost his tail, the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood start a contest to see who can find a new one for the melancholy donkey -- with a pot of honey going to the winner. Amid the goings-on, Owl (Craig Ferguson) mistakenly relates the news that Christopher Robin has been abducted. However, all ends well when Pooh finds a land of sweet delights.

A execellent movie to end on for "More Disney Classic Animations".
  
The Hobbit Trilogy (2015)
The Hobbit Trilogy (2015)
2015 |
7
7.9 (7 Ratings)
Movie Rating
In Decembers of 2012, 2013 and 2014 the three movies of The Hobbit came out, The Hobbit: an unexpected journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Hobbit: Battle of the Five armies forming The Hobbit Trilogy. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayor and Newline Cinema each released part of the trilogy with Director Peter Jackson at the helm (he directed The Lord of the Rings trilogy too). The movies follow the book but have been expanded to include extra material from the Lord of the Rings appendices as well as having recurring characters from the Lord of the Rings Movies such as Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen), Frodo Baggins (Elijah wood), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Lord Elrond (Hugo Weaving), lady Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), Gollom/Smegol (Andy Sirkis) and Saruman (Sir Christopher Lee 1922-2015).

In my opinion whilst the movies were very good having pretty much been handled by the team who shot and produced The Lord of the Rings. It felt sort of stretched, I'm pretty sure they could have gotten away with having two movies maybe even just the one if they cut some of the extra material away. The Hobbit in my eyes was essentially its own story and having the extra material padding it up to three movies-whilst useful and giving us a glimpse of the world at large just clumped it a bit. Other than that it was a good set of movies and I'm grateful that the team behind the Lord of the Rings was behind these ones, kept a good thread of continuity going.
  
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Sarah (7798 KP) created a post

Jan 18, 2021 (Updated Jan 18, 2021)  
(Posting this separately as it covers as a review for 3 films @The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) , @The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and @The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) )
Film(s) #11 on the 100 Movies Bucket List: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Film 11 is actually the three films that make up the Lord of the Rings trilogy: Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and Return of the King. Whilst I can entirely understand featuring the trilogy as a whole, especially as they were filmed back to back and follow the same continuing storyline, however as a watcher this is a tad frustrating. The extended editions of these films, which I own of course, come in at a hefty runtime of just under 12 hours and this means a marathon of a film screening. But gripes about the runtime aside, this trilogy is still every bit the epic I remember it being when they were first released nearly 20 years ago.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is based by JRR Tolkien’s book of the same name that follows Frodo (Elijah Wood), a hobbit who must journey to the darkest lands of Mordor to destroy a powerful ring before it falls into the hands of the evil lord Sauron. Throughout Frodo’s journey across Middle Earth, he is accompanied by a 9 strong fellowship: hobbits Sam (Sean Astin), Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd); men Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Boromir (Sean Bean); elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom), wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) and dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies). All of whom must also face their own battles in the war to defeat Sauron.

At the time these films were released between 2001 and 2003, we’d never seen filmmaking taken to such extremes and I’d argue that aside from the later Hobbit film trilogy (the less said about those the better), we still haven’t seen anything like it in the decades since. To film these back to back over 15 months with a immense cast, sets and filming locations across New Zealand is no mean feat and watching these back you can really appreciate the sheer amount of work that has gone into these films. The cinematography is stunning and really highlights the beautiful scenery of New Zealand, and the CGI for it’s time was beyond impressive. The motion capture technology used for Andy Serkis’ portrayal of Gollum was incredible and like nothing we’d seen before. All of this paired with Howard Shore’s hugely memorable and iconic score makes for a superb bit of filmmaking.

What makes director Peter Jackson’s take on Lord of the Rings so engaging is the story and the fact that there’s nothing in the main plot that is unnecessary. Jackson had removed all of the erroneous side plots from the book (think Tom Bombadil) yet kept the main thread of the story intact, which effortlessly weaves serious fantasy and war with some rather light hearted and funny moments. While I would normally be an advocate of books over their film counterparts, I happily make an exception for the Lord of the Rings. The films are definitely better than the book. They’re also helped by a stellar cast, from seasoned veterans like Ian McKellen and Christopher Lee (Saruman), to relative newcomers at the time like Viggo Mortensen, who has by far a standout performance, who all do their part to make this trilogy come alive.

This isn’t to say that the trilogy is flawless. Whilst the films look good for their age, some of the special effects haven’t aged quite as well as you’d expect and there are some that are looking decidedly ragged around the edges – Treebeard in Fangorn forest is but one example. The casting of Orlando Bloom was also a questionable one. His acting skills are limited at best and while he is meant to be playing a rather emotionless elf, his performance is very poor compared the rest of the elvish actors. He probably isn’t helped by the fact that Legolas has been given some rather ridiculous and farfetched acrobatics that just look quite silly. And then there’s Éowyn, who is possibly one of the most irritating characters of all, her doe eyed fawning over Aragorn completely overruling the tough, feisty woman she’s trying to be. Finally I’d also question about whether the extended editions are truly necessary, which I appreciate does make me a bit of a hypocrite seen as I own them. They might include scenes we’d never seen in the theatrical releases, but I’d argue that none of these ads particularly much to the overall story.

However despite these flaws, the Lord of the Rings trilogy is undeniably an epic masterclass in filmmaking from Peter Jackson and these are 3 films that you won’t forget in a hurry. It can only be 10/10.