Paddington 2

Dinner and a Movie

By Steve Herte

Paddington 2 (WB, 2018) – Director: Paul King. Writers: Paul King & Simon Farnaby (s/p). Michael Bond (book). Stars: Michael Gambon, Imelda Staunton, Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Marie-France Alvarez, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Ben Miller, Jessica Hynes, Peter Capaldi, Robbie Gee, Nicholas Woodson, Samuel Joslin & Alex Jordan. Animated, Rated PG, 104 minutes.

Though the CGI animation is excellent, the movie is nowhere near as good as the first one in 2014. The original had a gross scene where Paddington cleaned out his ears with one of the Browns’ toothbrushes, which was bad enough. In this movie he does his ears, his nose and (amazingly) his teeth. Where does it say that making something more disgusting is funnier? There were a few chuckles, but most of the film’s source of humor is sight gags geared for children only. It’s like Mary Poppins, but without the great songs and music and without the great cast.

At least we get some background. At the start, Uncle Pastuzo (Gambon) and Aunt Lucy (Staunton), two Peruvian bears, are apparently vacationing in Argentina when they spot a small bear cub struggling in the rapids and clinging to a log. They save him and raise him as their own. The rest of that story was told in episode one.

Paddington (Whishaw) lives in Windsor Gardens, London with the Brown Family: Jonathan (Joslin), Judy (Harris), Mary (Hawkins), Henry (Bonneville) and Mrs. Bird (Walters) and is a permanent fixture there with the whole population. Mademoiselle Dubois (Alvarez) depends on him for her breakfast on the run, another neighbor relies on him to remind him to get his keys before he locks himself out of his home, the trash man needs him to help study for his exams, etc. Everybody loves him except Mr. Curry (Capaldi) and Colonel Lancaster (Miller) who both believe he “doesn’t belong.”

Aunt Lucy will be celebrating her 100^th birthday (a first for any bear, any species) and Paddington wants to get her a special gift, which he finds at Mr. Samuel Gruber’s antique shop, a pop-up book of the main tourist sites in London. However, the book is too expensive, so Paddington decides to get a job. His one and only day in the local barbershop is a complete disaster (and the only really funny scene) when Judge Gerald Biggleswade enters and demands he give him a haircut. This results in a reverse Mohawk which Paddington tries to patch up with marmalade. Paddington switches to window washer and almost makes enough money to buy the book.

Kozlova’s Steam Fair arrives in London and is opened by second-rate actor Phoenix Buchanan (Grant). The Browns attend and Paddington is invited up on stage to help push the button which will light up the amusement area. The pop-up book comes up in the discussion and Phoenix knows he must get it to find the Kozlova hidden treasure (the book leads to clues at each site). There is a break-in at Gruber’s shop and Paddington tries to stop the thief in a crazy chase while riding a local hound named “Wolfie,” but he’s arrested for the theft when Phoenix vanishes and is brought before the court for sentencing. Judge Biggleswade recognizes Paddington as the one who gave him a two-inch wide part up the back of his head and sends him to prison.

Paddington gets laundry duty at prison and though he uses four washing machines, a single red sock makes all the prison uniforms pink. This doesn’t help his popularity with the inmates. But Paddington goes by his Aunt Lucy’s maxim “If we’re kind and polite the world will be right.”  He befriends the meanest, nastiest resident, the cook, Knuckles McGinty (Gleeson) when he teaches him how to make marmalade and changes the whole menu in the prison.

Meanwhile, the Browns learn about the book’s purpose from Madame Kozlova at the fair and try to find the thief, who by the way, changes costumes with every site he visits. At St. Paul’s cathedral, he’s a nun. But when he destroys a statue in the dome area a guard sees him and puts out the ridiculous alarm, “An unusually attractive nun is causing mayhem in the cathedral dome, Activate emergency protocol, Stop that stunning sister!” Phoenix reverses the costume and becomes a bishop and escapes.

