Post by chalametthegreat on Dec 16, 2023 7:34:23 GMT -8
Simone, as you know, I'm not a big social media user. Look at the craziness with X ... cough ... Twitter. But if you want to share my review on Instagram ...
"After years of anticipation like waiting for an everlasting gobstopper, I finally saw Wonka on Thursday night and highly recommend seeing the movie on the big screen this holiday season. I saw it on ScreenX and the production design and colors just leaped off the screen to illuminate my visual imagination.
I am a fan of musicals from the Golden Age of Hollywood to the 1970s, such as Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, Mary Poppins, Sound of Music, Doctor Dolittle, and, yes, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Since it is the holiday season, I also recommend my annual favorite Scrooge with the late great Albert Finney. I am happy to report that Wonka fits in the time honored American tradition of these family musicals including thankfully being a worthy prequel to the 1971 classic it pays homage to.
Without a doubt, Wonka would fall flat on its face as a movie if the title character wasn't played by a charming and likable soul with a decent singing voice. Timothee Chalamet gives one of my favorite performances of his to date. Like chocolate roasting on a marshmallow, Timothees energy and enthusiasm melt your heart. As an audience member, you can't help but root for the guy to succeed in his business and craft. I like too that Timothee plays Wonka not as a superhero or some superhuman character but as a flawed young man who is a clever inventor and dreamer who just wants to earn a living fair and square in a capitalist society like ours where if you have talent you will go far. And Timothees Wonka never gives up. We all need to be reminded of this type of positive reinforcement when the world and humanity gets us down.
Obviously director Paul King's vision and artistic sensibilities are really fun to watch. And when combined with creative musical numbers, Wonka truly lifts your spirit and you rise out of yourself. One of my favorite scenes in the film is when Timothee sings in his new shop "A World of Your Own." I was just stunned not only by the music and singing but how physical Timothee and the cast got with their movements and dances in the shop. But as good as the art and production design are, none of it would work well without a solid supporting cast of actors and actresses. Hugh Grant makes any movie better with my only complaint being we didn't spend enough time with him as an oompa-loompa. And as a fan of Downton Abbey and its dutiful butler Carson, I always enjoy watching Jim Carter play another memorable character. But in addition to Timothees performance as Wonka, the standout actress in the movie to me was Calah Lane as Noodle. Timothee and Calah have wonderful onscreen chemistry in a older brother and younger sister relationship. Their interplay throughout the film is endearing. I dare you not to have a tear in your eye through the song "For a Moment" when Wonka and Noodle hold hands together with balloons and fly above the city.
If I have any Wonka critiques, it is that the three chocolate cartel and laundromat villains, while hilarious and well played by the actors, were too cartoonish for my tastes. Who doesn't love a good villain and in my opinion the best villains in fiction are people whom we can relate to and understand why they do horrible things. And remember good cinematic villains do not know they are committing evil atrocities. Nevertheless, Olivia Colman is clearly having so much fun being a baddie! Besides infusing the antagonists with more three-dimensional personalities, I think there is some narrative distance that still needs to be traveled to connect Timothees young, trusting Wonka with Gene Wilders aging, suspicious Wonka. I hope Wonka performs well enough in boxoffice at the theatres to justify a sequel that bridges both versions of the character. After all, we didn't get to see the chocolate factory until the very end of Wonka. And we know there has to be more stories about the factory's construction and operation.
In a cynical and sometimes dangerous world, we need art that is unabashedly hopeful and optimistic. While Wonka is not my favorite film of 2023, it is this year's most joyful movie with a solid message about family and friendship and protagonists to root for and admire. And what higher praise is there than that Wonka is destined to become another rewatchable musical for children and adults alike for years to come much like its beloved sequel predecessor."
"After years of anticipation like waiting for an everlasting gobstopper, I finally saw Wonka on Thursday night and highly recommend seeing the movie on the big screen this holiday season. I saw it on ScreenX and the production design and colors just leaped off the screen to illuminate my visual imagination.
I am a fan of musicals from the Golden Age of Hollywood to the 1970s, such as Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, Mary Poppins, Sound of Music, Doctor Dolittle, and, yes, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Since it is the holiday season, I also recommend my annual favorite Scrooge with the late great Albert Finney. I am happy to report that Wonka fits in the time honored American tradition of these family musicals including thankfully being a worthy prequel to the 1971 classic it pays homage to.
Without a doubt, Wonka would fall flat on its face as a movie if the title character wasn't played by a charming and likable soul with a decent singing voice. Timothee Chalamet gives one of my favorite performances of his to date. Like chocolate roasting on a marshmallow, Timothees energy and enthusiasm melt your heart. As an audience member, you can't help but root for the guy to succeed in his business and craft. I like too that Timothee plays Wonka not as a superhero or some superhuman character but as a flawed young man who is a clever inventor and dreamer who just wants to earn a living fair and square in a capitalist society like ours where if you have talent you will go far. And Timothees Wonka never gives up. We all need to be reminded of this type of positive reinforcement when the world and humanity gets us down.
Obviously director Paul King's vision and artistic sensibilities are really fun to watch. And when combined with creative musical numbers, Wonka truly lifts your spirit and you rise out of yourself. One of my favorite scenes in the film is when Timothee sings in his new shop "A World of Your Own." I was just stunned not only by the music and singing but how physical Timothee and the cast got with their movements and dances in the shop. But as good as the art and production design are, none of it would work well without a solid supporting cast of actors and actresses. Hugh Grant makes any movie better with my only complaint being we didn't spend enough time with him as an oompa-loompa. And as a fan of Downton Abbey and its dutiful butler Carson, I always enjoy watching Jim Carter play another memorable character. But in addition to Timothees performance as Wonka, the standout actress in the movie to me was Calah Lane as Noodle. Timothee and Calah have wonderful onscreen chemistry in a older brother and younger sister relationship. Their interplay throughout the film is endearing. I dare you not to have a tear in your eye through the song "For a Moment" when Wonka and Noodle hold hands together with balloons and fly above the city.
If I have any Wonka critiques, it is that the three chocolate cartel and laundromat villains, while hilarious and well played by the actors, were too cartoonish for my tastes. Who doesn't love a good villain and in my opinion the best villains in fiction are people whom we can relate to and understand why they do horrible things. And remember good cinematic villains do not know they are committing evil atrocities. Nevertheless, Olivia Colman is clearly having so much fun being a baddie! Besides infusing the antagonists with more three-dimensional personalities, I think there is some narrative distance that still needs to be traveled to connect Timothees young, trusting Wonka with Gene Wilders aging, suspicious Wonka. I hope Wonka performs well enough in boxoffice at the theatres to justify a sequel that bridges both versions of the character. After all, we didn't get to see the chocolate factory until the very end of Wonka. And we know there has to be more stories about the factory's construction and operation.
In a cynical and sometimes dangerous world, we need art that is unabashedly hopeful and optimistic. While Wonka is not my favorite film of 2023, it is this year's most joyful movie with a solid message about family and friendship and protagonists to root for and admire. And what higher praise is there than that Wonka is destined to become another rewatchable musical for children and adults alike for years to come much like its beloved sequel predecessor."