Month: December 2023

2024 Blind Spot Picks

| Rachel's Reviews

Happy New Year! I hope you are all doing well. If you missed it over on my channel I posted my video of the Best Movies of 2023:

I would also like to announce my next 12 picks for my Blind Spot series. I have been now  doing this series for over 7 years and am going to record my 100th entry in the series soon. Each year I try and pick a variety of films to keep the series fun for me and hopefully for the readers as well. I tried to do the same this year with some comedy, cult classics, popular favorites and more I have somehow missed seeing along the way. If any of you want to participate in Blind Spot please do! I would love to see your takes on films you’ve missed.

So here goes:

January- JFK by Oliver Stone

This is one of those films I’ve heard much praise for but just never had the chance to see. It follows the investigation into the assassination of President John F Kennedy. Was it a conspiracy or a one-man job? The cast including Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Oldman and Kevin Costner is great so I’m looking forward to seeing it.

February- Love Story by Arthur Hiller

I love a romance but I’m not as high on romantic weepies which is probably why I’ve never seen Love Story. This classic story of young love was a huge hit at the box office when it came out and made 173 million on a 2 million budget. I’ve heard it’s well done so I’m intrigued to finally check it off my list.

March- John Wick by Chad Stahelski

Yes I have never seen John Wick. I don’t love violence in film and I’d heard this one was pretty brutal so I missed it and then it became this phenomenon, so it is finally time for me to watch this action series and see what all the fuss is about. Let’s go!

April- The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly by Sergio Leone

In 2023 I watched A Fistful of Dollars for blind spot and I enjoyed it, so I decided to put another Sergio Leone classic on the docket for this year- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. We will see how this spaghetti western compares!

May- Seven Days in May by John Frankenheimer

I love a good political thriller and I’ve heard lots of praise for 1964’s Seven Days in May. The narratives can build up tension well and be very entertaining. The cast on this one is outstanding including Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas and Ava Gardner. I look froward to checking it out


 June- The Magnificent Ambersons by Orson Welles (kind of)

The story behind The Magnificent Ambersons is probably more famous than the movie itself. The fact that the studio cut an hour off of director Orson Welles’ film and shot a new ending is pretty terrible. It’s why I haven’t watched it yet but I think it will be interesting to see what the studio came up with. It is just one of those movies a film critic eventually needs to watch and now is as good a time as any.

July- Deadpool by Tim Miller

Yes, I have never seen the original Deadpool. The only Deadpool I’ve seen is Once Upon a Deadpool and I hated it. As I said with John Wick I’m not the biggest fan of gratuitous violence, and I have a feeling the sense of humor in this won’t be my thing but I’ll try and keep an open mind. With Deadpool 3 being the only MCU release in 2024 in theaters it’s time to watch the original and see what I think.

August- Far from the Madding Crowd by John Schlesinger

I love the version of Madding Crowd from 2015 with Carey Mulligan and Matthias Schoenaerts and feel it is one of the more underrated films of the 2010s. When I say that people have often told me the version from 1967 starring Julie Christie is better so we’ll see what I think. I bet I will like both versions better than the book, which I didn’t care for much at all.

September- The Plague Dogs by Martin Rosen

There honestly aren’t that many animated blind spots I have left. At least without diving into series I’ve watched most of the classics of the medium. One I haven’t seen, however, is The Plague Dogs which is from the same team that did Watership Down in 1978. I’m sure this dog /war film will be intense but it should be compelling.

October- The Thing by John Carpenter

I try to push myself out of my comfort zone for the October blind spot watch but in 2023 I might have gone too far with Trick R Treat. It wasn’t for me. In 2024 we will see if John Carpenter’s classic The Thing is more my jam. I liked his Halloween so it should be a fascinating watch.

November- Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life by Terry Jones

It’s perhaps surprising I’ve never seen this Monty Python classic because I love Holy Grail so much but it’s true. I know this has a big vomit joke which I hate (I have a very easy gag reflex) but hopefully other jokes will work better for me.

