MOVIE TALK 2009 Scholastic Canada Ltd. V001 1 of 11
THE SUNSET STAR NEWSPAPER E3 MOVIE REVIEWS Burton Film Worth the Hype CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (PG) Copyright Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. Directed by: Tim Burton Starring: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, Helena Bonham Carter, David Kelly, Noah Taylor, Deep Roy Rating: The lucky golden ticket winners explore the edible chocolate factory in a scene from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Charlie continued on E4 2 of 11
E4 THE SUNSET STAR NEWSPAPER MOVIE REVIEWS Charlie continued from E3 Copyright Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. If the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were a chocolate bar, it would definitely be dark chocolate. With its rich colours, intense characters, and dark sense of humour, it is delightful and delicious and not to be missed. The movie, based on Roald Dahl s 1964 book with the same title, tells the tale of Charlie Bucket, a boy who comes from a very poor but loving family. In their town, there s a huge chocolate factory run by a man named Willy Wonka. Charlie loves chocolate, but gets only one chocolate bar a year, on his birthday. You can imagine how excited Charlie is when Willy Wonka announces a contest in which five children can win an exclusive tour of the factory plus a lifetime supply of chocolate. All they have to do is find one of the five golden tickets hidden inside the Wonka Charlie continued on E5 3 of 11
Depp Brings Colourful Character to Life THE SUNSET STAR NEWSPAPER E5 MOVIE REVIEWS Charlie continued from E4 chocolate bars. Charlie s birthday is just around the corner and he longs to find one of the golden tickets. In the end, the five lucky winners are: Augustus Gloop, a gluttonous eater; Veruca Salt, a spoiled rich girl; Violet Beauregard, an aspiring gumchewing champion; Mike Teavee, a boy obsessed with video technology; and, luckily, Charlie. Inside the factory, odd events eliminate the children one by one. Each time, Willy Wonka doesn t seem phased or surprised by these accidents. Instead, he continues with the tour until only Charlie is left. The character of Willy Wonka (played by Johnny Depp) is kind of creepy and I loved him. His face is unnaturally pale, almost lavender. He s quite rude, but that s fun because it s also silly; he s child-like, and he speaks in an odd, high-pitched voice that only adds to his weird quirkiness. In fact, one of the best things this movie does is explain why Willy Wonka is so eccentric. In the book and in the previous film released in 1971, Willy s character comes off as an odd man obsessed with chocolate who likes to punish children in strange ways. But in the 2005 version, screenwriter John August adds something new: he tells us about Willy Wonka s restricted childhood in which Charlie continued on E6 4 of 11
E6 THE SUNSET STAR NEWSPAPER MOVIE REVIEWS Charlie continued from E5 Copyright Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. his nasty dentist father refused to let him eat any candy and treated him coldly. That makes Willy much more likable and easier for us to relate to. Willy s character development is really lacking in the original film, and the special effects aren t nearly as good because computer animation hadn t been invented when it was made. Still, the best part of this film is the design, the sets, and the special effects, which make it eerie and beautiful all at once. The light in the falling-down Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka steals every scene in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. house where Charlie lives is so soft and rich that it looks like candlelight. In contrast, the bright and colourful factory with dancing Oompa-Loompas feels cold and empty, making it all the creepier. Also, in the book, the descriptions of things inside the factory get a bit boring, but the images really come to life in the film: a giant pink boat with a prow like a dragon s head, a transparent elevator that shoots through the air, and a roomful of squirrels opening nuts then turning their twitching noses towards an unwelcome visitor. Movie director Tim Burton has taken novelist Roald Dahl s recipe and added new ingredients that make this tale about chocolate even more mouth-watering. Colin Thomas 5 of 11
