Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

Just got back from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I had considerable doubts after seeing the previews, but Rotten Tomatoes hasn't failed me yet, so we gave it a try. I'm so glad we went -- the movie was fantastic in nearly every way. It was a wild, fun, thoroughly Tim Burton-ish movie, which Tim Burton has somehow not managed in years. The Oompa-Loompa songs were fabulous; I'm irritated that iTunes doesn't have the soundtrack for some reason. (My favorite scene was the squirrel room.)

There were some interesting previews before the movie, too, including a rather vague one for Goblet of Fire. I found it exciting nevertheless. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that a good-natured-looking sequel to The Mark of Zorro is coming soon, with Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones reprising their roles (no sign of Anthony Hopkins in the preview, sadly). Much swashbuckling, bantering, and slightly silly adventuring appears to be in the offing. It looks like it might be as much fun as the original (and I'll bet the success of Pirates of the Caribbean has something to do with its being made). I'm looking forward to it.

(For some reason, I find myself writing like an excessively self-aware newspaper editor or Boldface Names writer. I'm really not doing it on purpose. I managed to trim some of it out, but I couldn't get it all. Bare with me, 'cause I'm sleepy now and can't be bothered to rewrite it all. Did you catch Christopher Lee, our favorite wicked wizard, as Johnny Depp's daddy dearest? Too sweet!)