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Relishing
Wickedness CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY: Directed by Tim Burton. Written by John August, based on the book by Roald Dahl. Produced by Brad Grey and Richard D. Zanuck. Executive producers, Patrick McCormick, Felicity Dahl, Michael Siegel, Graham Burke and Bruce Berman. Cinematography, Philippe Rousselot. Production design, Alex McDowell. Costume design, Gabriella Pescucci. Editor, Chris Lebenzon. Music, Danny Elfman. Starring Johnny Depp and Freddy Highmore, with David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Noah Taylor, Missi Pyle, James Fox, Deep Roy and Christopher Lee. Warner Bros., 2005. PG. 116 min. Maybe I was in the mood for something wildly imaginative, because I loved Tim Burton's over-the-top Charlie and Chocolate Factory, and I haven't always been a Burton fan. Perhaps the ice-cream chill from the air conditioner on a 96 degree afternoon made me receptive to Burton's cool, warped tale of good and bad children. I relished seeing the churlish boys and despicable, snooty girls get their comeuppance. Whatever alignment of the planets created the pocket of goodwill I basked in during the film, I am thankful my inner cynic took the afternoon off so my child within could have a little fun.
Five lucky children find gold tickets in Wonka chocolate bars, and they come to the chocolate factory on the assigned day and time for a tour. But even before they meet their tour guide, Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp), the kids and guardians are treated to an outlandish musical sketch, in which various dolls present a Busby Berkeley-type singing, dancing spectacle. But alas, things go awry, which results in a kill-off of some of the adorable little animated sugar-plum dollies. Burton sets the tone for the remainder of the movie in this scene, touching base with the strangely innocent cruelty of children toward their favorite toys. Haven't you seen an angelic baby slam her favorite stuffed animal or rag doll on the floor, repeatedly and heedlessly? How about Christopher Robin dragging Pooh-Bear down the steps by one arm, thumping and bumping all the way? Burton honors this skinny separation between love and not-love that children exhibit at times. Depp is fabulous as Wonka, a dandified only-child grown into an always-smiling, somewhat vacant and often malevolent host to the children. Depp perfectly captures the ambiguous intentions of the character's original creator, Roald Dahl, as well as integrating Burton and writer John August's additional flamboyant, contemporary idiosyncrasies. Our collective belief in the wacky world inside the factory depends on how we feel about Wonka. He's unable to utter the words "parent" or "father" because of his own candy-deprived childhood with a strict father, a dentist played by Christopher Lee. I deeply enjoyed the projections of Wonka's flustered, disturbed psyche as brought to life by Depp, Burton and production designer Alex McDowell. The Bollywood song-and-dance scenes with the Oompa-Loompas, clones of actor Deep Roy, are both charming and nutso. The actual squirrels employed in the walnut-shelling section of the candy factory as well as the animatronic squirrels in the background are both cute and too rodent-like to be cuddly. Likewise, the homage to Stanley Kubrick's 2001 with the ape-like creatures in silhouette in the factory's TV lab send mixed messages. And the first time the Oompa-Loompas break into song, you'll think you're on the Yellow Brick Road to Oz for sure. Freddy Highmore plays Charlie Bucket, a self-confident lad raised by a large, extended family in a shabby house that's falling in around them. Charlie's parents (Helena Bonham Carter and Noah Taylor) as well as Grandpa Joe (David Kelly) and three other grandparents make the best of their poverty with humor and mutual respect. Highmore, who almost stole Finding Neverland from Depp and Kate Winslet, is an actor who doesn't lose track of himself in his screen portrayals, which feel grounded and authentic. The other children — greedy Augustus Gloop (Philip Wiegratz); gum-chewing champ Violet Beauregarde (AnnaSophia Robb); sociopathic, electronic whiz kid Mike Teavee (Jordan Fry); and rich, spoiled, narcissist Veruca Salt (Julia Winter) — can be as bratty as they like. And so they are. I've never seen the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder. Therefore I had nothing to compare to this film version, which should stand on its own. It's the first of Burton's films I've liked in a long, long time. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now playing at Cinema World and Cinemark. Highest recommendations.
