Mary Poppins Returns to Our Hearts

Nothing’s ever gone, only out of place. Or, in other words, the world never lost its most magical nanny – she’s just been waiting for us to need her again. Granted, it’s not so much that we “needed” her as “Emily Blunt was finally available for the sequel,” but the point stands. It’s been more than sixty years since we last watched Mary Poppins float down from the sky, and at one time, it was hard to imagine that we’d ever see her magic duplicated. I mean sure, there was a Broadway show, but it wasn’t the same as Julie Andrews singing to a robin and Dick Van Dyke dancing with animated penguins. There is also the elephant in the room currently being stuffed full of remakes and adaptations – just because you loved something as a child doesn’t mean that you’ll love it when you are grown up. So it is possible to love the new story of Mary Poppins as much as you loved the original? I think it is, not because the filmmakers know how to tug at your nostalgia strings (though trust me, they know how to do that too), but because like the original, Blunt’s Mary Poppins brings us the same magic and joy, which we could all use a little more of in our lives.

Mamma Mia 2’s the Real Dancing Queen

I sat down to watch the original Mamma Mia! (2008) before seeing the cast dance back on screen. I’d seen the musical on stage before, but it amazed me how much cheesier the movie was in comparison, and I started to worry that I wouldn’t enjoy the sequel at all. It seems, however, that the ten years have taught the moviemakers some important lessons. The most important? That a movie can be fun and a little ridiculous without being cheesy at the same time. Sure, there is less of a plot in this movie than the original (after all, once they decide never to find out who the dad is, there isn’t a whole lot left to talk about), and sure, there’s just as much dancing and singing, but there’s more effort put into it all, and it falls together in a way that you can both dance and cry to. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is still a love letter to ABBA, but there’s absolutely no reason you can’t dance and jive, having the time of your life (I promise I’m done).