Wonka charms despite miscast Chalamet
I was initially skeptical about Wonka, yet another reboot-prequel-remake-whatsis that’s usually a sign of a quick cash grab. However, in the hands of director Paul King, who made the delightful and moving Paddington films, a bit of heart beats beneath the lavish production design and oft-times catchy tunes that populate it. It’s a good thing these pieces are solid as Timothee Chalamet, cast in the title role, is woefully out of place, a case of miscasting that would likely sink a lesser production.
After returning to England from a seven-year ocean voyage, Willy Wonka is ready to take the candy world by storm, as he uses secret, exotic ingredients, harvested from a tropical region where he lived with his mother (Sally Hawkins). To be sure, his chocolates are something – they can make you float, give you a feeling of euphoria and see the most vivid sights. (That these candies are symbolic of hallucinogens and Wonka comes off as a bit of a pusher will surely go over the heads of the youngsters in the audience.) His product causes a sensation and the Chocolate Cartel – Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Prodnose (Matt Lucas) and Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton) – immediately take notice as well as steps to quash their newfound competition.
Fortunately, Wonka makes friends quickly at the boarding house run by two Dickensian villains, Mrs. Scrubbit (Olivia Colman) and Mr. Bleacher (Tom Davis). Noodle (Calah Lane), Crunch (Jim Carter), Bell (Rakhee Thakrar), Piper (Natasha Rothwell), and Chucklesworth (Rich Fulcher) have all become indentured servants to their crooked landlords, each of them longing for a taste of freedom. Thankfully, Wonka has a plan to liberate them and, working together, they plan to open their own candy store.
Most of the songs are vibrant and memorable, Scrub, Scrub and Have You Got a Sweet Tooth? being standouts, while the enthusiasm of the cast gives the film a sense of warm energy you can’t help but be charmed by it. The production design is exceptional, the sets combining a Victorian-era aesthetic mixed with a rainbow of meringue. And as with the Paddington films, King doesn’t overdo the sentiment, his deft touch gradually creating a sense of genuine poignancy that’s hard to resist.
The film fires on all pistons, except for Chalamet, whose contemporary approach to the seminal character proves to be the spanner in this elaborate work. Instead of being the character, you get the sense the actor is commenting on him, a sense of snark peeking through that threatens to break the overall spell. Chalamet takes a parodical approach to the material instead of buying into it. Fortunately, everyone else is on the same page, their efforts delivering a Wonka that manages not only to surprise but move the viewer as well. In theaters.
Nugget a stale, dull concoction
It’s astonishing how stiff Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is. I’m not just talking about the lack of fluidity to its Claymation figures, but rather its story. Dull as a beige wedding dress, the film is an exercise in the mundane, a production that literally and figuratively just goes through the motions, its story a simple rehash, its humor obvious and non-existent. This film is so inert and labored, I doubt even children will give it the time of day.
A quick recap gets those who missed Chicken Run, which is quite probable as it was released 23 years ago, up to speed. Many years ago, an escape was engineered by the hen Ginger (voice by Thandiwe Newton) in which she, her husband Rocky (Zachry Levi) and all their feathered friends flew the coop, leaving the oppressive chicken farm run by the maniacal Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) behind. Turns out they found an island paradise where they have flourished, their refuge sitting in the middle of a river. All appears well, and Rocky and Ginger are now the parents of the precocious Molly (Bella Ramsey). However, the young girl is curious and can’t help but wonder what the world outside their island home contains. Her curiosity is piqued when she spies a van driving down the coast of the mainland advertising “Fun-Land Farm – Where Chickens Find Their Happy Endings.” The promise of a happy ending in a land her imagination has convinced her is full of delight proves too much for Molly and before you know it, she’s off to chase her destiny. Rocky, Ginger and some of their fowl friends set off to bring her back.
There are a couple of sight gags that are somewhat amusing, but these flashes of brilliance are just that, flashes, and they are much too few and far between. Though it runs only a little over 100 minutes, this feels just as bloated as any superhero epic. Every single thing in the story is woefully predictable, not a single surprise to be found in the by-the-numbers script, which somehow needed three writers to pen. Sitting in traffic on the 405 outside Los Angeles would be considered an off-the-hook good time compared to sitting through this sluggish exercise.
And while the Claymation process is impressive, what with its labor-intensive nature, it’s lost some of its charm and wonder. It probably isn’t fair to compare this unique aesthetic to the slick look of modern digital effects, but there’s no escaping the dated look of the film or its out-of-step humor. Chicken Run and the films from Aardman studios once held a great deal of charm but if Nugget is any indication, these sorts of movies are well past their sell-by date. Streaming on Netflix.
World’s real world horror hits close to home
Paranoia and pessimism suffuse Sam Esmail’s adaptation of Rumaan Alam’s novel Leave the World Behind, a real-world horror film that presents an apocalypse scenario that’s all too real. If nothing else, Amanda (Julia Roberts) is open and direct. Stating plainly in the opening scene that she hates people, her attitude towards life is plain from the start. Thankfully, her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke) is more grounded and optimistic, these opposites the parents to teenagers Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie), all of whom are embarking on an impromptu trip to the country.
Their destination is not your typical, modest Airbnb getaway but a posh mansion with more amenities than they’ll ever need. And while their day at the beach is ruined when a runaway oil tanker runs aground in front of them, they all seem to be having a good time… until they aren’t. Out of the blue, a well-dressed man, G.H. (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter, Ruth (Myha’la), show up, he claiming to be the owner of the house, she openly belligerent over having to ask permission to enter their own home.
Esmail’s expert pacing allows the tension to build naturally as Amanda’s suspicious nature immediately takes hold, weary because these strangers appeared in the middle of the night, frightened because they are Black, her latent racism coming to the fore. The social aspect of this tension is magnified once it becomes apparent that something is amiss, as all cellular service ceases, the Emergency Broadcast System warning is the only thing to be found on television and odd, piercing noises are heard that shatter windows.
Some nits could be picked with the logic employed, but Esmail keeps things just vague enough as to what’s going on to give himself some narrative leeway. A film such as this requires a strong cast to keep us engaged and the four principals are more than capable of generating tension via their authentic interactions. Throw Kevin Bacon in as a survivalist who proves to be the most prepared and capable person to deal with the situation that’s developing, and you have a cast incapable of striking any false emotional notes.
The last shot is a darkly humorous scene that’s spot-on where our dependence on technology is concerned. More telling is its unvarnished look at how the electronic devices we’ve become attached to have driven a wedge between us, interpersonal interactions just so much collateral damage in the pursuit of ease and expedience. And if Leave results in your heading to Home Depot to buy a generator and numerous cases of water, don’t question it. It might be a good idea. Streaming on Netflix.
This article appears in Funeral home failures.
