Steven E. Wedel

Dark, soulful tales that haunt long after the last page.

More movie reviews


Gayleen: I haven’t heard about the job yet. haha

Kim says I was too indecisive in my review of The Devil’s Rejects. Fine. I liked it. In fact, since I keep thinking back on it, I’ve come to the conclusion that I liked it quite a lot. It wasn’t perfect, but it was damn good. The scariest/creepiest moment for me was when the maid comes to clean the motel room and finds the survivor. I also liked the homage to The Shining in Ken Foree’s final scene. The character of Otis seemed to change a lot from what he was in House of 1000 Corpses … he no longer seemed so creepy, but was more just the good ol’ Southern boy with a demented violent streak. But, I guess somebody had to be sane enough to drive, huh? So, yeah, I liked the movie. The most disturbing scene was in the extras, where Otis was attacking the cheerleader. The older I get — and the older my daughters get — the harder it is to watch that kind of stuff.

Now, compare that to last night’s offering of Tim Burton’s remake of Willy Wonka or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or whatever the hell it was called. Keep in mind I hate the original. That said, I think I liked this one even less. Much like Burton’s Planet of the Apes remake, it just seemed pointless and dumb. In the original, at least, Charlie and his grandpa did something bad, showing they had some humanity in them. This time, Charlie was just too goody-goody all the way through. Like Wahlberg’s character in Planet of the Apes, he never evolved, never grew. He was the same boring person at the end of the film as at the beginning. And Johnny Depp was supposed to play the Wonka role so much darker than Gene Wilder. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz What? He referenced cannabalism and that was supposed to make it darker? Big damn deal. Even Danny Elfman’s music for this one kinda sucked; at least Planet of the Apes produced a great soundtrack. My hope is that Christopher Lee doesn’t suffer the same fate as Vincent Price after having a role in a Tim Burton/Johnny Depp/Danny Elfman movie.

Steven E. Wedel

5 responses to “More movie reviews”

  1. marcy_italiano Avatar
    marcy_italiano

    I like Burton’s work. Corpse Bride, and The Nightmare Before Christmas are two of my favourite flicks. BUT, it seems as soon as he has to deal with actors and the real world, he falls apart. I have no desire to see the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at all – and I think Johnny Depp is brilliant. POTA should never have ben remade. MOST remakes should never have been remade. Hollywood fuckers.
    I also liked the Devils Rejects. I’ve said it before, as have many people… he corrects all the things he did wrong with 1000 Corpses. It’s not one big scary-boo rock video, there’s an actual storyline and the characters are more interesting. I think if Rob Zombie takes another go at it, he’ll get quite good at making horror films.
    (Tell ya a secret… When G says “homage” he pronounces the “H” hehehe…)

    Reply
    1. sewedel Avatar
      sewedel

      You mean, the “H” is silent? I remember in grade school there was a girl with British grandparents and she’d always pronounce the “h” in “hour” and the teacher would always correct her.
      Anyhoo … I agree with you about Rob Zombie. If he can show that much improvement from his first film to his second, his third should be great.
      On Burton, I love most of his films. “Sleepy Hollow” is one of my favorites. (Notice the correct, American spelling?) And his first “Batman” outing. “Edward Scissorhands,” too, although that one was almost cartoonish, meaning the characters weren’t realistic. Oh, and “Mars Attacks!” is so funny I almost cry watching it. I don’t like “The Nightmare Before Christmas” because, as a rule, I hate musicals and that one has waaaaaay too much singing in it. About the only non-Disney musical I can take is “Grease.”
      You should see me run when Kim suggests watching “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers!”

      Reply
      1. marcy_italiano Avatar
        marcy_italiano

        “(Notice the correct, American spelling?)”
        PFFT! Who says y’all are right down there??
        Corpse Bride has just as much singing. Too bad you don’t like that, they really are great films.
        I’m not a huge musical fan but these were fine for me.
        Homage, I guess it’s how you use the word. I’ve always been taught that you, for example, do something in “oh-mazhe” of someone. It’s a French word, really, and I guess I say it like a Canuk? 😉

        Reply
  2. 9fingers Avatar
    9fingers

    My hope is that Christopher Lee doesn’t suffer the same fate as Vincent Price after having a role in a Tim Burton/Johnny Depp/Danny Elfman movie.

    No doubt!!!

    Reply
  3. cheryl7 Avatar
    cheryl7

    “…and I think Johnny Depp is brilliant”.
    Let’s not forget gorgeous and sexy.

    Reply

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