Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Review

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Release Date: 1st September 2005 - Australia

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures (presents)

Village Roadshow Pictures (in association with)

The Zanuck Company

Plan B Entertainment

Theobald Film Productions

Craig Miller Productions

Tim Burton Productions (uncredited)

Distribution

Roadshow Films

Genre: Family/Fantasy/

Musical

Rating: PG

Runtime: 115 minutes

Budget: $150,000,000

Box Office Gross: $474,968,763 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

When Willy Wonka tells the world that he is allowing five children into his chocolate factory, he hides five golden tickets in five separate chocolate bars, creating chaos. The tickets are found, with the fifth going to a special boy named Charlie Bucket. Charlie and his grandpa join the rest of the children to visit the most extraordinary factory ever. But things do not go as planned in the factory.

Cast

Freddie Highmore - Charlie

Bucket

Johnny Depp - Willy Wonka

David Kelly - Grandpa Joe

Philip Wiegratz - Augustus Gloop

Anna Sophia-Robb - Violet Beauregarde

Julia Winter - Veruca Salt

Jordan Fry - Mike Teavee

Helena Bonham Carter - Mrs. Bucket

Noah Taylor - Mr. Bucket

Edward Fox - Mr. Salt

Missi Pyle - Mrs. Beauregarde

Franziska Troegner - Mrs.

Gloop

Adam Godley - Mr. Teavee

Deep Roy - Oompa Loompas

Christopher Lee - Dr. Wilbur Wonka

Blair Dunlop - Little Willy Wonka

Liz Smith - Grandma Georgina

Eileen Essell - Grandma Josephine

David Morris - Grandpa George
Nitin Ganatra - Prince Pondicherry
Shelley Conn - Princess Pondicherry
Chris Cresswell - Prodnose
Philip Philmar - Slugworth
Tony Kirwood - Finckelgruber
Todd Boyce - TV Reporter
Hubertus Geller - German Reporter
Francesca Hunt - Mrs. Salt

Garrick Hagon - Denver Reporter

Kevin Eldon - Man with Dog

Mark Heap - Man with Dog
Oscar James - Shopkeeper

Annette Badland - Jolly Woman

Geoffrey Holder - Narrator

Crew

Director - Tim Burton

Based on the Book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"/

Lyrics - Roald Dahl

Screenplay - John August
Associate Producer - Derek Frey

Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager - Patrick McCormick

Executive Producers - Liccy
Dahl, Michael Siegel,

Graham Burke and Bruce

Berman

Producers - Richard D. Zanuck and Brad Grey

Co-Producer - Katterli Frauenfelder

Head Animal Trainer - Michael Alexander

Production Designer - Alex McDowell

Supervising Art Director - Leslie Tomkins

Art Directors - David Allday,

François Audouy, Matt Gray, Sean Haworth,

James Lewis, Andy Nicholson, Kevin Phipps

and Stuart Rose
Set Decorator - Peter Young

Costume Designer - Gabriella Pescucci

Assistant Costume Designer - Massimo Cantini Parrini

Hair & Makeup Designer - Peter Owen

Animatronics & Prosthetics Creative Supervisor -
Neal Scanlan

Director of Photography - Philippe Rousselot

Director of Photography: Second Unit -

Jonathan Taylor

"A" Camera Operator - Des Whelan

Unit Production Manager - Nikolas Korda

Location Managers - Nick Daubeny,

Phil Hounam and David O'Reilly

Second Assistant Director - Toby Hefferman

Choreographer - Francesca Jaynes

Stunt Coordinator - Jim Dowdall

Special Effects Supervisor - Joss Williams

Animatronic Designers - Vanessa Batysan,

Gustav Hoegen, Harriet Johnson and

Robert Skidmore

Visual Effects Supervisor - Nick Davis

Visual Effects Supervisor: MPC - Chas Jarrett

Visual Effects Supervisors: Cinesite - Sue Rowe

and Simon Stanley-Clamp

Visual Effects Supervisor: Framestore CFC - Jon Thum
Visual Effects Supervisor: Digital Domain - Mark O. Forker
Senior Visual Effects Supervisor: Opening Sequence,
Asylum - Nathan McGuinness

Visual Effects Producers - Nikki Penny and
Jeff Werner

Model Unit Supervisor: Cinesite - José Granell
Digital Effects Supervisor: Opening Sequence,

