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Post by Jim522 on Jun 14, 2014 8:28:28 GMT
Firstly, there is no thread for the poor old bear in this 'ere corner of SiF. This is not acceptable, so I have now rectified this most unsatisfactory matter.
Secondly, I have been finding great enjoyment in revisiting classic characters from my childhood in recent times, which, while certainly never forgotten, have not seen a look-in for several years. Not sure if it's the magical nostalgia, or if I'm perhaps just suffering a mid-life crisis before my time...
Thirdly (this is a most tidy setup isn't it?), I eventually came to dear old Paddington, which led me to discover something coming this very year...
Now then...
No, just no!
While I personally do not believe first impressions are always indicative of the final brickwork, in some cases they most certainly can be, and I believe this to be one of those. Just from this trailer alone, we have toilet humour (in the most literal sense), Paddington tasting his ear wax, an over-the-top sequence of the bear barrelling down a staircase in a bathtub... some of your typical children's movie "requirements" you see so often these days. And did I mention how godawful Paddington looks? He's like some sort of mad scientist's hybrid-species experiment gone wrong. Where's the teddybear come to life I know? And it would seem the filmmakers forgot his trademark blue coat...
The original series is full of that quaint old-time charm, and gentle sense of humour. I don't see any of that here, at least thus far. I suppose that just wouldn't do for a seemingly Hollywood-ised outing as this...
Yes, I will watch the movie at least once at some point, but I have a feeling I'm not going to be swayed towards being impressed.
The one positive thing I can see is at least original stories would appear to be being worked into the film, such as Paddington's first bath (albeit now with toilets and earwax) and confusion at the underground escalators.
However, if you'll excuse me, I'll be going back to 1975 for the timebeing. Because you know, Ivor Wood and co are awesome.
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Post by Culdee Fell on Jun 14, 2014 9:10:49 GMT
Firstly, there was a Paddington Bear thread buried away in the 'Books' sub-forum but no-one ever seems to use it, so I don't blame you for not finding it. I think this film is based on the original book and, correct me if I'm wrong, I think the blue coat may have been a TV series invention. I could be wrong there though since I haven't read the book in years. I was vaguely looking forward to this film (the initial teaser trailer was wonderful) but this trailer is very disappointing, with the earwax tasting and bathwater flooding taken to such ridiculous extremes that they stop being funny and just feel silly. The wrong kind of silly. That said I absolutely loved the "dogs must be carried" joke at the end, so I hope the actual film contains far more jokes like that and far less of the gross-out and slapstick humour seen in the bathroom scene, which really doesn't fit very well with Paddington's world. The Paddington stories were really, at their heart, a wry self-observation on British society, with Michael Bond using Paddington's inexperience and naivety to poke fun at the society around him. The dog joke fits in very well with that. The bathroom scene doesn't. One thing I'm very glad about is that they've kept the film British, with a strong British cast, and a setting that's recognizable as being modern day Britain. That's the setting that Paddington works best in, I feel, and I'm a big fan of the way they've updated the setting to the modern day (see the FGW HSTs in Paddington station, the reflective jackets, and other things that distinguish the setting from the original 1950s) whilst (hopefully) still keeping the characters the same. (I wonder what they'll do with Mrs Bird, since not many families in Britain have housekeepers these days.) Here's the original teaser trailer which I thought was far more promising:
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Post by Chris on Jun 14, 2014 11:06:37 GMT
Firstly, regarding Paddington's appearance, I kinda like that they've gone with a more realistic representation of a bear. With human actors involved, I'm not sure it would work if he was depicted with the proportions of the stop-motion puppet. It basically looks like the statue at Paddington station brought to life... Also check out the incredible detailing on the fur in this poster. The team behind the recent Postman Pat flick should take note - if you really must use CGI, this is how to do it. The majority of the clips depicted in the trailer I quite enjoyed. Sure, the earwax gag overstepped the mark a bit, but overall the bathroom scene reminded me of many bits from the 70's adaptation - Paddington attempting to do something simple, with the situation gradually building, getting worse and worse! And all delivered with minimal dialogue in the best pantomime fashion. Keep watching his eyes in this scene, as they really communicate a lot with the audience. Not that far removed from Gromit, really. On the whole, I still remain cautiously optimistic about this. The trailer left me with a much lesser feeling of dread than the ones for The Smurfs, The Chipmunks and Yogi Bear did! EDIT: There's actually a really well observed comment on the video that sums it up better than I could:
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Post by mooneyman on Jun 14, 2014 23:11:40 GMT
I get an impression that those whom think this is such an awful look at that BEAAARRR!!!!! haven't really taken much notice of previous adaptations.