December- It Happened on Fifth Avenue by Roy Del Ruth

Like with animation, there aren’t that many holiday films I haven’t seen but It Happened on Fifth Avenue is one of them. I’ve heard it’s very funny, sweet and got all the Christmas feels which is enough to get me interested.

So there you have it! My blind spot picks for 2024. What do you think of these films? Have you seen them? 

If you enjoy what I do please consider supporting at patreon where you can get tons of fun perks. https://www.patreon.com/hallmarkies

Blind Spot 96: Trading Places

| Rachel's Reviews

I have now done almost 100 posts for in this Blind Spot series and one continuing trend is me not enjoying classic comedies particularly from the 80s. I didn’t enjoy Beverly Hills Cop, Troop Beverly Hills, Lethal Weapon, Slap Shot, National Lampoons Vacation, the list goes on. So it was with some hesitation I added Trading Places to my 2023 lineup but there aren’t that many Christmas-themed movies I haven’t seen so I decided to give it a shot. Now after having seen the film I am glad to say it mostly still works. There are outdated elements but as a piece of social commentary it still feels sharp and incisive.

Trading Places tells the story of two gentlemen, one a rich stock broker and one a small-time criminal, who are entered into a social experiment by 2 richer stock brokers to try and decide the debate of nurture vs nature. Dan Akroyd playing Winthorpe the broker is suddenly stripped of his position, power, money and everything else while Eddie Murphy’s Valentine is given all those things. This is of course very upsetting to Winthorpe and he tries to defend himself which only makes him look more crazy to the uppity people he used to call friends.

Valentine on the other hand is suddenly given power and he does quite well with it. He uses his street smarts to read the room and get better deals than the Wall Street types can achieve. There is also Jamie Lee Curtis playing a prostitute named Ophelia who has pity on the miserable Winthorpe.

What works best about Trading Places is the friendship that emerges between Winthorpe and Valentine once they get on the same side and want revenge on those who orchestrated the social experiment. It’s a movie that might be called woke today because it has something to say about race, class, and other social issues but it doesn’t forget to make you laugh along the way.

The only major problem with the movie is some of the R rated elements feel too vulgar for the tone of the script. I particularly thought the number of times they have Ophelia go topless for no reason seemed excessive. I know she’s a prostitute but it felt too much for a character they were trying to humanize and defend only to then exploit her to try and titillate (literally) 80s male audiences.

There is also a scene of Winthorpe in blackface that is unfortunate. It’s not a particularly funny scene nor does it have that much to say so it makes the entire scene feel gross.

Other than that Trading Places is a good time at the movies and holds up quite well. I want to say it’s one they could remake but it would be impossible with how sensitive everyone is these days when it comes to sensitive issues. We aren’t good at laughing at each other now so we don’t learn all we can from each other.

RACHEL’S MASSIVE MOVIE CATCH UP ON CHRISTMAS PART 2

| Rachel's Reviews

So we are back! Time to catch up on some more recent movie reviews. I forgot to share my Best of the Year video in my last post but don’t miss it!

Here’s the reviews:


Anatomy of a Fall-

I honestly put off seeing this movie because it seemed very pretentious but when I actually went to see it it was actually quite accessible and engrossing. In fact, it almost made my best of the year video but was a strong honorable mention. Basically Anatomy of a Fall is a compelling crime courtroom drama where we are asked to question if a woman killed her husband or is it the accident she claims. The movie keeps you guessing to the end as it layers clues through court testimony and flashbacks. It’s the kind of movie multiple people could watch and have different opinions about. Sandra Hüller is excellent (and very good in Zone of Interest that I reviewed in the last post) as the main protagonist as is Milo Machado Graner as her son Daniel. It’s the kind of movie Hollywood would ruin with poorly staged melodrama instead of trusting the audience with ambiguities and flawed characters. It is an R rating but I think a lot of people would be entertained by this film. It’s not the arthouse niche film I thought it was at first.

