DALLAS —
Wonka
I'm the first to declare that movie classics should be left alone but also the first to admit when I'm wrong. Such is the case with "Wonka."
Timothée Chalamet plays a cheerful, young "Wonka" in this origin story of everyone's favorite chocolatier! He travels to the city to fulfill his dreams of sharing his confections with the world. When he looks for a place to say, he's tricked into laboring at a laundry by the owner Mrs. Scrubbit, played with wicked glee by Olivia Colman.
Can Willie escape? And at what price?
Along for the sweet adventure, is an orphan at the laundry played by Calah Lane, who got her start right here with Broadway Dallas. And of course, you can count on Hugh Grant to steal the show as a dancing but curmudgeonly "Oompa Loompa."
"Wonka" is directed by Paul King. You might not recognize the name, but he was also behind both "Paddington Bear" movies, so you get an idea of the colorful characters and heartwarming whimsey he can bring to a story. This is a perfect family movie for the holidays.
(Warner Bros. Pictures. Rated PG. Running Time 1 hr. 56 mins. In Theaters Only)
Poor Things
From a world of pure imagination... to a world of zero inhibition... Director Yorgos Lanthimos adapts the novel "Poor Things."
If you've seen his most recent film "The Lobster," you know he likes to go weird. If you've seen "The Favourite," you know he likes Emma Stone. She gives a fearless lead performance as 'Bella.' Set in Victorian London, she leaps to her death only to be brought back to life by the unorthodox practices of a mad scientist. (Willem Dafoe, his face looking like a jigsaw puzzle.)
Bella is every bit a young woman but has the mind and the motor skills of a child. Dafoe's 'Dr. Baxter' assigns an assistant to log her progress. He falls for her, but after a while, she seeks greater freedom, and sets out with dapper lawyer Mark Ruffalo for a grand tour of Europe and her own sexual exploration.
Bella likes doing what feels good and does it a lot! She doesn't know the meaning of modesty, so her frequent nudity is more silly than seductive. As her mental skills catch up to what she's discovered her body can do, she becomes a liberated woman in every sense.
In addition to Stone and Ruffalo's fine performances, "Poor Things" has extraordinary production design and an aptly wacky score. Expect a major presence in awards season.
(Searchlight Pictures. Rated R. Running Time 2 hrs. 21 minutes. In Theaters Only.)
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
I don't have the luxury of pre-screening NETFLIX films. But, this is a sequel to the original stop-action clay animation film "Chicken Run" from 23 years ago! The Dawn of the Nugget would not seem to bode well for our feathered friends.
Replacing Mel Gibson as the voice of 'Rocky' the Rooster is Zachary Levi. I always admired the amazing work that goes into this type of animation, and if it's anything like its predecessor, it's funny.
(NETFLIX. Rated PG. Running Time 1 hr. 41 mins. Streaming Only)
Finestkind
Brian Helgeland won an Oscar for writing 1997's "L.A. Confidential" along with films like "A Knight's Tale" and "Mystic River." He writes and directs "Finestkind," a family drama disguised as a crime movie.
When the estranged sons of Tommy Lee Jones come home for the summer, he asks them to help with his commercial fishing business. They cross into foreign waters and are forced to deal with a violent crime gang to pay off the fine. Jenna Ortega also stars along with Ben Foster.
This is a screenplay Helgeland wrote half a lifetime ago. It’s set in his Massachusetts hometown in the fishing world he grew up in. They say write what you know! Now, he's finally able to get it to the big screen.
(Paramount+ Original Movie, Rated R. Running Time 2 hrs. 6 mins. Streaming Only.)