Complex Numbers

Pure Imagination

The first movie I recall seeing in theaters was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

It's possible my parents took me to other movies before that. I don't remember, and I never asked them. But that one stuck in my mind, mostly because of the tunnel scene - that sort of thing clamps onto you when you're five years old. It's entirely possible that my entire psychological complex has its roots in that one scene. I was pumped when Thor:Ragnarok paid it homage.

Anyway, that never stopped Adult Me from liking the movie, after the usual teenage "that's kid stuff" crap. Even as a kid, I thought the moral lessons were a bit over the top, but there's enough depth to the movie as a whole for it to be worth revisiting. Plus, Gene Wilder was always awesome.

So my local theater - an Alamo Drafthouse, which if you're lucky enough to be in one of their markets you know what I'm talking about - is having a Wonka screening this Friday, complete with a couple of the actors from the movie showing up for a Q&A afterwards (the former kid actors, of course - pretty sure all the adults have gone to the great chocolate factory in the sky).

For the uninitiated, Alamo Drafthouse is just that - a drafthouse and a movie theater. It's adult-oriented (not in a tawdry way) and the theaters aren't usually stuffed with screaming kids, so watching something like, say, Incredibles 2 can be a pleasant experience. This particular screening allows kids 6 and up, which I find amusing because like I said, I was five when I first saw it in the theater.

Of course I'm going. Wouldn't miss the opportunity to get completely drunk and then watch the tunnel scene. Oh, sure, I could do it at home; I have it on DVD. But there's something to be said for watching it in a room full of other fans, on a big screen.

Now, let's get this out of the way: I never can bring up a movie that's been remade without someone commenting on the remake. I say Willy Wonka; they bring up Johnny Depp. I say Ghostbusters; they have to ask me if I liked Ghostbreasters

Yes, that's what I call it. I did like the remake, but that's irrelevant.

. I mention the classic Total Recall, and someone has to mention the absolute crap remake of it. Point is, stop it. I get that they have to remake movies because money. Some of them are good. Some of them suck. But when I talk about Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I do not want to hear about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. If I wanted to talk about the remake, I'd talk about the remake. So if that means I have to bring it up to forestall discussion of it, so be it.