Silver screen weekend

I caught up on movies this weekend. Here, my opinions.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Purists be damned! I'm the last to endorse a remake, but when a film so joyfully capture the spirit of its source material and infuses it with a life all its own, I can't help but be a fan. The performances, from Johnny Depp to the children he tortures, are perfection. And, yes, you will crave chocolate.

Happy Endings: The mainstays of director/writer Don Roos' celluloid universe are 1) bitter homosexuals 2) backstabbing homosexuals and 3) Lisa Kudrow. Only the third resonates in this didactic, mediocre film with several sublime performances. Kudrow is an outright revelation as the tortured Mamie. Maggie Gyllenhaal is superb as a manipulative shrew and Tom Arnold (!) strikes gold with a vulnerable performance. See only for the acting & Gyllenhaal's singing voice.

Wedding Crashers: Thank Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson for making R-rated comedies funny again. And not just funny, but your-eyes-will-well-with-tears, gutbusting funny. A well-rounded supporting cast, particularly Isla Fischer and Bradley Cooper, make this a non-stop enjoyable trip to the movies.