This is the second part of my round up of this month’s Netflix films.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Aardman animations have produced a belated sequel to their hit 2000 film. In this adventure, Ginger and Rocky, now played by Thandiwe Newton and Zachary Levi, have escaped the farm and are settled in bird sanctuary with their daughter, Molly. Molly is curious about the outside world and leaves their home to explore. Her scared parents go after her and find that they have to break into a facility to rescue her. This is a family crowd pleaser that recovers from an early dire musical interlude. There is a lot of Wallace and Gromit style old tech and some great voice work. It does not, though, have the amount of laugh out loud moments that Aardman’s best work, The Curse of the Were Rabbit, provided.
Rating: out of 10
Maestro
Bradley Cooper directs and stars as composer Leonard Bernstein in this biopic that concentrates largely on his relationship with his wife Felicia Montealegre. This is one of the 5 or 6 major awards contenders this year but Cooper’s follow up to the excellent A Star is Born is a disappointment. The performances by him and Carey Mulligan as Felicia are particularly strong but the film lacks focus. It skates through most of Bernstein’s adult life, and whilst we learn a lot about his private life via his numerous affairs, I was none the wiser about his genius or his career achievements. It pales in comparison to Tar earlier this year.
Rating: 6 out of 10
Also seen this month…
The Taming of the Shrewd was a reasonable Polish comedy from last year. The sequel, The Taming of the Shrewd 2, is a bit of a mess and lacks humour. Mexican family drama Familia is nicely played but the story lacks spark.
Ratings out of 10:
The Taming of the Shrewd 2: 3
Familia: 4.5