8 out of 10

Smile Worthy

The First Slam Dunk

As a lover of anime I am always looking for ways to introduce friends to the artform in accessible and engrossing ways. The First Slam Dunk is such a film and one of my favorite films of 2023. It’s a simple movie that tells us the story of a high school basketball team that’s trying to compete and manage the stresses of their personal lives. As we get to know the players on and off the court director Takehiko Inoue does a great job of building the importance of the big game and even the big shot so we are waiting with baited breath to see what will happen. The game scenes are so well done my only regret is having to watch it at home and not on the big screen (it was only at my theater for one weekend and I missed it which I bitterly regret.) Even so what a compelling film that almost anyone will enjoy. My only flaw with it is I think the character designs look like professional athletes rather than high school students. I guess that’s the way the manga is but it did take me out of the story a couple of times. Still, I highly recommend The First Slam Dunk.

9 out of 10

Smile Worthy


The Iron Claw

I am not a wrestling fan but my friend Ryan Cam is and he had prepared me for this upcoming film The Iron Claw and the intense tale it is telling. I know people hate spoilers but this is a film where I do think knowing what you are getting into is a good idea particularly with how triggering it could be for some individuals (2 characters commit suicide.) The crazy thing is in real life there was another brother in the Von Erich family that committed suicide that they left out! I have rarely been more angry at a character than I was at the father played by Holt McCallany in this film. You think about all the people who would do anything for a child and then to see the way this man manipulates and abuses his children it’s infuriating. The only thing he cared about was wrestling not the humans he was entrusted with. Zac Efron is excellent as one of the brothers Kevin as is Jeremy Allen White as Kerry. It’s a tough sit but extremely moving and I do recommend it if only for the incredible performances.

8 out of 10

Smile Worthy (a crying smile)


Migration

I really disliked the first trailer for Migration because it felt like another middling entry from Illumination. After being disappointed by their The Super Mario Bros Movie earlier this year my hopes weren’t high for this bird movie but then the trailers started to get better and with director Benjamin Renner at the helm I had more confidence and that optimism was not in vain! This is probably my favorite film from Illumination and ended up being a very enjoyable family film. The story is pretty basic with the road trip and the neurotic parent scared to leave the nest but the script by Mike White is funny and the voice acting is all well done. The only thing I would change is we didn’t really need the over-the-top chef villain. He’s fine for the restaurant scene but didn’t need to stay throughout the film. There’s enough drama going on with the journey we didn’t need a supervillain complicating things. But this is an entertaining, funny, well-written adventure the whole family will love.

8 out of 10

Smile Worthy


Robot Dreams-

I actually hadn’t watched Robot Dreams when my colleagues at UFCA nominated it for best animated film. I’m the animation girl so I was a little embarrassed they selected something I hadn’t seen so I immediately watched my screener dvd for it and am so glad they selected it! What a delightful animated film. It instantly went up my list of the best movies of 2023. I’m so sad that not many have seen this film because it is so charming. It’s a simple story of a dog that makes a robot to be his best friend and the amazing summer they have together. I love the hand drawn animation by Pablo Berger and the way the movie uses music is so endearing. It might be my favorite use of “September” by Earth Wind & Fire ever in a movie. This movie is joy in movie form and I adored it. Keep an eye out for it if you can see it in a theater or on streaming.

10 out of 10

Smile Worthy

The Peasants

I actually wasn’t a big fan of 2017’s Loving Vincent. While the visual style of using Van Gogh’s paintings to make an animated film was impressive the story was not captivating for a feature film. If you loved that film I am not sure what you will think of the team’s follow-up The Peasants but it also wasn’t for me. While the visual style is unique it feels slicker and less arresting than Loving Vincent and the story here is so relentlessly bleak it was hard to watch. This is an animated film for adults where a young teen begins an affair with a married man and ends up marrying his father and things get expectedly messy with rape and assault involved throughout the picture. It’s very depressing without the moving moments of something depressing like The Iron Claw. I just really didn’t enjoy it despite the impressive visual achievement.