The very idea of Paddington in all versions of his story and adventures is he is a bear with a very gentlemanly manner but a very great misunderstanding of how the world lives. An anglophile who's used to a primitive lifestyle.
As a matter of fact, in a few cases there's been far worse than a flooded house..!!
The earwax joke was a bit 'eh', but excusable, and, quite frankly, the rest of it convinced me this was a Paddington film in every respect. Situations building into absolute chaos through an innocent bear exploring his new surroundings.
Paddington looks perfect, and the film's cinematography - particularly the colours (warm hues and shades of pleasantry) and the more whimsical aspects (old fashioned bathroom furniture, a fairground horse in Mr. Brown's study, etc) all make up for an absolutely perfect adaptation of Michael Bond's very whimsical - and very odd - little world where a bear roaming London doesn't actually seem that unusual to the typical passer by.
The 'all dogs must be carried' joke is taken straight from the style of Mr. Bond. The hat lifting is, above all else, Paddington's main trait - and proves we're not getting a wisecracker. We're getting a gentle, polite little fellow who just doesn't understand what's wrong when people stare at him.
And it's no wonder...
Michael Bond has been working with this project for most of the creative process.
The cast is perfect - Colin Firth, Hugh Bonneville, Peter Capaldi - and all have huge passion, above all else - and very vocally - for the inoffensive, relatively gentle adventures of a little bear in Windsor Gardens.
This is the only film this year which, as of yet, has not ruined its integrity in advance with trailers.
Pay more attention to a film's background if you want to see it's intentions - not a few minutes of 'fun' footage intended to make people talk.
(Also Hollywood are not involved in this film in any respect.)
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Madness
Main Line Engine
Posts: 1,992
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Post by Madness on Jun 18, 2014 23:40:14 GMT
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Post by Culdee Fell on Jun 19, 2014 8:18:09 GMT
Well that's unexpected news. From the comments he makes, it sounds like he's sad not to be taking part any more, so I wonder what it is that caused him to drop out? Anyhow, I hope they find a good replacement for him.
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Post by mooneyman on Jun 20, 2014 21:03:50 GMT
He will talk properly. It's just that the following issue was taking place...
Colin Firth has left because he and the crew came to an unfortunate realisation that his voice simply didn't fit very well.
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D. Hay
Goods Engine
Posts: 203
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Post by D. Hay on Jan 2, 2017 23:04:38 GMT
The 2014 Paddington film piqued my interest for watching ever since I saw the first full trailer of it over two years ago. However, it wasn't until yesterday (New Year's Day) that I actually sat down and watched it for the first time. And... I enjoyed it immensely! Although it's not perfect, it succeeds remarkably as a great film adaptation of a beloved children's property by getting so many aspects of one right: an engaging, streamlined story, lively characters, genuine emotion, and an admirable balance of being faithful to the original source material, both in content and in spirit, and adding fresh, interesting takes on the lore that don't feel out-of-left-field, amongst others. Highly recommended for anyone interested! On a side-note, while watching Paddington, I noticed something so fascinating, it had to be shared here: Spoiler
Quite a lookalike.
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Post by Mr. Coffey Pot on Jun 28, 2017 19:04:29 GMT
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Post by Galloping Sausage on Nov 27, 2022 17:29:31 GMT
Prior the 2014 movie, I was only familiar with Paddington through the 1997 cartoon I remember used to air on HBO Family, but I couldn't watch it as that as during school hours. It was a funny show.
Also the Hanna-Barbera version was released on DVD recently, so at least most of the Paddington shows are out on home video.
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