When the Browns miss a visitors’ day at the prison, Paddington believes what the other prisoners tell him and assumes he’s been forgotten and agrees to participate in a break-out to clear his name. He winds up on his own when his three fellow inmates (including Knuckles) decide to hop a plane to leave the country.

Paddington 2 has all the elements of fantasy except the hint of believability. It’s a wonderful romp through nonsense that kids will love. Most of all, the star is a cuddly, well-mannered bear. The soundtrack is forgettable except the song “Love Thy Neighbor” written by Roaring Lion. I really must check with my niece, who read the Paddington books and thoroughly enjoyed them as a child. The best scene in the film and the only one with sensitivity is at the end.

Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 Martini glasses.

Antique Garage

313 Church Street, New York

www.antiquegarage.com

When I see a restaurant on Opentable.com listed as “reviews yet to come” it piques my curiosity. That, plus the name, the photo and the promise of Mediterranean cuisine got me to make my reservation. Sister to a restaurant of the same name in Soho with fourteen years of service, Antique Garage has been serving for nine months. 

The name is engraved on the front window in gold and swings from the metal sign hanging above. Inside, low lighting comes from a dozen or so varied crystal chandeliers, floral-shaped sconces on the walls and candelabra with real lit candles on several of the larger tables. Large antique mirrors grace the walls while patrons occupy every table in sight. Be sure to make a reservation here, you’ll need it.

The food menu and the drinks menu are conveniently either side of the same plastic-protected card. A young man asked if I wanted to order a cocktail and I was ready. Since I already have a real garage that needs cleaning I ordered the Dirty Garage, basically a dirty martini with Tanqueray gin with olive juice and garnished with mixed Mediterranean olives. The drink was great but the gorgeous lead crystal glass it was served in was jaw-dropping.

My server was extremely helpful in choosing my dishes right down to pointing out the similarities and differences between them. Another server brought the bread basket filled with a fluffy, golden brown version of pita bread and olive oil for dipping.

My first course was the Sea Bass Ceviche – sashimi grade imported branzino with red, green and yellow bell peppers and lime zest, in a Dijon mustard and basil sauce. It was as beautiful to see as it was a pleasure to eat. For those unused to ceviche (pronounced say-vee-chay), it is a dish best served cold.

When I finished my cocktail my wine appeared, a 2014 Denis Race Premier Cru Chablis from Burgundy, France. I remember when Chablis was not chic. This wine was crisp and well chilled, light on the tannins and refreshing with the remainder of my ceviche.

The next dish recommended was the Aegean Sarma – grilled Halloumi cheese slices and tomatoes seasoned with thyme and wrapped in grape leaves, then grilled with lemon slices. It was delicious once I got a knife that would cut the grape leaves. They were a bit on the tough side but chewable when cut bite-sized. Halloumi cheese is normally served alone as Saganaki. It’s a little salty and has an al dente texture. Grilling it gives it a smoky quality and wrapping it in grape leaves adds an herbal accent.

My main course was the Spicy Beyti – hand chopped grilled lamb on a skewer wrapped in flatbread and topped with a tomato and yoghurt sauce. It was crunchy, savory, tart and sweet in every bite and the long green chili pepper at its side gave it the “spicy” quality. At this point I would like to note that none of the “spicy” dishes were jarringly so. Just tantalizing. And, good thing for me, the chef removed the skewer before I started eating the dish (unless that was the crunchy part).

The only dessert that caught my attention besides the Turkish apricots was one called Midnight Express – a bewitching combination of “silky dark, milk, and white chocolate creams with a layer of hazelnut crunch and topped with a single raspberry. Afterward, the Double espresso was almost an afterthought.

From my table at the base of the rear stairway I had a great perspective of the beautiful décor of Antique Garage. Between dishes there was always something to admire that I missed the last time I looked. My marble-top table needed no cloth, it was so elegant. I was charmed. I would definitely make a return visit to Antique Garage and make sure to visit their nearby sister.

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