Asylum - Dottie Starling

CG Supervisor - Serge Sretschinsky

CG Supervisors: MPC - Nicolas Aithadi,
Greg Butler and Matt Hicks

Animation Supervisor: Framestore CFC -

Mike Eames

Character Rigging Supervisor: MPC -

Matthew Muntean

Model Workshop Supervisor: Cinesite Europe -

Nigel Trevessey

Editor - Chris Lebonzon

First Assistant Editor - JC Bond

Sound Designer - Steve Boedekker

Supervising Sound Editor - Eddy Joseph

Sound Re-Recording Mixers - Tom Johnson

and Michael Semanick

Foley Artists - Peter Burgis and Andie Derrick

Music - Danny Elfman

Awards

2006 Academy Awards

Best Costume Design - Gabriella Pescucci (Nominated)

Review
Tim Burton's take on Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY is in many ways faithful to the original book but not in its portrayal of Willy Wonka. I don't think the author intended for Willy Wonka to come across as a serial killer like Jack the Ripper or unlikeable, at the very least. Burton is always known for his outlandish and imaginative productions from Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands and lesser-known pictures like Planet of the Apes and Alice in Wonderland. No one could accuse Burton of being run-of-the-mill with CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. Burton has ventured into new territory.

I say this because Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka is a pale-faced, top-hatted, emotionally detached figure who bears no warmth of Gene Wilder's interpretation of the character. Some people might see Depp's Wonka as darkly comical, especially if you're a fan of Wilder's previous take. I felt Depp was miscast for this character. There could have been actors in Hollywood who could do a better job than this actor. The young actors in the film did a neat job with their respective roles, particularly young Freddie Highmore, who demonstrated the ability to fulfil the title role. The costuming and the visual design are overblown to create an uncomfortable feeling in the movie.

I was convinced the music by Danny Elfman only increased the intensity of what was once a lighthearted family feature. I wish the remake kept a few songs from the original.

What could have been for Burton is not to cast Johnny Depp as the character and have Danny Elfman remake the old musical numbers in a new composition. It's what Burton needed to have thought about it. The original film was superior to this demeaning remake. Rather than comparing it to the original, there are better ways to improve this interpretation. This modern film adaptation may appeal to some people, but there needs to be a flavour.

Star rating: (5/10) Average

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Captain Marvel Review

Captain Marvel


Release Date: 7th March 2019 - Australia


Production Companies
Marvel Studios
Marvel Entertainment

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia 


Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: M

Runtime: 124 minutes


Budget: $152,000,000

Box Office Gross: $1,128,274,794 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. (Source - IMDb)


Cast
Brie Larson - Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel 
Samuel L. Jackson - Nick Fury
Ben Mendehlson - Talos
Djimon Hounsou - Korath
Lee Pace - Ronan the Destroyer
Lashana Lynch - Maria Rambeau
Gemma Chan - Minn-Erva
Annette Bening - Supreme Intelligence
Clark Gregg - Agent Phil Coulson
Jude Law - Yon-Rogg
Rune Temte - Bron-Char
Mckenna Grace - Young Carol Danvers
Colin Ford - Steve Danvers
Kenneth Mitchell - Joseph Danvers
London Fuller - Young Carol Danvers (Age 6)
Algenis Perez Solo - Att-Lass
Akira Akbar - Monica Rambeau
Chuku Modu - Soh-Larr
Robert Kazinsky - The Don
Chris Evans - Steve Rogers/
Captain America (Cameo)
Scarlett Johansson - Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Cameo)
Mark Ruffalo - Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Cameo)
Don Cheadle - Lt. James Rhodes/War Machine (Cameo)
Stan Lee - Himself (Cameo)

Crew
Story/Screenplay/Directors -

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

Based on Marvel Comic Book "Carol Danvers" - Roy Thomas and Gene Colan
Story - Nicole Perlman and Meg LeFauve

Story/Screenplay - Geneva Robertson-Dworet
Executive Producers - Victoria Alonso, Louis D'Esposito, Stan Lee, Jonathan Schwartz and Patricia Whitcher
Producer - Kevin Feige
Co-Producer/First Assistant Director - Lars P. Winther

Casting Director - Sarah Finn
Production Designer - Andy Nicholson

Set Decorator - Lauri Gaffin
Costume Designer - Sanja Milkovic Hays
Cinematography - Ben Davis

Second Unit Director - Jeff Habberstad
Stunt Coordinators - Hank Amos and James M. Churchman 

