Carl Weathers: 1948 - 2024

Actor Carl Weathers has passed away at 76. 

 

Born in New Orleans in 1948, Weathers grew up as an athlete and excelled in several sports. He was a letterman for San Diego State, helping them win the Pasadena Bowl in 1969. He had a short career in the NFL, playing for the Oakland Raiders. 

 

After retiring from football in 1974, he pursued an acting career and began working as an extra. He appeared in BUCKTOWN (1975), and FRIDAY FOSTER (1976), along with TV appearances on GOOD TIMES and STARSKY AND HUTCH. 

 

His breakthrough came in 1976, when he was cast as the flamboyant World Heavyweight Boxing champion Apollo Creed, opposite Sylvester Stallone. ROCKY would go on to win Best Picture that year, and Weathers would reprise the role of Apollo for three more ROCKY films. 

 

After appearing in Steven Spielberg’s CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977), he starred in a number of action films, including FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE (1978), PREDATOR (1987), ACTION JACKSON (1988), and HURRICANE SMITH (1992). Other roles include HAPPY GILMORE (1996), LITTLE NICKY (2000), and provided the voice of Combat Carl in TOY STORY 4 (2019). 

 

On television he had roles on THE SHIELD, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, ER, and CHICAGO P.D. He had a recurring role in the STAR WARS franchise in THE MANDALORIAN, and was nominated for an Emmy. 

 

*

 

This Blogger’s first introduction to Carl Weathers came in the late 1970’s, watching him gallop into the boxing ring decked out in red, white, and blue…ready to kick Rocky’s ass. He was the villain of the film, but somehow made the character likeable. In later films he made the character a hero, one with a heart that was bigger than his muscle. As a physical specimen, he matched up well against muscle-bound actors such as Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and his role in PREDATOR, as the “company man” who had secret motives, stands as one of his best. And his TV work showed that he had the comedy chops as well. Carl Weathers leaves behind not an extensive filmography, but one that is very memorable. In our minds he will always be striding into the ring in colors that don’t run. 

A Reel Preview - The Year in Film 2024: Episode II

The final month of Movie Siberia is a curious one; stacked with re-releases of past films along with the return of a few beloved filmmakers. Here’s what’s coming to the big screen for the month of February: 

 

 

 

ARGYLLE – Matthew Vaughn (STARDUST, KINGSMAN), returns with this spy comedy about a novelist (and her cat), who gets pulled into the real world of global espionage. The cast includes  Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, John Cena, and Samuel L. Jackson. 

 

 

 

LISA FRANKENSTEIN – In this 80’s-set horror/comedy, a teenage goth girl re-animates a handsome corpse from the Victorian era. Its stars Kathryn Newton (ANT-MAN 3), and Carla Gugino. 

 

 

 

PIXAR’S TURNING RED – Pixar Animation studios is in the midst of releasing four of their films that never saw the big screen. Next up is TURNING RED; the story of a 13-year-old-girl who discovers a family secret. 

 

 

 

BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE – Kingsley Ben-Adir plays famed musician and peace-advocate Bob Marley in this biopic. It is directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, who helmed the Oscar-winning KING RICHARD in 2021. 

 

 

 

MADAME WEB – Sony Pictures continues their mission to mangle the Marvel characters they own with this adaptation of the hero who can see future events coming. It stars Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney. 

 

 

 

DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS – Ethan Coen (one-half of the Coen Brothers), directs his first film on his own with this comedy about a road trip that goes badly. Margaret Qualley (ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD), stars with Matt Damon. 

 

 

 

TENET – Christopher Nolan’s time-bending film returns to IMAX for one week. 

 

 

 

LES MISERABLES (2012) – Tom Hooper’s Oscar-nominated take on the famous Broadway play gets a re-release, in celebration of the original show’s 40^th anniversary in 2025. 

 

 

 

DUNE (1984) 40^TH ANNIVERSARY – David Lynch’s take on the sci-fi classic also sees the big screen again, in celebration of the film’s 40^th anniversary this year. 

 

*

 

Next month, Reel Speak previews the month of March. 

