Sunday, August 14, 2005
12:43 am

-Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-

Contrary to most opinions, Ms Tan is one who enjoys reading even till today. Lest you think I'm saying this just to propagate the idea that all English teachers read, nah...I truly enjoy reading for the imaginary world it creates and the respite it offers from the harsh reality of life.

I finally got to watch the movie and as Kelvin said, I truly enjoyed myself. Honestly I must have irritated him cos I was remembering the plot the entire night. Nevertheless, my cell group members all gamely agreed to the impromptu outing. Perhaps it is rare for me to suggest an outing. LOL..

To my delight, the movie was a rather faithful adaptation of the book. Not to mention Johnny Depp was Willy Wonka, chocolatier extraordinaire. He is one of my favourite actors being so versatile in whatever roles he portrays. Just to name a few: as the suave pirate in Pirates of the Carribean, as the dejected writer JM Barrie in Finding Neverland and now as Willy Wonka.

The boiled sweet was exactly as I imagined and the chocolate waterfall was simply a sight to behold. Charlie Bucket reaching into the TV screen for the chocolate bar was really a dream come true. How oft have I wished it would materialise! ;) However Tim Burton did put a twist into the story as he slipped in snippets of Willy Wonka's childhood. It was quite a cliche though on how he eventually reconcilled with his father. Also, I had always imagined Oompa Loompas to be more like tribesmen with long beards and all. It was quite a sight to see them in ultra modern spacesuits.

On the whole, the movie brought back pleasant memories of my childhood and I suddenly have an urge to dig out all my story books to re-read. Especially Enid Blyton's series on the Faraway Tree. Vague memories of Silky, Moonface remain in my mind and I have a desire to re-discover them all over again.

I must say tonight I'm in a literary mood as I went to JP and bought The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Secret Garden instead of Twinning's Earl Grey Tea. As I was lamenting to my cell group members after the movie, how sad it is today that the youth no longer find it a joy to read. Instead their world is filled with MTV, television, the Internet. The pure simple joy of discovering a new world through reading has been lost entirely on almost the whole of this new generation.