January hasn’t been a month for doing much, certainly not outside anyway, lucky for me there’s been things to see in the cinema. Mind, I let a few go by, awkward times or appalling weather to battle through; just two shone through as seriously worth seeing – and how, I went and saw both a second time! Just as Barbie and Oppenheimer made an unlikely double act so too do these two, Wonka and Poor Things!

Okay so Wonka is PG and Poor Things is 18 but they’re both fantastical fairy tales, just one has more adult themes (probably not for a prudish relative nevermind the children!). Both have glorious cinematography, stunningly sumptuous sets; and the hair, make-up and costumes were pretty damn fine too! The music in each is so perfect to the stories, Poor Things has been nominated for the Best Original Score Oscar, along with about ten other nominations.

The music in Wonka is so so wonderful 💛 Yes, it gets a golden heart from me. Really, I cannot believe that A World Of Your Own hasn’t been nominated for Best Song Oscar, it’s so utterly charming and joyous, with a touch of bittersweet. All the songs are deliciously sharp-witted but when you have Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy writing them, well, it’s to be expected (he’s also responsible for that Eurosong entry My Lovely Horse on Father Ted).

I have little, well, no love for Tim Burton’s film in 2005, it was all so wrong; but hearing this film was being made by Paul King (who made the Paddington films) as a prequel to the original 1971, oh yay, definitely promising news. Oh, my heartses, when the film opened with those familiar notes! A very charming bow to the original, and an orange and green Oompa-Loompa singing his Oompa-Loompa ditties too!

The whole cast are brilliant, the big musical numbers, just jaw-droppingly wow. Timothée Chalamet is perfect as a young Willie Wonka who’s sweet, quirky and a tad naive; an irrepressible optimist who’s come to town to open his dream chocolate shop….. Mean, unscrupulous baddies at every turn, but Willie’s winning smile makes friends and sells chocolates. As the story unfolds he becomes smarter and wiser but never loses his childlike sense of joy, it was like the mix of these created who he became; I fancied his eyes sparkled a little brighter (and wilder!?) and his tone had a more confident edgy smile in it by the end of the film. I reckon Gene Wilder would have approved!

Okay, I seemed to have prattled on somewhat about Wonka, oops. I’ll leave saying more about Poor Things until tomorrow. I’ll leave you with few pics from the Innocent Railway Tunnel today, the graffiti gallery has all been refreshed, so…..

Toodle pip!