Movies: “Mary Poppins Returns” Special Advance Screening Attacts Celebs

The Morning Rush DJs Chico, Markki, and Hazel

MANILA, January 9, 2018 -- Magic, optimism, hope and joy held court when Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns held its special advance screening January 5 at the SM Aura.

Celebrities, social media personalities, members of the press and fans made up the evening’s guests, snapping selfies against spectacular photo walls before being uplifted by the film’s heart-tugging message.

Movies: Emily Blunt Shines As The Iconic Nanny In “Mary Poppins Returns”

For the role of the iconic, proper, peculiar and enigmatic nanny Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins Returns, the filmmakers had only one person in mind: Emily Blunt.

“Emily is a brilliant actress who is funny, warm, quick-witted and deeply-feeling. She can also really sing and dance,” says the film’s director, Rob Marshall, who had worked with Blunt on Into the Woods. “I get what she does, I get her humor…we’re very simpatico. She created her own version of the character in a very distinctive and special way, which focused more on the eccentric Mary Poppins from the books. I don’t know who else could have played the role besides her, to be quite honest.”

Movie Review: Mary Poppins Returns ~charms in the most delightful way

In what is the longest gap between (movie) sequels ever (54 years!!!)  an enchanting Emily Blunt brings nostalgia to older audiences and delight to a younger generation as she sings, dances and captivates as the magical Nanny, Mary Poppins. 

In 1935, during the "Great Slump" in London, Michael Banks (who is an adult now) has just recently lost his wife and is now in danger of losing his home, after taking a loan from the bank where he works in. With the help of his sister Jane and housekeeper Ellen they raise the (new) Banks children, John, Annabel and Georgie. 

Mary Poppins returns during this difficult time for the family "to look after the Banks children" she says and clearly she means all of them, Michael and Jane included. 

Much like in "Christopher Robin" Michael with dealing with his grief and loss and the overwhelming problem of losing his home and this has also transferred on to his own children. Michael has forgotten what its like to be a child and now his own children don't get to enjoy being children themselves, with the additional responsibilities. 

Through the film, Mary Poppins nudges the Banks just a little here and there to get them along, which I appreciated. She doesn't so much as solve their problems for them but only reminds them that things aren't as sad or tragic and that there's always a bit of magic everywhere, even in one's bath. 

Let's face it, its the same case for all of us, what will all the problems and troubles of the world. I've always loved the thought that adults "forget" what its like to have that childlike wonder (read Neil Gaiman's "The Ocean at the end of the Lane") as adults, we get caught up with work, bills, responsibilities, life in general that we don't know how to have fun anymore. We bury ourselves in problems and troubles that we forget that a little imagination, a new perspective and looking for the light when we get lost can be all that we need.  

Oh, also the very important lesson that time, among many other things is just a social construct, which is why, we need not lose our heads and go on panic mode as we adults tend to.  

Emily Blunt is "practically perfect" as the eponymous umbrella carrying Nanny, in this whimsical sequel. The costumes, choreography and 2D Animation sequences are a delight.

The songs may not be as catchy as the ones the Sherman Brothers wrote in 1964 but there are a couple of gems, my favorite are "Can You Imagine That" and "A Cover Is Not A Book".

Lin Manuel-Miranda does a good job with the songs, the singing and the dancing, I think that if you're up against  "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" you're already in a bit of a pickle. The addition of a bit of a rap and some bike parkour is a nice way update the dance and musical numbers. 

Its message that despite the arduous challenges of #adulting sometimes a child like perspective is all we need.

7/10 - Mary Poppins Returns is in PH cinemas January 8, 2019. 

Movies: Meryl Streep Delights As Mary Poppins' Eccentric Cousin In New Family Film

When three-time Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep was approached by director Rob Marshall and producer John DeLuca to play Mary Poppins’s eccentric Cousin Topsy in Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns, a small but memorable role, the awards season favorite excitedly said yes.

Explaining Streep’s character, Marshall says, “There's a character in the book Mary Poppins Comes Back named Fred Turvy, a man, so we thought, well, that's interesting. He was similar to Uncle Albert from the first film [the 1964 classic Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews as the titular nanny] because when PL Travers wrote these books, they always have some similarities. So there was a great character, a really fun character who fixes things, and they went to fix this bowl that they break. And the message is that he sees things from a different point of view because everything turns upside down on this certain day and Mary Poppins explains that sometimes it's good to see things from a different point of view, so it's a beautiful message, a wonderful message for kids.

Movies: “Moana” Songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda Stars In “Mary Poppins Returns”

He earned an Oscar® nomination and a GRAMMY® Award for the composing the original song, “How Far I’ll Go” from Disney’s Moana.  Now, Lin-Manuel Miranda stars opposite Emily Blunt in Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns.

Miranda plays Jack, an old friend of Mary Poppins (Blunt) and is a charming and eternally optimistic lamplighter. Together, they take the Banks’ children on a series of whimsical adventures and introduce them to colorful characters, bringing life, love and laughter back into their home.

Movies: Meet The Cast & Characters Of “Mary Poppins Returns”

Bringing Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns, an original film musical, to the big screen was a massive undertaking. From developing a new story about the next generation of the Banks family to creating new music that feels fresh but with nostalgic elements, director Rob Marshall and his team faced numerous challenges.

But without the right actors to bring that magic to life, the work would be in vain.  An impressive array of acclaimed actors, led by Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Colin Firth and Meryl Streep, helped Marshall accomplish his mission.

Blunt plays the title role of MARY POPPINS, the practically-perfect nanny whose unique magical skills can turn any ordinary task into a fantastic adventure. Returning once again to the home of the Banks family having not aged a single day, the enigmatic governess helps the next generation of the Banks family find the joy and wonder missing in their lives following a personal loss.

Movies: Rob Marshall Creates An Original Musical For The Big-Screen With “Mary Poppins Returns”

It has always been a dream of Rob Marshall’s to conceive an original musical specifically for film. The Oscar®-nominated (Chicago), Emmy® and DGA Award-winning director, who began his career on the Broadway stage as a choreographer and director, is responsible for the successful screen adaptations of Chicago, Nine, and Into the Woods, and understands the world of film and the world of Broadway musicals in a unique and personal way. Mary Poppins Returns, the sequel to the 1964 classic Mary Poppins starring Julie Andrews as the beloved nanny, was a chance for Marshall to create an homage to the classic movie musicals of his youth.

Movies: “Mary Poppins Returns” Vies For Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Awards

Walt Disney Pictures’ heartwarming musical Mary Poppins Returns has solidified its status as a strong awards contender as the Rob Marshall film has collected major nominations at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.

At the Globes, Mary Poppins Returns is nominated for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (Emily Blunt), Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (Lin-Manuel Miranda) and Best Original Score - Motion Picture (Marc Shaiman).

MOVIES: DISNEY REVEALS FIRST-LOOK OF “MARY POPPINS RETURNS”

Walt Disney Pictures has revealed the first look at Mary Poppins Returns, the sequel to the beloved 1964 musical classic that starred Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke.

Based on the Mary Poppins stories by P.L. Travers, Mary Poppins Returns comes from a screenplay by Life of Pi scribe David Magee, with Oscar-winning Chicago and Into the Woods director Rob Marshall at the helm.

The film stars Emily Blunt in the title role, with Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Meryl Streep.

Mary Poppins Returns is set in 1930s depression-era London (the time period of the original novels) and is drawn from the wealth of material in PL Travers’ additional seven books. In the story, Michael (Ben Whishaw) and Jane (Emily Mortimer) are now grown up, with Michael, his three children and their housekeeper, Ellen (Julie Walters), living on Cherry Tree Lane. After Michael suffers a personal loss, the enigmatic nanny Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) re-enters the lives of the Banks family, and, along with the optimistic street lamplighter Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda), uses her unique magical skills to help the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives. Mary Poppins also introduces the children to a new assortment of colorful and whimsical characters, including her eccentric cousin, Topsy (Meryl Streep).

Opening across the Philippines in 2018, Mary Poppins Returns is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Philippines.