by Josh Sewell
Wonka
(Rated PG for some violence, mild language and thematic elements. Opens in theaters December 15.)
The premise: In this reimagining of Roald Dahl’s iconic character, viewers meet Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) when he’s just a poor, wandering young man with an optimistic outlook. After cynical, scheming villains (including Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Colman, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas and Matthew Baynton), seek to destroy his dream of becoming the world’s greatest chocolatier, it’s up to his new friends (Calah Lane, Jim Carter, Rakhee Thakrar, Natasha Rothwell and Rich Fulcher) and a mischievous Oompa Loompa (Hugh Grant) to help him achieve his plan.
The verdict: Talk about your giant surprises. The lackluster trailers for Wonka make it look like another lazy cash grab, taking advantage of name recognition to churn out a mediocre flick that’s only tangentially related to Dahl’s beloved novel and the classic 1971 Gene Wilder film. Turns out the marketing is not doing the movie any favors.
In addition to being a full-blown musical, which you’d never guess ahead of time, it’s an absolute blast – funny and heartfelt, with a ton of charming performances. The moral here is to never underestimate Paul King, the brilliant director (who co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Farnaby) also responsible for the phenomenal Paddington films.
I’ve always respected Chalamet as an actor, but never really connected to him as a performer. Wonka changed that. For one, it’s much lighter than anything he’s done in the past (not counting his hilarious work on SNL), which makes him far more engaging. He’s also got terrific chemistry with the supporting cast – especially Lane (making her big screen debut), who serves as a surrogate little sister for the future king of chocolate.
What’s more, the fact that Wonka is a musical – and a particularly good one – puts a new, creative spin on familiar material. The songs are peppy and actually move the narrative forward, rather than press pause on the story so actors can do karaoke for a few minutes (unlike another movie I’ll discuss next week).
I really hope word-of-mouth helps this film overcome its awful marketing. Between Wonka and last summer’s Barbie, Warner Bros. has a clear blueprint on how to succeed despite CEO David Zaslav’s constant efforts to tank the company. Now let’s see if they follow it.
Grade: A-
Godzilla Minus One
(Rated PG-13 for creature violence and action. Now playing in theaters.)
The premise: In this poignant retelling of Godzilla’s origin, former kamikaze pilot Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is experiencing survivor’s guilt for abandoning his mission in the final days of World War II. That is further compounded when he fails to prevent a group of mechanics from being obliterated by a gigantic sea creature. However, hope for a new life appears in the form of homeless woman Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and an abandoned baby she found in the postwar rubble. Shikishima takes them in, only to realize he must face his trauma when Godzilla reappears to wreak havoc.
The verdict: I’ve never really been a Godzilla guy (I’ve seen a few of the American movies and that’s it), so Godzilla Minus One wasn’t on my radar until several colleagues I respect raved about it. Then it opened in theaters – including local ones, which is rare for a foreign film – and became an unexpected hit. After all of that, I knew I had to check it out, so imagine my astonishment when it turned out to be one of the year’s best films.
The movie’s incredible, with compelling characters and jaw-dropping special effects (especially considering the movie’s relatively low budget). I would’ve never predicted I’d be wiping away tears at the end of a Godzilla flick, but 2023 turned out to be full of surprises. To be honest, even if the giant lizard weren’t a part of the story, the characters (and the actors who play them) are so engaging that I’d watch a film solely about their lives in postwar Japan.
Nevertheless, writer-director Takashi Yamazaki clearly understands the language of blockbuster filmmaking, as evidenced by his love of Spielberg’s Jaws (which he references several times) and a knack for breathtaking cliffhanger scenes. There’s one moment halfway through that literally made me gasp, which pays off in a killer final scene. The last line of dialogue is what made the waterworks commence.
Take it from a guy who doesn’t know squat about the franchise’s mythology, Godzilla Minus One is a must see. Especially on the big screen, where the action scenes hit hard.
Grade: A
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
(Rated PG-13 for strong violent content and disturbing material. Now playing in theaters.)
