Yesterday’s post was just a brief account of what actually happened. It was even more manic trying to fit everything in that day that was planned, and other plans getting cancelled etc.

Anyhoo, I’ve recently just got back from watching Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. Suffice to say, it’s very different from the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. For starters, one of the benefits is that it’s given us two completely different films with very different Wonkas (especially as this new one has Johnny Depp playing a rather screwed up version with some insightful flashbacks explaining why) whilst still being faithful to the spirit of Roald Dahl’s original book. The Oompa-loompas are so much better in this film. 165 of them to be exact. And all of them played by Deep Roy.

This more psychologically complex version of Wonka is just as fun to watch as the jolly (yet quite tempered) original portrayed by Gene Wilder, but the creepyness that Depp brings to his character makes him so much more interesting, even if you have to take a couple of steps back. In the true style of Tim Burton, this film is pretty twisted but that’s what makes it so good!

Willy Wonka: Everything in this room is *eat*able. Even I’m *eat*able. But that is called cannibalism, my dear children, and is in fact frowned upon in most societies.

Creepy, no?

But one of the main things that struck me about this movie was Charlie’s obsession with the factory. He loves Wonka’s chocolate – he makes a model of the factory, it’s a dream to go inside, he’s got empty wrappers on the wall of his bedroom – but I think that his entire family are naively missing the obvious point – he’s addicted to chocolate! He gets just one bar a year which tides him over until now when his grandfather sneaks him a second bar. Then he gets onto a third when he finds money lying around in the street. Am I the only one noticing a pattern here? His addiction is getting worse! And not only that – he’s starting to be able to afford more to feed his addiction!

For the very few that have never seen this version or the original version or haven’t read the book or don’t even know what happens (i.e. where the hell have you been?!? – my apologies to anyone who’s just recovered from a life-long coma) then I won’t spoil the end other than to say that the ending is not going to help his addiction, but will in fact make him worse and turn him into a bit of a Wonka if the flashbacks are anything to go by.

Willy Wonka: Ha ha ha ha. You’re really weird.