OPENING
OR RETURNING: Bad News Bears: New take on 1976 comedy of same name about a grizzled former minor league baseball player recruited to coach inept Little League team to a championship. Directed by Richard Linklater (Before Sunset), film stars Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear and Marcia Gay Harden. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Devil's Rejects, The: Reunion of the homicidal members of the Firefly family (from House of 1000 Corpses) directed by musician Rob Zombie. Stars William Forsythe, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie, Sid Haig. Traditional horror, macabre humor and suspense. R. Cinemark. Fight Club: Directed by David Fincher (Seven), this controversial film is based on Portlander Chuck Palahniuk's Oregon Book Award winning, explosive novel about young men fighting each other in no-rules secret fight clubs. Movie stars Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter in a screenplay by Jim Uhls. Definitely not for the violence-adverse. R. Midnight screening on 7/22 and 7/23 only. Movies 12. Hustle & Flow: Starring Terrence Howard (Crash, Ray) as a Memphis pimp with a conscience who becomes a rapper, this indie film written and directed by newcomer Craig Brewer was a big ($9 million) hit at 2005 Sundance. With Anthony Anderson, Isaac Hayes, Paula Jai Parker and Ludacris. R. Cinemark. Island, The: Michael Bay directs Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johanson in an action thriller, futuristic fable of two residents of a carefully controlled environment who discover shocking news about their reality and their fate. PG-13. Cinemark. March of the Penguins: Documentary director Luc Jacquet's film chronicles the oft-repeated survival of the species in the wind-strewn wilderness of Antarctica. Film tracks a pair of Emperor Penguins across continent. Includes intimate scenes of the big birds mating. The female lays one egg, passes it to the male and takes off for a three months round trip to the sea and food. Meanwhile, the male penguins don't eat but focus exclusively on keeping the eggs alive for the gestation period. G. Bijou. Must Love Dogs: Directed by Gary David Goldberg, a television sitcom director, pic stars the fabulous Diane Lane as a divorcée beginning to date again. Co-stars John Cusack, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher Plummer and Elizabeth Perkins. PG-13. Sneak at 7 pm on 7/23. Cinemark. Self-Made Man, The: Susan Stern's documentary explores the process a family undergoes when the seriously ill father, an accomplished and exacting man, chooses suicide. True life family drama raises many questions. At 11 pm on 7/26, "P.O.V." on OPB, cable channel 10.
CONTINUING: Batman Begins: Christopher Nolan (Insomnia, Memento) directs an all star cast to bring you the story of how young Bruce Wayne (Christopher Hale) becomes the Dark Knight. Also stars Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Katie Holmes. PG13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Online archives. Bewitched: Nora Ephron (You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle) directs this story about the remaking of the classic 1960s sitcom "Bewitched" starring Will Ferrell as Darrin and Nicole Kidman as Samantha. Best when it's a sweet love story but always watchable. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Tim Burton's reimagining of Roald Dahl's perennial children's favorite dark chocolate treat stars Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka with Freddie Highmore, his child co-star from Finding Neverland, along with Helen Bonham Carter. Loved it! Highest recommendations. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark. See review this issue. Fantastic Four: Marvel Comic's superheroes, transformed by cosmic rays while on an outer space mission, battle the evil powers of Doctor Doom. Directed by Tim Story, movie stars Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon. PG_13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Herbie, Fully Loaded: More hijinx and shennanigans from that animated, but so unlike Christine, VW bug, Herbie as he heads to NASCAR. Starring Linsay Lohan and Justin Long. G. Cinemark. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Irreverent sci-fi comedy based on the late Douglas Adams' cult novel follows the adventures in space of the most ordinary man in the world, Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman). Dent and his best friend (Mos Def) barely make it off the planet before it is demolished to make way for a hyperspace freeway. Directed by Garth Jennings, film also stars Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, John Malkovich, Warwick Davis, Helen Mirren, Thomas Lennon, Anna Chancellor, Alan Rickman and Bill Nighy; with Stephen Fry as the narrator. Great fun! PG. Movies 12. Online archives. Kicking and Screaming: Will Ferrell and Robert Duvall as rival youth soccer team coaches. Directed by Jesse Dylan, film also stars Mike Ditka and Kate Walsh. PG. Movies 12. Kingdom of Heaven: Set in the 12th Century, this epic Crusades film is directed by Ridley Scott (Gladiator). It stars Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons and Eva Green. Highly recommended. R. Movies 12. Online archives. Land of the Dead: The