Bumblebee’ Review: If John Hughes Made a ‘Transformers’ Movie

Ok, we’re not sure, exactly, how to say this. It’s, um … well … right, fine [deep breath]. We’ll just say it.

So Bumblebee is a spin-off of the Transformers series, those Michael Bay movies of sound and fury and volume and lukewarm metal-on-metal action that are based on a line of toys, because cinema. You probably remember him somewhere within the haze of your post–Transformers-movies-screening memories, as very few human beings can recall much from those trainwreck blockbusters about good ‘bots and bad ‘bots, cars and jets, the fate of the world (we think?), etc. He’s the one who’s yellow and black, hence the name. Good friend of Optimus Prime. Hates Decepticons. Turns into a bitchin’ Camaro.

And the movie … it’s good. Not just “not bad.” It’s actually good.

Imagine if John Hughes made a Transformers movie. Or: Think E.T., but with auto parts. Or, possibly: The Iron Giant, stuck in a world where only ’80s action movies and vintage teen-angst movies exist. Or — and here’s where things admittedly get weird — an extension of a franchise not known for anything besides “big robots make boom,” only one with personality, wit, tenderness, imagination, emotional grounding, performances that don’t get drowned out by din and a soundtrack that favors The Smiths over Imagine Dragons.

We know, it’s a lot to process. Feel free to take a minute.

‘Mary Poppins Returns’ Review: Too Many Spoonfuls of Sugar

It’s no surprise that Mary Poppins Returns, an industrial-strength sugarplum, doesn’t 
live up to the 1964 original; how do you replace the immortal Julie Andrews as the London nanny who drops from the clouds to dispense tough love. Luckily, we have Emily Blunt, an actress who makes her own kind of magic in playing the impatient, imperious fixer once described as looking “like Joan Crawford trying to be nice.”

This sequel, efficiently directed by Rob Marshall, is set 25 years after the first film. But it follows the same beats, including a new score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman that sounds like warmed-over Sherman brothers. There are echoes everywhere of what came before — including a lamplighter named Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda), who’ll remind of you of Dick Van Dyke’s chimney sweep Bert, right down to the unapologetically fake Cockney accent. What’s the radical creator of Hamilton doing in this family-friendly escapism? The answer: having a ball. In his big-screen debut, Miranda has charm to spare and throws in a little rap during a number called “A Cover Is Not the Book.”
Set during the “Great Slump” on the 1930s, the film calls Ms.

D.C. Superhero’s Solo Movie Is a Waterlogged Mess

He’s the laughing stock of the DC Comics Extended Universe — and Aquaman’s solo movie almost gets by on razzle dazzle, since that’s all it has up its waterlogged sleeve. Not that this underwater superhero knows much from sleeves: A shirtless but never humorless Jason Momoa plays Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman, as if he were born to wield a trident. Yes, he looks nothing like the platinum blondie of the comic books. His half brother, King Orm (Patrick Wilson, in for the fun of it), is the one taking on that visage, complete with a dash of Draco Malfoy villainy. “I am the Ocean Master,” says Orm, seriously and hilariously. Ok, then.

But, wait, no jumping ahead. Aquaman is directed by James Wan, the horrormeister behind Saw and The Conjuring who’s showing off his lighter side. He gives the 143-minute film a propulsive drive, which comes in handy when the light dawns that the plot is going nowhere. The movie is an origin story from co-writers David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall, that starts out with a man having sex with a fish. That’s right. A human lighthouse keeper, Thomas (Temuera Morrison), working out of Amnesty Bay, Massachusetts, falls hard for Atlanna, the queen of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, when she washes up on shore. Nicole Kidman, of all overqualified actresses, plays her. And before long the interspecies couple is raising a son, Arthur, until Mom has to go back to sea on family business. As for the kid, he’s left to wonder whether he belongs to the surf or the turf.

Amphibian that buries head in sand named after Donald Trump

US presidents tend to receive their fair share of honours, but Donald Trump may want to ignore his latest one.

A newly discovered amphibian that buries its head in the sand has been named after him, apparently in response to his comments about climate change.

The Dermophis donaldtrumpi, which was discovered in Panama, was named by the head of a company that had bid $25,000 (£19,800) at auction for the privilege.

The company said it wanted to raise awareness about climate change.

"[Dermophis donaldtrumpi] is particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change and is therefore in danger of becoming extinct as a direct result of its namesake's climate policies," said EnviroBuild co-founder Aidan Bell in a statement.

The small, blind, creature is a type of caecilian that primarily lives underground, and Mr Bell drew an unflattering comparison between its behaviour and Mr Trump's.

Nicki Minaj: 'Let's have a little empathy for Pete Davidson after suicide post'

Nicki Minaj has urged her fans to show more empathy for those suffering mental illnesses after comedian Pete Davidson worried followers with a worrying Instagram post.

Ariana Grande's ex-fiance has often spoken publicly about mental illness, and he offered his support to Kanye West on social media after the rapper discussed his bipolar disorder in a series of posts.

"No one would ever choose to end up in a mental hospital and diagnosed with a mental disorder but god chose me to publicly go through this journey and it is beautiful," the Life of Pablo hitmaker tweeted.

Pete praised the father-of-three for speaking candidly about his mental health struggles, but later shared a disturbing message on Instagram: "I really don't want to be on this earth anymore," he wrote. "I'm doing my best to stay here for you but i actually don't know how much longer i can last."

Victoria Beckham, Kendall Jenner, Cindy Crawford, Kaia Gerber and other celebrities at the British Fashion Awards

  

The British Fashion Awards held on Monday night at the Royal Albert Hall.

It was a star-studded event with celebrities like Meghan Markle, Victoria Beckham, Kendall Jenner, Kaia Gerber and more present.

Also present was David Beckham and his son Brooklyn Beckham, Cindy Crawford, her husband Randy Gerber, and their son Presley Gerber were all present to Support Kaia Gerber.

See more photos below.

Beyoncé, Hillary Clinton among the guests at Ambani-Piramal wedding celebrations

 


hartered jets arriving in Udaipur for Indian heiress Isha Ambani's wedding contributed to a four-fold increase in flight traffic at the city's airport Saturday. The next day, celebrity guests were treated to an intimate private concert by Beyoncé.

And that's just the pre-party. The most lavish Indian wedding of the year is underway in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, as 27-year-old Isha Ambani -- daughter of the country's wealthiest man -- prepares to tie the knot with businessman Anand Piramal. The pair won't officially wed until a Wednesday ceremony at the bride's family residence in Mumbai.

But celebrations kicked off over the weekend at Udaipur's City Palace, a grand 16th-century complex overlooking Lake Pichola. The bride's father Mukesh Ambani, chair of the multinational conglomerate Reliance Industries, is worth more than $47 billion, according to Forbes. And the family appears to have spared no expense putting on a show for Bollywood A-listers, business magnates, politicians and sports stars.