Saturday we went with another child-rich family to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the drive-in, where children can wiggle and yell to their heart's content while sitting on the roof of the car or the tailgate of the truck.
I agree with Ann Althouse: Depp wasn't trying to channel Michael Jackson. He just had the bad luck to hit the news at the same time as the trial.
I spent the first third of the movie in jaw-dropped delight. It brings the visual world of the book spot on to life, with the exception of Depp's performance---one of many possible interpretations of Wonka, and an interesting and well-executed one, but it's not how I pictured him. The dark humor and subversiveness translated perfectly. It makes one wonder why it took Tim Burton so long to get around to the project, it's so well-suited to him.
I continue, of course, the grand tradition in my family of frightening one's small children by exposing them to the blueberry girl scene. (I'm the Erin in the comments.) My five-year-old spent a large part of the movie whimpering in my lap, alternately burying his face in my shoulder and sneaking glimpses at the screen.
It was just as scary this time around. Before taking the kids, I checked out a couple of "family movie review" sites, particularly the USCCB's, which singled out only the squirrel-attacking scene as potentially scary. Balderdash. I think it is the ominous mention of the "Juicing Room" that does it for me.
I probably should have checked the ScreenIt review, which called the blueberry scene "unsettling" (that's about right). Let's be honest, though---I still would have gone with the kids. I have been looking forward to this one, and I'm not as principled as I should be when it comes to movies.
Comments