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DVDs now out
Posted Monday, November 7, 2005 - 10:44 pm

By Ana Parra
STAFF WRITER
aparra@upstatelink.com


 
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    Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
    While many were skeptical about Tim Burton remaking this cult classic, he made it his own without making Roald Dahl turn over in his grave. While for many Willy Wonka will always be the slightly more sane face of Gene Wilder, "Wonka" 2005 will not be too far off in our minds. Lead Link movie reviewer Daniel Goldberg tells us about some of the Burton touchups: "Even with Burton's tinkering, 'Charlie' doesn't wander too far from the familiar. His sprawling monument to sugar is still a glowing psychedelic fantasyland, this time befitting the unique oddball vision of the man who directed 'Mars Attacks!' Some characters are modernized. Golden ticket winners Mike Teavee and Violet Beauregard are now a boorish video game junkie and a hypercompetitive karate prodigy, respectively. The Oompa Loompas are given more Dahlian history and a brilliantly diverse collection of show tunes, ranging from Bollywood to glam rock." 2-Disc Special Edition $31, Widescreen and Fullscreen $29

    Yes
    She meets He. He and She fall in love. She is American, and He is Middle- Eastern. She and He have adulterous love affair. This is the premise of "Yes," where the main characters are given pronouns as names. Director Sally Potter is known for her avant-garde filmmaking, and "Yes" is a good example. Characters speak in iambic pentameter and cleaning ladies give monologues. Joan Allen stars as She, trading in the straight, plain-Jane roles she usually plays, for something much more sexual and exotic. $25

    Reefer Madness
    Not the original one - the one that came out on Showtime in 2005 that spoofs the propaganda film from the '30s that warned of the "dangers" of marijuana. The satirical "Reefer Madness" was originally an off-Broadway musical. Imagine, if you will, a group of high school students being seduced to try marijuana by evil pushers - suicide, murder and lunacy follow. Now imagine this set to music. You've got yourself "Reefer Madness." $27

    Ana's pick: Pickpocket
    Patience is a virtue when it comes to Robert Bresson's films. The French director makes movies that most people - such as action movie or "Wedding Crasher" fans - would call boring. "Pickpocket" (1959) is considered by some to be his masterpiece. It follows a young man who considers himself above the law and goes through the streets of Paris picking pockets. $40

    Ana Parra can be reached at 298-3766.


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