The Chronicles of Narnia and Other Old Friends Fill 2005 With Nostalgia

Two years after the final installment in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy came out, the first of Walden Media's adaptations of the Chronicles of Narnia hit theaters. I'd been looking forward to it for months, and it capped off a year in which the movies allowed me to revisit pleasantly familiar territory time and again.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - I'd seen the BBC version of this C. S. Lewis classic several times. As much as I enjoyed it, I was anxious to see how it would fare with the big-budget treatment. I saw it opening night, and while the BBC version is inarguably the more faithful adaptation, there was a lot I loved about this edition, starting with the adorable Georgie Henley as Lucy and the thoroughly endearing James McAvoy as the faun Mr. Tumnus. The special effects are gorgeous, as is the cinematography, and some of the key moments from the book leap to life on the big screen. Plus, this movie is responsible for Lazy Sunday, one of my all-time favorite Saturday Night Live sketches.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - I read the book, and of course I saw Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, so again I was interested in seeing how this update would compare. Tim Burton struck me as being an ideal director for a film taking place in such a skewered world, and he delivered a techni-color treat emphasizing the importance of family. While I missed Veruca's bumbling dad and Charlie's ludicrous teacher, in some ways, I preferred Johnny Depp's vulnerable, Michael Jackson-like Willy to Gene Wilder's manipulative version, and I definitely preferred irresistible Freddie Highmore as Charlie.

Dear Frankie - This little gem of a Scottish film stars Gerard Butler as a mysterious stranger who poses as the father who has walked out of young Frankie's life. It's the only way his mother, played by Emily Mortimer, can think of to painlessly deal with the ruse she's kept going; she's been writing to Frankie for years, posing as his father. The seeds of romance that blossom between her and the pseudo-dad are sweet, but it's the man's growing fondness for the open-hearted deaf child that really makes the film endearing.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Another great installment in the Harry Potter series. Though Michael Gambon is harder to take as Dumbledore in this film than the others, Brendan Gleeson's outstanding performance as Mad-Eye Moody makes up for it. Meanwhile, the visual spectacle of the Quidditch World Cup and the Tri-Wizard Tournament is dazzling, and there's lots of humor to be found as Harry and his friends begin to navigate those dangerous waters of teenage romance.

Hitch - Will Smith and Kevin James are a winning team in this film about a man who makes a living secretly helping schlubs win over the women of their dreams. Each has his own romance to pursue throughout the film, but it's their buddy movie chemistry with each other that's really endearing. They are hilarious together, and James is one of the most lovable losers ever to hit the big screen.

March of the Penguins - Documentaries rarely go far in the theater, and it's pretty unusual for me to go see one there. But this one had been getting so much good buzz that I, like so many others, couldn't resist. The cinematography of those penguins making their perilous journey is breathtaking, and Morgan Freeman narrates with all the warmth of a grandfather telling a bedtime story.

Pooh's Heffalump Movie - My appreciation for Winnie-the-Pooh is one of the first things most people learn about me. I'm a huge fan of the Silly Old Bear, so I was determined to catch this film in the theater. My friend Libbie and I ended up with the theater all to ourselves, so I was able to combine the big-screen experience with the privacy of a home viewing. I loved the quietness of the movie, the lovely animation and the introduction of the adorable Lumpy to help teach the Hundred-Acre Wood gang that different doesn't have to mean scary.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - I hadn't read the novel on which this film is based, but Libbie had, and she was the one who recommended the movie to me. All four of its young leading ladies have starred in television shows, though two hadn't yet at the time this movie came out. I was especially interested in Amber Tamblyn, who starred in the sadly short-lived Joan of Arcadia, and her storyline ended up being my favorite. Meanwhile, America Ferrera, who would go on to star as the plucky heroine in ABC's Ugly Betty, won me over in her storyline, which came in a close second.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith - At long last, this film made Star Wars a pair of trilogies - though of course, the original trilogy is the far superior one. Still, I think this third installment was probably the best of the three, albeit not as much fun as The Phantom Menace.