Assistant Stunt/Fight Coordinator - Walter Garcia
Special Effects Supervisor - Daniel Sudick

Legacy Effects Supervisors - Lindsay MacGowan and Shane Mahan
Visual Effects Supervisor - Christopher Townsend
Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - Craig Hammack

Visual Effects Supervisor: Additional - Janelle Croshaw

Visual Effects Producer: ILM - Lee Briggs

Head of Animation Department - Steve Nichols
Film Editors - Debbie Berman and Elliot Graham
Composer - Pinar Toprak


Review

The ongoing and successful Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has continued its run with the release of 'CAPTAIN MARVEL'. It is meant to precede the upcoming 'Avengers: Endgame' which is due to be released in theatres elsewhere. Audiences have yet to open up and warmly embrace 'CAPTAIN MARVEL' as it was the first female-led superhero feature to come out of the franchise. There have been a plenty of female super-heroines that were featured in the MCU before the title character like Black Widow, Gamora, Scarlet Witch and The Wasp, even though DC had first pulled off the female lead successfully with the release of 'Wonder Woman'. In 'Captain Marvel' however, it is based on an obscure comic and much like the other film from Marvel, 'Guardians of the Galaxy', nobody ever knew that its source material existed. 

This lack of knowledge about the comic on which 'CAPTAIN MARVEL' is based could explain its mixed reception. The film's title is misleading because it is nothing like the comic of the male character of the same name from DC who the writers changed to 'Shazam!' Some audiences may not warm to this 'CAPTAIN MARVEL' if they are unfamiliar with the two different versions of the same title character, from the two comic book giants. The formula of each lead character having his/her backstory is repeated in every film of the MCU series and this is heavily addressed in 'CAPTAIN MARVEL'. However, it has a good story-line that relies on a subplot of amnesia. I find the movie to be quite intriguing with its sci-fi elements that are all tangled in the 1990s setting

Brie Larson was fantastic as the title character and she like most performers did her own stunts. This talented actress has shown her capability to outperform the other actors like Samuel L. Jackson, Lashana Lynch, Ben Mendehlson and Jude Law for example. Most people are pleased that Lee Pace and Djimon Hounsou have returned for the roles of Ronan the Accuser and Korath, but unfortunately their roles were limited and compared to 'Guardians of the Galaxy', they are undeveloped. The seasoned veteran Jackson plays a young Nick Fury, thanks to the CGI that has de-aged him in the movie. An unexpected added bonus in the movie is the cat Goose.

'CAPTAIN MARVEL' may not be as good as the previous entries from the MCU franchise, but it does however provide the elements than fans of MCU look for in a movie.

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie

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Johnny English Strikes Again Review

Johnny English Strikes Again

Release Date: 20th September 2018 - Australia

Production Companies

Universal Pictures

Perfect World Pictures

Working Title Films

StudioCanal

Distribution

Universal Pictures Australia

Genre: Action/Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 89 minutes

Budget: $25,000,000

Box Office Gross: $158,256,993 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Johnny English is now a teacher at a boarding school when he is called back from retirement by M17 on one

last mission. Because of

the cyberspace attack that

exposed the identities of

all the undercover agents,

the agency and the British

Prime Minister have no choice but to turn to the bumbling former secret agent, their only hope.

His old sidekick, Bough, joins him on his mission, and they venture to the South of France to locate the mastermind. English must know about modern technology and new gadgets like virtual reality headsets to succeed in this mission.

Cast

Rowan Atkinson - Johnny English

Ben Miller - Angus Bough

Emma Thompson - British Prime Minister

Olga Kurylenko - Ophelia

Adam James - Pegasus

Miranda Hennessy - Tara

Jake Lacy - Jason

Pippa Bennett-Warner - Lesley

Irena Tyshyna - Viola Lynch

Adam Greaves-Neal - Tomlinson

Tuncay Gunes - Ted Guest

Peter Singh - Officer Kohli

David Mumeni - Fabian
Samantha Russell - Swedish Prime Minister

Michael Gambon - Agent Five (Cameo)
Charles Dance - Agent Seven (Cameo)

Edward Fox - Agent Nine (Cameo)