5 out of 10

Frown Worthy


Rebel Moon- Part One: A Child of Fire-

It’s no secret to anyone who follows movies that director Zack Snyder can be very divisive in his films. He has a huge hive that devotedly follows everything he does and then a large group that can’t stand most of his work. He’s normally not my favorite but I do like some films like his most recent Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Now he is releasing a new sci-fi epic that was evidently originally pitched to Lucasfilm as a Star Wars film but was not accepted and sent over to Netlflix. I was able to see it on the big screen and left confused by what Snyder had put together. For an epic sci-fi film it was surprisingly small in feel for most of the movie. A lot of the first half is spent on a farming planet and people confronted with a Nazi type character played by Ed Skrein and what they are going to do about it. Then Sofia Boutella’s Kora goes out into space to try and find warriors ala The Magnificent Seven and Seven Samurai but in space. The second half does get more epic in feel but it’s still arrive at a planet, talk to people and maybe have a little bit of action. Small when I expected big. I guess Snyder has an entirely different cut of the movie which is very annoying especially when a film has a limited theatrical so it doesn’t need to be PG-13. It feels like a phony attempt to create a ‘Snyder Cut’ movement where none needed to occur. Still, the movie is fine if you like sci-fi but nothing special. It’s not offensively bad. Just forgettable. I’d rather just watch Star Wars even though that franchise has been pretty bad lately. At least it has occasional characters and places I care about. This is bland and left me pretty meh for part 2, which I think says a lot.

5 out of 10

Frown Worthy


The Boy and the Heron-

I would like to put in a longer review of The Boy and the Heron particularly when I get the chance to see it again when I am more rested. I actually saw it opening night at a midnight screening so I was pretty tired and did struggle to stay awake throughout the entire movie. Still, it’s definitely an impressive visual achievement full of imagination and creativity. The type of film only Miyazaki could come up with. I also loved the music by Joe Hisaishi and I hope the Academy will finally recognize his genius with a nomination. The story was a lot and kind of all over the place but it left me intrigued to see it again and study its themes. It also has a lot of weird birds which aren’t exactly my favorite! Still, I have a feeling it’s a movie that will grow on me the more I see it and it’s always a treat to see a Miyazaki film in the theaters. More please!

7 out of 10

Smile Worthy


Anyone But You-

Obviously I’m a big fan of rom-coms and for the most part this year has been a really good year for the genre both on the big and small screen, so I was excited for Anyone But You. An R rated modern take on Much Ado About Nothing seemed like just my thing, but I came away thinking it was just ok. The parts where it leans into the Shakespeare play work the best and Glen Powell is so good as your romantic lead. Unfortunately Sydney Sweeney felt very wooden and that impacted the chemistry between the two. The physical comedy didn’t really work and the supporting cast is mostly wasted. Fans of the genre will enjoy it but it just could have been so much better.

5 out of 10

Frown Worthy


Salaar: Part 1- Ceasefire-

Lately I have been enjoying Indian action cinema a lot more than what Hollywood is providing. They have a spectacle and excitement you don’t get in many American films these days. This is why I jumped at the chance to see the new film from Prashanth Neel starring Prabhas called Salaar: Part 1- Ceasefire. It’s a mouthful of a title and a whole lot of movie to match but it mostly was a big bombastic fun time at the cinema. Prabhas is such a titan in these roles and the action is visceral and extremely bloody (if you are squeamish about blood don’t see this one!) It does get confusing and the subtitles felt very fast but overall I enjoyed the experience of this crazy wild film. I do wish it had dance and music like other Indian cinema I’ve seen like RRR and the  Baahubali films but this is enjoyable as well.

7 out of 10

Smile Worthy

So there you have it! I did it! That’s all the movies I’ve seen in the last few weeks! Merry Christmas to you and thank you for supporting my career and everything I do. 

