Wonka

Timothée Chalamet takes over from Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp as Roald Dahl's iconic chocolatier in Wonka. This film sees Chalamet as a young Willy Wonka as he sets out to make his mark in the world with his unique way of making chocolate and candy. Along the way he deals with corrupt policemen, ruthless competition with other chocolate makers, and scamming laundromat owners while making his late mother proud, gains friends from other broken dreamers, and comes upon an annoyed Oompa-Loompa. While the rest of the cast is wonderful, including Hugh Grant as a Loompa, it's Chalamet who excels at playing the magical candy maker. He gives a good combination of Wilder's movement and mannerisms with Depp's oddness and energy while having his own takes on the character. Paul King as a director and cowriter with Simon Farnaby really capture the perfect aspects to what made the original book and the 1971 and 2005 movies so memorable. The whimsical and childlike nature is all there and manages to make the most absurd parts fit really well into this film's world. Especially helped by the production design, cinematography from Chung Chung-hoon, the breathless score by Joby Talbot, and Neil Hannon's songs that are perfectly choreographed by the casts' fun and quick dancing. If there was one movie to end 2023 with then there's no other perfect choice than the wonderful, whimsical, and wholesome Wonka. Over all: 100%

2023 top list so far:

1. Oppenheimer

2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

3. Wonka

4. Godzilla Minus One

5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

6. Asteroid City

7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

8. Blue Beetle

9. Barbie

10. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1

11. Elemental

12. Air

13. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

14. Creed III

15. John Wick: Chapter 4

16. Scream VI

17. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

18. Killers of the Flower Moon

19. M3GAN

20. Dumb Money

21. The Marvels

22. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

23. Cocaine Bear

24. Knock at the Cabin

25. The Flash

26. The Super Mario Bros. Movie

27. Wish

28. Renfield

29. Fast X

30. The Little Mermaid 2023

31. Shazam! Fury of the Gods

32. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

33. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania