Sequel Baiting #2 - Nanny McPhee vs Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

When I think Nanny McPhee I think of a refined version of the Mary Poppins formula. Children who misbehave too badly for conventional nannies to deal with are taught by a stern, female, magician who uses her magic powers to induce delight and wonder as well as to teach. Where I felt Mary Poppins went wrong is by having the ultimate arc be Mr Banks’. Sure, he was stubborn, stuck up and in many ways looked down on his children but it felt like the ultimate resolution was him having a mental breakdown. Nanny McPhee focuses more on the children learning, all whilst incorporating some kind of mischief that’s afoot.

Based on the Nurse Matilda books, Nanny McPhee and its sequel, Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang have both enjoyed moderate critical and commercial success. So why did it end at 2? It had the higher budget and made less money. But the question is, does that mean it’s worse than the original. Well, I’ll be judging on 6 categories

Guilty Pleasures #8 - Knight and Day

Can you go wrong with a movie starring Cameron Dias and Tom Cruise? This is another guilty pleasure that’s received mixed reviews from critics, with some calling it scattered and uneven, while others call it fun. But it was successful enough at the box office, gaining about double its budget back. I like this movie a lot, or at least I did when I last watched it, as I'm writing this review, it'll be the first time I've watched it in a long while. So let's dig into Knight and Day and see if it still holds up to me after 4 years.