 

 

 

A Reel Opinion: Oscar Nominations - The Good, The Bad, & The Glorious

The 96^th Academy Award Nominations were announced this morning, honoring the best of the year that was 2023. Here’s how it all landed in The Good, The Bad, and The Glorious: 

 

 

 

THE GOOD

 

-A good presentation goes a long way. The nominees were presented by actress Zazie Beetz (JOKER), and Jack Quaid (son of Dennis). Both were pro’s and did well in a tight and breezy event. 

 

-As expected, the two films that have dominated the talk of cinema, OPPENHEIMER and BARBIE (or BARBENHEIMER), earned a boat-load of nominations. More on that in a bit, but as two of the highest grossing films of the year, it is refreshing to see two pop-culture hits earn some prestigious Academy love; an Academy that has been leaning towards stuffy drama for over 20 years. 

 

-Also earning multiple nominations were Martin Scorsese’s KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON with 10, Bradley Cooper’s MAESTRO with seven, and POOR THINGS with 11. BARBIE earned eight, including Best Picture. 

 

-Well-earned acting nominations include Robert Downey Jr. (OPPENHEIMER), Robert DeNiro (KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON), Emily Blunt (OPPENHEIMER), America Ferrera (BARBIE), and Carey Mulligan (MAESTRO). 

 

-Wes Anderson sneaks into the ballot for Best Live-Action Short Film: THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR. 

 

 

THE BAD

 

-The most watched category this year was Best Director. In a minor shock, Greta Gerwig did not get nominated for BARBIE…despite being a box office champion and multiple nominations across the board. 

-Along the same lines as Gerwig, other notable directors who didn't make the cut despite having their films nominated for Best Picture: Bradley Cooper (MAESTRO), and Alexander Payne (THE HOLDOVERS). 

 

-The magnificent GODZILLA MINUS ONE missing out on Best International Film. 

 

-Some oddball misses: No screenplay nomination for KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, and no Best Visual Effects for OPPENHEIMER. 

 

 

THE GLORIOUS

 

-Despite Gerwig missing out on Best Director, she is now the first woman to have directed three Best Picture nominees: BARBIE, LITTLE WOMEN (2019), and LADY BIRD (2017). Also: this year women directors have three Best Picture nominees (BARBIE, ANATOMY OF A FALL, and PAST LIVES)…which is a record. 

 

-Lily Gladstone’s nomination for Best Supporting Actress in KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON makes her the first indigenous American to be nominated for acting. 

 

-John Williams, the greatest film composer of all time, earned his 54^th career nomination for INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY. 

 

-As expected, Christopher Nolan’s towering OPPENHEIMER lead the way with 13 nominations: taking a spot in every vital category from acting, directing, writing, editing, and most of the technical categories. The film has been in the conversation for Best Picture since day one, and the stage is set for it to end with a bang. 

 

*

 

The 96^th Academy Awards are March 10^th. See all of the nominees HERE

A Reel Opinion: The Best & Worst Films of 2023

2023 is behind us, but we are now in the long wrap-up stage…with the Oscar nominations a week away and the overall Award Season handing out their prizes for the best of the year. And that brings us to Reel Speak’s Best and Worst of 2023. 

 

As always, the worst of the year is saying farewell and adieu to beloved actors, actresses, and filmmakers. In 2023 we lost Michael Gambon, Matthew Perry, Paul Reubens, Richard Roundtree, Cindy Williams, Raquel Welch, Tom Sizemore, Robert Blake, Ray Stevenson, Treat Williams, Alan Arkin, William Friedkin, Burt Young, Piper Laurie, Joss Ackland, Andre Braugher, Lee Sun-kyun, and Tom Wilkinson. 

 

Back on the screen, it was a turbulent year at the box office, as well-established franchises such as INDIANA JONES, Marvel, and DC Comics struggled to make bank. But it wasn’t just a demand for originality, as fresh films such as THE CREATOR and Disney’s WISH also struggled despite how good they were. Good films took it on the chin, but also taking it hard were the lousy ones: EXPEND4BLES, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, and SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS were the bottom of the toilet bowl. 