master of zombie movies, George Romero, brings us another wacky gore-fest in which the undead have taken over the world, closing in on the living holed up in a walled city. Stars Simon Baker, John Leguizamo and Dennis Hopper. R. Movies 12. Lords of Dogtown: Written by Stacy Peralta, a former skateboarder himself, this is the commercial, fictionally enhanced version of his outstanding documentary, Dogtown and the Z Boys, about the Venice, California kids who combined the moves of surfing with the art of skateboarding. Stars Emile Hirsch, Victor Rasuk, John Robinson; directed by Catherine Hardwicke. PG-13. Movies 12. Monster-in-Law: Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez duke it out verbally in this comedy directed by Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde). Also stars Michael Vartan and Wanda Sykes. PG-13. Movies 12. Mr & Mrs Smith: An action adventure romantic comedy thriller about a bored married couple (Angelia Jolie and Brad Pitt) who is surprised to learn that they are assassins hired to kill each other. Directed by Doug Liman (Bourne Identity). PG-13. Cinemark. Online archives. Oldboy (2003): Chan-Wook Park's action, mystery, thriller is about the kidnapping and imprisonment of an average man, who is let loose after 15 years, given money and clothing but no explanation. Warning: extreme violence. R. Bijou. Pacifier, The: Disgraced Navy SEAL Shane Wolf (Vin Diesel) is given a new assignment to protect five kids from enemies of their recently deceased father – a government scientist whose top secret experiment is still in the house. Thriller? Drama? Tear-jerker? Nope, it's a comedy. PG. Movies 12. Perfect Man, The: Mark Rosnan (A Cinderella Story) directs Heather Locklear and Hilary Duff in this romantic comedy about a teenager inventing the "perfect man" for her single mom. PG. Movies 12. Rebound: Martin Lawrence plays a jaded, benched college basketball player who takes on teaching the fundamentals of the game to the hapless players at a junior high school. Directed by Steve Carr, also stars Breckin Meyer. PG. Movies 12. Robots: Chris Wedge's amusing tale of a robot lad who dreams of being an inventor. This creative world of mechanical beings is never dull because these endearing, pieced-together, talking tin cans convey comfort and safety. Voices by Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Robin Williams, Mel Brooks, Amanda Bynes, Stanley Tucci, Greg Kinnear. Not preachy, but a good teaching tale about differences. Warmly recommended. PG. Movies 12. Online archives. Sahara: Penelope Cruz, Matthew McConaughey and Steve Zahn team up to look for a long-lost Civil War battleship that protects a secret cargo. PG-13. Movies 12. Sin City: Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and directed by Miller, Robert Rodriguez (and "special guest director" Quentin Tarantino), film stars a host of players including Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Elijah Wood, Bruce Willis, Benicio Del Toro, Clive Owen and Josh Hartnett. Highly recommended for style. R. Movies 12. Online archives. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: The long-awaited final episode in George Lucas's series stars Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman. From Village Voice reviewer Ed Halter: "Lucas packs his latest with physics-defying deep-space dogfights and zhoozhing lightsaber battles, frequently cutting back and forth between two simultaneous melees on separate planets, deploying his signature Flash Gordon wipes." PG-13. Cinemark. Online archives. Unleashed: Jet Li stars as a "human pit bull" raised by a Scottish guardian (Bob Hoskins), who runs underground matches. Morgan Freeman is a blind piano teacher who changes Li's life. R. Movies 12. War of the Worlds: Directed by Steven Spielberg, this retelling of H.G. Well's seminal sci-fi adventure thriller about an invasion of Earth by Martians, as seen through the eyes of ordinary people played by Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Miranda Otto, and Tim Robbins. Riveting, challenging and moving; very highest recommendations. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. Wedding Crashers: Hyper pranksters Owen Wilson and Vince Vaghn star in this throwback to a rowdier time in movies. Things go well for the boys until they meet up with Rachel McAdams and Isla Fisher and their parents, Christopher Walken and Jane Seymour. R. Cinemark. Cinema World. Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The: Nonfiction narrative feature film about a flock of wild parrots who co-exist with native species to make San Francisco's waterfront and gardens their territory. Mark Bittner is the gentle, observant man who feeds, cares for and studies the birds. Judy Irving is the filmmaker. Outstanding film, with very highest recommendations. PG. Bijou. Online archives. Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1973): Influential documentary biography by D. A. Pennebaker (Don't Look Back) captures David Bowie's last concert on July 3, 1973 at Hammersmith Odeon in the suburbs of London as his cross-dressing alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. PG. LateNite Bijou.
MOVIE
THEATERS Bijou
Art Cinemas Regal
Cinemas Cinemark
Theaters
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