The premise: This Hunger Games prequel takes place decades before Katniss Everdeen and her allies took down the tyrannical regime of President Coriolanus Snow. This version of Snow (Tom Blyth, who bears a striking resemblance to a young Donald Sutherland) is a teenager who’s barely surviving in a post-civil war Capitol. As the 10th annual Hunger Games approach, he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from impoverished District 12. After the scrappy girl captures Panem’s attention during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to elevate his status and save her life.
The verdict: Thanks to a traffic jam of awards season screenings, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes fell through the cracks of my viewing schedule. Fortunately, I got a chance to catch up with it over the weekend and found myself once again heavily invested in the bleak world of Panem, despite a lengthy absence.
Credit obviously goes to author Suzanne Collins for providing the fascinating source material in her novel, but also to returning director Francis Lawrence, who helmed all but one of the original Hunger Games flicks. From the opening moments of Songbirds and Snakes, I was drawn in thanks to Blyth’s mesmerizing work as the young, traumatized man who will eventually become a brutal dictator.
Lawrence understands villains aren’t born evil, so he emphasizes the moments that play a pivotal role in Snow’s evolution from hungry, motivated teen to sociopath who will stop at nothing to crush his enemies and emerge victorious. What’s more, Zegler – who finally gets a chance at stardom after Covid and superhero fatigue crushed her box office dreams with West Side Story and Shazam! Fury of the Gods – is absolutely phenomenal here. She transforms Lucy Gray into a bona fide folk hero thanks to her incredible singing voice (as the word “Ballad” indicates, the film has a ton of fantastic songs) and impressive talents as an actress.
The character understands the power of performance when it comes to the Hunger Games, which is sort of a lethal American Idol. Combined with Blyth’s work as Snow, as well as outstanding supporting work from Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Josh Andres Rivera and Hunter Schafer, “Songbirds and Snakes” proves Zegler is here to stay.
Grade: B+
E-mail: joshsewell81@gmail.com
Website: flixchat.blogspot.com
(Rated PG for some violence, mild language and thematic elements. Opens in theaters December 15.)
The premise: In this reimagining of Roald Dahl’s iconic character, viewers meet Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) when he’s just a poor, wandering young man with an optimistic outlook. After cynical, scheming villains (including Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Colman, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas and Matthew Baynton), seek to destroy his dream of becoming the world’s greatest chocolatier, it’s up to his new friends (Calah Lane, Jim Carter, Rakhee Thakrar, Natasha Rothwell and Rich Fulcher) and a mischievous Oompa Loompa (Hugh Grant) to help him achieve his plan.
The verdict: Talk about your giant surprises. The lackluster trailers for Wonka make it look like another lazy cash grab, taking advantage of name recognition to churn out a mediocre flick that’s only tangentially related to Dahl’s beloved novel and the classic 1971 Gene Wilder film. Turns out the marketing is not doing the movie any favors.
In addition to being a full-blown musical, which you’d never guess ahead of time, it’s an absolute blast – funny and heartfelt, with a ton of charming performances. The moral here is to never underestimate Paul King, the brilliant director (who co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Farnaby) also responsible for the phenomenal Paddington films.
I’ve always respected Chalamet as an actor, but never really connected to him as a performer. Wonka changed that. For one, it’s much lighter than anything he’s done in the past (not counting his hilarious work on SNL), which makes him far more engaging. He’s also got terrific chemistry with the supporting cast – especially Lane (making her big screen debut), who serves as a surrogate little sister for the future king of chocolate.
What’s more, the fact that Wonka is a musical – and a particularly good one – puts a new, creative spin on familiar material. The songs are peppy and actually move the narrative forward, rather than press pause on the story so actors can do karaoke for a few minutes (unlike another movie I’ll discuss next week).
I really hope word-of-mouth helps this film overcome its awful marketing. Between Wonka and last summer’s Barbie, Warner Bros. has a clear blueprint on how to succeed despite CEO David Zaslav’s constant efforts to tank the company. Now let’s see if they follow it.
