They're about believing in yourself and being motivated in life (`Anything you want to, do it. They are not just songs about the candy-making genius of Willy Wonka or the excitement of being able to tour his mysterious factory, but they are about life in the real world. There are, of course, some exceptions, such as `Cheer up, Charlie,' which I have been fast-forwarding through for as long as I can remember, but for the most part, the songs are fun to listen to and they pertain to life outside the movie. These are some of the best songs in any movie ever made, rivaling even the best of the songs from Disney's films (hey, some of them are really good). One of the best elements of this film is the excellently written script and, even more, the songs. Here are all of these kids (funny how it was only kids who found those golden tickets) who were at this candy factory, and they had each elected to bring one of their parents with them as the one admissible member of their family who was allowed by Wonka to accompany them to the factory. The makers of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory understood this very well, and you can see that just by the way that the cast is divided. On the other hand, this is also the downfall of such other movies that are strictly for a much younger audience, like Cats & Dogs. This is what makes movies like Toy Story and Shrek such huge successes- the adults will love it just as much as the kids are sure to. It's a family film, but one of the most important aspects of a family film is that it has to be enjoyable for a variety of ages. At any rate, Willy Wonka is a tremendously imaginative and inspiring film.

Until now, pretty much the only movie I associate with 1971 is A Clockwork Orange, and it's just strange for some reason to find out that this classic movie was made so long ago. Watching it again last night, I had convinced myself that it was made sometime in the early to mid 80s, and I was shocked to find out that this year is the movie's 30 year anniversary. It has been one of my favorite films for almost 20 years now, and it wasn't until today that I actually realized when it was made. I mean, just from watching it, you can't really tell when it was made. One of the things that makes this film so intriguing is that it could have been made at any time. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a truly magnificent piece of filmmaking and remains one of the most fascinating and wonderful adventure films ever made.

Charlie and the chocolate factory 1964