Movie Review: *****Matilda the Musical (2022)

 This is an enjoyable new musical from Netflix.  It is a remake of the Roald Dahl book, which has made into a movie, then a musical, and now adapted for the big screen.  The high light of the film is Miss Trunchbull (Kate Thompson) playing a large, mean odious woman who abuses and bullies children.  She uses prosthetics to make herself look larger.  She leads the school song "The Hammer" which is very fun as she stays within the lines.  

Mathilda (Alisha Weir) is the motivation for a school rebellion.  This only happens after Matilda learns she has psychokinetic abilities.  This allows her to fight back against Trunchbull.  

Another sweet part of the movie is the students and their dancing and singing.  The approach it with such energy it really carries the movie.  

Of course this movie is high lighted by the sweetness of Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch).  She actually portrays a double role, also being part of the story Matilda is telling the the librarian (Sindhu Vee).  

I really love the song "Quiet" and find myself listening to different versions of the story.  However, this movie version with Matilda in a hot air balloon really captures the feel of quiet.  This is the song where Matilda finds her kinetic abilities.  

I hope everyone can find this movie version on their TVs through Netflix.Music by Tim Minchin.

Movie Review: ****^Matilda (1996)

A delightful movie.  This film features Mara Wilson as Matilda, a super intelligent girl, who discovers she has special powers to move things with her mind.  However her parents do not care about her.  A husband and wife team Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman play Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood.  Mr. Wormwood plays a used car salesman who is also stealing car parts and gets in trouble with the law.  They send Matilda to a terrible school, Crunchem Hall Elementary School, where Mrs. Trunchbull (Pam Ferris) rules with an iron fist, putting down children and verbally and emotionally and sometimes physically abusing the children.  This is contrasted by her niece, who is Matilda's teacher, Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz).  This story is about getting revenge (on a mean principal) and finding love (with Miss Honey.)  I love Mara Wilson as she brings great excitement to the screen.  The relationship between she and Miss Honey is special.  Danny DeVito directs this Roald Dahl story. 

Book Review: The Twits by Roald Dahl

The Twits by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake, Puffin Books, New York, 1980.

The Twits is a terrific character study of two very ugly people.  These people are not only ugly in their appearance, but in their personality, which surely effected their physical looks.  They are especially ean to birds and monkeys.  However, in the end, they are outsmarted by the monkeys and the birds they have abused for many years.

Movie Review: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

This is one of those classic musical movies.  Gene Wilder stars as Willy Wonka, and from the moment we are introduced to him, and he does the somersault before jumping up; we know this is a special character.  The music is superb.  The candy vendor (Aubrey Woods) sings the most popular song, "Candy Man."  Gene Wilder sings "Pure Imagination" which is beautiful.  And then Charlie (Peter Ostrum) and Grandpa Joe (Jack Albertson) sing "I've Got a Golden Ticket."  Then there are the Oompa Loompa songs.
The story goes that Wonka Chocolates advertises a golden ticket, inviting five lucky children to visit his factory.  It is Charlie's dream to see the factory.  He lives close, but he lives in poverty, and money to buy candy is rare.  As people are selected, Charlie's hopes go down.  The other winners are spoiled Veruca, Gum chewing Violet, TV watcher Mike Teevee, and lastly Augustus Gloop who eats everything.  What the contestants don't know is that Willy Wonka is really testing the children.  One by one the children drop out.  Augustus falls in the chocolate river and gets stuck, Violet eats a gum based meal, and turns into a violet, Mike Teevee turns into a miniature size when he transmits himself over TV, and lastly Veruca is a bad egg.  Even Charlie falters.  He and his grandfather drink a fizzy drink which makes them fly.  They discover burping helps them descend when they are close to the vent fan.  Willy Wonka holds this against them, but in the end Charlie's honesty wins the day.
I enjoy this movie, and I enjoy Gene Wilder.  This is the only movie in which appears Peter Ostrum. He was offered more movies, but chose to become a veterinarian instead.
Roald Dahl wrote the book.  He also wrote the first screenplay.  However he dropped out when a subsequent screenplay was written by David Seltzer.  They also added songs against Dahl's wishes.

Book Review: Roald Dahl's George's Marvelous Medicine

George’s Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake, Puffin Books, New York, 1981.
This book should come with some warnings.  You usually don't play with chemicals such as these, and get away with any kind of a positive result.  Even if you want to get even with your cantankerous grandmother.  This book is about a medicine which makes things grow, but cannot be duplicated.  