If you enjoy what I do please consider supporting at patreon where you can get tons of fun perks. https://www.patreon.com/hallmarkies

Rachel’s Massive Movie Catch Up on Christmas Part 1

| Rachel's Reviews

Hey friends! I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas day with family and friends! I have been beyond busy lately trying to get all the awards contenders watched so I could vote for the various groups I am a member of and covering all the holiday films for Hallmarkies Podcast. I would love to have longer reviews for all of the films I’ve seen but that’s just not possible so here goes. (I am going to divide this up into several parts, so here is part 1)

Dream Scenario

Dream Scenario is one of those movies that’s a more clever in theory than execution but it’s fun enough. It’s about a mousy professor played by Nicolas Cage who ends up one day in everybody’s dreams for no apparent reason. It comments on social media and modern-day relationships and Cage is more relatable than you might expect. It’s the kind of movie that would have made a better short than feature but I enjoyed what it had to say and the lead performance from Cage.

6 out of 10

Smile Worthy


The Color Purple

I have actually seen The Color Purple twice and I hope to do a longer review soon but I’m very grateful to the screening company for allowing me to see it twice. I was very tired the first day and despite enjoying the movie felt I didn’t get the whole experience because of my fatigue. The second time I was well rested and able to fully appreciate the film. It’s interesting because they were initially selling it as a ‘crowd pleaser’ which confused me given the subject matter. However, after seeing the film I understand  what they were saying. They have successfully flipped the script from the novel and original film from a trauma narrative into one of inspiration and overcoming the toughest of challenges. As a musical lover I also appreciate how seamlessly the songs are integrated into the story. It’s similar to Fiddler on the Roof in that way that for many of the numbers you can imagine the characters actually singing at that moment and the entire cast is incredibly talented. I am not always a huge Taraji P Henson fan but she was great in this and Danielle Brooks steals the show with her role and song “Hell No.” I haven’t seen the Broadway show this is based on but I hope I get to some day. Even if you don’t normally like musicals you might enjoy this one. It’s perhaps a little more drawn out than it needs to be but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

8 out of 10

Smile Worthy


The Zone of Interest

The Zone of Interest is a tough film to review because I admire much about it but I don’t necessarily think it all comes together. The concept is compelling about a seemingly normal German family in 1943 that lives an idyllic existence next to Auschwitz concentration camp. I do think if this film doesn’t get nominated for best sound at the Oscars than the award has no meaning. No other film from this year does sound play such a key character in the storytelling. As events are happening to the family we hear explosions and other noises from the camp and it’s very chilling. All that said, I felt like it made its point rather quickly and then didn’t have enough to say for a feature film. It would have been a lot stronger as a short. Still, for the attempt and the conversation it inspires I do recommend watching this unusual film.

6 out of 10

Smile Worthy


Ferrari

I don’t know what I expected from Michael Mann’s Ferrari but I didn’t expect it to end up on my worst of the year list but that’s what happened. Aside from some impressive makeup there isn’t much for me to praise in this film. Adam Driver is fine as Enzo Ferrari but the script is so clunky and poorly done that I couldn’t appreciate his character work much. Penelope Cruz does what she can as the weepy wife but Shailene Woodley is terribly miscast as his mistress Lina. The accents are embarrassing and the racing scenes aren’t even well done. A real miss

3 out of 10

Frown Worthy


Next Goal Wins

I’d heard a lot of negative buzz around Next Goal Wins before getting a chance to see it so maybe that is why I was surprised how sweet and charming it turned out to be. This is by no means an awards contender or anything like that but if you are looking for an underdog sports movie to root for you could do worse. Michael Fassbender plays a convincing surly bitter coach who is given the rag-tag group of soccer players to form into a team. It really should be called First Goal Wins because that’s the main goal of the Samoan soccer team to score one goal. Kaimana as Jaiyah the trans player of the team is probably the highlight. This one won’t change your life but is perfectly pleasant and enjoyable.

