Entertainment Options: Volume 2
Has it already been a week? Wow -- time flies when you're recording podcasts and making fun of OSMtm. But since I know you've been breathlessly awaiting the next installment of Entertainment Options ("Please, Nathan -- I'm at a loss as to what to rent, and I need your help!"), well, never fear, the Blogosphere's HomoConSexual Entertainment Expert is here!
1. I know you'll consider screaming in horror at this very first recommendation, but the new Tim Burton version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory surprised-thee-hell out of me. It's absolutely nothing like the original film, so don't approach it with any expectations for a feel-good nostalgia trip and you'll be okay. The Oompah-Loompahs were the only disappointment in what was otherwise a whirling, swirling head-trip of a visual feast. For some reason, they used only one person and then duplicated him endlessly as the basis for the entire group of Oompah Loompahs -- and he wasn't even very interesting; I kept thinking to myself, "Is this guy a personal friend of Tim Burton's?" I didn't get it .
Danny Elfman's music is decent enough, until we get to the Veruca Salt song when he lets out all the stops and then it's bubbly, catchy and genuinely, toe-tappingly terrific. In fact, the Veruca Salt number had so much more life and energy than the rest of the songs in the film that it made me wonder if perhaps Danny Elfman identified a little too closely with the Veruca Salt situation -- rich parent who gives his child everything she wants, which turns her into a demanding little monster who's completely out of control . . . ?
Johnny Depp as Willie Wonka teeters on the edge of brilliance without quite falling off. It was like watching the love child of Martha Stewart and Michael Jackson in full-color action, and the only reason to fault his performance is because Gene Wilder did such a bang-up job two decades previous. Burton also ginned up the dark morality-play elements of the thing while downplaying the industrial espionage story-line of the original film, and included more of Roald Dahl's ambivalence towards parents and family than was evident in the first version. Really, if you're in the mood for something oddly different, big-budget and strangely unexpected, you could do far worse. Just don't expect a feel-good film, because it certainly isn't.
2. Speaking of oddly different and unexpected, 1975's A Boy and His Dog will have you laughing right out of the deep dark pit that lurks in a cobwebby corner of your heart (Oh, c'mon, you know it's there!). Steadily paced and low-budget, A Boy and His Dog features a post apocalyptic world, a young Don Johnson, a telepathic talking dog and an underground fascist state. What more could you ask for? Nothing! And the ending is priceless.
3. A good introduction to anime, if you're not familiar with Japanese Animation, would be Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. I mean, really -- you have vampires, violent fight scenes, lots of blazing weaponry and a lovely little Beauty and the Beast subplot that's perfectly creepy in its execution. While full of intense battle scenes, it takes a pass on the sexual violence that's sometimes jarringly present in anime, while even offering a comprehensible story line! Take that, Akira.
4. Did you know that the director of "Trainspotting" made a Romantic Comedy as a follow-up, titled A Life Less Ordinary? You didn't? Why, that's because it bombed abysmally at the box-office -- but not because it's not any good. It actually is. It's also rather surreal, and that's not what people generally expect (or even want) out of their Romantic Comedies. Bonus points: Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo as guardian angles with a rap to beat in order to get back into God's good graces. The one thing wrong with the movie: Ewan McGregor sings.
5. Babe 2: Pig in the City was directed by George Miller, the man behind the Mad Max movies, and it shows. Everything that was sweet, light and sentimental about the original Babe movie was rubbed out in the first 3 minutes of Babe 2. When the farmer's wife gets strip-searched for drugs at the airport, you know you're going to be on a wild ride from thereon in. French Poodle prostitutes, an alcoholic Andy Rooney, an army of wayward animals on the lam from the authorities and a desperate scramble to pay the mortgage on the farm so that it doesn't get repossessed. I loved every second of it. But be forewarned: this movie is very much not for kids, though the message at its core, "Be true to yourself, no matter what horrible circumstances you may find yourself in" is as good a moral lesson as any.
6. If you're just looking for something sweet and utterly disposable, Strictly Ballroom might be the ticket. Set in the bizarro world of Ballroom Dancing competitions, Strictly Ballroom is a Romeo and Juliet story crossed with a bit of The Ugly Duckling and the Swan. The leads are engaging, and the story shoehorns high-drama into a camp setting with the end result of a witty, screwball comedy. When I first saw this film in the theater back in the early '90s, the entire audience erupted into spontaneous applause at the finish -- it was a little startling, but the movie was so "Gee Whiz" fun and affectionately kooky that such an audience reaction was entirely understandable.
7. And while the last movie on my list may be something you've already seen, this goes out to those of you who may not have had the pleasure -- Young Frankenstein is one of my favorite comedies. Mel Brooks was clever once, before he descended into the lazy slop of Spaceballs and the dull middle-aged schtick of Life Stinks (I see that he's at the helm of a new film adaptation of "Get Smart" -- but Steve Carell has been signed for the lead role, so perhaps it'll be comic genius despite the cursed touch of the increasingly wooden Brooks), and Young Frankenstein is his best work. Hilarious performances by Gene Wilder as the young Dr. Frankenstein, Marty Feldman as Igor, Gene Hackman in a cameo role as a blind man offering refuge to the monster, Peter Boyle as the monster and Madeline Kahn as . . . well, Madeline Kahn. And if it's been years since you've last seen this film, then it's definitely worth another look.
Comments
I have yet to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but my 2 daughters have and the LOVED it. My 9 year old said it was the best movie she'd ever seen. Of course, she's only 9 and we don't see a lot of movies.... I was not impressed with the original, but I've never been a Gene Wilder fan.
The only movie I can think of that interests me is the new Jane Austen "Pride & Prejudice". We'll see how that is.
Anyway, good reviews!
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Homocon sez:
I was genuinely suprised at how much I enjoyed the new "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" -- I was fully prepared to be disappointed, and wasn't.
And though I would never admit to such a thing in a public conversation, I have a *total* soft spot for Jane Austen adaptations. I liked "Emma" a lot, I thought "Sense and Sensibility" was one of Ang Lee's best films, and the BBC version of "Pride and Prejudice" had me riveted from the get-go.
Period pieces usually bore the be-jeebers out of me, but Austen wrote such darn good stories.
Posted by: Amy P | November 20, 2005 12:19 PM
Hey, do they call 'em "period pieces" because you have to have a menstrual cycle to watch 'em?
And you are correct sir: Obi-Wan Kenobi needs to stop singing. Period. As quirky and fun as Moulin Rouge was, having Obi-Wan belt out "I Was Made for Loving You" by KISS really su-u-u-u-u-u-u-ucked.
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Homocon sez:
*sigh*
I am so not responsible for the comments Scott leaves on this website . . .
Posted by: Scott | November 21, 2005 9:24 AM
Okay......
Posted by: Amy Proctor | November 21, 2005 8:40 PM