Grade: A-
(Rated PG-13 for creature violence and action. Now playing in theaters.)
The premise: In this poignant retelling of Godzilla’s origin, former kamikaze pilot Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is experiencing survivor’s guilt for abandoning his mission in the final days of World War II. That is further compounded when he fails to prevent a group of mechanics from being obliterated by a gigantic sea creature. However, hope for a new life appears in the form of homeless woman Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and an abandoned baby she found in the postwar rubble. Shikishima takes them in, only to realize he must face his trauma when Godzilla reappears to wreak havoc.
The verdict: I’ve never really been a Godzilla guy (I’ve seen a few of the American movies and that’s it), so Godzilla Minus One wasn’t on my radar until several colleagues I respect raved about it. Then it opened in theaters – including local ones, which is rare for a foreign film – and became an unexpected hit. After all of that, I knew I had to check it out, so imagine my astonishment when it turned out to be one of the year’s best films.
The movie’s incredible, with compelling characters and jaw-dropping special effects (especially considering the movie’s relatively low budget). I would’ve never predicted I’d be wiping away tears at the end of a Godzilla flick, but 2023 turned out to be full of surprises. To be honest, even if the giant lizard weren’t a part of the story, the characters (and the actors who play them) are so engaging that I’d watch a film solely about their lives in postwar Japan.
Nevertheless, writer-director Takashi Yamazaki clearly understands the language of blockbuster filmmaking, as evidenced by his love of Spielberg’s Jaws (which he references several times) and a knack for breathtaking cliffhanger scenes. There’s one moment halfway through that literally made me gasp, which pays off in a killer final scene. The last line of dialogue is what made the waterworks commence.
Take it from a guy who doesn’t know squat about the franchise’s mythology, Godzilla Minus One is a must see. Especially on the big screen, where the action scenes hit hard.
Grade: A
(Rated PG-13 for strong violent content and disturbing material. Now playing in theaters.)
The premise: This Hunger Games prequel takes place decades before Katniss Everdeen and her allies took down the tyrannical regime of President Coriolanus Snow. This version of Snow (Tom Blyth, who bears a striking resemblance to a young Donald Sutherland) is a teenager who’s barely surviving in a post-civil war Capitol. As the 10th annual Hunger Games approach, he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from impoverished District 12. After the scrappy girl captures Panem’s attention during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to elevate his status and save her life.
The verdict: Thanks to a traffic jam of awards season screenings, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes fell through the cracks of my viewing schedule. Fortunately, I got a chance to catch up with it over the weekend and found myself once again heavily invested in the bleak world of Panem, despite a lengthy absence.
Credit obviously goes to author Suzanne Collins for providing the fascinating source material in her novel, but also to returning director Francis Lawrence, who helmed all but one of the original Hunger Games flicks. From the opening moments of Songbirds and Snakes, I was drawn in thanks to Blyth’s mesmerizing work as the young, traumatized man who will eventually become a brutal dictator.
Lawrence understands villains aren’t born evil, so he emphasizes the moments that play a pivotal role in Snow’s evolution from hungry, motivated teen to sociopath who will stop at nothing to crush his enemies and emerge victorious. What’s more, Zegler – who finally gets a chance at stardom after Covid and superhero fatigue crushed her box office dreams with West Side Story and Shazam! Fury of the Gods – is absolutely phenomenal here. She transforms Lucy Gray into a bona fide folk hero thanks to her incredible singing voice (as the word “Ballad” indicates, the film has a ton of fantastic songs) and impressive talents as an actress.
The character understands the power of performance when it comes to the Hunger Games, which is sort of a lethal American Idol. Combined with Blyth’s work as Snow, as well as outstanding supporting work from Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Josh Andres Rivera and Hunter Schafer, “Songbirds and Snakes” proves Zegler is here to stay.
Grade: B+
E-mail: joshsewell81@gmail.com
Website: flixchat.blogspot.com
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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