 

Despite the stinkers and bombs, the year still finished very strong, with great efforts from some of our best filmmakers and dazzling performances from some of our best actors and actresses. Here now are the Top 10 Best Films seen by Reel Speak in the year that was 2023. 

 

 

 

 

10. MAESTRO

 

Behind every great man there is an even greater woman, and that is the idea behind Bradley Cooper’s intimate biopic about the life of famed composer Leonard Bernstein. Cooper takes on the herculean task of writing, directing, and acting…and delivers on every front. Every shot is meticulously framed, and every nuance and tick from Bernstein is recreated in stunning detail. As good as Cooper is in front and behind the camera, he is matched equally by the always-great Carey Mulligan, who takes on another massive task in playing the woman who endured so much to get Bernstein into fame…and keep him there. 

 

 

 

 

9. ELEMENTAL 

 

Pixar Animation Studios gets away from the sequel business (for now), with this charming, opposites-attract love story using early American immigration as the backdrop. Funny and emotional, ELEMENTAL takes a way-out-there fantasy world inhabited by walking and talking elements of nature and gives it one of their best human stories. It cleverly uses history to tell a story that is very relevant today. 

 

 

 

8. THE CREATOR

 

Don’t let the weak box office be your guide because Gareth Edwards has created one hell of a film here. John David Washington (son of Denzel), leads the way as humanity fights for survival against a world-killing artificial intelligence. Breathtaking visuals, clever twists and turns, and some unexpected emotion makes this an excellent sci-fi flick. 

 

 

 

7. POOR THINGS

 

The old FRANKENSTEIN tale has been done to the grave, but not like this. Yorgos Lanthimos directs this twisted science fantasy about a regenerated woman (Emma Stone), who learns about life and love the hard way. Twisted and dreamy, POOR THINGS is packed with marvelous performances (Stone finds a few new gears here), and never lets up in messing with our minds. 

 

 

 

 

6. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING PART ONE

 

It seems that the last few MISSION IMPOSSIBLE films have us leaving the theatre saying, “that was the best one”, and DEAD RECKONING does the same. Tom Cruise reprises super-spy Ethan Hunt for the 7^th time since 1996, and powers his way across the world…doing his own breathtaking stunts in a film that thrills with nearly endless pulse-pounding action. The supporting cast of Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff match up with Cruise well, and director Christopher McQuarrie never lets off the gas in this thriller. 

 

 

 

5. BARBIE

 

The idea of making a movie about a toyline is not new, and Hollywood has done it to varying degrees of success and failure. With BARBIE, it is the former. Greta Gerwig directs and Margot Robbie stars in a tale that captures the impact the toyline has had on children for over 60 years, while boldly exploring women’s place in the world today. Visually stunning, funny, and sets a new standard for movies based on toys. 

 

 

 

4. THE HOLDOVERS

 

Alexander Payne has not made many movies so far, but every time he does the world needs to stop and listen. Paul Giamatti reunites with Payne for the first time since their successful collaboration with SIDEWAYS (2004), playing a strict teacher at a boarding school who gets stuck with a handful of students with nowhere to go on Christmas break. It’s a loose retelling of A Christmas Carol, which finds Giamatti and Payne exploring damaged human beings and how they can help each other. Emotional and funny, THE HOLDOVERS deserves a spot on everyone’s holiday watch-list. 

 

 

 

3. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON 

 

Martin Scorsese returned this year with this towering tale of murder and conspiracy in 1920’s Osage Nation, with white men marrying Native American woman for their coveted oil money…only for the wives to mysteriously die. Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, and an eye-opening Lily Gladstone lead the way in this colossal film that reveals a black spot in American history that should be studied and learned from. 

 

 

 

2. GODZILLA MINUS ONE

 

Speaking of colossal, it doesn’t get much bigger than Godzilla, and MINUS ONE stomps in as the best film in the series that started in 1954. Takashi Yamazaki directs this epic that takes place in post-WWII Japan, with a devasted country, scrapping for survival, suddenly having to deal with a rampaging monster. But it’s not all spectacle (which is amazing), as Yamazaki gives this GODZILLA flick a strong human element with characters looking for life again amongst post-war ruins. Huge in scale with a surprising amount of heart, GODZILLA MINUS ONE is This Blogger’s personal favorite of the year. 

 

 

 

1. OPPENHEIMER

 

Christopher Nolan delivers this epic biopic about the father of the atom bomb; its creation, impact, and time-altering consequences that can still be felt today. Nolan balances history with his trademark style of time-hopping, and lets this unfold with all of the mental conflict Oppenheimer dealt with in creating the bomb; it’s a race against time to beat the Nazi’s, but if he succeeds, he knows he may end the world in fire. It’s an internal struggle that lead-actor Cillian Murphy conveys in a single glance, and his ensemble cast of co-stars (Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh…for starters), all turn in career-best performances. It is a complicated story told with superior craftsmanship, and blows everything else away. 

 

 

 

 REEL SPEAK'S BEST FILMS OF 2023

1. OPPENHEIMER
2. GODZILLA MINUS ONE
3. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
4. THE HOLDOVERS
5. BARBIE
6. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING PART ONE
7. POOR THINGS
8. THE CREATOR
9. ELEMENTAL
10. MAESTRO

 

 

 

A Reel Opinion: The BARBIE Dust-Up

We are less than two weeks away from the 96^th Academy Award nominations, and there is already controversy surrounding one of the most popular films of the year, Greta Gerwig’s BARBIE. 

 

The fantasy/comedy film, which has finished as the highest grossing film of the year and (ahem), expected to earn several Oscar nominations, has been deemed by the Academy to compete in the Best Adapted Screenplay category, despite its campaigning to compete in Best Original. The classification has been met with social media outrage from fans of the film. 

 

Every awards voting group has its own rules for movies determining which category a screenplay falls into. BARBIE was likely considered for Adapted as its primary characters, Barbie and Ken…were based on pre-existing dolls, or characters, that have been around for over 60 years. Many films about pre-existing characters, such as previous Oscar nominees TOY STORY 3, BORAT 2, and BEFORE SUNSET were ultimately classified as Adapted Screenplay. The added wrinkle to this is: The Writers Guild of America (WGA), designated BARBIE as an original work for their upcoming awards. 

 

While it is true that BARBIE is an original story that was not based on any previous BARBIE short-film or cartoon, the roots of the film come from the toyline that has been around for decades. The term “adapted” simply means that the writers built upon specific pre-existing material. BARBIE is based on a copywritten entertainment product. Even if the story is new, without the existence of the toyline…there would be no BARBIE film. And after all, the film itself literally says “Based on Barbie by Mattel” in the opening credits. 

 

Most of the noise coming from socials seem to think that Best Adapted is a lesser category (not true at all, Best Picture winners come from this category all the time), and that it is disingenuous of the Academy to stick Barbie there. But maybe the real disingenuous move is coming from the campaign to get in the Original category…where it doesn’t have to compete with its year-long rival, OPPENHEIMER. When the nominations do come, BARBIE is going to land right where it belongs: a great story based on an old idea.

 

*

 

The 96^th Academy Award Nominations will be announced January 23^rd. 

A Reel Preview: The Year in Film 2024 - Episode I

January begins the traditional trip to Movie Siberia; the annual two-month period where movies deemed not good enough for Summer fun are banished to die. This month brings a hodge-podge of action, animation, comedy, and horror. Here’s what’s coming to the big screen for the first month of 2024: 

 

 

MEMORY – Jessica Chastain plays a single mother who befriends a man who is suffering from dementia, played by Peter Sarsgaard, in this drama. It is directed by acclaimed director Michel Franco. 

 

 

 

NIGHT SWIM – A supernatural being haunts a backyard swimming pool in this horror flick. It stars Wyatt Russell (son of Kurt), and Kerry Condon. 

 

 

 

THE BEEKEEPER – In this shoot-em-up, Jason Statham plays an ex operative with deep secret connections who is pulled back into service. It stars Jeremy Irons, Josh Hutcherson, Minnie Driver, and Phylicia Rashad. It is directed by David Ayer (SUICIDE SQUAD, TRAINING DAY). 

