John Hesch

Last weekend Shelly, Josh and I went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starring Johnny Depp. I’m not much of a Johnny Depp fan but I did like him in Secret Window and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. He’s currently filming the next Pirates movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.

I’m not sure what to think about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was weird, funny, enlightening (We learned about Willy Wonka’s childhood), and dark. I don’t think I’ve ever read the book, but I read that this version of the movie is more true to the book than the original version. Even though I thought Johnny Depp did a pretty good job, I think Gene Wilder was a lot funnier and more sinister. Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka seemed disturbed and odd.

Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Christopher Walken, Nicolas Cage and Michael Keaton were all considered for the role of Willy Wonka. Marilyn Manson also badly wanted the part.

I’ll probably buy the DVD when it comes out but I wouldn’t go see it again in the theater.

Yesterday we saw The Island. What a ride this movie was. Starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson, The Island was non-stop action that kept me gripping the sides of my chair. The special effects were amazing and there was plenty of humor. I’m a huge fan of action/drama/thriller movies, and The Island is one of the better movies I’ve seen in this genre in a long time. It’s unfortunate that the writers felt it necessary to add one “F” word which, as with most bad language, was totally unnecessary. The violent and intense action scenes should of been plenty enough to get the coveted PG-13 rating. I will definitely buy this movie on DVD, but will edit the one word from my copy.

I will probably see this movie again in the theater. It was pretty awesome on the big screen.