03-15-2008, 04:58 AM
03/14/2008 (7:44 am)
Gene Wilder Likes Johnny Depp, Just Not As Willy Wonka
And sorry, Johnny…I have to agree.
Gene Wilder says that he likes Johnny Depp, and that is why he has not seen the new version of the famous candy man:
“I haven’t seen it. I like Depp, but when I heard they were doing a remake, I heard: mistake. When I saw clips on TV and I saw what Depp was doing, I thought, ‘Don’t see the movie — you like Depp too much.’ I always get comments: ‘Yours is better.’ I know they’re talking about Willy Wonka.” In fact Leonard Maltin’s “Movie Guide” says: “Depp, though amusing, is no Gene Wilder.”
Sorry, Johnny…while you’e undoubtedly hotter than Gene, I’m siding with the comic legend on this one.
While I fully admit that I haven’t seen the entire 2005 version of the movie, I’ve seen enough of it to know that this new and updated Willy Wonka leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. For one thing, Johnny’s version of the character (and the ubiquitous chocolate factory-slash-private playground) reminds me entirely too much of Michael Jackson for my own personal comfort level. A while back, I even did a side-by-side comparison of Michael’s latest photo shoot and Depp’s incarnation of the Willy Wonka character, and the similarities are eerie. That, and the latest film strives to take the chocolatier to a place he was never meant to go. I read the book as a child, and from what I remember the 2005 version is more faithful to it, but at the same time it adds elements that were never meant to be there, especially since the latest version is more geared to adults.
My daughter has seen both versions and she completely and wholeheartedly prefers the 1971 version. When I ask her why, she just says that Gene Wilder’s version, over three decades old, is “more fun”. And isn’t that the point of candy, anyway? It isn’t supposed to be good for you or to try and make you a healthier individual…it’s just supposed to be fun.
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Gene Wilder Likes Johnny Depp, Just Not As Willy Wonka
And sorry, Johnny…I have to agree.
Gene Wilder says that he likes Johnny Depp, and that is why he has not seen the new version of the famous candy man:
“I haven’t seen it. I like Depp, but when I heard they were doing a remake, I heard: mistake. When I saw clips on TV and I saw what Depp was doing, I thought, ‘Don’t see the movie — you like Depp too much.’ I always get comments: ‘Yours is better.’ I know they’re talking about Willy Wonka.” In fact Leonard Maltin’s “Movie Guide” says: “Depp, though amusing, is no Gene Wilder.”
Sorry, Johnny…while you’e undoubtedly hotter than Gene, I’m siding with the comic legend on this one.
While I fully admit that I haven’t seen the entire 2005 version of the movie, I’ve seen enough of it to know that this new and updated Willy Wonka leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. For one thing, Johnny’s version of the character (and the ubiquitous chocolate factory-slash-private playground) reminds me entirely too much of Michael Jackson for my own personal comfort level. A while back, I even did a side-by-side comparison of Michael’s latest photo shoot and Depp’s incarnation of the Willy Wonka character, and the similarities are eerie. That, and the latest film strives to take the chocolatier to a place he was never meant to go. I read the book as a child, and from what I remember the 2005 version is more faithful to it, but at the same time it adds elements that were never meant to be there, especially since the latest version is more geared to adults.
My daughter has seen both versions and she completely and wholeheartedly prefers the 1971 version. When I ask her why, she just says that Gene Wilder’s version, over three decades old, is “more fun”. And isn’t that the point of candy, anyway? It isn’t supposed to be good for you or to try and make you a healthier individual…it’s just supposed to be fun.
CLICK
Gene Who? Thought that was Sean. Hmm. Learn something every day.