 

 

THE BOOK OF CLARENCE – LaKeith Stanfield (HAUNTED MANSION), plays a down-on-his-luck man living in Jerusalem in 29 A.D. who tries to capitalize on the popularity of a young prophet, named Jesus. 

 

 

 

MEAN GIRLS – This teen comedy is another shot at the Broadway musical of the same name, which saw a 2004 film…only this time the music comes with it. 

 

 

 

SOUL – Pixar Animation Studios will be giving select films which went right to streaming during pandemic times to the big screen for the first time. SOUL, which won Oscars in 2020 for Best Animated Feature and Original Score, is the first one. 

 

 

 

THE END WE START FROM – In this survival film, a young mother and her baby try to get away from an ecological crisis that has flooded London. It stars Jodie Comer, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong, and Katherine Waterston (daughter of Sam). 

 

 

 

I.S.S. – In this sci-fi thriller, American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts are ordered by their respective governments to take control of the International Space Station. Ariana DeBose stars. 

 

 

 

ORIGIN – Acclaimed director Ava DuVernay helms this biopic about the author of the equally-acclaimed novel Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, which looks at racism in America. The cast includes Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Blair Underwood, and Connie Nielsen. 

 

 

 

Next month, Reel Speak previews the month of February. 

 

 

 

 

A Reel Review: AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM

Right up to release, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, the 15^th and final film in the current run of DC Comics movies, has been earning attention for its off-screen issues. Numerous delays, reshoots, re-editing, and the near removal of one its lead actors just about scratch the surface of the tumultuous sea that DC has been known for. All that can finally be put aside, and we can judge LOST KINGDOM for what it does on the screen. 

 

Aquaman (Jason Momoa), must enlist the help of his banished brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), to combat the efforts of the vengeful Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who wants to not only murder Aquaman and his family, but to accelerate Earth’s climate change.

 

Directed by James Wan, LOST KINGDOM starts and ends as a bewildering journey under the sea, over the sea, through deserts, jungles, caves, ice castles and probably a lot more inbetween. The race is on to grab some ancient Atlantean artifacts which have the power to grant Black Manta what he needs to kill Aquaman and to help the Earth on its way to doom (rising seas, melting ice caps). There is a ton of mythology at work as they hop from one location to another looking for the lost something of the someone. It’s confusing, messy, and hard to care about despite the take on a real-world problem. 

 

One of the main problems that the first AQUAMAN film had was that Black Manta was playing second fiddle to bigger happenings, and every time he showed up it felt like an intrusion. This time he is the driving force, but as a villain he is dead-fish boring; I want revenge and that is as far as it goes. The character might as well be a piece of the set. 

 

But there seems to be very little sets that were actually built, as LOST KINGDOM is overloaded with CGI. While the fantastical environments definitely could not be done without the tool, it just goes on and on: CGI faces on CGI bodes, CGI whales, CGI seahorses, CGI babies, CGI hair, CGI costumes, CGI flowers, CGI bugs, and CGI cockroaches barely begin to cover it. On top of that, it’s not even very good CGI. 

 

Action scenes are a blurry mess, the dialogue is dull, and most of the actors just yell and grunt at the camera. Moments of drama and humor fall flat. The music by Rupert Gregson-Williams is non-existent. 

 

Acting is all over the place. Jason Momoa is fun but he’s basically playing a version of himself. Patrick Wilson seems lost while acting against CGI blobs. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II just yells and grunts. Seasoned actors Nicole Kidman, Temuera Morrison, and Dolph Lundgren deserve better but do okay. Martin Short comes in to provide the voice of a fat sea-slug, and John Rhys-Davies provides the voice of a big lobster. Amber Heard amounts to an extended cameo. 