6 out of 10

Smile Worthy


Monster-

One of the more under-appreciated directors working today is the great Hirokazu Kore-eda who always seems to do well at festivals like Cannes but get little love elsewhere at the Oscars and other audiences. However, he consistently makes thoughtful films full of humanity and gets excellent performances out of his actors. His new film Monster is no exception. In it, he takes the Rashomon approach and tells the story of a boy getting struck in class from 3 perspectives- the Mother, the teacher and the child. All 3 teach us something different about the incident and present us with 3 compelling characters.  If you get a chance to see it I highly recommend Monster.

9 out of 10

Smile Worthy

Fallen Leaves-

Fallen Leaves is one of those films that some people will find to be boring but others will love. I’m in the latter group. It doesn’t have a ton of plot but the characters are so easy to relate with and their relationship so winning that it’s a joy to watch. Coming from Finish director Aki Kaurismäki we follow 2 single grocery workers who meet and begin dating. They even go on a date to The Dead Don’t Die (which I hated) and they don’t seem thrilled with the movie. I just loved following these 2 for 81 minutes and rooting for them to find happiness. If you like the Before Sunrise series you might like this.

9 out of 10

Smile Worthy


Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

I’m a big fan of Aardman animation and the original Chicken Run film. I love the animation and the homage to prison escape films like The Great Escape. One of the highlights of my career was interviewing the creator of Wallace and Gromit Nick Park for rotoscopers and I will always look forward to an Aardman film. So it is with some disappointment that I say Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is just ok. I’m not sure what they could have done to make it better but they basically just rehash the original film with them going back to Mrs Tweedy’s farm to free their daughter imprisoned there. It’s pleasant and I enjoyed seeing the characters again but it’s also highly forgettable and nothing I will remember going forward like the original film. I wish they had chosen a new villain and given us a new story.

5 out of 10

Frown Worthy

So there is part 1 with many more to come! 

If you enjoy what I do please consider supporting at patreon where you can get tons of fun perks. https://www.patreon.com/hallmarkies

 

Aquaman vs Godzilla the Mediocre vs Excellent Blockbuster (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Godzilla: Minus One)

| Rachel's Reviews

This time of year is an intense time for me as a critic and podcaster. Between my holiday coverage at Hallmarkies Podcast and getting all the awards contenders watched I am woefully behind on my reviews. Therefore, over the next few days you are going to be seeing a lot of shorter reviews as I try and get my opinions out into the world. In this post we are looking at 2 recent blockbusters- one that feels like the last tired push from a corporate behemoth and one that continues on a decades-long tradition of moviemaking with heart and soul. Let’s talk about Aquaman vs Godzilla.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

For a long time I was one that defended comicbook movies against folks who said they aren’t cinema but it has become increasingly more difficult to do so in 2023. What should be explorations into popular mythmaking and escapism have turned into soulless corporate exercises of mundanity and money-calculated blandness. Such is the case in our last entry for the year Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. In this final entry in the DCEU director James Wan has given us a laborious, reverential, self-serious slog.

Now I’m someone that didn’t like the original but here they’ve doubled down on the burdens of Arthur ruling Atlantis and the back and forth of Atlantean politics. There are a few nice moments between Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson who plays his brother Orm but mostly this felt like a bunch of attempts to try and be epic without any epicness to back it up. Also why they chose to screen it to us in 3D I’ll never know. The whole thing looked cloudy and it was hard to make out what was happening in some scenes. This one is a definite skip from me

Frown Worthy

3 out of 10


Godzilla: Minus One

If you want to see an actual good blockbuster with compelling characters and action look towards Japan and Godzilla: Minus One. I have not seen all of them but I do think it is the best Godzilla movie I’ve ever seen. Ryunosuke Kamiki plays Koichi who is disgraced when he fails to be a kamikaze pilot in WWII and he cannot shoot the Godzilla monster that attacks his crew. This gives the entire story an emotional weight beyond the typical monster movie trappings of the franchise. Minami Hamabe steals any scene she is in as Noriko Oishi, Koichi’s partner.

