Wonka

My View: Wonka (2023) PG   Wonka tells how the world’s greatest inventor, magician, and chocolate maker became the beloved Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet). A young and poor Willy comes to the big city to fulfill his dream of opening a chocolate shop but soon discovers that the industry is run by a cartel of greedy chocolatiers who hate new competitors. I was worried when this film was announced, thinking it might be another disaster like the very creepy 2005 Johnny Depp film that we all would like to forget. I have some great news! Wonka is a brilliant, funny film perfectly captures the characters created by Roald Dahl. With songs that help tell the story (unlike a much-touted movie that comes out next week) and some set designs that are out-of-this-world creative, the film is a wonder to watch. I loved the performance of Chalamet, who is perfect in the role of the very young and naïve Willy, who is set on making it in the town where chocolate is king. What I have always liked about Dahl’s writings is that the villains in his works are very evil, and the three chocolate kings in the city are dastardly so. Keegan-Michael Key is hilarious as the easily bribed Chief of Police with a sweet tooth. Olivia Colman chews up the scenery in a good way, as the evil Mrs. Scrubbit, who tricks Willy into owing her a ton of money just by staying one night in her boarding house. The songs are fun and if the studio had played it right, there is a beautiful number that Chalamet sings when he opens his new shop that should have been an Oscar contender for Best Song. The surprise of the film is Hugh Grant as a very sneaky and grumpy Oompa Loompa who wants Wonka to pay him for stealing cocoa beans from Oompa Loompa’s land. Take the kids and have a great time watching Willy and his friends figure out how to foil the chocolate kings and the evil Mrs. Scrubbit. You just might run out to the lobby and get a chocolate bar or two for the ride home.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Wonka Website   Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Familyfaire: Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023) PG  Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget takes place after the daring escape from Tweedy’s farm, Ginger (voiced by Thandiwe Newton) has found a peaceful island sanctuary for the flock to grow and prosper, including a family of her own with Rocky (voiced by Zachary Levi) and their young daughter Molly (voiced by Bella Ramsey). However, Molly takes off to explore the world beyond the island and gets caught by a new farm. Now, Ginger and her gang must break into the high-security farm to rescue her daughter. This is a sequel to the multi-award-winning 2000 film Chicken Run. I am a big fan of stop-motion animation, and I love the Aardman studios that put out movies like Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit. While not as funny as the original Chicken Run, this is still a delightful family film about not a breakout but a break-in as the chickens must break into a maximum security chicken farm to save one of their own. The animation is a wonder to watch, and the action will keep youngsters engaged. The story lags a bit in the middle, but once the break-in starts, the film moves along. So go watch Ginger and the gang defeat the evil company farm and bask in the magic of stop-motion.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget Website Now playing on Netflix.

My View: Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (2023)   Documentary about the life of Albert Brooks, who started as a standup comic, moved on to making short films for Saturday Night Live, and then became a filmmaker of classic award-winning movies. The film is directed by Rob Reiner, who has known Brooks since their days in high school. Brooks is an incredible filmmaker, but few know the routines that he did in clubs and on talk shows. He was a favorite of Johnny Carson’s and would do comedy routines that no one else could even imagine doing. The film is a conversation between Brooks and Reiner as they go over his life and career. I loved all the routines from his early days, and the number of people who show up in the film to praise this comic genius shows how loved and respected he is. This is a film that I didn’t want to stop watching; I had so much fun watching it. And if you have never seen Defending Your Life, Brooks’s comic masterpiece that stars Brooks, Meryl Streep, Buck Henry, Lee Grant, and the amazing Rip Torn, it’s your loss. If you need a laugh or two or three, watch this doc!   My Rating: Full Price  Albert Brooks: Defending My Life Website Now playing on HBO and Max.

Forgotten Film: The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) PG The journey that led Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) to create his magical ‘A Christmas Carol’, which re-defined what Christmas means to us. I enjoyed this new and imaginative spin on Dickens’s tale. We see Dickens’ writing process as he struggles to pen a new book under the pressure of needing to provide for his family. As he struggles to write, we see how Dickens uses his imagination to help him overcome writer’s block and a very annoying father. What makes this film is the performance of Christopher Plummer as Scrooge. Plummer is perfect in the crabby and despicable Ebenezer role, giving what should have been an Oscar nomination performance.   My Rating: Full Price  The Man Who Invented Christmas Info The film is available to rent or buy on Apple TV or Amazon.

Weird Credits: From the credits of Wonka: Priest Body Double

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Book of Clarence (2023) PG-13   Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) is a hustler whose days may be numbered because he owes money to a local mobster, whom Clarence happens to be in love with the mobster’s sister. Clarence notices his brother is doing well following a local Messiah named Jesus. Clarence claims he is also a Messiah, but soon discovers that life becomes very complicated when dealing with things like God. From filmmaker Jeymes Samuel (The Harder They Fall), this film is getting a lot of buzz.   The Book of Clarence Info  The film will be released to theatres on January 12, 2024.

Until Next Time!

