Mirkwood Reflections

Let me preface this by saying that I am not really a huge Star Wars fan. Yes, I saw the first Trilogy (oddly called Episodes 4,5, & 6) in the theatres when they came out. In fact, I remember my sister and I begging my dad to let us PUH-LEEEEZE go see Star Wars when it was HELD! OVER! 52 WEEKS! Everyone we knew had seen it, except us. So we finally got to do it. Must have been 1978. I didn't really like the looks of Episode 1 when it came out a couple years ago. That Darth Maul.... :::shudders::: Ew..... And why would anyone need the backstory anyway? *shrug* But then I realized I had a son who was more into Star Wars than he was into Lord of the Rings. (How did that happen, you ask? I am in no way responsible. I did everything in my albeit limited powers to influence him the other way.) So, he missed Episodes 1 and 2 in the theatre, due to me, but ended up watching them on DVD. And of course, he loved them. So when Episode 3 came out, he begged and begged. It's PG-13, I sai...

Most thirtysomethings grew up watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) starring Gene Wilder every year on TV. Yes, that was back when there were no DVD players and no VCR's. We actually had to plan our lives around the TV shows we wanted to watch. But, I digress. Of course, the Willy Wonka movie was based upon a book by Roald Dahl - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , written in 1964. The book has turned out to be a classic, beloved by children (and adults) everywhere. The Gene Wilder movie took a great deal of liberty with the book, however. I suppose, with the plethora of remakes of shows from the 60's and 70's, it was inevitable that someone would decide to try his hand at reworking the Willy Wonka story. Tim Burton was an obvious choice, with his love for the slightly (ok, MORE than slightly) unconventional storyline. Burton has a coterie of actors that he seems to rely on, and many of these show up in Charlie . You'd have to live under a rock not to r...