1850 - Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

One of my sons favorite books right now is Charlie & the Chocolate Factory so I've been wanting to revisit this, and might the original film as well.  What struck me the most watching this is how uninteresting Charlie Bucket is as a character.  The film is so preoccupied with the spectacle of the factory that Charlie Bucket, even though we know he's a virtuous young man, basically just survives and because he isn't a massive douche like the other kids, he wins.  It's the most affirming.  That said, it's pretty magical to watch, it just doesn't have a story that really takes hold of you and makes you stand up and cheer.  Kind of thankless.  Johnny Depp is stellar as Wonka - I particularly enjoy the way he seems to dislike everyone around him.  I find this film amusing more than anything else.  Worth checking out if you've read the book and haven't seen it yet - not sure it really works otherwise.  Not to bad-mouth it, that's not my intention, it just didn't really grab me the way I was hoping it would.  Alas.

TIFF - The Tim Burton Exhibit

So it's been a little while since I've posted anything (I know, less than a week is "a while" for me who likes to cram my brain with stories and then spit out my thoughts back to you, loyal reader).  But I promise that the time has been well spent doing some (hopefully) pretty decent writing. 
So today my lovely wife and I decided to take in the Tim Burton exhibit at the Bell Lightbox (for those Torontonians it's only on for another month or so...)  I'm not in love with all of Burton's work - there are a few pieces that I actually dislike (I'm looking at you, Big Fish).  But walking around the exhibit I realized that I am a Tim Burton fan.  I've seen all of his films (excluding Alice - which is on my pile), and the man is endlessly inventive.  It's amazing just how much stuff has been kept of his throughout his career, and the way that the exhibit is laid out is really lovely and creates a nice flow.  There's lots of great stuff - his personal artwork, sketches upon sketches of designs for his work - notes between himself and other collaborators.  Just some really great stuff.  It's the kind of attention to detail that makes you envious, but at the same time makes you realize why this man has made the career that he has.  He's a perfectionist and an artist.  He's worth celebrating, and this exhibit does it well. 
If you're even a casual Tim Burton, or into alternative art gallery exhibits, you'll probably enjoy this.  And do yourself a favour and check out the fourth floor as well - they've got a really nice Mary Pickford exhibit - she's a fascinating person.  And if you've got the time to take in a film their cinemas are a pretty damn great place to watch one.