Book Review: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Charlie and the Great glass Elevator, by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1972.
This is the continue sage of Charlie and the Chocolate factory.  Where do our eight persons go after being picked up by the elevator, Charlie's parents, grandparents, Charlie and Mr. Wonka.  They of course travel to space to the new U.S. Space Hotel.  However at the hotel the meet pernicious knids.  The barely escape with their lives.
This is a cute story.  It gets really exciting when Mr. Wonka is battling against the knids.  This is a strange being that likes to eat others.  They are lucky the elevator is knid proof, otherwise they had been goners.  In all this fuss, Wonka and the elevator have to rescue a ship traveling to the hotel with guests.  It seems pretty dicey for a moment.
A cute theme is, can Willy Wonka get the three grandparents out of bed so they can help Charlie in the Chocolate factory.  They don't want to.
There is a part of this book that paints Dahl in a negative light.  This is when he is making fun of Chinese in the voice of the U.S. president.  He makes a couple jokes at the expense of the Chinese.

Children's LIterature: The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl

The Magic finger by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake, Puffin Books (Penguin Books), London, 1964.

This is a cute short story with the theme of putting ourselves in someone else's shoes.  In this case, a family is turned into duck, while the ducks take over their home, after they get carried away with their hunting.  This could be considered an anti-hunting book, but I interpret it to be not getting over ambitious, but to do things in moderation.  I probably have it wrong, but I think people should be able to hunt in its proper place.

Book Review: The BFG, Roald Dahl

The BFGm Roald Dahl, illustrations Quentin Blake, Puffin Books, London, 1982.
This is a fascinating tale, and in many ways better than the movie.  What is a giant to do when spied by a child; take her with him of course and never let her leave.  Of course even though you are a vegetarian giant, all those around you are not, and the girl will eventually get eaten by one of the other giants.  But what alternative is there.  One of the cutest parts of this book is the language of the BFG (Big Friendly Giant) and how he confuses words, (like human bean for human being) but you can still understand what he is saying.  Also the play on words in the selecting of their lunch, but you just have to read the book to understand this one.  Meeting the Queen is also interesting.  I think I like the movie with this regards, and the effect of the fizzy frobscottle is much more funny in the movie.

Movie Review: ****The BFG (2016)

Here we have a classic Roald Dahl Movie.  I have started reading the book, but still have a lot to go.  BFG (Mark Rylance) is short for Big Friendly Giant.  He steals Sophie (Ruby Barnhill), a girl in the wrong place because she has insomnia and is up and sees him.  She fears she is going to be eaten for sure, but BFG eats cucumbers instead.  However BFG lives with other giants who do eat children.  Sophie has to be very careful.  It is quite a struggle, and the other giants get in the way of BFG doing his work, which is catching dreams and giving them to children.  Finally, Sophie convinces him to get help from the queen (Penelope Wilton).  There is a cute scene where BFG has dinner with the queen.  BFG mind you is very tall.  He sits on a chair on top of a piano.  But what can you do with giants.  The military knows what to do, with the help of BFG.

Book Review: James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl

James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl illustrated by Quentin Blake, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1961.

This is a book I have avoided reading thinking the premise was just silly.  In fact zI also avoided the movie and have never watched the movie.  However in the actual reading I actually enjoyed the book.  The idea of flying off in a peach, could be a common fantasy of anyone who lives in a bad circumstance.  However in this case, it was a magical reality. 

The thing that made this book work was the characters.  The different bugs who join James in the peach have very interesting personalities from the feud between the worm and the centipede to the grasshopper who plays music, to the silk worm and the glow warm and the spider.  All common pests, but actually very interesting characters. 

Book Review: The Enormous Crocodile by Roal Dahl

The Enormous Crocodile by: Roald Dahl  illustrated by Robert Blake, 1978.

This is a fun picture book, and tells you, you should not brag about the bad you are going to do before you do it.  I guess you shouldn’t brag about the good you did either.  However is bragging attitude is what thwarts the Enormous Crocodile whose desire is to eat a child.  In the elephant it is he that goes for a ride, at the behest of the elephant who spins him and spins him and sends him flying.

Movie Review: ***^Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

This is a Johnny Depp as Willie Wonka and Tim Burton (director) collaboration and it is successful for the most part.  It is based on the Roald Dahl book by the same name.  It was previously made into a musical presentation entitled Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  Johnny Depp makes an interesting Wonka.  He plays him as a moody, man, with a poor childhood based on his father's over bearing.  Father was a dentist who very much despised candy.  Willie Wonka's love turned out to be candy; there was an inevitable parting as a result.  This version is much more true to the book, which adds the theme of family relations, which was missing from the musical version.  The visit of the youngsters, including Charlie (Freddie Highmore) and Grandpa Joe (David Kelly) to the factory results in the first four, Veruca Salt (Julia Winter), Mike Teavee (Jordan Fry), Augustus Gloop (Philip Wiegratz) and Violet Beauregard (AnnaSophia Robb) all being eliminated, and Wonka offering his inheritance to Charlie.  Charlie turns him down.  He would have to leave his family, his parents (Helena Bonham Carter and Noah Taylor) and four grandparents.  Wonka goes back to the factory disappointed and feeling miserable.  He returns to Charlie, who suggests he resolve things with his father, then he might not feel so terrible.  And so it goes, which helps Wonka also resolve his issues with family.  Charlie inherits in the factory after all, with his entire family, home and all, going to the factory grounds. 

