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	26 July 2005 MOVIE: IN GOOD COMPANY (2004). An ad sales veteran must suddenly work for a hotshot boss half his age. Watch the preview for this one a few times. Topher Grace kisses Scarlett Johansson—it's a romantic comedy! Hold on: now Mr. Grace is giving an exasperated Dennis Quaid a hug—it's a buddy flick! Or maybe a corporate farce! But wait, he's weeping into his steering wheel...it's an indie angst ramble about a young man's pre-mid-life crisis? It's all of these things, which of course both its problem and its charm. Maybe I rooted for this film a little longer than I should have, since its protagonist's malaise stemmed from working for a huge Internet conglomerate and its various absurd "synergies," complete with an appearance by a Barry Diller lookalike (now that's cutting close to home). It's funny in spots, shows flashes of poignance even, but ultimately wanders a pond-stone path of randomly placed events that lead to a strange ending bathed in hues of solitude and redemption. Kind of a head-scratcher, and hardly the rollicking "father knows best" cinematic sitcom I'd been expecting. The actors are fine, just fine, and the writing's clever enough. It's just...if I'd wanted a fruit salad, then I wouldn't have asked for the parfait cup. You know what I mean? You're my awesome wingman.   Back to main MOVIE: CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (2005). Reclusive chocolatier Willy Wonka allows five children to visit his mysterious factory after years of exile. How dare Tim Burton, I thought, as the first previews for this film trickled onto the Internet. What cheek, to think that he could top the 1971 Gene Wilder original. With awful remakes of childhood favorites marring the landscape these days, each selling off pop classics at big-box retail discount, one can only shrivel with dread at the prospect of seeing yet another precious nugget of nostalgia glazed with the drool of hunched-over marketers. But as the film tiptoed along with its trademark Burtonesque wonder, I started to feel pleasantly, and happily, wrong. Instead of choosing to one-up the 1971 version (honorably giving wide berth to the original's terrifying boat sequence, for example), Mr. Burton instead wisely focus on the same themes from slightly different angles. Yes, we have the familiar greedy, vile children and their arrogant parents. But what's this: a young Mr. Wonka's estrangement from his father? No longer a cynical genius leaning on his walking stick, Burton's Wonka is portrayed as a grown-up boy trapped in his own aborted childhood, which is probably the reason behind those paranoid comparisons to Michael Jackson (ignore them). Not bad, considering Burton could've just as easily gotten away with a catalog of fart jokes ripe for late-night syndication on the Noggin channel. Other treats: the sets achieve a polished CG perfection that the original could only dream of; a flashback visit to the Oompa Loompa village reveals dozens of the little people—all played by the same actor (brilliant!); Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker-inspired flourishes of humor, as when the young Willy Wonka embarks on his life's travels against a backdrop of billowing flags from around the world, only to emerge at the end of a local "Flags of the World" museum exhibit. Nothing but giggles. You know you really shouldn't mumble, because I can't understand a single word you're saying.   Back to main Archives. 17 August 2003 — 24 August 2003 — 31 August 2003 — 07 September 2003 — 14 September 2003 — 02 November 2003 — 09 November 2003 — 16 November 2003 — 23 November 2003 — 30 November 2003 — 07 December 2003 — 01 February 2004 — 08 February 2004 — 15 February 2004 — 22 February 2004 — 29 February 2004 — 07 March 2004 — 14 March 2004 — 21 March 2004 — 28 March 2004 — 04 April 2004 — 11 April 2004 — 18 April 2004 — 25 April 2004 — 02 May 2004 — 09 May 2004 — 16 May 2004 — 23 May 2004 — 30 May 2004 — 06 June 2004 — 13 June 2004 — 20 June 2004 — 27 June 2004 — 04 July 2004 — 11 July 2004 — 18 July 2004 — 25 July 2004 — 01 August 2004 — 08 August 2004 — 15 August 2004 — 22 August 2004 — 29 August 2004 — 05 September 2004 — 12 September 2004 — 19 September 2004 — 26 September 2004 — 03 October 2004 — 10 October 2004 — 17 October 2004 — 24 October 2004 — 31 October 2004 — 07 November 2004 — 14 November 2004 — 21 November 2004 — 28 November 2004 — 05 December 2004 — 12 December 2004 — 19 December 2004 — 26 December 2004 — 02 January 2005 — 09 January 2005 — 23 January 2005 — 30 January 2005 — 06 February 2005 — 13 February 2005 — 20 February 2005 — 27 February 2005 — 13 March 2005 — 20 March 2005 — 27 March 2005 — 03 April 2005 — 10 April 2005 — 17 April 2005 — 24 April 2005 — 01 May 2005 — 08 May 2005 — 22 May 2005 — 29 May 2005 — 05 June 2005 — 12 June 2005 — 19 June 2005 — 26 June 2005 — 03 July 2005 — 10 July 2005 — 17 July 2005 — 24 July 2005 — 31 July 2005 — 07 August 2005 — 14 August 2005 — 28 August 2005 — 04 September 2005 — 25 September 2005 — 02 October 2005 — 09 October 2005 — 30 October 2005 — 06 November 2005 — 13 November 2005 — 20 November 2005 — 27 November 2005 — 04 December 2005 — 18 December 2005 — 01 January 2006 — 08 January 2006 — 15 January 2006 — 22 January 2006 — 05 February 2006 — 26 February 2006 — 12 March 2006 — 19 March 2006 — 26 March 2006 — 02 April 2006 — 16 April 2006 — 23 April 2006 — 30 April 2006 — 07 May 2006 — 14 May 2006 — 21 May 2006 — 04 June 2006 — 18 June 2006 — 25 June 2006 — 16 July 2006 — 23 July 2006 — 06 August 2006 — 13 August 2006 — 03 September 2006 — 17 September 2006 — 01 October 2006 —