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - This pair of claymated buddies finally got a full-length adventure. Though the chatty, addled inventor and his silent, brainy pooch might be better suited to shorter outings, this is a very fun adventure, especially for Anglophiles. And as a big fan of Art Garfunkel, the inclusion of a clip from the song Bright Eyes was a nice bonus for me.

A good year for fantasy and adaptations. Not too many surprises in 2005, but much of this year's crop felt pleasantly nostalgic.

Lord of the Rings Alums Help Me Get Through 2004's Post-LOTR Blues

The biggest media event in 2004 for me was LOST - and I didn't even experience it in 2004, since my VCR failed to tape the first couple of episodes and I knew I wouldn't want to watch the series out of order. It took LOST to fill the void left by Lord of the Rings, but 2004 had a pretty good crop of movies, most of which I didn't catch in the theater. These were my ten favorites.

13 Going on 30 - Probably my favorite movie of the year. I found it much funnier and sweeter than I expected, an endearing story of childhood sweethearts and the mistakes made along the road to adulthood. I loved getting to see Andy Serkis playing a regular old human, and quite a charming one at that, and Sean Marquette and Mark Ruffalo are extremely lovable as the younger and older versions of Matty, the love interest of Jennifer Garner's Jenna. But Garner was the one who really impressed me as the teenage girl in adult shoes trying to figure out just where she went wrong in the 17 years she never experienced.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - One of the strangest movies of the year, it too boasts a Lord of the Rings alum. Elijah Wood's role as an unethical memory wiper is a far cry from the virtuous Frodo. The movie stars Jim Carrey in one of his most dramatic, least frenetic roles to date, while Kate Winslet is his extremely eccentric love interest. I much prefer his character to hers, but they play off one another well in this pleasantly bizarre movie about the importance of one's memories to one's identity. I'm glad I waited for this one to come out on DVD, since I ended up watching it two times in a row. It made a lot more sense the second time...

Finding Neverland - I find Winslet a lot less grating in this film, which also stars Johnny Depp and Freddie Highmore. Depp is Scottish playwright J. M. Barrie, who seems a little out of touch with reality and is happiest when reclaiming his childhood with the family led by the widowed Sylvia (Winslet). Depp's low-key performance is most endearing, as is that of Highmore, who plays one of Sylvia's sons, the lad who supposedly served as the model for Peter Pan. A lovely score and cinematography and creative incorporation of Barrie's fantasy world added to my enjoyment of this unusual biopic.

Garden State - There were three main reasons I rented this one. An acquaintance of mine had heartily recommended it, and I'd heard that its soundtrack included one of my favorite Simon and Garfunkel songs and that the cast included Ian Holm, yet another Lord of the Rings alum. I'm glad they led me to this movie, which is part romance between the quirky characters played by writer-director Zach Braff and Natalie Portman, part a reflection on dealing with grief, part coming-of-age story, part buddy comedy. It all adds up to a pretty impressive directorial debut.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - I couldn't leave this one out. Third in the Harry Potter film series, it departs more from the books than the first two films but is still in many ways a wonderful adaptation, from the soaring score to the sweeping cinematography. Important characters such as Remus Lupin and Sirius Black are introduced, and while it's a rather painful transition from Richard Harris to Michael Gambon, Emma Thompson is hilarious as the wacky Divination professor. Meanwhile, the visual spectacle of the Hippogriff and the Patronuses are fantastic, and the Dementors are terrifying.

Mean Girls - Lindsay Lohan stars in this story of an innocent newcomer to high school who befriends a pair of oddballs, who encourage her to infiltrate the class's top clique and do some spying. Of course, she ends up getting sucked in and must ultimately decide whether popularity is worth the changes it has wrought to her personality. Based on Queen Bees and Wannabes, a treatise on teen behavior, the movie is a little over-the-top but still fun and occasionally thought-provoking.

