Movie Time (Final Insallment...for now)

So after work on Saturday we finished our final movies on this run for Netflix. We'll probably not have time to watch them in the weeks coming up but here are the final two on this run of the queue.

"Family Guy Presents: Stewie Griffin - The Untold Story" - Starring the "Family Guy Crew" Not being the biggest Family Guy fan we took a chance on the movie to see if we should make time in our busy schedule to make room for this show. Well I don't think we will. Yes there were some points in the movie that were pretty funny but it definately lagged in the middle and towards the end. There's not much to review it's what it's supposed to be a full length animated feature based on the TV show. Since the graphics are just the same as the show that's nothing special, and it relied on the wit and humor of the script to provide for some comic relief throughout the film, not so great. It was a slight break from the ordinary but I think I would rather take The Simpsons in smaller doses than the Family Guy at all. 2.5/5 Remotes

Having not really enjoyed "Family Guy" we moved right on to...

Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" - Starring Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Christopher Lee, and Deep Roy as the Oompa Loompa. Let me precede the review by saying that I have never read the book so I'm not sure what the "author's" purpose, moral or story originally is. However, I have seen the Gene Wilder "musical" version of the movie before and it is one of the few films that still lingers from my childhood. (I do own the DVD) With that being said I tried really hard to evaluate and enjoy this movie individually not based on any other review or pre-concieved notions of what to expect. Burton's version, as expected, has a dark and "gothic" feel to the picture. However, he does build and hold a strong backstory to the picture. The visual effects, as expected from Burton are stunning but don't take over the movie which has a strong dialect and subtle yet profound acting from the cast. Johnny Depp is add odd as expected and Freddie Highmore is as innocent and likeable as can be. Burton's venture into the psyche of Willy Wonka is, at first, unexpected and profoundly troubling yet provides an understanding essential to the development of Willy Wonka. The morality of the film is inticrate yet delicately handled through humor an storytelling. The graphics in the film make up for the lack of "musicality" I expected but added a deeper dimension to the film. Deep Roy's interpretation of the Oompa Loompa is off color, but fun adding straight physical and scriptual comedy to the event. Overall it was a very entertaining and well crafted film, I expected nothing less from the king of off color, "gothic," entertaining, and independent and obscure film, Timothy Burton. Burton not only directs a visual masterpiece but a character filled allegory for today's society. 4/5 Remotes