Francesca Hunt Movies
- 2005
- PG
- Add Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to QueueAdd Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to top of Queue
Director Tim Burton brings his unique vision and sensibility to Roald Dahl's classic children's story in this lavish screen interpretation. Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp) is the secretive and wildly imaginative man behind the world's most celebrated candy company, and while the Wonka factory is famously closed to visitors, the reclusive candy man decides to give five lucky children a chance to see the inside of his operation by placing "golden tickets" in five randomly selected chocolate bars. Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore), whose poor but loving family lives literally in the shadow of the Wonka factory, is lucky enough to obtain one of the tickets, and Charlie, escorted by his Grandpa Joe (David Kelly), is in for the ride of a lifetime as he tours the strange and remarkable world of Wonka with fellow winners, media-obsessed Mike Teavee (Jordan Fry), harsh and greedy Veruca Salt (Julia Winter), gluttonous Augustus Gloop (Philip Wiegratz), and ultra-competitive Violet Beauregarde (AnnaSophia Robb). Over the course of the day, some of the children will learn difficult lessons about themselves, and one will go on to become Wonka's new right hand. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory also stars Christopher Lee, James Fox, and Noah Taylor; the book was famously adapted to the screen before in 1971 under the title Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, with Gene Wilder as the eccentric candy tycoon. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, (more)
- 2002
This made-for-TV film was adapted from the 1992 book Diana: Her True Story, which in turn was based on secret correspondence between Britain's Princess Diana and London Daily Mail reporter Andrew Morton (here played by Paul McGann). With the myth of her "storybook romance" with husband Prince Charles weighing heavily upon her, Diana wants to tell the world the true story of her miserable existence, but she is unable to penetrate the protective wall built up by the Royal Family and by those journalists sympathetic to Queen Elizabeth (an amalgam of such journalists is portrayed in this film by Faye Dunaway). Meanwhile, Andrew Morton, the author of several celebrity biographies, is poised to write a book about Marilyn Monroe. Miraculously, Di manages to get in touch with Morton, who reluctantly agrees to listen to her tale of woe. Throughout 1991 and 1992, the Princess and the journalist trade notes via secret courier (usually a pizza delivery man), and the result is the first true and fully informed "tell all" tome about Di's life in Buckingham Palace. Even so, the story may never be made public, thanks to the minions of the Royals and the intricacies of Britain's libel laws. Although this film opens itself up to criticism as being exploitational (it was timed for release around the fifth anniversary of Diana's death), much care is taken not to stray too far from the bounds of good taste and decorum; for example, Diana's face is never shown, and her voice is only heard in snippets via taped recordings. Reportedly filmed in 2000, The Biographer: The Secret Life of Princess Di made its CBS network bow on September 1, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul McGann, Rachel Preece, (more)
