Movie Review - Wonka

I am not a Ronald Dahl fan and have yet to enjoy any movies based on his stories. But the trailer for this latest try actually looked good, and Timothée Chalamet looked like Willy Wonka should. So I thought I'd give it a chance. 

Wonka is a 2023 musical children's film inspired by a story by Ronald Dahl. It is rated PG and is appropriate for most ages.

Analysis

Timothée Chalamet. Timothée Chalamet made the movie. He looked the part and exuded the innocence, wackiness, and excitement of the character. I was surprised at how well he sang and danced.

Songs and Dancing. Almost all of the songs were really good. The dancing was fun and helped the movie move forward.

Art Direction. The visual look of the film was exactly what I expected it to be. It looked very much like a storybook.

Story. The story was weak with a lot of on-the-nose writing, heavy handed theme explaining, and goofy plot devices.

Cleverness. There were a lot of clever moments in the film that I just loved.

Silliness. There was a lot of silliness in the film that made it boring for adults and moved it from the family movie realm to a kids' film. It wasn't necessary to talk down to the audience and would have been a stronger film if they hadn't done that.

Overall

Wonka is a 2023 musical children's film inspired by a story by Ronald Dahl. It is rated PG and is appropriate for most ages. Timothée Chalamet made the movie. He looked the part and exuded the innocence, wackiness, and excitement of the character. I was surprised at how well he sang and danced. Almost all of the songs were really good. The dancing was fun and helped the movie move forward. The visual look of the film was exactly what I expected it to be. It looked very much like a storybook. The story was weak with a lot of on-the-nose writing, heavy handed theme explaining, and goofy plot devices. There were a lot of clever moments in the film that I just loved. There was a lot of silliness in the film that made it boring for adults and moved it from the family movie realm to a kids' film. It wasn't necessary to talk down to the audience and would have been a stronger film if they hadn't done that. The film is overall entertaining with the good moments worth sitting thru the not-so-good moments. I give this film 3.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn. 

     

Movie Review - Poor Little Rich Girl (Shirley Temple)

I first saw this film when I was in Elementary School. At the time I hated old movies and anything in black and white (oh, how things have changed). But for some reason I loved this movie and watched it over and over again on VHS.

Poor Little Rich Girl is a 1936 live action comedy film featuring Shirley Temple. If it were rated, it would be rated G and is appropriate for all ages.

The Good

Acting. Everyone in this film is incredible. Shirley Temple charms the pants off the audience, and the adults all play their roles perfectly.

Visuals. This movie is very well shot from the costumes to the scenery to the composition to the storytelling at the beginning without any narration.

Music. The songs are so catchy you'll find yourself singing them without realizing it.

Story. The story is engaging from the first frame of the film to the last. It's very linear and logical and has to many interesting characters and adventures along the way. Even though the ending it pretty obvious, there is so much tension and suspense that you're excited when it comes.

The Bad

...

What I Would Like to Have Seen

A sequel.

Overall

Poor Little Rich Girl featuring Shirley Temple is nearly a perfect film. The characters and acting are superbly done. The story is completely engaging and engrossing. The songs couldn't be catchier. Why hasn't this gotten a blu-ray release? I give this film 5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

    

Movie Review - Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

I loved Mamma Mia! when I saw it live, but was a little disappointed in the film version because of who was cast: most of them couldn't sing, and most of them were too old for those roles. I was a little hesitant to watch a sequel, because I wasn't sure there were many places worth going, but I loved the first one so much I went and saw it anyway.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is a 2018 musical comedy drama based on the music of ABBA. It is rated PG-13 for language and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Story. This movie had a great story. It parallels Donna's journey to the island and meeting the three guys with Sofie's journey to restore the old place to a great hotel. It was really interesting and well told and definitely deserved to be told.

Young-version Actors. The actors cast as the young versions were really well cast, They looked and acted like their older counterparts, but could also sing which was great.

The Bad

Music. The music in this film felt like a Side B to the first. There were a few good songs and good performances, but most of them paled in comparison to what we've seen before.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the music had been better.

Overall

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was a sequel/prequel that deserved to be made. It parallels both the backstory with what happens a year later. The story is really interesting and well told. The casting for the young versions of the characters is very well done. The music sounds like the B Side to the first movie's soundtrack and was disappointing. I give this film 4 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

   

Movie Review: The Greatest Showman

I'm a big Zac Efron fan. I watch a lot of movies just because he's in them. He's a great actor, but he gets such awful roles so most people don't realize it. This movie actually gave him a good part that showcased what he can do.

The Greatest Showman is a 2017 musical loosely adapting the story of P. T. Barnum and his circus. It is rated PG and is appropriate for tweens and up.

The Good

Music. The music was really good! The tunes were catchy, and the singing well done.

Dancing. The dance scenes were amazing! They were so well choreographed and performed. What made them amazing wasn't some new, cutting edge style or a massive group of people, but just good, solid, entertaining dancing.

Acting. I rarely comment on the acting, because in most movies its proficient but nothing special. In this movie there were some very good performances that took really chops to pull off. I was impressed.

The Bad

Sections Between the Singing and Dancing. Unfortunately, this movie wasn't all singing and dancing, and those parts that weren't were slow and boring. I wasn't sure I would be able to sit thru the whole movie when one of them appeared.

Heavy Handedness. This movie lends itself to a message about tolerance and accepting those who are different. I think the story was sufficient to make the point without some blatant, preachy speeches interrupting the flow of the story. They hurt the movie, and the point was made without them.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the sections without singing and dancing had been more interesting an better paced.

Overall

The Greatest Showman is a fun, entertaining film filled with catchy music and amazing dance numbers that actually tell the story and advance the plot while developing the themes. Unfortunately, in between the singing and dancing are very slow, boring segments. I give this film 4 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

    

Movie Review: Pitch Perfect 3

I really enjoyed the first two pitch perfect movies. I thought they were fun, funny, and had great music. I wasn't sure where you go with a college singing group after you leave college, but this movie found a place that made sense.

Pitch Perfect 3 is a 2017 musical comedy. It is rated PG-13 for language and crude humor and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Comedy. This movie was hilarious. While there were the obvious jokes you expect, there were quite a few I didn't see coming that had me making a bit of a disturbance in the movie theater.

Pacing. This movie moved at a great pace. I never got bored, and yet nothing felt rushed.

Music. The filmmakers picked some great songs, and they were very well performed by the Bellas and the other music groups.

Comradery. The Bellas have a great comradery and chemistry together. And the two members that are just fillers is finally acknowledged!

The Bad

Crude Language. There were a lot of crude jokes and crude humor that was meant to be funny, but it was so blatant it came off as more desperate..

Change of Direction. The first half of the movie goes in one direction, then in the middle the film introduces a new subplot that ends up taking over the rest of the film. While it was very entertaining, it wasn't anything original or special and meant the audience never got to see what could have been done with the rival music groups.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the filmmakers would have explored the story with the rival bands further. They were very different than the groups in the previous two movies and offered a good amount of new material. The direction with Fat Amy's dad was something we've seen hundreds of times before.

Overall

Pitch Perfect 3 is pure fun filled with great singing. It asked itself what worked with the first movie and focused on that. It took a strange turn in the middle and didn't follow up on the great music group conflict set up at the beginning which was a shame, but otherwise was pure entertainment. It understood what kind of film it was, who its fans were, and played to that. I haven't enjoyed a movie this much in quite a while. I give this film 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.