Summer Movie Catch-Up

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory -- Johnny Depp proves in this film that there are, in fact, two kinds of weird. There’s weird like his performance in Pirates of the Caribbean which had its own quirky charm. And then there’s weird like his performance as Willy Wonka, creepy and disturbing. To be fair, both performances involve brave choices by Depp and both are logically derived -- not just weird for the sake of being weird. Still, Depp’s Wonka represents a rare misstep in a career of unconventional characters. The film itself is largely superfluous. Despite Roald Dahl’s objections to the first adaptation and Burton’s desire to stay truer to the source material, the film exposes Dahl’s story for what it has always been -- a guided tour. Sure they’ve put a little more money into the furnishings since our last visit, but for a film that lives or dies on our sense of wonder, it all feels sadly familiar. C-

Bad News Bears -- A perfectly likable, if sanitized, remake. Billy Bob Thorton doesn’t get to go completely Bad Santa in this one -- he’s handicapped by a PG-13 rating -- but he could do the charming curmudgeon in his sleep by this point. The kids are entertaining enough, though all of them emobdy contrived gimmicks (The Fat Kid, The Nerdy Kid, The Loudmouth) more than realized characters. Though it never attains the uncouth brilliance of the original, there are enough surprises in the final act to leave the theater with a smile. B

Wedding Crashers -- Vince Vaughn is the next great comic mind. The fast-talking lothario steals every scene he’s in, which is stunning considering his co-stars include Christopher Walken. Owen Wilson can’t match Vaughn’s energy when he’s saddled as the romantic lead (opposite the heavenly graceful Rachel McAdams), but I’ve never really got his dim bulb acting style to begin with. Nevertheless, it's Vaughn’s film. This performance, given time, will become legendary in the veing of Bill Murray in Caddyshack and John Belushi in Animal House. If this were television, the guy would have a spin-off tomorrow. B+

The Island -- For the first time since The Rock I was able to stomach a Michael Bay film, though I still felt empty after the consumption. Ewan McGregor and Scarlet Johansson play unnaturally photogenic clones in a secret organ-farming facility. There are a few inspired moments that play on the plots philosophical questions -- as when Ewan McGregor’s Lincoln meets his sire -- but they are tragically sparse. Once McGregor and Johansson learn the truth of their existance, Bay dives into his standard pyrotechnics. The action scenes are long and loud, but they feel like retreads of better films (THX-1138, The Matrix). It’s all tolerable, but considering the intriguing concept this has to be considered a misfire. C+

Sky High -- Superhero High School. I really enjoyed this film, and I think it tickles the same places that The Incredibles did. The treacherous landscape of high school -- with its arch-nemesis and first loves -- plays delightfully in Sky High with its Heroes and Sidekicks (or Hero Support). The young actors are all terrific (especially Danielle Panabaker’s sharp wallflower, Layla), and the adults are appropriately clueless to the new challenges of their children; even when you’re the world’s greatest superhero, you’re still going to be a geek in the eyes of your son. Mixes humor with inventive action. Exceptional family film that should find quite a life on DVD. A-