Those Oompa Loompas

It's back to work for me and I still have a hangover. I had a well-spent weeklong vacation capped by a day on the beach at Lemery, Batangas. I also spent some time with my kids at Tom's World in Festival Mall in Alabang and will be back for more because the tokens are 50% cheaper than at TimeZone. The prized may not be as good as those at TimeZone but who needs the prizes when we're playing for fun. So Festival Mall will surely be a regular stop this coming Christmas break.

Normally I'd spend vacations like these watching movies but I had several deadlines to beat so I was limited to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on DVD and The Legend of Zorro and The 40 Year-Old Virgin on the big screen.


The 40 year-Old Virgin is definitely funny, make it hilarious, especially if you know one who is, but the movie is not meant for a young audience. I can identify with Steve Carel's character Andy who values his collection of action figures. I guess boys, I mean men just don't outgrow their love for toys. As for giving up his virginity, it was well worth the wait. While the movie had a predictive story line, it wasn't boring at all. I can't say anything more about the movie because I can still recall the funny scenes and to relate them here would be spoiling the fun.



I sorely missed Anthony Hopkins in this sequel but Joaquin, Zorro's son was a welcome addition to the cast. After all, the De la Vega family has to grow, like father, like son, like grandson. I could see my sons in the little boy's thirst for adventure and action. Catherine Zeta Jones as Elena was glamorous as usual. Antonio Banderas looked a lot thinner and older. The De la Vega family, on the brink of being separated, ended up saving the whole of California. With the identity of Zorro still a well-kept secret after those who saw him unmasked were murdered, the legend will live on.



I just loved this movie primarily because I'm a great Johnny Depp fan way back in his 21 Jump Street and Edward Scissorhands days plus it's a great story laden with values for both children and adults. The chocolatey water was good enough to drink I couldn't blame Augustus Gloop for sampling them. I didn't see the older version so I really can't compare but suffice it to say that this is indeed a good movie for children. Freddie Highmore, who portrayed Charlie Bucket and was also in the cast of Five Children and IT, is now in my list of favorite child actors next to Haley Joel Osment for an endearing performance. But I guess what stole the show for me were the Oompa Loompas. My youngest son just loves to watch the film over and over to see the Oompa Loompas perform and has even memorized the songs. Maybe an Oompa Loompa spin-off movie won't be such a bad idea.

Category: Movies & Music Reviews