Movie Reviews

Tim Burton returns to the world of Roal Dahl for a swing at Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but bigger budgets (and bigger stars) don’t always equal bigger thrills and more engaging story.  While it’s a little more faithful to the original story, Burton’s need to push the weirdness eventually alienates us from the experience, which is handled with none of the awe and joy of the original.  Depp makes Wonka a stunted man-child rather than just a wildly eccentric man, which serves to make the film much like the confections of the story: sweet and enjoyable, but ultimately forgettable.

Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
3 Stars

Retooling a much beloved (if flawed) film is touchy business in any regard, but there are not many films as sacred to a generation as Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Having Tim Burton and Johnny Depps’ names attached may have lessened the worry factor, but Gene Wilder all but immortalized the role of Willy Wonka in the 1971 film version.

So how does Burton’s version hold up? It’s both better and not as good, to tell the truth.

In this adaptation (which is admittedly more faithful to Roald Dahl’s classic novel) we’re given a more complete look at Charlie (Freddie Highmore from “Finding Neverland”;) and his down-on-their-luck family as they eek by a tenuous existence in a ramshackle and leaning home. Charlie’s parents (Noah Taylor & Helena Bonham Carter) have to support both Charlie and two sets of grandparents (David Kelly, Elieen Essell, David Morris, and Liz Smith. All of whom manage to steal every scene they’re in), while trying to maintain high spirits and encourage their young son.

When the mysterious candy maker Willy Wonka (Depp) announces a contest wherein five lucky children will be allowed to tour his incredible factory, Charlie knows he has no chance of winning, as he’s only able to afford one chocolate bar a year. Any takers on whether Burton derails the universe by having Charlie lose out on a golden ticket? Yah, I didn’t think so.

Charlie and his Grandpa Joe (Kelly) get their chance to visit the Wonka Factory, alongside the gluttonous Gloops (Philip Wiegratz and Franziska Troegner), the overachieving Beauregardes (Annasophia Robba and the creepily great Missi Pyle), video-game fanatic Mike Teavee (Jordan Fry, who looks like a minature Barry Pepper) and his hapless dad, and of course Veruca Salt (Julia Winter) and her over-indulgent father (the great James Fox), each of whom is summarily dispatched by their own faults (with a little neglect and encouragement from Wonka) to the accompaniment of the song stylings of the Oompa Loompas (Deep Roy).

With the exception of a wonderfully morose back-story for Wonka, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory does do an admirable job of keeping faithful to the story’s origins, but strangely this film turns out much more light-hearted than the 1971 version. For all the technical achievements and storytelling improvements, this version also lacks a lot of the warmth and wonder of the original. We’re shown various wild contraptions, each making candy in a seemingly impossible way, but rather than focusing on the wonderment and awe they should inspire, each set piece feels more like background images which are given only cursory examination.

Charlie is much less an active protagonist once the factory doors are opened, pushed aside by the more colorful and obnoxious children on the screen. He’s there only to serve as a moral barometer and to reinforce the wonder of the Wonka experience. And of course there’s Wonka himself. Depp had some extremely large shoes to fill with this role, but rather than attempt to capture the benevolent lunacy of Wilder’s take, here Wonka is more an arrested man-child whose creepy mannerisms aren’t just some mischievous facade, but a reflection of a truly stunted being. With his CGI pasty face and flat out childlike manners, there’s no possible way his performance isn’t meant to conjure up a Jacko association.

Sadly, this time Wonka never really warms up to the world. True to Burton form, his weirdness is unchanged and uncompromised from our first encounter, much like the film itself. The real failing in this film is that it never finds a way to open up to the audience, as it’s too wrapped up in its own world to let us in for more than a peek. While many, many elements of this film easily surpass the original, the childlike wonder and sense of exploration are sorely lacking.

Still, even die-hard fans will find much to enjoy this time around, and only time will tell if this more modern adaptation will capture the imagination of this generation.

Sadly, Spielberg’s populist instincts are in full effect for the film’s finale (which in and of itself is a bit logic-defying), but it’s not enough to detract from the overall power and effectiveness of this very engaging piece of cinema. Even at his schlocky worst, Spielberg remains an absolute master of the form, and War of the Worlds might easily be the best film you’ll see this summer.

War of the Worlds
4 & 1/2 Stars

It’s been quite some time since summer blockbuster season was anything more than mindless explosions, but this year may mark the return of the engaging action film, with Batman Begins and Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds making big time entertainment both smarter, and more emotionally engaging than audiences have been used to.

Marking the fifth incarnation (book, radio play, the 53 film version, a low-budget source-faithful movie made last year, and now this version) of H.G. Wells’ invasion classic, Steven Spielberg brings the Victorian Era thriller into the post 9/11 present, but manages to stay true to the spirit and tone of the original. An improbably cast but still effective Tom Cruise takes the lead as blue-collar Jersey-ite Ray Ferrier whose parental weekend with his two kids (Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin) is interrupted by the arrival of an alien menace. Seeking only to protect himself and his children, Ray evades the destruction of his city and makes off for Boston, where his ex-wife and family are, dealing with panicked crowds, an unrelenting alien force, and his own sense of responsibility.