Crew

Director - David Kerr

Based on Characters - Robert Wade and
Neal Purvis

Based on Characters/Screenplay/

Executive Producer - William Davies

Executive Producer - Liza Chasin

Producers - Tim Bevan,
Chris Clark and Eric Fellner

Co-Producer - Andrew Warren

Production Designer - Simon Bowles

Supervising Art Director - Ben Collins

Set Decorator - Liz Griffiths

Costume Designer - Annie Hardinge

Hair and Makeup Designer - Graham Johnston

Cinematography - Florian Hoffmeister

Second Unit Director - Vic Armstrong

Stunt Coordinator - Paul Herbert

Stunt Coordinator: France - Dominique Fouassier

Special Effects Supervisor - Richard Van Den Bergh

Special Effects Coordinator - Egle Sveikauskyte

Designer Engineer Technician - Daniel Burnett

Visual Effects Supervisor: BlueBolt -

Angela Barson

BlueBolt Supervisor - Henry Badgett

Editor - Mark Everson

Additional Editor - Tony Cranstoun

Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor -

Glenn Freemantle

Re-Recording Mixers - Ian Tapp and

Ian Duncan

Foley Walkers - Peter Burgis

and Zoe Freed

Music - Howard Goodall

Music Supervisor - Nick Angel

Score Mixers - Peter Cobbin and

Kirsty Whalley

Review

The third in the series, JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN, follows the eponymous secret agent as he comes to terms with the age of digital technology. What began as an intentional spoof of the James Bond franchise in 2003 became obsolete. The success of Spy and Kingsman for their off-colour humour and gratuitous violence paved the way for this trend of modern spy-fi action spoofs. However, the filmmakers have insisted on keeping the lighthearted approach on STRIKES AGAIN, like its predecessors. The movie is a sheer farce, given its slapstick with the spy tropes in exhaustion and all done before. In a nod to the digital age, Johnny's virtual reality addiction has hilarious consequences.

Rowan Atkinson is back into his secret agent character for the third time. He appeared to have gotten over being middle-aged and semi-retired from the last Johnny English movie. Despite being a little over-the-top, we are glad that Atkinson has returned for the camera. Olga Kurylenko has once been a Bond girl in Quantum of Solace. But ten years later, she acts her way into the spoof of the franchise and portrays Johnny's love interest, Ophelia. Emma Thompson has been through comedy and drama, and here in this movie, her role as England's Prime Minister comes off as too scatty for her.

Be on the lookout for Charles Dance and Michael Gambon as they both have cameo roles as retired secret agents who got incapacitated accidentally by Johnny English.

Overall, STRIKES AGAIN may either be a continuation or a conclusion to the character conceived by the veteran British comedian for cinematic purposes. The film is not, by all means, perfect, but still a funny take on the spy-fi genre.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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Stan & Ollie Review

Stan & Ollie

Release Date: 21st February 2019 - Australia 

Production Companies
Entertainment One
BBC Films
Baby Cow Films
Laurel and Hardy Feature Productions
Sonesta Films

Distribution
eOne

Genre: Drama

Rating: PG

Runtime: 98 minutes


Budget: $10,000,000

Box Office Gross: $26,363,729 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Hollywood’s most famous comedy duo during the 1930s and 1940s, film stars Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, were known simply as Laurel & Hardy to millions of their fans, appearing in over 100 movies. 

In post-war Britain, Laurel and Hardy, both suffer from poor health, try to reignite their film careers as they embark on what becomes their swan song - a gruelling theatre tour. (Source - Metro Cinemas)

Cast

Steve Coogan - Stan Laurel

John C. Reilly - Oliver Hardy

Danny Huston - Hal Roach

Shirley Henderson - Lucille Hardy
Nina Arianda - Ida Kitaeva Laurel
Susy Kane - Cynthia Clark
Richard Cant - Harry Langdon
Rufus Jones - Bernard Delfont
Harry Hepple - Wally Brady

Crew
Director - Jon S. Baird
Writer - Jeff Pope
Executive Producers - Kate Fasulo, Christine Langan, Xavier Marchand, Joe Oppenheimer, Eugenio Perez and Gabrielle Tina
Producer - Faye Ward
Co-Producer - Jim Spencer
Production Designer - John Paul Kelly
Costume Designer - Guy Speranza
Director of Photography - Laurie Rose
Film Editors - Una Ni Dhonghaile and Billy Sneddon
Music - Rolfe Kent

Review

In the mid 2000s, I was introduced to Laurel and Hardy, one of the greatest comic duos that lived. Laurel and Hardy had success through both the silent and sound eras. This experience took me back as I watched most of their shorts as well as one of their feature-length movies which showed their unforgettable antics. These are the reasons that I decided to go and see 'STAN & OLLIE' which is a biopic about the comic duo in their final years. Their behind the scenes story has been rarely told until now with the release of 'STAN & OLLIE'. Even though the pair are long gone, this moving, dramatic biopic teaches us all there is to know about Laurel and Hardy during a European which they undertook in their final years together. I believe this film was snubbed in the Oscars and it should have been nominated for Best Picture.

