Deep Roy Movies

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, All Movie Guide

The greatest monster hunter of them all has his work cut out for him as he tracks down three deadly foes in this action-adventure saga. Gabriel Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) is a man who has dedicated his life to battling evil forces who exist outside the bounds of nature; Van Helsing's work has not always made him friends, and a false accusation of murder still trails him. But when he's summoned to Transylvania at the behest of Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), whose family has been fighting supernatural beings for generations, Van Helsing wastes no time answering her call. There, Van Helsing discovers that the undying vampire Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh) has put a misshapen creature named Igor (Kevin J. O'Connor) under his spell, and, in turn, has forged an alliance with a hideous monster (Shuler Hensley) who was created by the misguided Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Samuel West). Adding to Anna's burden is her brother, Velkan (Will Kemp), a lycanthrope who becomes a bloodthirsty wolf under the light of the full moon. Van Helsing also co-stars Elena Anaya, Silvia Colloca, and Josie Maran as Dracula's vampire brides. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The manic writing-directing comedy team of Tom Stern and Alex Winter (the latter of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey) followed up their deranged short-film collaborations and the short-lived MTV series The Idiot Box with this comic fantasy, which amounts to a virtual car crash of anarchic, mind-blowing weirdness. The brain-damaged plot follows self-centered sitcom actor Ricky Coogin (Winter), official spokesman for the E.E.S. (Everything Except Shoes) corporation, into the jungle-bound South American nation of Santa Flan. Coogin has been sent as an emissary on behalf of E.E.S. to placate the media uproar over a substance called Zygrot-27, a chief ingredient in many E.E.S. products which has been decried as a fatal environmental toxin. Accompanied by his friend Ernie (Michael Stoyanov) and environmental activist Julie (Megan Ward), Ricky takes a detour into the jungle to a bizarre amusement park overseen by bombastic barker/inventor Elijah C. Skuggs (Randy Quaid), who specializes in the display of "Hideous Mutant Freekz" (the film's original title). The trio soon discover that Skuggs manufactures his oddities himself, and they find themselves at the mercy of his hideous freakmaking factory -- which coincidentally uses Zygrot-27 as a catalyst. Once he has the hapless heroes strapped down, Skuggs reveals his intention to transform Coogin into an evil mega-freak who will destroy all the others in a slam-bang, standing-room-only closing event. Miffed at the notion of sustaining an acting career as a spine-covered, pus-gushing monster, Coogin joins a rebellion within Skuggs' captive stable of other man-made freaks -- whose ranks include such monstrosities as effete human worm; a bearded lady (Mr. T in a frilly dress); a man with a sock-puppet for a head (voiced by Bob Goldthwait); and Ortiz the Dog-Boy (an uncredited Keanu Reeves). Their plans to turn Ricky into a zygrot-powered superhero go astray, however, leading to a hilariously apocalyptic finale. Doomed to home-video status by lethargic distribution from Twentieth-Century Fox, this unappreciated gem deserves a second look; packed with hilarious visual gags, ultra-gross setpieces and body-function jokes, Freaked is a hallucinogenic funhouse of a movie. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

This low-budget film from Alien scriptwriter Dan O'Bannon (his first film since the 1985 zombie hit Return of the Living Dead) is one of the more loyal adaptations of fantasy author H.P. Lovecraft, taking as its source the short story The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Set in Lovecraft's home town of Providence, Rhode Island, the story involves the investigations of hard-boiled private eye John Marsh (John Terry) into the mysterious activities of Charles Dexter Ward (Chris Sarandon). It seems that Ward is becoming increasingly obsessed with the occult practices of his distant ancestor Joseph Curwen (also played by Sarandon) who was reputed to have found the secret of resurrecting the dead. Much to the horror of his wife Claire (Jane Sibbett), Ward is slowly being possessed by Curwen's malevolent spirit, and he is compelled to perform horrible experiments on the locals in pursuit of his goal. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

The terror in this erotic horror thriller begins in the past when Dr. Russell, the director of a mental hospital, rapes a patient who afterward kills herself. Many years pass and the main story begins when a lovely model checks into the asylum. Dr. Russell feels those old lustful, violent stirrings upon seeing her, but during the drug-induced "seduction" something goes terribly wrong and the model seems to have died. With the aid of his weird staff, the doctor tries to get rid of the body, which mysteriously vanishes by the next day. Later, the shrink begins to seriously question his own sanity when he keeps seeing the form of the model surreptitiously sneaking around the grounds. Things only get stranger from there. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