After it’s slightly awkward introduction of characters War of the Worlds soon kicks into high gear, with the jaw-dropping spectacle of alien machines rising out of the Earth to destroy everything in its path. From that point forward, you’re totally caught in the grip of a survival story that refuses to let up. Tense, panicked, and just brimming with the urgency of a family desperately trying to reach some kind of sanctuary, Spielberg has moved the focus and perspective of an invasion film from a world at war to one man in a situation he can’t possibly understand fully.

It’s a brilliant choice to limit the information we receive to that which Ray and his kids encounter, and it works to continually unsettle you. There’s very little exposition, no big speeches, and again and again we’re shown just how ineffective the human race is against such a superior force. Most importantly we’re show the destruction of a world through the eyes of a normal man for whom circumstance has forced him step up and fend for people other than himself.

The effects of 9/11 are all over this film, from Dakota Fanning asking a panicked Cruise, “Is it the terrorists again?” (Which, is exactly what a child would ask), to the handmade signs posted by the loved ones of the missing (and most likely dead), and most powerfully, to the equally charitable and selfish actions of people who’ve lost everything except the will to survive.

In an effective set piece (which nonetheless derails the momentum of the film due to it’s length), Ray and his daughter hook up with an addled survivalist Tim Robbins, forcing Ray to decide between fighting back at those who’ve destroyed his home and protecting the life of his daughter. It’s a tense and creepy portion of the film, and one in which you’re uncertain which direction it will eventually go in.

Sadly, Spielberg’s populist instincts are in full effect for the film’s finale (which in and of itself is a bit logic-defying), but it’s not enough to detract from the overall power and effectiveness of this very engaging piece of cinema. Even at his schlocky worst, Spielberg remains an absolute master of the form, and War of the Worlds might easily be the best film you’ll see this summer.

There’s something about sports films that make it impossible to leave a theater not feeling upbeat, and Cinderella Man left me almost giddy by its conclusion. I enjoyed the hell out of this movie for all the right reasons. A serious picture not dark enough to be a blatant Oscar plea in the fall, this film is the perfect movie for filmgoers looking for summer entertainment not stuffed wall to wall with explosions or superheroes. Sure it’s semi standard treacle from Ron Howard, but it’s story and production lift it far beyond it’s mediocre trappings.

Cinderella Man
3 & 1/2 Stars

Let’s get this out of the way right now: I don’t like Russell Crowe. I don’t dispute that he’s a fine actor at times, but there’s just something about him that gets on my nerves. Ditto for Renee Zellweger and her “oh, I just bit a lemon” face. I went into Cinderella Man with no knowledge of the film outside of it being a period piece about a boxer, and that it starred those two actors.

Man, was I in for a surprise.

Just don’t mock his poems

Cinderella Man tells the true story of Jim Braddock (Crowe), a heavy-weight boxer whose bright career was derailed by the Depression and a series of lackluster fights. Unable to secure any work capable of providing for his family, the once proud Braddock is reduced to public assistance and hitting up old boxing aquaintences to get by. That is until his former manager (Paul Giamatti, proving once again he’s one of the best actors in Hollywood) finagles a substitution bout for Braddock which starts him on the road to a title fight against the notoriously powerful champion, Max Baer.

On paper it’s easy to dismiss this film as the period piece Rocky and, to be sure, there are some parallels, but the factual account of Braddock’s comeback and eventual triumph is more powerful than Hollywood is capable of making up. Director Ron Howard proves once again that he’s an absolute master of populist entertainment on par with Capra. I know that’s a heavy claim to lay on Opie, but Cinderella Man should certainly solidify his reputation as a capable storyteller.

The period look suits Crowe, whose natural bulk lends itself to a time when boxers didn’t have multimillion dollar gyms to hone their bodies into chiseled slabs. Crowe looks natural in the ring, and Howard does an excellent job giving us boxing matches that are well shot and satisfyingly real. When Braddock faces off against Baer (a near unrecognizable Craig Beirko), every ounce of force each blow sends is felt, without resorting to thunderous sound effects or cartoonish results.

And against all of my expectations, Crowe turns in a note-perfect portrayal of a proud man trying to provide for his family while holding on to his dignity and self respect. It’s an understated performance which goes a long way to repairing my impression of the actor. Paul Giamatti is, as always, an absolute scene stealer. He’s an actor that I hope like hell will get more leading roles on par with Miles from Sideways, but his supporting work here might just be what pushes Oscar voters to make up for his losing the Best Actor to Jamie Foxx. His work here provides much of the comic relief, but it’s delivered by a man whose situation is just as desperate as Braddock’s, and his crusty demeanor belies a man who knows he’s just moments away from losing his own good fortune.

For once, Renee Zellweger’s pinched look finds a perfect home in Mae Braddock, and she looks utterly natural as a Depression era woman. She’s given little to do besides alternate between worrying about her family and encouraging her husband, but the few times she’s given scenes with any weight, she conveys the weary determination of a woman who will do whatever it takes to keep her family safe and sound.

There’s something about sports films that make it impossible to leave a theater not feeling upbeat, and Cinderella Man left me almost giddy by its conclusion. I enjoyed the hell out of this movie for all the right reasons. A serious picture not dark enough to be a blatant Oscar plea in the fall, this film is the perfect movie for film-goers looking for summer entertainment not stuffed wall to wall with explosions or superheroes.