Napoleon Dynamite - I saw this one in the theater with my brother, his friend and the exchange student staying with us. We enjoyed it, but we couldn't really think of anything to say about it as we hung around waiting to get picked up afterward. It's an odd, amusing movie about the triumph of the underdog. Jon Heder's Napoleon is awkward and towering, always sounding like he's mad at the world but expressing his frustration with a surprisingly clean vocabulary. Tina Majorino plays the most normal character in the bunch, a shy girl who actually finds Napoleon appealing. The cult hit is full of great catch-phrases that have spawned everything from magnets to t-shirts. I'm a little surprised there hasn't been a sequel, but then one movie's worth of Napoleon may be enough...

Spider-Man 2 - Probably the best of the series, though each installment has its charms. Alfred Molina and James Franco give great performances as men turned sour by tragedy, and Spidey's big heroic train scene is one of my favorite moments in a superhero movie.

The Terminal - This one didn't get a lot of attention and generally seems to have been regarded as a bit of a flop for director Steven Spielberg and star Tom Hanks. However, I loved this fairy tale-like story of a gentle man from a fictional war-torn country in eastern Europe who spends weeks living in an airport, infuriating the airport director (Stanley Tucci) but inspiring everyone else. Very sweet and very funny.

Two Brothers - This was the movie that introduced me to Freddie Highmore, my favorite child actor since Haley Joel Osment. It also stars Guy Pearce. Each of them has a significant relationship with one half of a pair of tigers, the brothers of the title. The boy and the man don't meet until late in the movie, but their scenes together are quite moving. Most notable, though, is the gorgeous cinematography that so perfectly captures the majesty of these creatures.

I've still got some catching up to do on 2004's crop of movies, but so far, what I've seen is a pretty good batch.

Freddie Highmore and Joan Plowright Impress in The Spiderwick Chronicles

I first stumbled upon Freddie Highmore in Two Brothers, the 2004 film in which he portrayed a young boy with a pet tiger that eventually had to turned out of the house, only to be reunited with him months later. His performance impressed me, and I've kept an eye out for his movies ever since. The most recent was The Spiderwick Chronicles, a fantastical tale about three siblings who unearth some very unsettling secrets about the rambling home they have just occupied.

The Spiderwick Chronicles are a series of five books for intermediate readers. I've been aware of them for years, but I never read them. From what I understand, this movie covers all five books; I couldn't say how faithfully it adapts them, but the film is entertaining from an outsider's perspective.

Highmore plays both Jared and Simon Grace, a pair of American twins. There's an odd husky quality to his voice, but his American accent is entirely convincing. At first I had a little trouble keeping the twins straight, but Highmore made them distinct enough from each other that I eventually managed. Jared is the one who happens upon the titular volume, a compendium of information about magical beings that could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. He soon discovers that his house is surrounded by such creatures, though seeing them requires either a special eyepiece or a deeper level of vision bestowed by a hobgoblin (Seth Rogen). The only exception is Thimbletack (Martin Short), a curious little fellow who is Jared's staunchest ally in the magical world.

The movie is a rousing adventure filled with CGI, to a sometimes distracting extent. I almost preferred the scenes in which the beasts were invisible and liked the way the theme of proper sight played out over the film. I also liked the family dynamic; the twins fight to keep their home and defeat their shape-shifting nemesis Mulgarath (Nick Nolte) with the help of their spunky sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger), while struggling to come to grips with the separation of their mom (Mary-Louise Parker) and dad (Andrew McCarthy).

The most affecting performance came from Joan Plowright as the children's aunt Lucinda, long institutionalized for her assertion that her father (David Strathairn) was carried off by fairies when she was a girl. For most of her long life, she has been craving his return, and it so happens that he is the key to bringing down Mulgarath. I found this father-daughter subplot to be the true heart of the movie.

The Spiderwick Chronicles isn't quite up there with the best fantasy films I've seen, but it's action-packed and family friendly, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre.