Search #1 Blogger for Neptune Middle School ANIME COMIC BOOKS COMEDY ADVENTURE FANTASY DRAMA Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Rating: out of 5 March 30, 2009 I finally got around to watching Tim Burton s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, after we talked about all these book-turned-movie adaptations in class. When I saw this movie, my first impression was Yum! That looks tasty! And that was pretty much my impression of the whole thing, because this movie was FILLED with tasty things to eat. There was chocolate, and taffy, and fudge... but surprisingly, that was not at all the focus of the movie. The real focus of the movie was... well... kind of foggy. It was either showing the details of the factory, seeing who would win the final prize, unravelling Mister Wonka s childhood, or trying to solve the Bucket family s poverty. Another foggy thing was Mister Wonka s personality. At times he seemed insane, then lonely, and sometimes he even appeared to be a genius. 6 of 11
Search #1 Blogger for Neptune Middle School ANIME COMIC BOOKS COMEDY ADVENTURE FANTASY DRAMA But one thing that was almost genius was the music by Danny Elfman. It will be stuck in my head for a very long time, as will the characters that sang the songs. Oh, those Oompa-Loompas, with their choreographed dances, funny costumes, and punchy songs. Did you know that all the Oompa-Loompas were played by the same person? That guy must have had to do a lot of work, as there were hundreds of Oompa-Loompas in the movie. In short, this movie was pretty crazy, and I d think twice before watching it again. 7 of 11
Search #1 Blogger for Neptune Middle School ANIME COMIC BOOKS COMEDY ADVENTURE FANTASY DRAMA User Comments: Rate it! Andie, 11 Rating: out of 5 I totally agree. The movie was weird and I wanted to know what was up with Willy Wonka. Out of all the characters, I liked Charlie best and I was happy to see him win a golden ticket. Still, I won t be watching that one again. Posted by: Andie March 30, 2009 Damien, 12 Rating: out of 5 I thought the movie rocked! The factory was pretty cool, and so was seeing the blue kid blow up. I d definitely see it again. Posted by: Damien March 30, 2009 istockphoto koson kajeekailas/ istockphoto 8 of 11
Search #1 Blogger for Neptune Middle School ANIME COMIC BOOKS COMEDY ADVENTURE FANTASY DRAMA Rina, 12 Rating: out of 5 The Oompa-Loompas were my favourite part of the movie. They were so cute with their matching outfits. The best was their huge white glasses in the scene with Mike Teavee. Their funny hair was also pretty awesome. Posted by: Rina March 31, 2009 Sherif, 13 Rating: out of 5 It made me want to visit a chocolate factory or better yet, build my own! Posted by: Sherif April 1, 2009 istockphoto 9 of 11
FAMOUS KIDS Summer 2005 In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the mysterious Willy Wonka opens the doors to his factory and you won t believe what s inside! andy trees don t grow just anywhere. They have to be invented first, and then nurtured by someone who really knows what they re doing. They probably wouldn t do very well outside, since they d dissolve in the rain. Yup, candy trees can pretty much only grow inside a factory a chocolate factory. Candy trees, chocolate rivers, gum that tastes like an entire meal they all exist inside only one chocolate factory in the world, the one belonging to the great confectionery visionary, Willy Wonka. You may have read the book about him by Roald Dahl, or seen an old movie based on his story. But now there s a brand new movie all about Willy, his scrumptious (but very secret) workplace, and the little boy Charlie Bucket who wins a chance to look inside. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka holds a contest. He hides five golden tickets inside five Wonka bars, and the five kids who find them will 10 of 11
Four of the five tickets are snapped up by bratty kids who don t deserve to win. But the fifth ticket is found by Charlie Bucket, a sweet kid from a poor family, who just might get a surprise if he can manage to behave himself for the whole tour. vvv /Eve Warner Bros be allowed to enter his gated factory, where no one has been in many years. They can bring one grown-up each and, together, the 10 visitors will be taken on a complete tour of the hard-to-imagine candy laboratories in Wonka s factory. rett Collection FAMOUS KIDS Summer 2005 Taken from Cineplex Theatres Famous Kids magazine Famous Kids magazine 11 of 11