Book Review: The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, Roald Dahl

This is a short story from Roald Dahl which was first published in 1985.  Billy lives by an old sweet shop, Grubby's, and wishes he could but the building and start his own sweet shop.  However he discovers it has been sold.  Over time he discovers the new owners are a ladderless window cleaning company.  They boast a giraffe, a pelican and a monkey.  They get their first break, a job at the home of a rich duke.  Upon arriving they help the duke pick cherries from the top of his tree.  They then begin cleaning the windows.  The giraffe's neck can extend so the reach windows on the fourth floor.  When they begin the to wash windows they come upon a burglar with a gun.  He is stealing the duchess' jewels.  The cleaning crew decides to take action.  The pelican goes in the window, and grabs the man inside his big pelican beak.  He won't let him out, even though he shots his gun.  The police arrive and discover he is a famous burglar called Cobra.  The duke awards the crew with comfortable lives and food on his property.  He rewards Billy with the sweet shop.  The only issue I have is Billy gives candy away instead of selling it for his grand opening.  No one stays in business that way. 

Book Review: The wonderful story of Henry Sugar and Six More

This is a book of short stories by Roald Dahl.  I must admit, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” is not my favorite.  Most of these stories are fiction.  However three are based on real stories, two autobiographical.  These are “Lucky Break” and “A Piece of Cake”.  In “Lucky Break” Dahl tells of how he became an author.  His first work was “A Piece of Cake” which is his first story, and was a story of his experience flying for the RAP in WWII.   I find the story of how Dahl became an author fascinating.  He says he hardly never writes nonfiction.  However the times he does I have enjoyed very much.  The process of writing has always intrigued me, and Dahl gives some insight into his own writing process.  The other nonfiction story in this work is “The Mildenhall Treasure”.  This book talks about greed, and ancient artifacts.  A man hired to plow a field, comes on ancient Roman artifacts.  In England the law is such that if you find old treasure, you report it properly, half of the value is yours.  In this case, the owner of the field tried to swindle the finder by keeping the find secret.  However he was found out, and in the end received nothing.  The finder got a little, but not as much as he would have.  He didn’t know the law, and was in essence a victim of deceit.  I love stories about old artifacts and treasure.  In this case they found a stash of old dishes, silver spoons and ladles and such.  Many had intricate designs.  The old man’s fault was displaying a couple spoons, when an archeologist came to examine his collection of arrow heads and such.  The game was shortly up, and the items made known. 

This collection also included a couple fantastical stories.  I did not find them as enjoyable.  Henry Sugar takes years to train his mind to see the back of cards.  He has the idea of breaking the Casinos.  However when he masters the skill, he doesn’t have the desire to do this anymore.  He instead makes money from casinos, traveling the world, but always giving the money to his foundation which supports orphanages throughout the world.  There is a boy who talks to animals, and runs away with a sea turtle, and lastly a boy who flies away from trouble using the wings of a swan.  This is the most disturbing story, as he is bullied miserably, and the bullies never get theirs.  I kept wishing someone would slap them silly and it never happened.

Book Review: Matilda: Lots of Fun

Matilda:
I saw this movie starring Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman and Mara Wilson when it came out in 1996 and enjoyed it.  I am just now getting around to reading the book.  This book is by Roald Dahl and published in 1988.  It is about a gifted child, Matilda Wormwood, her parents who don’t understand her nor appreciate her, her school teacher Jenny Honey, who does understand her, and Miss Trunchbull, the head mistress at the school.  I love this book as well as the movie.  The movie adds much more intrigue and defines the parents more.  It also changes the setting from England to America.  However, the indifference of the parents comes through in both venues, as does the cruelty and meanness of Trunchbull, and the delicate nature of Jenny, who turns out to be her niece.  Both are entertaining and I recommend them both for an enjoyable time.
Trunchbull is over the top, and the story explains that being over the top, no one will believe a child who says what she does, so she gets away with it.  She throws a child over a fence by her hair in the style of the hammer throw.  She pulls a kid up by his ears and another by the hair.  She is really a ghastly person.  The movie added the scene at her house, and Trunchbull jumping from the balcony.  It is a classic scene the way she lands. 
Another difference is the powers Matilda finds she possesses.  They are more extensive in the movie.  In fact, in the book, by the end, she loses her powers as she enters a more challenging class after the Trunchbull leaves.  Lots of fun.