When it comes to confections, Tim Burton has confessed, his preference is dark, bitter chocolate. by Kenneth Turan. Weekend: August 13-14, 2005.
Our excerpt begins with Charlie and the other children at the factory with the legendary Willy Wonka.
Once these kids gather at the factory, Charlie perforce fades into the background and the film becomes the property of Depp’s Willy Wonka, a creature of hollow and unnatural glee who is odd even by the standards of previous Depp-Burton collaborations.
A fussy grotesque who makes Wilder’s eccentric candy maker look as cozy as Mister Rogers, Depp’s Willy gives off vibes as varied as Carol Channing and Michael Jackson. This former weird kid who grew up into a weird genius plays like Burton’s version of himself, someone so peculiar he exists outside the movie in his own particular corner of space and time.
Copyright 2005, The Standard, Sing Tao Newspaper Group and Global China Group. All rights reserved.
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