 

Films based on DC Comics usually have a tough sell. After all, their primary heroes are guys in super blue tights who fly, guys who dress as bats, and dudes who talk to fishes. The super and bat guys work because there is an element of reality to them, but in LOST KINGDOM, that’s not here and the entire thing plays out like a cartoon. And the final shot of the film, which is also the final shot of this DC universe before the big reboot, is Patrick Wilson eating cockroaches. Maybe that’s how this line deserves to end. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: Fuck it 

A Reel Opinion: REBEL MOON Cries More, More, More

Self-proclaimed visionary director Zack Snyder is back in cinema news this week. His newest film, REBEL MOON – A CHILD OF FIRE: PART ONE, is in limited release in theatres before debuting on Netflix this Friday the 22^nd. Thus far, the sci-fi, space-war film is being met with scathing reviews. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that only 20% of reviewers gave it a favorable review. 

 

But fear not, says Mr. Snyder, for some time in 2024 we will be blessed with a Director’s Cut, which promises a longer run time by an hour (it is currently 2 hours, 14 minutes), and would change the rating from its current PG-13 to an R. In an interview with the AP Wire, Snyder says his director’s cut is “…almost like a different movie”. The promise of a Snyder Cut of the film harks back to the messy situation we had in 2017, when Snyder’s version of JUSTICE LEAGUE was severely compromised. After Snyder left the production due to a family crisis, parent company Warner Bros. brought in Joss Whedon to reshoot and recut the film. That version was panned by critics, and after an annoying four-year campaign by overzealous fans, a four-hour JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE SNYDER CUT was released in 2021 to better reviews (same movie, just longer). 

 

Hollywood has a history of Director’s Cuts improving upon the original releases. In 2005, famed director Ridley Scott’s KINGDOM OF HEAVEN was butchered by Fox, who wanted 45 minutes cut out of it. That film was then butchered again by critics. Scott returned with his Director’s Cut, and that version is now considered to be one of his best works and one of the best films of this millennium. 

 

Snyder, however, is no Ridley Scott…and this move seems to be a calculated one by Netflix and Snyder himself…hoping to cash-in on the Snyder Cut wave that brought the new version of JUSTICE LEAGUE to life. It feels like a pointed effort to get attention, box office, and new streaming subscribers to see the same movie twice. This is not a case of Snyder having his definitive vision butchered by a meddling studio, but instead reeks of greed and is just an embarrassment to cinema. Not to mention causing mass confusion with audiences. 

 

Here's a thought: Get it right the first time. That’s what real visionaries do. 

 

*

 

REBEL MOON - A CHILD OF FIRE: PART ONE (this version), is now playing in select theatres and will debut on Netflix this Friday the 22^nd. It stars Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Charlie Hunnam, Ray Fisher, and Jenna Malone. PART TWO (that version), is set for release in April 2024. 

 

 

A Reel Review: WONKA

The character of Willie Wonka, created by the great Roald Dahl, has seen the big screen twice in the last 50-plus years. The first bite came in 1971 with the somewhat-beloved WILLIE WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY with the great Gene Wilder in the lead. The second came in 2005 with the ill-fated CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, directed by Tim Burton and with Johnny Depp as Willie. Here in 2023, we get a fresh take with WONKA; a spiritual prequel to the 1971 film. 

 

Aspiring magician and chocolate maker Willie Wonka (Timothee Chalamet), arrives in a busy European city after years of traveling the world to find his fortune selling his amazing candies. After his efforts are thwarted by the ruling Chocolate Cartel (Paterson Joseph, Matthew Baynton, Matt Lucas), he becomes trapped as an indentured servant where he befriends young Noodle (Calah Lane), and hatches a plan to free her and realize his dreams. 

 

Directed by Paul King (director of the PADDINGTON films), WONKA serves as an origin story for Willie and how he would become the ruler of a chocolate empire. Before he gets there, he has some obstacles to overcome with the Chocolate Cartel getting in the way, and paying his debt to get out of slavery from the iron thumb of Mrs. Scrubitt (Oliva Colman). Along the way, Willie befriends fellow slaves (Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, Rakhee Thakrar, Rich Fulcher), and decides to help them get out of debt as well. 

 

There are familiar themes at work here in putting aside your own dreams to help others, and the chemistry between Wonka and Noodle give it some serious heart. As a movie about Willie Wonka, is does offer a lot that is fresh and new. This Willie is far from the Wilder and Depp versions who were content to watch a kid drown in chocolate. This one is bright-eyed and enthusiastic about life and his friends, and avoids the tired be-good-or-die thing aimed at children. 