Freddie Highmore Enchants in August Rush

Is it mere coincidence that August Rush, the musical fairy tale directed by Kirsten Sheridan, stars two actors who have previously played unconventional versions of Peter Pan? Maybe. But the echoes seem to be there, with Robin Williams playing Wizard, a ring-leader for lost boys (and girls) living in their own little Neverland in an old theatre, and wide-eyed Freddie Highmore portraying Evan Taylor, who wants nothing more than a mother (and a father, too). This young lad can't soar through the air, but his remarkable gift for finding music all around him is every bit as magical as fairy dust.

When I first saw trailers for August Rush, I was hooked as soon as I spied Highmore, who has replaced the now-grown Haley Joel Osment as my favorite child actor. I thought he was brilliant in Two Brothers, Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I suspected any film with him in the cast would be of high quality. Besides, the premise of a boy who has never known his parents seeking them out through music was entrancing, and Williams sweetened the deal.

The film did not disappoint. Highmore seems to breathe innocent sincerity, and he is a big part of why this movie works despite the fact that disbelief must be checked at the door. August Rush is primarily about his journey, a trek much like that of Fievel Mousekewitz in An American Tail, except that he doesn't even know his parents' names or what they look like. But he hears them, and he's convinced that if he can just find a way to put the music inside him out in the open, they just might hear him, too.

Initially, Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell) and Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) don't know they're looking for their son. Indeed, Louis, a washed-up rock star, has no idea he fathered a child, while Lyla, a Julliard-trained orchestral musician who delivered Evan after sustaining serious injuries in a car accident, was led to believe he was stillborn. Unfortunate circumstances have kept them separated from each other and from Evan, and though they both feel something important is missing from their lives, it's hard to say just what.

Evan is a musical prodigy who has never picked up an instrument. He's especially fascinated by wind chimes but finds melodious patterns in all the noises around him, and the film is presented in such a way that we are able to tap into his inspiration even before he finds the means with which to express it. It seems a little far-fetched to me that this boy would have gone more than 11 years without access to a guitar, a piano or even a harmonica, but a lot about this movie is far-fetched, and I'm willing to accept it because of the sheer exhilaration that accompanies each of his musical discoveries.

It starts with a guitar, played by the talented, street-smart Arthur (Leon G. Thomas III), who leads Evan into the fold of the eccentric, anti-establishment Wizard, who both nurtures and manipulates children with musical abilities, forcing them to work as street performers and hand the tips over to him. He reminds me of Fagin in Oliver Twist, who I always felt a little sorry for despite his criminal activities. While Wizard facilitates Evan's real immersion in music and gives him the titular pseudonym, he's not quite the kindly mentor the previews led me to believe, but he's not all sinister either.

When an evening choir practice draws him to a church, Evan progresses to piano and organ and soon is writing his own rhapsody, taking into account all the sounds and events that have moved him so profoundly. He takes to each new instrument instantly, without having to take time to develop proficiency, and between Highmore's ecstatic expressions and the combination of music and cinematography, watching and listening is truly a joyful experience.

It's Highmore who really drives the film, but Williams, who seems to be emulating Bono with his get-up, is compelling, while Thomas and Jamie Simone Nash, who plays Hope, a young vocalist Evan befriends, both boast considerable musical skill. Meyers, whose character reminds me of Charlie Pace on LOST, is fine, but Russell is positively luminous, and Terrence Howard conveys a sense of kind concern as Richard Jeffries, a social worker who takes an interest in Evan's welfare.

Rush to the cinema this November for a touching tale of family, love and the power of music. It's a film you're not likely to forget any time soon.

Never Before Has Neverland Seemed So Within Our Grasp

Last year, I watched Two Brothers and fell in love with Freddie Highmore, the English answer to Haley Joel Osment. I soon learned he was set to star with Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a prospect that pleased me very much. But in the meantime, there was another film starring the two to watch out for: Finding Neverland. I already was convinced of the superiority of the cast, but glowing reviews from friends and critics and an NPR program in which an expert on accents applauded Depp’s work in the film made me even more eager to see it. As too often occurs, I missed it in the theater, but I was all too happy to finally watch it when it came out on video.

