★★★★
Here’s a sequel we were expecting half a century ago. Anyone who’s seen John Lee Hancock’s terrific Saving Mr. Banks will know why it‘s taken Disney so long to realise the dream of turning P. L. Travers’ practically perfect nanny into a franchise – the writer hated Walt’s adaptation in 1964 – but done it the studio finally has. If Mary Poppins Returns isn’t quite supercallifragilisticexpialidocious, it’s at least five letters there.
★★★★★
The personal absolutely is political in this minutely epic, panorama romance from Polish director Pavel Pawlikowski. A sweeping musical odyssey and intimate tragedy of love in one, Cold War spans an epoch marked by mistrust and precarious allegiance but is told entirely in the mirror of a turbulent relationship betwixt a man and a woman. It is a grand achievement and looks magnificent as presented in a dreamlike haze of black and white.
★★★★
Now, this is not to be said lightly but surely there can be little doubt. Crazy Rich Asians is the best mainstream romcom in years. From poppy film director Jon M. Chu, this is a frothy, frequently hilarious, cinema extravaganza and joyful breath of genre fresh air. The story itself is centuries old but its contemporary twist is bibbidi bobbidi bodacious.
The Film Blog 