 

The production design is fantastic, the musical numbers fun (although maybe only a few can get stuck in our heads), and the energy is upbeat. As an origin story it clicks off most of the boxes, but it does get off to a hot start: as the film begins Willie already has his trademark purple coat and top hat and knows how to make magical chocolate. While most of the how-he-got-there gets filled in via flashbacks, WONKA starts in a way that makes us feel like we missed the first half the movie. Still, director Paul King finds a lot of magic and fun to play with, and nearly every scene is a delight. 

 

Timothee Chalamet does a fine job with the character and handles the musical numbers very well. Calah Lane steals the show. Sally Hawkins appears as Willie’s mother in flashbacks and adds some hefty emotion. Hugh Grant comes in as an Oompa Loompa who has been following Willie around, but his role amounts to an extended cameo and barely makes an impact in the story. 

 

It is no great spoiler to say that by movie’s end, Willie finds the means to build his famed chocolate factory. What is not clear is how he eventually becomes the recluse that the classic books and 1971 film show us. It feels like a leap to get there, but in the meantime, there is a lot of sweetness in WONKA to bite into and savor. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: See it. 

A Reel 20: THE LORD OF THE RINGS - THE RETURN OF THE KING

“And the Fellowship of the Ring, though eternally bound by friendship and love…was ended.”

 

This month marks the 20^th anniversary of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING. 

 

Directed by Peter Jackson, THE RETURN OF THE KING was the third and final film in Jackson’s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy novels. The first film came in 2001 with THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, and continued with THE TWO TOWERS in 2002. The third film and eventual Best Picture winner followed the quest to destroy the One Ring and rid Middle-Earth of the evil menace of Sauron. 

 

The journey to Middle-Earth began in 1997, when New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson overcame many starts, stops, and legal challenges to bring the books, his personal favorites, to the big screen. The original plan was to adapt the books into two parts, but upstart studio New Line Cinema committed to three. Along with screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and long-time Tolkien artists Alan Lee and John Howe, Middle-Earth and its fantastic characters and places began to take form. Filming for all three movies would begin in New Zealand and would last an entire year.

 

The cast of was a collection of well-established actors. Elijah Wood would take on the role of Frodo Baggins; the young hobbit who comes into possession of the One Ring. He was joined by Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Bernard Hill, Miranda Otto, David Wenham, Karl Urban, John Noble, and Viggo Mortensen as the future King. Visual effects would be a combination of practical and new techniques in CGI. Howard Shore would compose the score. 

 

THE RETURN OF THE KING would follow in the footsteps of its predecessors, opening in December to rave reviews and box office success. It would finish as the highest grossing film of 2003, and the second highest of all time at the time of its release. At the 76^th Academy Awards, it would win all eleven awards for which it was nominated, including Best Picture. Today, it is recognized as one of the greatest and influential films ever made. 

 

*

 

One of the greatest moments in Oscar history came on Oscar night in February of 2004, when famed director Steven Spielberg announced the Best Picture of the year by saying: “It’s a clean sweep!”. The moment made THE RETURN OF THE KING the first fantasy film to take home the big prize, and for many fans of fantasy and sci-fi, it was moment of victory. In the long run, the film would pave the way for a new generation of big budget, multi-film storytelling, for in five years the Marvel Cinematic Universe would take cues from the RINGS trilogy and change cinema even more. 

 

Before that, in December of 2001, This Blogger and a group of friends gathered at the cinema to see FELLOWSHIP for the first time. We would all re-unite each December for the next two years and two films, and along the way we would discover our own Fellowship. The themes of loyalty; being true to each other despite challenges, time, and distance…resonated with us then and now. Three members of our Fellowship were in my wedding, and each December I run a day-long marathon of all three films; for my Fellowship, for the last 20 years, and for the next 20. Today the film stills stands tall as a perfect adaptation of a novel, and a cinematic avalanche of spectacle and emotion. THE RETURN OF THE KING was, and still is, a feat that still towers over all. 

“You bow to no one.”