Tag: Letterboxd

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I keep forgetting that the Wonka character has always been whimsical and silly, that his chocolate-making had always felt like a fever dream to me (in all iterations of the movie), and that I always hated that about him.

Now don’t get me wrong, Timothée Chalamet does a great job at this character – it’s just that the character rubs me the wrong way. Yes, you can argue that Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was a children’s story, but I was the kind of child who always coloured a horse brown and never purple, so no, whimsy was not for me.

The movie was fine, the music was good, and so was the choreography. Wonka is not a romantic character (in the sense that this is not a romantic movie), so Timothée Chalamet’s charms could not be utilised to it’s fullest but Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa was fantastic.

But what ultimately gave the movie the extra star over a 3-star rating was the last 5 minutes of the movie.
After watching this movie for the past 1 hour and 50-something minutes, the familiar refrain of “Pure Imagination” plays and it was like, “finally!” (I know, they played a little bit of Pure Imagination in the intro, but you can’t really count that).

This song has always held a special place in my heart, not for any deep or meaningful reason, but just that its slightly sad undertones (as performed by Gene Wilder) grabbed me as a child and never really let go.

The 2023 version of Pure Imagination was not the same as the 1971 version, nor was I expecting that. But what I really liked about it was that this new version accurately reflected where Wonka was in his stage of life.
The 1971 version of Wonka was slightly jaded and lonely; he was at the end of his creative life and he wanted to find a successor to pass his factory to. As such, “Pure Imagination” was slightly haunting in its delivery.
In 2023, Wonka was only just starting his career with everything still ahead of him – this version of “Pure Imagination” (or at least the latter half of it) was fun and upbeat. It was just fantastic to watch and hear.

I completely admit that this review is biased, personal and completely influenced by the last scene in the movie. I don’t apologise for it. ❤️

Via Letterboxd – vishae

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This was a beautiful romance story that I hesitate to expand on lest I spoil the movie.

Just watching the two characters fall in love… and experience their relationship… it was just so lovely.

And the two characters are so very passionate about their likes and dislikes, which can be very relatable and fun to watch.

Via Letterboxd – vishae

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A very sweet and cute movie. 
It’s an adaptation of a manga series, which I haven’t read, but it has all the tropes you’d expect of a shoujo manga. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though some scenes that might look okay as a 2D, static drawing can be a bit cringy when acted out in live-action. There was certainly a lot of tittering in the cinema. 

That said, still a very enjoyable movie; there’s definite buy-in for the relationship of the two main characters. And if you’ve ever had a crush on anyone before, the storyline is very very relatable.

Via Letterboxd – vishae

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Apart from one side actor’s over-acting, I think the movie was pretty good. 
It was a pleasant movie that probably won’t take you for an emotional roller coaster ride, but was still interesting.
The artwork was all very pretty and the movie does a good job of making you interested in suibokuga and appreciating the art form.

Via Letterboxd – vishae

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For most of the movie, I kept thinking, “This would have been better as a TV series.”
I felt like the relationship between the two leads would have benefitted from more screen time. Also, the scope of the story could have been much larger and deeper.
As it is, I felt like the story was too rushed and the resolution a little too simple. 

Now, I went into this movie knowing nothing about the background of the story. I didn’t know this was originally a manga series. 
Therefore, my opinion above is as a person who is coming to the movie new, and not as an existing fan of the IP. I also could not comment on whether the movie accurately represented the original material.

Via Letterboxd – vishae

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A funny movie that depicts the slog of office life in a humorous way.
Who hasn’t felt the work week seems to go on forever?
This is like Groundhog Day, except the loop lasts for a week, and more and more of the office workers are noticing the repeat.
It’s not all just silly antics though; at its core there’s a tender message.
This is well worth a watch.

Via Letterboxd – vishae