Like all the good Godzilla movies Godzilla: Minus One has something to say about war, nuclear arms, the environment and toxic masculinity. What does it mean to be a hero? This is something that plagues Koichi almost as much as the giant monster throughout the film! I also appreciate that all of the monster action is clear and I can see what is happening unlike the recent Godzilla: King of the Monsters made here in America. The music is also excellent. I never thought a Godzilla movie would be one of my favorite films of the year but that’s where we are.

9 out of 10

Smile Worthy

So there you have 2 would-be epics at theaters right now. I know which one I’d recommend and see again if given the chance! Happy moviegoing! 

If you enjoy what I do please consider supporting at patreon where you can get tons of fun perks. https://www.patreon.com/hallmarkies

‘WONKA’ or It’s an Uneven Concoction But Worth Eating

| Rachel's Reviews

Hey everyone! It’s no great secret that the internet loves hyperbole. Most movies are either total disasters or masterpieces these days and yet I am still surprised when I see that reaction to a movie I think is a decidedly mixed bag. This is how I felt about the new film Wonka. In fact, when I told a friend I had mixed feelings on it they responded ‘oh that’s too bad.’ Again, mixed feelings. I thought some things were fantastic in it and other aspects didn’t work for me. I’ll say it again- MIXED.

Let’s talk about the strengths first. My biggest takeaway with Wonka is I think I’m finally squarely on the  Timothée Chalamet hive. I’ve enjoyed him in films like Little Women and Call Me By Your Name but never been completely won over like I was here. He is charming with a wink in his eye that reminded me of Gene Wilder in the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. He always seems like a nicer person than the Wonka in that film but it is appropriate since this is a prequel and he hasn’t been as embittered by the world.

I also loved the musical sequences and have no idea why the studio is hiding the film’s greatest asset. Not a song to be found on youtube or in the marketing. It’s bizarre and speaks to a troubling trend in promoting musicals which can be seen in Wonka, The Color Purple, and the upcoming Mean Girls: The Musical. Barely any songs to be found in the trailers for musicals!

Most of the cast in Wonka is enchanting along with Chalamet including Calah Lane as a little orphan girl named Noodle,  Sally Hawkins as his mother, and Hugh Grant as the Oompa-Loompa. All together they kept me rooting for the characters and invested in their story.

As far as the downsides to the film I didn’t love the plot they chose involving Willy becoming an indentured servant to Olivia Colman’s Mrs Scrubbit. I know Roald Dahl stories always have horrible female antagonists but she wasn’t fun in an over-the-top way and it just wasn’t whimsical or ghoulishly entertaining. I also couldn’t stand a series of fat jokes and suits involving Keegan-Michael Key’s policeman character. I am not someone that requires body positivity in characters but it’s also not inherently funny to have someone get progressively more obese for laughs.

My other complaint is admittedly more of a nitpick: they didn’t make the chocolate look very tasty. Whenever Willy gave a character a chocolate or ate one himself it looked like hard plastic. I know you could say that about the original with the rivers of chocolate water but there were moments the candy looked good like when he eats the tulip cup or the mushroom with marshmallow in it.

I always thought this mushroom looked particularly good

I just wish the movie had been a little more escapist when it comes to the confections. It would have added to the whimsy of it all.

That said, Wonka is still a whimsical musical with a great leading performance that helps overcome any of its flaws. I will be curious once general audiences get to take a look at it. Will they be as enchanted as most critics seem to be or leave with a more bitter taste in their mouths? We will see. As for me it’s flawed but worth a taste!

7 out of 10

Smile Worthy

If you enjoy what I do please consider supporting at patreon where you can get tons of fun perks. https://www.patreon.com/hallmarkies