For all we know, there may be even more unknown and unseen Dom DeLuise films lurking around out there. Until we did the research, we didn't know My African Adventure existed. Based loosely on a comic novel by Tamar Burstein, the film concerns the son of an American ambassador who meets a steady stream of merry mercenaries while heading into the African interior. One of the plot-motivating factors is a talking monkey; other devices aren't quite as subtle. In addition to Mr. DeLuise (who isn't the lead, though he gets top billing), My African Adventure also features Jimmy "Dy-No-Mite" Walker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The remote planet Ordessa is the site of conflict between android military police and human underlings in this undistinguished sci-fi film from Roger Christian, later released under the title Starship. Lorca (John Tarrant) leads the human inhabitants, and the evil Jowitt (Ralph Coterill) is his nemesis, along with some other baddies that have to be foiled before the nasty androids can be conquered. Aided by the friendly 'droid "Kid," (Deep Roy), victory is certainly inevitable. A few moments of tense, hand-to-hand combat enliven the story here and there, as does the enthusiastic soundtrack. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Wolfgang Petersen adapted Michael Ende's children's story for this charming fantasy film that spawned several sequels. Bastian (Barret Oliver) is dealing with his mother's recent death. His father (Gerald McRaney) is an imperious sort who continually lambastes Bastian for daydreaming and falling behind in school. On top of his father's badgering, he has to contend with a bunch of school bullies waiting for him in the schoolyard. One day he decides to play hooky and walks into a strange bookstore, where in the attic, he discovers a book called "The Neverending Story". As Bastian reads the book, he's enveloped in the unfolding tale. A sickly child-like empress (Tami Stronach) from a land called Fantasia is concerned about who will take over the land if she dies. She decides it is best for Fantasia if she remains alive, so she dispatches a young warrior named Atreju (Noah Hathaway) to find a cure for the empress's malady. It turns out the land is consumed with a plague called The Nothing, generated by blighted dreams and hopeless fantasies. As Atreju continues onward to search for a cure for The Nothing, he encounters an assortment of strange creatures. Bastian is so consumed with the tale that he finds himself catapulted into the land of Fantasia himself. Atreju realizes that the only way to save the land from its blight is with the help of this strange earth boy, Bastian. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

While in pursuit of the evil Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce), the Liberator is drawn into the energy field of Sardos, an unchartered planet controlled by liberated Federation convicts. These men and women intend to link up with a group of renegade Federation troops, who have harnessed the power of the replicating computer Moloch for their own purposes. By the time a startling secret has been revealed concerning this high-tech computer, Vila (Michael Keating) has formed an uneasy alliance with ex-convict Doran (Davyd Harries). "Moloch" made its first appearance on March 17, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Liberator crew touches down at Freedom City, a gigantic floating casino. But their arrival is not for rest and relaxation: Blake (Gareth Thomas) hopes to locate Docholi (Denis Carey), a cybersurgeon who may or may not know the whereabouts of the Federation's control center on Star One. Despite this noble mission, Avon (Paul Darrow) and Vila (Michael Keating) find time to dally at the gaming tables, intent upon breaking the bank with the help of fortune-telling computer Orac. "Gambit" made its first TV appearance on March 20, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Episode 1" of this six-part Doctor Who adventure, was originally broadcast February 26 1977. The Doctor (Tom Baker) and Leela (Louise Jameson) materialize in Victorian London, where they are plunged into a murder investigation involving what seems to be a pack of gigantic rats. What connection could this possibly have with the Chinese Tong of the Black Scorpion? "The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Episode 1" was written by Robert Holmes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the fifth episode of the six-part Doctor Who adventure "The Talons of Weng-Chiang," 51st century war criminal Magnus Greel (Michael Spice) has materialized in Victorian London, assuming the guise of Chinese Tong leader Weng-Chiang. Hoping to retrieve his precious time cabinet, currently in the possession of police pathologist Prof. Lightfoot (Trevor Baxter), Greel enlists the aid of the Peking Homonculus (Deep Roy), likewise disguised as one Mr. Sin. The Doctor (Tom Baker) must prevent Greel from carrying out his scheme. Written by Robert Holmes, "The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Episode 5" originally aired on March 26, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the third episode of the six-part Doctor Who adventure "The Talons of Weng-Chiang," the Doctor (Tom Baker) and 19th century pathologist Prof. Lightfoot (Trevor Baxter) have determined that a prostitution ring and a horde of giant rats are somehow connected to a series of mysterious "Jack the Ripper" style murders in Victorian London. The principal villain would seem to be a Chinese Tong leader named Weng-Chiang (Michael Spice). What no one yet realizes is that Weng-Chiang is actually Magnus Greel, a war criminal from the 51st century. Written by Robert Holmes, "The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Episode 3" originally aired on March 12, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide