Candy doesn't have to have a point

I've been catching up on my movies the last couple of weeks. I've already discussed March of the Penguins, but I have subsequently seen War of the Worlds (it's so sad that matinees are $7.50 now), Me and You and Everyone We Know, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Hustle and Flow. Didn't dislike one in the group, I found them all enjoyable, some more than others, of course.

WOTW was pretty intense. Good effects, naturally, and I was actually able to put aside my irritation with Tom Cruise. I liked the fact that the story was entirely from the main character's point of view - there's not too much blather about beating the aliens and so on. In other words, you don't really know how the war is going or what's happening, except as Tom Cruise's character experiences it. Made it realer and scarier. Kind of wanted to shove a sock down Dakota Fanning's throat, but that's to be expected.

I also liked Me and You, though I'd recommend DVD for this. Chuckles loved it, and I think it's loveable if you're in a certain place in your frame of thinking. Briefly, Me and You is about a newly single father and his two kids and the woman with whom he strangely becomes involved. It's all about loneliness and connectivity, but what really made the movie for me were the two kids. The younger one especially was to me what the kid in Jerry Maguire was to everyone else.

Charlie was my favorite of the bunch, partially because Pablo and I saw it on the IMAX. I am a fan of the original, but I don't even really feel the need to compare the two - I think it's entirely possible to enjoy them both. Johnny Depp's Wonka is a lot more malevolent and maladjusted than Gene Wilder's more paternal Wonka. It goes without saying that a twisted Wonka is more in keeping with Roald Dahl. Granted, the boat scene was rather lacking (the original is quite scary) but on the whole, I had a lot of fun.

And last night I saw Hustle and Flow, which was certainly fun, and since we saw it at $6 movie night in Maplewood, it was the bargain of the bunch. Terrence Howard's role as a pimp turned aspiring rapper was a complete 180 from his role in Crash. I hope to see him in more stuff in the near future. I also enjoyed Taryn Manning, who was, interestingly enough, also in 8 Mile.

Coming up, I'm hoping to see The Aristocrats soon, which Lauren really enjoyed, and Broken Flowers with my man Bill Murray. Such a long way from Carl Spackler, buddy, but I'd follow you anywhere.