Coco

Family Faire:  Coco  (2017)  PG  Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) wants more than anything to be a musician, but his family has an ancestral ban on music. Miguel will enter the ‘Land of the Dead’ to figure out why his family has followed the ban for so long. This is a beautiful film, both visually and story-wise. The songs are vibrant and fit the film with the song ‘Remember Me,’ one of the focal points of the movie an Oscar contender. Anthony Gonzalez has a fine voice that is made for Mariachi/Ranchera style songs of this film.This film took me back to my childhood summers that I spent in a small town in Mexico as it extraordinarily depicts life in a tiny town. It lovingly explores how much music means to the Mexican culture, and I love how the filmmakers add in cultural heroes like the wrestler Santo or the beloved artist and icon Frida Khalo.  The film really gets going when it goes to the magical ‘Land of the Dead’ with its incredibly colorful buildings and magical creatures. The movie treats the Mexican culture that few American films have, with love and respect. I will caution you, this film deals with death and with loss of family and abandonment. During the screening I went to a child, probably 6 or 7 started crying pretty uncontrollably, but that shouldn’t stop you from seeing this visually stunning and genuinely touching movie.  And yes, the 21 minute Frozen short Olaf's Frozen Adventure is as bad as you have heard. Normally the Pixar shorts are brilliant and moving, this one is stupid and boring.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    Coco Facebook Page

My View:  The Man Who Invented Christmas  (2017)  PG  The journey that led Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) to create his magical ‘A Christmas Carol’ which re-defined what Christmas means to us.  I enjoyed this new and imaginative spin on the Dicken’s tale.  We get to see the writing process of Dickens as he struggles to pen a new book under the pressure of needing to provide for his family. As he struggles to write, we see how Dickens uses his imagination to help him overcome writer's block and a very annoying father. What makes this film is the performance of Christopher Plummer as Scrooge. Plummer is perfect in the role of the crabby and despicable Ebenezer, giving what could be an Oscar nomination performance. I think this is the perfect film to get you in the mood for the Christmas season.     My Rating: Full Price     The Man Who Invented Christmas Website

Indiefest:  Novitiate  (2017)  R  Set in the early 1960’s a young woman ( Margaret Qualley) in training to become a nun struggles with issues of faith, the changing ways of the church and her sexuality.  An impressive feature film debut by writer/director Margaret Betts who gives us what it was like to become a nun in the 60s as the Pope was reforming the church during the era of Vatican II. Melissa Leo gives a tour de force performance as the stern Reverend Mother, and Margaret Qualley gives the performance of a lifetime as Sister Cathleen, a young woman who is determined to become a nun, until she has a crisis of self-doubt.  Qualley is brilliant, quietly filling up the screen with her presence as her love for God is shone in every move that she makes. The film throws emotional punches at us throughout. The girls who want to become nuns are challenged at every turn as the Reverend Mother throws roadblocks at the women from the start. There is a painful scene where Sister Evelyn, played by Morgan Saylor, is forced by the Reverend Mother, in front of all the girls, to confront and expound on her faults, as ‘no one can be perfect.’ The film questions the old ways of the church, the power of faith and if someone like the Reverend Mother should be given so much power and influence over impressionable women. Novitiate is not always a comfortable film to watch, but it is worth your time to see a new filmmaker express her voice.    My Rating: Full Price   Novitiate Website

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-ray):  Good Time  (2017)  R    Connie (Robert Pattinson) and his brother, Nick (Benny Safdie), have money problems and decide to rob a bank. The bank job goes bad, and Nick is caught by police. Connie is on the run and wants, somehow, to get his brother out of prison.  Anchored by an unprecedented performance by Robert Pattinson, this is a gritty crime film about a bank robbery that goes bad very quickly. Pattinson, who has come far as an actor from those early Twilight days, gives a powerful and dynamic performance. I don't know if enough Academy Award voters will see this film, but I think it could be on some Indie and film critic awards lists at the end of the year. The cinematography is brilliantly executed and perfectly enhances the mood and feel of the movie. Good Time is an impressive film with a scintillating performance by Robert Pattinson.  My Rating: Full Price   Good Time Website

Forgotten Film:  Ripley’s Game (2002)  R   Tom Ripley (John Malkovich) is a man you do not want to cross as, not only is he a con man, he is a steely-eyed killer. When his past catches up with him, and he is hired to take down a mob boss, he hires Jonathan (Dougray Scott), a down on his luck picture framer, to become his protégé. Malkovich is mesmerizing as Ripley (and yes, this is the same character that Matt Damon played in the 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley) as he doesn’t care what you do or think as long as you stay out of his way. The film has plenty of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end.    My Rating: Full Price   Ripley's Game Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Coco: Simulation Technical Director


Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Call Me By Your Name  (2017)  R  In Northern Italy in 1983, Oliver (Armie Hammer) is visiting Mr. Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg) and his family as they do research for a project. Oliver takes Elio (Timothee Chalamet ), a 17-year-old music prodigy, under his wing and teaches him about life and love. Critics who have seen this film are raving about the performances of Hammer and Chalamet.    Call Me By Your Name Website

Until Next Time!