Thanks to Clinton for pics.
Your gonna have to hang in there with this one. The opening of the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie was something I’ve been waiting for for a long time. On Sunday, after the Los Angeles Premier, I gave away ice cream to a bunch of over-sugared kids and parents at the over-sugared after party. Then yesterday I drove out with Jeremiah to catch a press screening of the new film.
Bessy, my loyal and faithful ice cream truck, broke down a month ago on the way back from Washington. After a near complete rebuilt, I picked her up last week the day before I was to drop her off at Jim Henson Studios where the after party was going to take place. What a perfect place to build a choco factory.
On Sunday, I headed up early so I could snap some pictures of all the candy and the cool setup they had prepared for the festivities. If your wondering why the only pictures are either of candy or ME, it’s because I wasn’t allowed to bring in the Cobra Snake to shoot pics during the event.
Just before five o’clock the buzz was going around that Johnny Depp and Tim Burton had entered the factory. The party was just about ready to start, the chocolate waterfall and river were running, and fudge/brownie mountain had yet to be conquered. (it was so big it took 6 guys to carry it out at the end of the night). As the folks trickled in, you could see the smiles as all the kids started filling their bags like it were Easter. I manned the truck and offered up as much ice cream as I could. The specialty of the day was Mochi Ice Cream. If you haven’t had it yet, you should grab some at Trader Joe’s or Costco. They’re like a marshmallow bon-bon. I recommend starting with Strawberry. I also had 50/50 bars, Big Sticks, Strawberry Shortcakes, Fruit Bars, and a few Julie’s Organic bars on board.
One thing I’m not good at is noticing famous people who I give ice cream too. Daryl Hannah was hanging around the truck and after a few minutes she grabbed a couple Mochi treats. Then some friends from Coachella came over and said hi and hung out in the hot sun while I filled them in on all the happenings. Kids with chocolate on their faces kept coming back for more and I think even they knew this was a once-in-a-life-time opportunity.
After a couple hours, things started to slow down a bit and I headed over to the photo booth to snap a couple pics swimming in a chocolate river and hangin with the number one Oompa. Due to the truck being in the very back, it was going to take at least a couple hours to clear a pathway so I could leave out the front gate. I wandered around a bit more, got a few more pictures then started to load the truck up with some candy. The scary part was that everyone was encouraging everyone else to grab as much candy as possible. At first I was skeptical but after grabbing a couple hundred pounds of Laffy Taffy’s, Nerds, and Sweet Tarts, I had to start refusing it. Endless amounts of candy…..another dream come true.
Last night was the press screening for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in Westwood. I had never been to a press screening before and I wasn’t sure what to expect. The best part happened right as Jeremiah and I entered. There were rows of FREE popcorn and sodas for everyone. What a treat. The place was packed and the excitement was building. Right then it hit me that a few months ago I had a vision or the premier being in the same theater and I was parked outside giving away ice cream afterwards. So, before the movie even started, my mind was racing. Exactly how similar am I to this Wonka character and how much has he shaped my life?
I worked production at the best chocolate factory in the country (Dagoba Organic Chocolate)
I’ve either visited or tried to visit most of the major chocolate factories in this country (Hershey, Nestle (x2), M&M Mars, Rocky Mountain, Ghiradelli)
I own an Oompa Loompa costume, Wonka chocolate making kit, and an original 6 foot tall Willy Wonka movie poster
I call candy companies when they change their flavors and don’t mention it on the packages
I want to give away lots of sugary treats
As the movie was rolling, my mind wouldn’t stop thinking about this. And when Willy Wonka came out to escort all the lucky winners into the factory, you could tell he’d been living around sugar and Oompas for a little to long. Imagine being stuck in a chocolate factory for years with only Oompas to keep you company. So basically he’s nuts. It’s a fun nuts but also a trippy one. That made me wonder if I was going to end up going off the deep end if I keep eating ice cream and chocolate all the time. Now…..back to the movie.
The movie is beautiful. It’s done exceptionally well and the mix between computer graphics and good old fashioned special effects created very smooth transitions. The casting of all the kids, and their parents, couldn’t have been any better. As the movie progresses you learn that Willy had a rough childhood and is still dealing with parental issues. Think of that one Simpson’s episode where Nelson keeps thinking he see’s his long lost Dad. There are just enough similarities and differences to make this enjoyable for new comers and devotees alike. The one liners (“lollipops are just cavities on a stick”) and self parody moments help to keep everything fun and isn’t that what’s it all about?