I’ve always been a fan of Peter Pan – the general story if not every version – but over the course of several years, particularly in college, my information led me to believe that author J. M. Barrie was at best deluded, at worst a pedophile, and probably both. When I first heard of this movie, I thought it might be rather gritty and cynical. As it turned out, it was just the opposite. I don’t know which account to believe, but I certainly like this one better, and the idealist in me embraces it.

Depp stars as Scotland native Barrie, and I must say that he was awfully easy on the ear. I don’t mask my prejudices. There are few things in this world more beautiful than a Scottish accent. It’s the reason I fell in love with Billy Boyd; it’s the reason I started watching Craig Ferguson after Letterman every night. So even though Depp naturally has just a plain old American accent, I forget that in an instant here. Flawless. But there’s more to this performance than admirable command of a dialect. Depp portrays Barrie as a man rather like Michael Jackson (ironic given the abundant comparisons his role as Willy Wonka produced) but with none of the creepy oddball associations. The people around him may make those accusations, but we see him simply as a gentle man intimately in touch with his inner child and unable to mold himself to the conventions of polite society. Like John Denver, his life’s work and his charitable causes are of greater concern to him than his personal life, which has deep ramifications for his relationship with his wife (Radha Mitchell).

In Barrie’s case, the “charitable cause” that consumes him and troubles his wife is the family of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet), a recently widowed woman with a brood of four boys, three of whom (Joe Prospero, Nick Roud, Luke Spill) are energetic and imaginative. The odd one out is Peter (Highmore), who is deeply scarred by his father’s death and has little use for the falderal Barrie happily trots out for the boys’ benefit. Nonetheless, the author perseveres, encouraging Peter to write his own stories. Meanwhile, he is so inspired by his afternoon romps with the children that he recovers from a writing slump, writing what is destined to be by far his most popular play, though his producer (Dustin Hoffman) is overcome with worry that this exceedingly strange piece of theater will be a colossal flop. Hoffman remains an understated comic presence, and I can only assume he was asked to assume the role as a nod to his performance as Hook in the film of the same name. At the same time, Sylvia’s stern mother (Julie Christie) shows increasing disapproval of the playwright’s involvement with her daughter and grandchildren, particularly once Sylvia begins to display signs of a serious illness.

The look of this film is magical, suffused with dappled sunlight that almost invariably overpowers the shadows that linger on the periphery. The visions of Neverland are especially bright, and for fans of the story it’s exhilarating to feel as though we are watching the genesis of these beloved characters and events. Perhaps my favorite such moment is when Barrie observes the Davies children jumping on the bed and imagines them continuing upwards instead of falling back upon the soft mattress, flying out of the open window into a land where they will never grow older and never change. As much as he tries to preserve their innocence, he cannot shield them from harsh reality, but he can give them a gift: the power of story, latent within each of them, to unlock the magic so many weary souls have left behind and never attempted to reclaim.

Top-notch acting, superior cinematography, a gentle story and tender score all come together to create a masterpiece of which all its participants can be proud. Peter flies high once again, and he’s never before looked so much like one of us.

Freddie and Johnny and Tim, Oh My!: Willy Wonka Revisited

This is the summer of the remake, it seems. How many must we suffer through? The Dukes of Hazzard, Bewitched, Bad News Bears… luckily, there is at least one rehashing that is worth the audience’s time and attention. Conveniently enough, it has a different name than the original, making it easy to distinguish. I speak, of course, of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Now, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is undeniably a classic, with the musical numbers (especially the goofy Oompa Loompa tunes); the silly snippets of folks around the world going to great lengths to get a winning ticket; the inane lessons of Charlie’s teacher (who is probably my favorite character); the repulsive behavior of Veruca Salt and the reactions of her cowed father; and of course, the antics of Gene Wilder as eccentric but self-assured Willy Wonka. But after seeing Tim Burton’s skewed mind take on the equally skewed world of Roald Dahl, I may be prepared to pronounce him the victor.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opens with an eye-catching demonstration of the process by which Wonka bars are made and delivered to stores around the world. It’s a preview of the brilliant land we will enter once Willy opens his factory to five lucky ticket holders. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Our first glimpse of the protagonist is in considerably more drab surroundings: a precariously leaning shack in the middle of town, where seven family members huddle over bowls of cabbage soup. I confess here that while I have seen the previous film many times, one of them this year, I have read the book only once, many years ago. So I remember the film much more clearly and found myself making comparisons to that instead of the book, to which this movie sticks more closely. I honestly cannot recall if Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore) had a dad (Noah Taylor) in the book, but he definitely did not in the movie, so seeing this extra family member was a considerable surprise – the first of many.

Several characters and plot points are notably different in this film. In fact, the major conflict has nothing whatsoever to do with Slugworth or everlasting gobstoppers, both of which are given only the briefest of mentions, almost as a nod to the prior movie. Gone entirely is the bubble chamber in which Charlie and Grandpa Joe do a bit of giddy floating – and, sadly, so is Charlie’s teacher. But for every missing element, there is something grander to take its place, and the film becomes less about Charlie’s dedication to a loony chocolatier and more about his devotion to the family members who have nurtured him for so long in spite of their poverty.

The cast is top-notch, starting with dear young Freddie. Ever since I saw him in Two Brothers, I was hooked. By Finding Neverland, he had become my favorite male child actor since Haley Joel Osment (female vote goes to Dakota Fanning). And now, with his adorable toothy grin, impossibly large blue eyes, husky voice and apparent inherent sweetness, he makes me fall utterly in love with Charlie Bucket. I always thought the original Charlie was just okay, but Freddie is phenomenal, and Burton couldn’t have made a better casting choice. Mum (Helena Bonham Carter) and Dad are a perfectly pleasant pair of doting parents. The fact that Mr. Bucket works in a toothpaste factory is an amusing detail, and his “special perks” allow Charlie to build a fantastic model of the fabled factory. Meanwhile, the grandparents are comical and more well-defined than before. Grandpa George (David Morris) is a crusty old curmudgeon who enjoys cursing and generally spreading his negativity around as far as it will go, to the general annoyance of his fellow bedridden nonagenarians. Grandma Georgina (Liz Smith) is a bit batty, while Grandma Josephine (Eileen Essell) is warm and comforting. Once again, though, it is Grandpa Joe (David Kelly of Waking Ned Devine fame) who is developed the most fully. He and Charlie share an especially close bond, and in this film he isn’t just an intrigued outsider when it comes to the chocolate factory. He actually worked there himself for a number of years before Willy Wonka laid off his entire staff and locked the factory gates after too many of his secrets began leaking out. Joe is sweet and funny, and his oversize glasses add a pleasantly goony touch to his appearance.

There are of course the same four obnoxious children, though two of them have been altered somewhat. The scenes in which they are introduced are nearly identical to those in the first film, aside from a lack of Slugworth slinking around in the background. Augustus Gloop (Philip Wiegratz) and his mother (Franziska Troegner) are virtually identical to the pair in the first movie. They look the same, they act the same. Every time we see Augustus, he is stuffing his face. He does have one new little scene in the film that tickled my funny bone terribly. As the children are making their way into the factory, A chocolate bar-toting Augustus, in what I took to be an uncharacteristic moment of kindness, asks Charlie if he would like some chocolate. Charlie also appears taken aback by this gesture but gratefully accepts his generosity, at which point Augustus taunts, “Too bad! You should have brought your own!” and runs off. Aside from that, though, pretty old hat. He’s the first to go, so we never did get to know him all that well.

Veruca Salt (Julia Winter) is someone we know all too well, however. While Augustus is too busy gorging himself to say much, Veruca is always opening her mouth to demand from her father (James Fox) whatever happens to pop into her head at the moment. I’ve already said I found Burton’s casting inspired, but in this case I just don’t think the original can be improved upon. The original Veruca was the essence of obnoxiousness, and her poor overwrought father was pathetic as he was entertaining. And her show-stopping performance with the golden geese… Well, who could forget that? She was the only one of the four brats who got her own musical number. Our local Youtheatre put on a performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when I was in ninth grade, and every girl auditioning seemed to have her eye on Veruca’s part. Nobody cared about Violet. I think this owes a lot to Julie Dawn Cole, the young lady originating the role, and I have to give her props for that. So I don’t really have a complaint with this Veruca, but I just think this is a case in which the original can’t be outdone. And her father is much more of a prim and proper sort of fellow, which is much less entertaining than the blustering coot we saw in the original. Veruca’s grand scene is vastly different than in the original, though it’s the same basic concept. Though I didn’t like the song as much, I must say I enjoyed the particular participants in this scene immensely, owing to a personal preference. They’re certainly a lot cuter than the geese.

Veruca always had a corner on rudeness in the first film, but Burton seems determined to make the other kids catch up as much as possible. Violet Beauregarde (Annasophia Robb) is utterly insufferable. A competitive know-it-all, she is a virtual clone of her mother (Missi Pyle), who eggs Violet on in all of her pursuits. “Eyes on the prize,” she tells her daughter when they learn that one of the five children will receive an extra special prize at the end of the tour. Violet does her best to ingratiate herself to Willy Wonka, but she must be seriously deluded if she thinks that her constant insults flung at the factory owner are making her any point. Mike Teavee (Jordan Fry) is similarly incorrigible, and while the other parents think their kids can do no wrong, his dad (Adam Godley) seems weary and even afraid of the tyke, who greatest passion is violent video games. Both these children seem to serve as a way for Burton to comment on certain unpalatable aspects of contemporary society: over-competitive children with pushy stage moms, and addictive violent video games. Mr. Teavee replaces Mr. Salt as the petrified parent.

Of course, by far the actor who has gotten the most attention in this film is Johnny Depp, who has made a career out of playing extremely eccentric characters. Willy Wonka is an oddball, that’s for sure. But Depp’s Wonka is an entirely different kind of weirdo than Gene Wilder’s. Wilder made the titular character manipulative, almost demonic at times, and always in complete control of the situation. He was clearly self-assured, while Depp’s Wonka is insecure to the max. Before I saw the movie, I heard all sorts of buzz about how much this Wonka seemed to resemble Michael Jackson, a comment I thought was odd, especially since they look nothing alike. However, with these comments zipping about in my mind, I couldn’t help but look for similarities. And perhaps because I was looking, I found them. Most obviously, Wonka appears androgynous. He looks more like a girl than a guy, and he speaks with an unnaturally high voice. He doesn’t seem to know how to interact with normal people, but he has built a wonderland, which he shares not with children but with the beleaguered Oompa Loompas. He, too, feels he suffered a great deal at the hands of his father (Christopher Lee, looking characteristically creepy in a series of loopy flashbacks) and was robbed of a normal childhood. He also wears funny gloves, and there is the small matter of those 80s-ish dance routines concocted by his employees. So yeah, I see a few similarities. And you know what? I always liked Michael Jackson. And I think this Wonka is a lot more likable than the original. He’s afraid of his own shadow. He’s amused by the strangest things. He recoils from human touch and is so repulsed by the whole notion of family that he can’t even say the word “parents.” But he’s really quite a sweet man, and it’s easy to feel sorry for him. But not for Depp, who is more likely to be envied, as he is clearly one of the most talented actors working today. Like Jude Law, he emerges in each new role almost unrecognizable. I can’t wait for Corpse Bride.

So much imagination went into this production. I really think Dahl would have been pleased. In addition to the ultra-bright chocolate river room featured on movie posters, I found two scenes particularly arresting. One was the introductory puppet performance that we heard in the previews of this movie several months ago. Monstrously irritating, impressively complex, and certainly a little nutty, it reminded me of a similar device in Shrek and paved the way for a hilarious first impression of Wonka. The other scene, which made me recall Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, depicts the Great Glass Elevator in all its glory, going all the ways we know it can but never get to see in the original. There certainly is a lot to see in this factory, and the visuals here are impressive. It’s also fun to see how many of the room labels you can read before the camera pans away.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a beloved movie that I will always be fond of. But I think this is one of those rare instances where the remake actually managed to outdo the original. When the first film was so good, that’s really saying something. Tim Burton and Roald Dahl are an ideal combination; I wish he’d tackle more of his books. But I am certainly glad he was not too intimidated by the other’s classic status to tackle this project. Three cheers for Charlie!

Twice the Tigers is Twice as Nice

There were several films this summer that I knew about and was looking forward to for months in advance: Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Village… But one movie appeared to me out of nowhere on a television preview in May, and since then it has topped my list of movies to see this summer. The title: Two Brothers. The first preview I saw led me to believe that the brothers in question were a tiger cub and the young boy with whom he lived. I soon learned that this commercial had only shown half the story, and the other brother was, in fact, another tiger cub, which only increased my desire to see the movie. So when it showed up in our dollar theater last week, I jumped at the chance to go see it.

I can’t help it. I’m a sucker for animal movies. In this one, the two tigers truly are the stars. At the beginning of the film, we are treated to several majestically photographed scenes of the cubs and their parents romping in their Edenic little corner of the jungle. Each of the tigers has a distinct personality, with Kumar, future circus tiger, a little daredevil and Sangha, future cherished pet, a timid Mama’s boy. Their idyllic lifestyle is shattered when, as is too often the case in such films, humans show up and ruin everything. Famed hunter Aidan McRory (Guy Pearce) is in the area, searching this time not for wildlife to shoot down but artifacts to cart away and sell at auction. As it happens, though, the tigers live in an ancient temple, leading to an inevitable encounter that leaves the father tiger dead and Kumar in the hands of McRory.

In spite of his reputation, McRory is a very likable character throughout the film. When he comes upon Kumar, he treats the cub with great gentleness, eventually earning his trust. A life with this hunter, it seems, would not be such a bad one for the young tiger. But circumstances forbid this, and instead the cub winds up with a group of not-so-friendly circus folk determined to turn him into the ruthless beast their ancient tiger has never been. Sangha, meanwhile, is left alone with his mother, who eventually succumbs to a trap, leaving the cub to be discovered by Raoul (Freddie Highmore), the sweet, adorable son of the Administrator with whom Aidan has a working relationship. While Kumar is miserable in his new circus cage home, Sangha has a pretty comfortable life with the boy he has grown to love until an unfortunate accident sends him packing to be part of the emperor’s managerie.

The majority of the film follows the tigers’ storylines separately. It alternates back and forth until the climactic moment when the two are finally reunited, a year later, in what is intended to be a fight to the death. This film includes quite a bit more dialogue than The Bear, director Jean-Jacques Annaud’s earlier film in a similar vein, but it still relies very little on words to convey the story. The most heartfelt moments need no words at all. The tigers are expressive enough in their natural state.

Humanity on the whole doesn’t come off so well. We see people acting in cruel and destructive ways throughout the film and are told at the end that fewer than 5000 tigers remain in the wild. But individuals fare much better, especially Aidan and Raoul. Both come across as very honorable, kind-hearted people, with Aidan having the additional virtue of having his worldview changed as a result of his relationship with Kumar, to the point of vowing to lay down his gun permanently. Yes, the movie does preach, and yes, the tigers are a bit anthropomorphic at times. But the gorgeous cinematography, the tigers’ engaging personalities, the heartwarming story and the worthwhile message combine to create a film well worth a trip to the theater for the whole family.