I saw "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" today. I really should have written the review the moment I returned so the movie would be fresh in my mind, but whatever. I think I have remembered enough to work with.

Pros:
I thought the acting was great. The wide array of characters was a significant part of the story. I was oddly satisfied with how well the children portrayed their parts. It was a great way for young, unknown actors to get, well, better known. Johnny Depp was an interesting, quirky Willy Wonka. The oompa loompas were just awesome, with some intriguing toe-tapping numbers. Probably the one difference people should notice is that the story focuses more on Charlie than Wonka, which is good considering Charlie really is the main character (hence "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" instead of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"), though Wonka still ends up standing out much more than any of the other characters.

Cons:
As much as I enjoyed the movie, as well as the variety of quirky characters, there's just no getting around the fact that Willy Wonka is one eccentric, really creepy person. I suppose that shows how isolated and aberrant he has become over the years; nonetheless, the whole movie I was expecting him to take one of the children into a closet and show them his "special candy cane". The effects aren't really that great either, but one shouldn't be going into this movie for the CGI. One of the more subtle dislikes I found was the complete wonder at what year this whole ordeal was supposed to be taking place. It is understandably an imaginary story and I shouldn't be looking so much into it, but I almost felt that there were several little anachronisms here and there (all of which were outside of the actual factory). There were also a few plotholes. For example, the story is supposed to be set in Britain (at least I think so what with all the British accents) but Charlie is offered dollars instead of pounds or euros, or whatever currency Europe uses. The ending was also quite outlandish and unexpected, though that can be expected from director Tim Burton.

Overall:
I think this movie could really go either way. It can be highly enjoyable, with a strange, quirky humor almost matching that of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". There are several lines and moments that will make you laugh. On the other hand, Willy Wonka was just too damn creepy for me. In the end, I enjoyed it, but I could see why someone wouldn't enjoy it. Go find out for yourself.

I saw Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind yesterday. It was awesome. Similar to Princess Mononoke in certain areas but not so in others.

So there are basically no more in-theatre movies I want to watch now. I think I might download "Paranoia Agent" from what I hear about it. Otherwise, I won't have anything to do for the rest of summer.

Love and Peace