The main actors Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly were uncannily fitting for the famed duo in their delivery of their performances. This aspect of the film alone deserved recognition at the Oscars.

I feel proud of something that 'STAN & OLLIE' has accomplished, that is the movie is a heartfelt tribute to the famed pairing of Laurel and Hardy. As someone discovered Laurel and Hardy's comedy in my childhood, this feature captures that memory and it's the best film I've seen in this year so far.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

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The Commuter Review

The Commuter

Release Date: 18th January 2018 - Australia

Production Companies

Ombra Films (in association with)

Lionsgate (presents)
StudioCanal (presents)
The Picture Company

Distribution
StudioCanal Australia

Genre: Action/Thriller

Rating: M

Runtime: 105 minutes

Budget: $40,000,000

Box Office Gross: $119,942,387 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Michael, an insurance salesman, has a daily commute home that quickly becomes everything but routine. A mysterious stranger contacts Michael, forcing him to reveal the identity of a hidden passenger on the train before its last stop. While working against the clock to solve the puzzle, he realises a deadly plot is unfolding, and he finds himself unwittingly drawn into a dangerous conspiracy that carries life-and-death stakes for everyone on the train.

Cast

Liam Neeson - Michael MacCauley

Vera Farmiga - Joanna

Patrick Wilson - Alex Murphy

Jonathan Banks - Walt

Sam Neill - Captain Hawthorne

Elizabeth McGovern - Karen MacCauley

Killian Scott - Dylan

Shazad Latif - Vince

Andy Nyman - Tony

Clara Lago - Eva

Ronald Møller - Jackson

Florence Pugh - Gwen

Dean-Charles Chapman - Danny MacCauley

Ella-Rae Smith - Sofia

Nila Aalia - Sherri

Colin McFarlane - Conductor Sam

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith - Oliver

Adam Nagatis - Conductor Jimmy

Kingsley Ben-Adir - Agent Garcia

Damson Idris - Agent Denys

Letitia Wright - Jules Skateboarder

Crew

Executive Producer/Director - Jaume Collet-Serra

Story/Screenplay - Byron Willinger and Philip de Blasi

Screenplay - Ryan Engle

Executive Producers - Michael Dreyer, Ron Halpern, Didier Lupfer and Juan Sola

Producers - Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona

Production Designer - Richard Bridgland

Supervising Art Director - Adam O'Neill

Art Directors - John King and Stephen Dobric

Set Decorator - Tina Jones

Costume Designer: Mr. Neeson - Betsy Heimann

Costume Designer - Jill Taylor

Director of Photography - Paul Cameron

Director of Photography: Second Unit - Marc Spicer

"A" Camera Operator - Des Whelan

First Assistant Directors - Alex Oakley and

Richard Whelan

Stunt Coordinator - Mark Vanselow

Assistant Stunt Coordinator - Roy Taylor

Special Effects Supervisor - Stefano Pepin

Special Effects Assistant Supervisor -

Jason McCameron

Special Effects Coordinator - Laura Davidson

Visual Effects Supervisor - Steven Begg
Visual Effects Supervisor: NVIZIBLE -

Adam Rowland

Editor - Nicolas De Toth

Supervising Sound Editor - James Harrison

Sound Re-Recording Mixers - Chris Burdon

and Gilbert Lake

Music - Roque Baños

Review

In 2018, there was nothing else in the cinemas to watch around Australia Day, and I had to choose either Jumanji or the action-packed thriller THE COMMUTER. I picked the latter film. There are similarities between THE COMMUTER and another movie called Non-Stop, which critics have noticed. These two films coincidentally share the same storyline, lead actor and director. But each has a different setting and thrills and suspense. THE COMMUTER is surprisingly tense for a movie that lasts only one hour. It's just your typical action flick. However, there were a few issues, such as its scattershot plot.

Liam Neeson was superb in this movie, and no other actor can top his immortal status or action-hero bravado.

Despite its minor shortcomings, THE COMMUTER is still worth watching. This film is for Liam Neeson fans or those who enjoy a solid action blockbuster.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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