CHARLIE vs. WILLY

I went to see "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" on Friday and I must say I was very impressed. To all of you who are huge fans of the original Gene Wilder film (like me), this is a completely different film. This movie has kept closer to the original Roald Dahl story. It may seem a little odd to see the Oompa Loompas singing songs and dancing because this new version is not a musical like the classic; however, those of you not familiar with book may want to know that the Oompa Loompas sing in the book. That is why "Willy Wonka" was made as a musical. I can see where traditional fans might be put off by the songs, but please notice in the credits that the lyrics to these new songs are written by Dahl, meaning that they are the same songs from the book and not something Tim Burton added. Tim Burton did, however, add to the story. I believe that this new material made the story his. It gave the film a definite 'Burtonesque' feel. (Yes, I just made up that word!) I am a huge fan of Burton's films. They are fairy tales of every kind and I have always loved fairy tales. So if you can separate the original from this one, you can truly enjoy this film. If for no other reason, this film is another excellent performance by Johnny Depp. He never ceases to amaze me.

ME AND MY FULL-BLOODED DEVOTION

So the Harry Potter book came out this weekend and I had the pleasure of working at the bookstore that night. It is truly something to see so many people who share a love for this series that I have. I have to thank Ms. Rowling for giving me back my love of reading. I not only enjoy her books, but have read numerous other great books since I picked up the first installment of Harry Potter. For those of you who are not HP fanatics, I can't explain how the story effects me except to say that it awakens the child in me and for the time that I am reading it, there are no problems in my life. If Harry is not your cup of tea, I hope that you have something that fulfills that need to be set free from what can be a drab, repetitious life.

With the inundation of movie sequels and remakes, it is refreshing to discover a unique screenplay. I have been fortunate to find several recently. Probably the best example would be "The Machinist." It stars Christian Bale as Trevor Reznik, a man who has not slept for a year and is being harrassed by Ivan, a mysterious co-worker. Trevor has a dark secret that haunts him. The most shocking thing about this film is Christian Bale's appearance. He lost 60 pounds for the role and wanted to lose more, but they wouldn't let him. The best way to appreciate what he did is to watch something like "American Psycho" before you see this movie. It will blow your mind how awful he looks, but his performance is mesmerizing. The film was directed by Brad Anderson. The only other movie he's done that I've seen is "Session 9" which he also wrote. It was a fairly interesting film, too. "The Machinist" was written by Scott Kozar who is teaming up with Brad again to film "The Crazies." There has been no casting yet. It is about the military trying to contain a killer man-made virus. It's supposed to be released in 2006, so I'll be looking for that one.

Another film I've seen recently that had a very interesting and original plot was "The Final Cut." This is the first film by Omar Naim who both wrote and directed it. It stars Robin Williams in a completely serious role. It takes place in the near future where some people have recording devices implanted in their newborn babies. When these people die, a cutter then edits their entire lives down to a movie shown at their memorial service. Robin Williams plays Alan Hakman, the best cutter around, who is disturbed when he sees someone from his past while he's cutting. If this film is any indication, Mr. Naim has a bright future ahead of him.

Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed this summer's offerings. Anyone who knows me is aware that I have been waiting years for the last Star Wars episode. I did enjoy it, although I wasn't blown away. I think the major reason is because the end was no surprise. I also enjoyed "Batman Begins", "War of the Worlds" and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" (although I didn't really need to see the last one on the big screen.) And I'm very excited about "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" which I will hopefully be seeing on Friday; however, there are just as many smaller films that I'm excited about seeing. Here's a short list, keep an eye out for them and my reviews to come: "The Island", "Domino", "Red-eye", "The Brothers Grimm", "Everything is Illuminated."