Movie Reviews
Well, the box office results are in, and it's Charlie followed by Crashers, as I predicted (not quite as close as I thought it would be, though). The box office is out-performing the similar weekends for last year for the 2nd week in a row, but this time by a solid 7.5%, rather than the 0.5% of last week. Charlie, in particular, I think is poised to be the first big blockbuster of the summer, for reasons that I will expound upon in:
My Movie Reviews!
(spoilers ahead)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
This is one of the rare remakes that actually holds a candle to the original. I believe this is partially because Roald Dahl's story is simple and yet so great, with a fantastic cast of characters that has allowed it to survive for 40 years. That is not to take anything away from Tim Burton and co., who have quite simply made an amazing film. Visually, it's as stunning as the trailers make it look, particularly the introduction of the glass elevator, which quite oddly reminded me of the "portal" scene from this year's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie. The production values far exceed the original, which is not surprising, given the advancements in modern technology. This is particularly apparent in the Oompa Loompa songs, which replace the campy tunes of the original with huge song and dance numbers that wouldn't be out of place in a musical from Hollywood's golden era (well, maybe a bit out of place, but...you know what I mean). The most striking difference between the original and this modern remake, however, is with the character of Willy Wonka. In the original, he is a static character, whose past is never revealed, and whom one can never be sure is telling the truth. In this remake, he becomes a dynamic character, with a back story involving his father, and family issues he must work out. While this did at first worry me, as such a back story is all too often dead weight, it was superbly handled in this remake.
As usual, this is just a remake that you can't really compare to the original, the main reason being that this doesn't have the camp value which makes the original so appealing. Willy Wonka doesn't toss off any literary allusions; Charlie's teacher doesn't talk about taking tests on Monday "before we've learned anything". Nevertheless, this is no strike against this movie, and I still recommend it, 4 stars, 2 thumbs up, etc. (aren't conclusions hard?)
Wedding Crashers
Most reviews of this movie have said it's a modern day Animal House. This is probably because there is a prominent montage towards the beginning of the movie set to the song "Shout", also prominently featured in Animal House. Wedding Crashers is a hilarious, raucous comedy, but it is not Animal House. The main difference between Animal House and other classic comedies of its ilk (Caddyshack, Meatballs, etc.), and most modern comedies, is that the classic comedies did not try to mix bizarre outlandish humor with a strong plotline. This is a convention that dates back to the Marx Brothers, and yet modern comedies seem to regularly ignore this rule. As such, most modern comedies have hilarious moments, yet fail from having plots that center around implausible deus ex machinas, or cloyingly sweet love stories. The comedies that succeed (and by succeed, I mean "are funny", not "make money") in this day and age are typically ones that completely mock these conventions, such as last year's Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, or ones that have actors skilled enough to pull off their plots. Wedding Crashers falls into the latter category. Its crude humor is draped around a love story between Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams, and while lesser actors would've have made this relationship completely trite and boring, these two actually manage to be sweet. Yes, there are sweet moments in a movie that get laughs from a handjob being performed at the dinner table. It is a fine tightrope to walk, but for the most part, Crashers walks it, with the exception of a "bummer" scene, about a half hour from the end, consisting of a montage of sadness over a sadder song. Other than this, however, this is a most enjoyable flick.
Also, do not think that this movie consists solely of dirty jokes. One of my favorite lines came early on; when crashing a Jewish wedding, Owen Wilson introduces himself and Vince Vaughn by saying, "Hi, I'm Lou Epstein, and I want to introduce you to a real mensch, Chuck Schwarz." Much humor is also derived solely from Christopher Walken's inimitable delivery of lines; he's the only actor that can make the line, "You know what your sister's like; we had to give her her Sweet 16 party when she was 13," funny.
My Movie Reviews!
(spoilers ahead)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
This is one of the rare remakes that actually holds a candle to the original. I believe this is partially because Roald Dahl's story is simple and yet so great, with a fantastic cast of characters that has allowed it to survive for 40 years. That is not to take anything away from Tim Burton and co., who have quite simply made an amazing film. Visually, it's as stunning as the trailers make it look, particularly the introduction of the glass elevator, which quite oddly reminded me of the "portal" scene from this year's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie. The production values far exceed the original, which is not surprising, given the advancements in modern technology. This is particularly apparent in the Oompa Loompa songs, which replace the campy tunes of the original with huge song and dance numbers that wouldn't be out of place in a musical from Hollywood's golden era (well, maybe a bit out of place, but...you know what I mean). The most striking difference between the original and this modern remake, however, is with the character of Willy Wonka. In the original, he is a static character, whose past is never revealed, and whom one can never be sure is telling the truth. In this remake, he becomes a dynamic character, with a back story involving his father, and family issues he must work out. While this did at first worry me, as such a back story is all too often dead weight, it was superbly handled in this remake.
As usual, this is just a remake that you can't really compare to the original, the main reason being that this doesn't have the camp value which makes the original so appealing. Willy Wonka doesn't toss off any literary allusions; Charlie's teacher doesn't talk about taking tests on Monday "before we've learned anything". Nevertheless, this is no strike against this movie, and I still recommend it, 4 stars, 2 thumbs up, etc. (aren't conclusions hard?)
Wedding Crashers
Most reviews of this movie have said it's a modern day Animal House. This is probably because there is a prominent montage towards the beginning of the movie set to the song "Shout", also prominently featured in Animal House. Wedding Crashers is a hilarious, raucous comedy, but it is not Animal House. The main difference between Animal House and other classic comedies of its ilk (Caddyshack, Meatballs, etc.), and most modern comedies, is that the classic comedies did not try to mix bizarre outlandish humor with a strong plotline. This is a convention that dates back to the Marx Brothers, and yet modern comedies seem to regularly ignore this rule. As such, most modern comedies have hilarious moments, yet fail from having plots that center around implausible deus ex machinas, or cloyingly sweet love stories. The comedies that succeed (and by succeed, I mean "are funny", not "make money") in this day and age are typically ones that completely mock these conventions, such as last year's Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, or ones that have actors skilled enough to pull off their plots. Wedding Crashers falls into the latter category. Its crude humor is draped around a love story between Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams, and while lesser actors would've have made this relationship completely trite and boring, these two actually manage to be sweet. Yes, there are sweet moments in a movie that get laughs from a handjob being performed at the dinner table. It is a fine tightrope to walk, but for the most part, Crashers walks it, with the exception of a "bummer" scene, about a half hour from the end, consisting of a montage of sadness over a sadder song. Other than this, however, this is a most enjoyable flick.
Also, do not think that this movie consists solely of dirty jokes. One of my favorite lines came early on; when crashing a Jewish wedding, Owen Wilson introduces himself and Vince Vaughn by saying, "Hi, I'm Lou Epstein, and I want to introduce you to a real mensch, Chuck Schwarz." Much humor is also derived solely from Christopher Walken's inimitable delivery of lines; he's the only actor that can make the line, "You know what your sister's like; we had to give her her Sweet 16 party when she was 13," funny.
posted by tGP at 19:07
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