I was never a huge fan of “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” but Gene Wilder was one of my favorites, so I admired the film. The Johnny Depp/Tim Burton was technically quite good but it didn’t have the heart of the original. So I went to see “Wonka” without high expectations but was pleasantly surprised. First of all Timothee Chalamet was wonderful as a young Willie. Who knew he could sing and dance? He brought an amount of whimsy similar to Gene Wilder. Olivia Colman did a good job as the nasty lady and the three candy factory owners brought the right amount of villainy and comedy. The film has lapses of sentimentality, but it is tolerable. However it was Hugh Grant who stole the movie! He is as you have never seen him. Go for the story, music and overall acting but stay for Hugh Grant. And don’t leave until the credits are over.

I have enjoyed Nicolas Cage’s last few movies, especially “The Retirement Plan” and “Renfield”, so I thought I would give “Dream Scenario” a shot. The premise looked interesting. A man starts appearing in people’s dreams. Cage plays a nerdy, middle aged professor who gets thrown into this bizarre scenario. Well I was disappointed. The premise is one-note and the acting is monotonous. I sat in the theater wanting it to be over. None of the characters were compelling. This is the type of movie that should be avoided. It was lousy.

Emerald Fennell’s first movie was “Promising Young Woman” which was unique, different and disturbing. She won an Oscar for writing. Her second movie is “Saltburn” which is also unique and disturbing. The first half tells the story of a nerdy Oxford student who longs to be in the popular crowd. He befriends a wealthy and popular student who takes him under his wing. This part of the film is pretty normal. The second half of the movie takes place at the wealthy student’s estate, Saltburn. That is when things start to get dark. The rich boy is played by Jacob Elori and the other by Barry Keoghan, who was so good in “The Banshees of Inisherin” last year. He gives an outstanding performance again. Rosamund Pike plays Elori’s mother and she steals the movie. She is very British, very eccentric and very funny. The tone of the film changes in the second half and has a number of twists. Not as good as “Promising Young Woman”, but worth seeing. Look for Keoghan and Pike to be up for some acting awards.

“Dicks: The Musical” is based on an off-Broadway play written by Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson about two identical twin brothers who were separated at birth by their parents and do not know about each other. It sounds like “The Parent Trap”, but it couldn’t be farther from that. It s very profane and very funny. The parents are played by Megan Mullalay and Nathan Lane and their characters are extremely eccentric. A lot of jokes are over the top and tasteless, but funny. The songs are perky. This is not a “West Side Story” or “The Sound of Music” kind of musical. Be forewarned.

Martin Scorcese’s latest film, “Killers of the Flower Moon” stars two of his muses, Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio. Both actors give outstanding performances in this period piece about the Osage Indians, their accidental oil wealth in the 1920’s and how the whites try to get their wealth. In addition to DeNiro and DiCaprio the film stars Lily Gladstone as native woman who is the heart and soul of this movie. Her performance is mesmerizing. In some ways it is like Scocese’s gangster films, but it is set in Oklahoma with the Indians as one of the gangs. This is an epic film, with an incredible and mostly true story. The three leads give Oscar worthy performances, with DeNiro the best he has been in years. It clocks in at three and a half hours, but it moves. Look for this movie to be noticed at awards time. It is one of Scorcese’s best films.

I love being surprised when a movie is better than I expected. “The Retirement Plan” looked like it would be just another Nicolas Cage assembly line production. It is not. Everything starts out with a heist gone wrong. The getaway driver is married to the one of the culprits who has stolen a drive with dangerous information. The wife, played by newcomer Ashley Green, has to flee the country with her daughter. They go to the Camen Islands, where her estranged father, played by Cage, lives. Then the fun starts. Cage is a Rambo type and the bad guys don’t know what hit them. There are twists and turns and a high body count done cleverly. This is a caper movie with lots of action. The real surprise for me was Ron Perlman. He plays an intellectual gangster. Very enjoyable!

Last year I saw my first Bollywood film, “RRR”, and I loved it! Three hours long, a back and forth story, singing and dancing and non-stop action. I took a chance and went to see another Indian film, “Jawan” which was also epic. The story turns out to be a multi-generational vengeance epic with a hero who seems to be a terrorist, but is really a good guy. It moves! The plot keeps going in different directions and it is only toward the end that it is all tied together. Even at three hours, I was enthralled. Not for the faint of heart, but totally entertaining! Great film!

Denzel Washington is back as Robert McCall, the Equalizer. This time he has retired and visiting Sicily. First, he uncovers an international drug ring and wipes out the entire group. Then he contacts a newbie CIA agent and anonymously alerts her. After that he ends up in a small town that is ruled by the local mafia. After being provoked once too often he takes them on. You can guess the outcome. Lots of action; lots of killing; lots of violence. Denzel is quite a badass. The story moves and keeps you on the edge of the seat. A worthy sequel.

“Bottoms” is an hilarious, raunchy, original high school comedy about two unpopular lesbian girls who want to connect with cheerleaders. They decide to start a fight club which ends up attracting the more popular students and becomes a sensation. The situations and dialogue are original and quite funny. There are a couple of scenes that are laugh out loud funny. Rachel Sennott, who plays one of the leads, also co-wrote the script and she is great. Funny and enjoyable. This is my favorite comedy of the summer.

“Oppenheimer” is the latest film from Christopher Nolan of “The Dark Knight” and “Dunkirk” fame. Nolan has become a filmmaker whose work is anticipated and this film does not disappoint. I questioned how a three hour biographical film about the maker of the atomic bomb could keep my interest. Well it did. The film is told in flashbacks from J. Robert Oppenheimer’s inquest in 1954 to renew his security clearance. We learn he was a genius in physics, followed liberal politics in the 1930’s, was tapped by the Army to lead the Manhattan Project and later a proponent for ending the nuclear arms race. “Oppenheimer” was filmed for Imax and it is beautifully done. Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer is superb. He is perfect and should be noticed at awards time. There are a lot of good supporting performances from Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnet and others. The standout Is Robert Downey, almost unrecognizable as Lewis Strauss. This is one of his best performances. He totally immerses himself in his character. This is an important film that will be among the best of 2023. Outstanding!