Tag: Roald Dahl

Wonka Movie Review

Since I was a boy I have loved Roald Dahl books. My teacher read the BFG to me when I was six and I was immediately sold by her brilliant character accents and the excellent narrative. Successive teachers read George’s Marvellous Medicine, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and, my favourite – The Witches. Roald Dahl was an author I admired, found hysterical and wanted to be.

Hearing that Netflix had bought the rights to every single Roald Dahl book led me to realise that it would only be a matter of time before they did something with Wonka.

As soon as they cast Timothy Chalamet in that pivotal role, I knew they were onto something.

Recently I went to my local cinema to see if Wonka was any good.

My Thoughts On Wonka

Realising they were taking key characters from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and telling the story of how Mr Wonka became successful, I was instantly drawn in. I had so many questions and there was so much room for something to go wrong.

Suffice to say, the production team created something which was absolutely wonderful. Timothee Chalamet began with a new song and I realised we were in for a musical treat.

I just hadn’t expected a new musical score.

When he started using Roald Dahl quotes such as, ‘Scratch that. Reverse it,’ I knew we were in good hands.

Olivia Colman played the owner of an Inn where Wonka stayed the night. Her character, Mrs Scrubbit, was very amusing and had it in for Wonka. While he tried to show off his chocolate creations at the Gallerie Gourmet, Wonka was pursued by corrupt forces and given a hard time by a cheeky little Oompa Loompa, played be a devilish Hugh Grant.

A highlight for me was Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) playing a bishop who allowed access to a chocolate vault via his confession booth. The faces he pulls are always enough to make me laugh. I remember meeting him once (he lived near me for a long time) and seeing what a quiet and gentle person he was.

But let’s be honest, this film was all about Timothee and rightly so. He was brilliant, dancing, singing and charming his way through a narrative that was magical and thoroughly captivating.

In A Nutshell

This production was made by the producer of Harry Potter, David Heyman, and the director of Paddington, Paul King. It was a love letter to Roald Dahl and his brilliant writing. Although it was a prelude to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, it included plenty of Dahl quotes, characters and storylines. Remember that the Oompa Loompa history was first mentioned in Roald’s book and it is that which was embellished by the movie.

Thank you for taking the time to read my Wonka movie review. Here is a recent post I wrote about Two TV Shows Worth Watching. Follow my blog for future similar articles.

Matilda Movie Review

When I was a child I remember hearing my infant teacher read the BFG to our class. She used different voices and was totally enthralling. Every year I heard another of Dahl’s stories and I began to read them myself. Soon I became a massive Roald Dahl fan. It is therefore no surprise that the new Matilda Movie has recently captured my imagination.

About ten years ago I went to see the Tim Minchin musical version of Matilda and it blew me away. So I had very high expectations when they announced that Netflix was making a film production of that very musical.

My Thoughts On Matilda

I remember Matilda being released as a book in 1988 and instantly loved it. In my job I regularly read this book and other wonderful stories aloud to a class and they always soak up the witty remarks and hilarious plots.

Emma Thompson as the Trunchbull has gone down really well. She has created a character who is terrifying, awkward and very amusing. Seeing her stomping around whilst singing clever and funny lyrics, dressed as a tall, staunch hammer thrower, makes this film perfect in my eyes.

Newbie child actor, Alisha Weir, is well cast as the lead role of Matilda and fits in well with an already stellar group of actors, including the kind and tuneful teacher, Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch). In keeping with the book, Matilda strikes up a friendship with her local librarian, who occupies a mobile library van in the film version.

Tiktok has gone crazy for one of the dance routines where the kids rampage down the corridors of their school, Crunchem Hall. As a musical, it is great, with a combination of sentimental, energetic and angry songs. Emma sings triumphantly in character and they all perform the lyrics live rather than miming to a prerecorded soundtrack.

In A Nutshell

Without giving too much away, the Matilda movie generally keeps to the original plot, with some additions to make it visually more stunning. The tiny details that Roald used are all there to be spotted and it even references several of his other stories at one point. Look out for a giraffe, a gypsy caravan (no doubt from Danny the Champion of the World) and a sweet nod to the BFG.

This musical is packed with fun, vibrant characters and incredible songs. I totally recommend checking it out at a cinema as it is just brilliant! Please follow my blog for similar future posts about books, films and the environment.

Why Roald Dahl Books Are Educational.

Roald Dahl made everywhere seem magical.

Today, as we head back to work and school for Autumn, I wanted to talk about Roald Dahl. He was my favourite author when I was a child in the 1980s and his work still resonates with me now. Roald Dahl’s books are culturally important and incredibly popular. His books are read widely in schools and his book collections are very popular amongst all ages, especially children.

He had such a busy life, in the airforce, working around the world and eventually writing for a living. Starting as a writer for adults, he then wrote a book for his daughters and began to produce brilliant kids’ books.

His stories were sometimes edgy, with strong characters who were usually quirky and unique. Often his books had powerful messages and really made the readers think about family values and what being a good person actually involved.

Here are five of my favourite Roald Dahl Books:

1) George’s Marvellous Medicine

This was peculiar because George mixed up some random household chemicals to make a powerful medicine for his grandma. It talked about the fact that families are not all perfect.

2) Matilda

Matilda’s teacher saw the very best in her even though her father didn’t. She overcame adversity in many different ways.

3) The Witches

This reminded me of my close relationship with my gran. The main character was turned into a mouse by some witches but his gran stood by him as he tried to get his own back.

4) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

This delightful tale is about a boy who wants to please his family. It is a story where good overcomes bad.

5) The Twits

In the Twits he wrote about a couple who were ordinary people until their ugly thoughts made them appear ugly. The message in this was clear.

Final Thoughts

So if you have never read one of the many brilliant Roald Dahl books, it is never too late to start. His stories are fun, totally entertaining and full of meanings. Hollywood is currently making a new version of Matilda and Roald’s work is repeatedly being remade into theatre and TV productions.

His characters are often very thoughtful, sometimes cheeky and usually easy to relate to. The settings are always interesting and the plots full of action, comedy and brilliant storytelling.

I hope that you will check out Road’s wonderful work and might also consider following my blog. To check out another article about reading, have a look at Are you an interactive reader? and drop a comment if you have time.